JUDGMENT DAY by David Wilkerson
The apostle Paul was one of God’s most faithful servants. And I
believe there were three important motivations behind Paul’s
faithfulness: hope, love–and fear. Paul had a blessed hope of
eternal life that motivated him to faithfulness. He also had a great
love for Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5:14 he says, “The love of Christ
constraineth us”- meaning, it constrained him to remain faithful to God.
But Paul’s faithfulness was also motivated by something else:
the reverential fear of the hour he would stand before the Judge
of the world–on Judgment Day!
Today, the vast majority of Christians possess only the first
two motivations. Virtually every believer claims to have the
hope of eternal life. And many say in all sincerity, “I know I
love Jesus with all my heart.”
But what is missing in the church of Jesus Christ in these last
days is that third motivation–the awesome sense that one day we
will stand before a holy God and give an account of our every
motive. thought and action. We seldom, if ever, think of that
day of judgment!
Yet the truth of a coming day of judgment is the very thing that
produces serious, godly believers. Those who put it out of mind
are usually cold, careless and indulgent. But the fact remains
that. sometime very soon. every person who has ever lived will
be gathered to the place of judgment–to be judged by Jesus
Christ: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10). “So then every one of us shall
give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).
At this very moment, legions of angels stand ready for Jesus’
command to gather from the corners of the earth both the wicked
and the righteous: “The Son of man shall send forth his angels,
and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend,
and them which do iniquity” (Matthew 13:41).
All the rich, famous and powerful of all ages will be brought to
stand before Him: “And the kings of the earth, and the great
men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty
men…hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the
mountains; and said to the mountains and the rocks, Fall on us,
hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and
from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is
come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:15-17).
A famous actress is constantly talking about reincarnation. She
claims she has lived many lives before, and that when she dies
she’ll come back to earth in another body.
What terror awaits her and her followers! An angel of the Lord
will be sent to their grave sites, uniting body and soul-and
they will suddenly discover there is not another life! Instead,
they will be summoned by the Judge to the last court–a court of
no appeals. And the only afterlife will be eternal damnation for
all who rejected Him.
Indeed, the angels will gather together all the “tares”–the
sinners and the ungodly–and drag them “in bundles to burn them”
(Matthew 13:40, 30). These will not come willingly, but with
weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.
God Has Been Keeping
Books on Every Living Soul
Since Adam.
God has recorded every passion and motive of every person–every
single thought, word and deed. The motives of the Christian are
entered in a “book of remembrance,” which is the Book of Life.
And on the day of judgment, Christ is going to remember all who
are in this book:
“Then they that feared the Lord spake often to one another: and
the Lord…heard it, and a book of remembrance was written
before him for them that feared the Lord…. And they shall be
mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my
jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that
serveth him” (Malachi 3:16-17).
If you love Jesus with all your heart and you’re cleansed by His
blood. then your name is written in His book of remembrance.
Such need not fear this message; in fact, it should bring great
rejoicing to your heart as you see all that God has planned for
those who love Him!
But there is the Book–and there are books. The Bible says each
life has its own book, a record of an entire lifetime on earth:
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from
whose face the earth and the heaven fled away…. And I saw the
dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were
opened…and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works. And the sea
gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered
up the dead which were in them: and they were judged
according to their works– (Revelation 20: 11-13).
The wicked and ungodly will be judged by everything written in
those books- one by one. before the judge of all!
Scripture says every person will have a resurrection body at
that time. The sinner will have a body ‘fitted to destruction”
(Romans 9:22). But the godly will be given a new body, likened
unto the Lord’s! And when the judgment is over, the Lamb will
rise up from His throne and lead His flock into eternal paradise.
Yet before the Judge does this, He will beckon us by His side as
He judges the wicked: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with
me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with
my Father in his throne” (Revelation 3:21). Jesus is going to say to
us, “Come–sit at My right hand as the judgments proceed!”
Try to Imagine the Scene
That Takes Place as the
Judgment Begins
Hitler cringes in agony as the Judge tells His angels to read
the roll-call of names of every Jew he murdered. Six million
names–those of every man, woman and child he killed! Every
scream will be replayed, every cry from the ovens heard again.
All his henchmen will share his terror.
