“It is appointed for people to die once — and after this, judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). It is something a lot of people do not take time to think about anymore, but something everyone should. What happens when we pass from this existence? For some, the only existence they believe in is what they see, the here and now. Yet, creation itself offers testimony to the Creator (Romans 1:20), and God has set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). For others, it is assumed that everyone will go to heaven when he or she dies. However, Scripture reminds us this is not so either. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
The writer of Hebrews reminds us all that, once this physical existence ends, we all must face the judgment of God. Paul explains it this way to the church in Corinth; “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). How one lives his or her life on earth determines what type of judgment one receives in eternity. Jesus said those who have done good will receive the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil will receive the resurrection of judgment (John 5:29).
For those who have lived in faithful obedience to the will of God, the offer is salvation, eternal life (Hebrews 5:9). What a glorious thought to know one can be like Christ and see Him as He is (1 John 3:2), to be with Him forever (1 John 2:25). For those who have not obeyed the will of God, judgment consists of punishment, the weeping and gnashing of teeth that lasts for all eternity (Jude 7).
Thinking about the coming judgment can either comfort or condemn, depending on one’s point of view, on whether one has lived faithfully for God, or for self. You cannot have it both ways; either you live for God, or you live in sin (Romans 6:16). The choice you make on how you live determines the judgment you will face. There will be no role reversals in judgment. “The one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit” (Galatians 6:8). The time to think about judgment is today. The time to make changes is today. Which judgment awaits you?