Next comes the army of abortion doctors and nurses, huddled
together before the Judge. They listen and shudder as the names
of millions of babies are read. God has a name for every
one-because according to the Scriptures they were named from
eternity (see Jeremiah I :5)!
Every scream from the womb will be replayed–and the doctors who
performed those murderous acts will have to stand and endure
each cry. Every mother who allowed her baby to be killed will be
shown the life God planned for her child-and how her baby was
robbed of that life. The Judge will expose it all!
Then there are those who “neglected their salvation” (see
Hebrews 2:3). They stand in great shock, not believing they are
numbered with the transgressors. Listen to their cries:
“We went to church, we tithed. We were called by Your name. We
were not wicked!” But the Judge will say: “All (your righteousnesses
are as filthy rags-‘ (Isaiah 64:6). Others willsay, “We cast out devils,
we healed the sick. We did mighty works in Your name!” But the
Judge will answer, “I don’t even know you. Depart from Me, you
workers of iniquity!” (see Luke 13:27).
An angel will stand among them, repeating to them the Scriptures
they heard during their lifetime: “You gave no earnest heed to
the things which you heard” (see Hebrews 2:1). “How do you hope
to escape, seeing you have neglected so great a salvation, which
was so clearly revealed and confirmed to you?” (see Hebrews 2:3).
Also before the throne are many other faces I remember. I don’t
know their names; I only remember the hate I saw in their
faces–and the awful blasphemies that poured from their lips:
There are the faces of three lesbians staring at me in front of
an of building in Manhattan. Operation Rescue was demonstrating
in front of an abortion chamber. And those three girls stood by,
cursing and screaming, “Get your Christ-garbage off the streets.
Take your Jesus and crawl back into your holes!”
There is the face of the abortion doctor–tbe man who made a
fortune killing the unborn. He shook his fist at the demonstrators,
the veins in his neck protruding, hate filling his eyes. He was
screaming,” I’ll get you–I’ll sue you! You’ll pay for this!”
There are the faces of flaunted homosexual lust. parading past
Columbus Circle during New York’s “Gay Pride” march two years
ago. I watched as some 250,000 homosexual activists marched
past. And just the sight of one carrying a Bible brought a
chorus of jeers: “Jesus was gay! God is gay! We re here, we’re
queer, and we’re after your children!”
1t wasn’t the blasphemous signs or the unbelievable arrogance
that got to me. It was the hate for Christ–the look that said
if Jesus were there that day, they gladly would have nailed Him
to the nearest tree in Central Park!
Yet here they all are before the judgment seat, bundled together
in one group-paralyzed with agony and fear! It is the day of God’s
wrath and vengeance. And now, as each book is opened and
every vile deed voiced aloud, what has become of their bluster?
Where now are the bold blasphemies, the mockery of sacred
things? Where is their cry? I spoke at Yale University not long ago,
and a group of gay activists came in carrying signs, trying to
interrupt the meeting. My sermon was on hell–and as I spoke, a
Holy Ghost hush fell over the place. The silence was so deafening
that one reporter said, “My pencil seemed to make noise.”
Those demonstrators couldn’t move-they were paralyzed! And
at that moment, I got idea of what it is going to be like for them to
stand before Jesus on Judgment Day.
Scripture declares, “The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment”
(Psalm 1:5) Look now at the others trembling before the judgment
seat: Judges who allowed unborn babies to be murdered. Atheistic
college professors who filled a whole generation full of apostasy
and hate for Christ. Lying politicians who removed prayer and God
from our society. Godless presidents, dictators and mob leaders.
Actors and filmmakers who blasphemed Christ. Artists who
depicted His Cross in a vat of urine. Bankers, business people,
the rich, the once proud and powerful who had no time for Him.
Now what will they do?
There they stand, listening and awaiting their turn. And the
angel of the Lord cries out among them, “Be sure your sin will
find you out!” (Numbers 32:23).
The Judge Will Call Forth
Witnesses!
The Judge, Jesus Christ, is faithful-and He will call forth His
witnesses. These will testify either for you or against you:
1. The first witness is the Word of God itself: “He that
rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth
him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in
the last day” (John 12:48).
For every sermon or gospel song ever heard, every Bible verse or
tract ever read, account must be given. Jesus says, “Every word
I have spoken to you will judge you on that day. My Word will be
the witness!”
2. Witnesses shall arise such as the men of Nineveh, the men of
Sodom and the Queen of Sheba.
Jesus says, “The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this
generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the
preaching of Jonas: and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this
generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the
uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and,
behold, a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:4142).
When you stand before the Judge and your book is opened, the
vast multitudes of Ninevites will step forward. Those who died
in the holocaust of Sodom and Gomorrah will come forth, as will
those of Tyre and Sidon. These wicked ones will gather round,
incredulous as they hear the list of all the opportunities you
had to receive the Word of God: Bibles, radio, TV, teachers,
witnesses, friends, family.
They will cry out, “This man’s judgment ought to be worse than
ours! How could he reject so many opportunities and deny such
powerful light? We had no Bible, no constant reminders, no
second opportunity. But he had all this!”
Jesus says Sodom would have repented if they had heard what
you’ve heard- “For if the mighty works, which have been done in
thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this
day” (Matthew 11:23). The men of Sodom would have put on
sackcloth and ashes if they’d heard even a fraction of the
gospel preaching you have heard!
3. Preachers and pastors will be called forth as witnesses.
“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world
for a witness unto all nations” (Matthew 24: 14).
We shepherds will have to stand and bear witness that you were
in attendance in the house of God. You heard the witness of the
gospel preached. And we must affirm before the Judge of all
people every truth you heard–either for you or against you!
Perhaps the Most Tragic
Souls Standing Before the
Judge Will Be Those the Bible
Calls “Unprofitable Servants.”
These were the servants–meaning, they called themselves by the
name of the Lord.
As I prepared this message, this was the one group that burdened
my soul the most. You see, the unprofitable servant” is the one
who “hid” his talent. He was too lazy to invest his life and
time in God’s interests, and he became “slothful” in the things
of God. This was the busy man or woman who came to God’s house
once a week to keep a semblance of religion.
Yet here is what the Lord will say of haphazard, halfhearted
service to Him:
“Thou wicked and slothful servant thou knewest that I reap where
I sowed not…Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to
the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received
mine own with (interest)…. Cast ye the unprofitable servant
into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth”(Matthew 25:26-27, 30).
What weeping and wailing there will be when the unprofitable
servant’s book is opened! The Judge will show the world how much
time and effort he spent in making money, seeking personal
security, building up bank accounts, fretting, ignoring family,
forgetting God and forsaking the assembly of believers.
On that day God will bring forth the record of every neglected
church meeting, every lazy and self-centered activity. Then,
right before this servant’s eyes will appear everything he spent
his lifetime accumulating: houses, cars, furnishings, boats,
clothes, jewelry, stocks and bonds.
Suddenly, a spark leaps from the Judge’s eye–the spark of a
Lover who has been shunned–and it ignites everything like a
hydrogen meltdown! Standing before the Judge is an angel, and in
the angel’s hands is a mound of dust. The Lord will turn to the
unprofitable one and say, “This is what your lifetime of
business amounted to! I needed you and called you, but you
neglected Me. You gave Me so little of your time, until finally
you pushed Me out of your life completely. You wasted your life
for a handful of dust-yet you were warned it would all burn as
grass in an oven!”
Oh, the regret there will be on that day for a man who has no
time for God now! He attends the obligatory Sunday morning
service with his wife and children, because it’s “the American
way.” But he has no heart for God! You never see him in a prayer
meeting or enjoying the true fellowship of the saints,encouraging
and being encouraged in the Lord, as the Word commands.
Yet on Judgment Day, the Judge will say, Take that unprofitable
servant and cast him out of My presence! His heart is not with
Me; it never has been. He left his first love long ago. He has
not made Me the Lover of his soul. Otherwise, in every waking
hour I would have been on his mind–in his business, his family,
all his doings. He would have put My interests first in everything!”
Oh. who will not be afraid on that at day of judgment-
What Does Judgment Day
Mean for the Overcoming
Children of God?
The first thing on the Judge’s agenda will be to separate His
sheep from among the goats. He will not allow His righteous ones
to be numbered with the transgressors. Instead, He will call on
His angels to gather His flock at His right hand:
“And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall
separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep
from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand,
but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on
his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”
(Matthew 25:32-34).
The Bible is very clear that those who have been abiding in
Christ and looking for His appearing will have boldness and
confidence on that day:
“And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall
appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at
his coming” (I John 2:28). “Herein is our love made perfect,
that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he
is, so are we in this world” (l John 4: 17).
How can you have such boldness on the day of judgment–such joy
and confidence? It comes only through knowing the Judge–as your
friend, brother, redeemer-kinsman, Lord, high priest,
propitiation, advocate, intercessor, the love of your
heart–your very life!
There is a test that will show whether or not you are prepared
to go to the judgment as a sheep–with joy, confidence and
boldness. The Bible says, “For if we would judge ourselves, we
should not be judged” (I Corinthians 11:31). Are you willing to
take the test–and to judge yourself?
If you are willing, ask yourself these three questions:
1. Have you been longing and yearning for the coming of the
Lord? Do you look forward to His coming? Do you yearn for the day
when He will appear?
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of
the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:
and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his
appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).
This world is not our home. But I ask you: Are you putting down
roots? Or are you pulling up roots, praying, “Jesus, keep my
heart awake!”
“Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God….
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be
diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and
blameless” (2 Peter 3:12,14).
Jesus said, “Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13). We all must go
ahead with our daily lives and work. But in every waking hour,
our hearts should cry, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation
22:20).
2. Have God’s enemies become your enemies? Are you engaged in
the battle against those who oppose God? Have you taken up His
fight against the flesh, the world and the devil? Or have you
left the battle in the hands of other members of Christ’s body?
If you’re going to stand before the world and judge God’s
enemies on Judgment Day, you have to make them your enemies now.
David said, “Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and am
not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them
with a perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies” (Psalm 139:21-22).
Yes, Jesus said we are to love our enemies. But what about His
enemies-those who hate Him, refuse His grace and mercy, and
defame His name and drag it through filth? We are not to hate
men-but we are to hate the sin that is in their hearts and the
demonic powers that rule them. We are to hate the wickedness
that is in the world!
Yet do you say in your heart, “This world has been wicked all
along, and it’s only going to get worse. But what concern is
that to me? I’ll just keep my garment clean before God.” NO–YOU
can’t! We are all in a battle, in warfare! The gates of hell are
coming against the church of Jesus Christ in these last days
like never before-and you cannot remain neutral!
God issues a call: “Who will rise up for me against the
evildoers?” (PsaIm 94:16). And when Judgment Day comes,
I want to say with Paul, “I fought a good fight!” I want to go out
fighting–to be on my knees, full of holy hatred toward sin in
my life and in the world.
3. Nave you not made a habit of forsaking the house of God? “Not
forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of
some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye
see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).
It is no accident that the very next verse in this passage
refers to “willful sinning” after the truth has been revealed.
Indeed, it is a proven historical fact: People become most
careless and neglectful just prior to judgment and calamity!
Always before any society spun completely out of control, people
turned to security, money-making, pleasures–everything but God.
And at the last moment, things got worse: Believers began
neglecting the house of God. Paul warns us: “Now that the day is
approaching so soon, make sure you do not forsake the assembling
of yourselves together, as so many have done! This is no time to
drift or to stay away from God’s house. It is time to assemble
with true overcomers!”
If your church on Sundays is nothing more than a TV program,
then beloved. you are not assembling with believers You are not
getting or giving encouragement. as God commands!
What is the judgment, but the final assembling together of His
flock? Will you be there–faithful, expectant, willing and
joyful? The Lord knows those who love Him so much they can’t
stand to be away from His body. I tell you, the books will be
opened on that day–and the Judge is keeping an account right
now!
Did You Pass the Test?
If you know in your heart you’re not ready to stand before
Jesus–and that time is coming very soon–then you have to
answer for what I have written here. This one message is enough
to damn you to eternal hell if you reject it. It will stand as a
witness on Judgment Day!
Have your interests–your work, your possessions or even your
ministry–become more important to you than the Lord’s
interests? Have you neglected your family? Are you satisfied
because you go to church on Sunday and say, I’ve done my part
for God”? God’s Word to you is clear: It’s not enough!
If you have judged yourself and come up short, then pray this
from your heart:
“Jesus, I need You. I need to be forgiven and to be loved by
You. I confess all my sin and stubbornness. I’ve neglected You,
Lord–I’ve not put You first. And from this day on, I make You
my life–my everything.”Consume me, Jesus. Amen.”
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