The last days and God’s judgment aren’t probably usual dinner conversation but they have been coming up a lot lately and rightfully so.
But what if God’s judgment is closer than we think?
The concept of divine judgment is one that sparks both fear and curiosity in many. As we navigate the complexities of the culture of modern life through a Biblical lens, it’s natural to wonder if God’s judgment is imminent, and what that might look like.
In today’s world, where morality seems to be constantly shifting and the boundaries of right and wrong are increasingly blurred, it’s no surprise that many are questioning whether God’s judgment is on the horizon.
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What is Judgment?
From a biblical perspective, there are many references to God’s judgment, from the flood in Genesis to the apocalyptic visions in Revelation. The scripture is clear – God is a just and righteous God, and He will not tolerate sin forever (Genesis 18:25, CSB).
One of Hebrew words used for judgment in scripture is šepet (pronounced sheh-fet) which means judgment or act of judgment.
The Greek word for judgment that’s used in the New Testament is krisis (pronounced kree-sis). This form of judgment is an opinion or decision given concerning anything; especially concerning justice and injustice, and right or wrong.
Sometimes we conflate God’s wrath with His judgments. Wrath is God’s burning anger. It also means rage and fury. God’s Wrath usually shows up for punishment. Judgment, on the other hand, is used by God to right wrongs. Sometimes wrath and punishment are involved, and sometimes it isn’t.
Components of Judgment
There are two parts to a judgment. There is the issuance of the judgment and the execution of the judgment.
Since our court system here on earth is similar to God’s system in the spirit realm, I can use ours to illustrate this point. When a judge issues a judgment against someone or against an entity like a corporation or a system, someone has to execute that judgment.
Back when I was a criminal prosecutor I used to seek arrest warrants and warrants to collect blood after really bad accidents caused by someone under the influence. We needed to test the person’s blood to determine what they were under the influence of and how much of the substance was in their system.
I would draft the support for the warrant and language of it and the judge would issue the warrant. Meaning, the judge would sign off on it which is what gives the warrant the necessary level of authority.
Well, someone has to execute that warrant. To execute means to do or to accomplish. Executing this particular judgment would actually be going to arrest the person or actually going to get the blood drawn, and that would often be the police that executed the warrant.
Issuing Judgments
So let’s look at some examples of issuing judgments, then we’ll take a look at executing judgments.
● God as judge.
We see God as judge A LOT in the old testament, especially with some of the prophets. Most of the judgments we see God issue are based on His laws and standards, and He does this because a person, group of people, or system has fallen short of His standards. BUT, there are some occasions where God judges people by their own standards. We see this in Ezekiel 7:27, CSB when God was judging Israel for their detestable practices, which we’ll explore later. God straight up tells Ezekiel, “I will deal with them according to their own conduct, and I will judge them by their own standards.”
● Humans as Judges.
Humans can issue judgments in the spirit realm that have an effect in the natural realm or they can issue judgments in the natural realm and these judgments will also manifest in the natural. How do we know this though? So glad you asked. Here is how we know.
John the revelator got a glimpse of this and documented it for us in Revelation 20:4, CSB. He said, “Then I saw thrones and people seated on them who were given authority to judge.”
We see a form of this in Ezekiel 44:24, CSB when God says that when it comes to disputes, his priests will officiate as judges during the millennial reign of Christ and they will decide cases according to God’s ordinances which are his laws.
We see this again in Ezekiel 23:24, CSB when God allowed pagans to judge His people. It says, “They will come against you with an assembly of peoples and with weapons, chariots, and wagons. They will set themselves against you on every side with large and small shields and helmets. I will delegate judgment to them, and they will judge you by their own standards.”
Executing Judgments
When spiritual judgments are issued whether in the natural or in the spirit realm, God can execute that judgment Himself or He may delegate that authority to others.
● God as executor.
So let’s take a quick look at God executing judgments. We see God speaking about executing judgments in a lot of places but I want to point you to Ezekiel 5:8, CSB when He says, “therefore, this is what the Lord God says: See, I myself am against you, Jerusalem, and I will execute judgments within you in the sight of the nations.” So this is a judgment being executed by God in the natural realm against Jerusalem. In Ezekiel 39:21, CSB, God shares with the Israelites that He will display His glory among the nations and all the nations will see the judgment that He has executed and the hand He laid on them. I’m sure you’re not surprised by this because after all God is God.
● Angels as executors.
Another entity that God uses to execute judgments are angels. Angels execute judgments issued by God and as well as humans. A great example of this is in 1 Chronicles 21.
When David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, covered in sackcloth, fell facedown.”
So in this scripture we see one of God’s angels standing between heaven and earth with his sword drawn, bringing death as an execution of God’s judgment of destruction against Israel. Let’s look at another example. This one is from 2 Kings. Let me set it up real quick.
Here’s what happened. “That night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!” 2 Kings 19:35, CSB. One angel executed God’s judgment against the Assyrians and killed almost 200,000 men.
Eventually God delivers a word through the prophet Isaiah to King Hezekiah assuring him that God himself will “defend this city and rescue it.” 2 Kings 19:34, CSB
Here’s what happened. “That night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!” 2 Kings 19:35, CSB. One angel executed God’s judgment against the Assyrians and killed almost 200,000 men.
When it comes to angels executing judgments in the New Testament, one that immediately pops into my mind is from Luke 1:20, CSB when Gabriel silenced Zechariah after he doubted the word Gabriel gave him. Gabriel came to Zechariah and told him that his wife would have a son and they would name him John.
Gabriel has been around a long time and he understands just how powerful the words we speak are. He knew that if Zechariah said the wrong thing, which he was prone to do because he already didn’t believe it was possible, but if he said the wrong thing, it would have derailed the will of God. So he silenced Zechariah until the day those things took place. I believe this was a judgment being executed against Zechariah for his lack of faith.
Angels also execute judgments in Revelation in more straightforward ways. One really good example is when the angel came down from heaven “holding the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand.” He seized the dragon, which is satan and threw him into the abyss, locking and sealing it so he couldn’t escape. Revelation 20:1-3, CSB.
● Human executors of God’s judgment.
Alright so let’s take a look at humans executing judgments. Both examples are from Ezekiel. This first one is really interesting because God used Israel’s enemies to do it.
“Therefore, I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians she lusted for. They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. Since they executed judgment against her, she became notorious among women.” Ezekiel 23:9-10, CSB
“I will take my vengeance on Edom through my people Israel, and they will deal with Edom according to my anger and wrath. So they will know my vengeance. This is the declaration of the Lord God.” Ezekiel 25:14, CSB
And God is actually about to raise some judges today who are going to judge witches. Here’s a clip of apostle sharing more about it… Interesting, right?!
Jesus
Ok, so there is one person that I haven’t mentioned yet who also judges and executes judgments. I didn’t mention him before because as best as I can tell, he isn’t actively operating in this function on earth right now. That person is Jesus. Jesus made it clear in John 12:47, CSB that while he was on earth in the flesh, he was not here to judge the world. However, when he returns, now that ‘s a different story. Here’s what’s gonna happen as it was seen and written by John the Revelator in Revelation 19:11-15a, CSB. He says:
“Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty.”
Powerful, right? Even if we aren’t here on earth when Christ returns, 2 Corinthians 5:8, CSB lets us know that we still must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ in heaven.
Ok. Just to wrap this up, so far we discussed who can judge. We learned from God that God acts as judge but He also delegates His authority to judge to humans.
Then we looked at who can execute judgments which means, once a judge has issued a decision regarding a matter, the executor of that judgment is the person who actually does what the decision says. And God’s word tells us that God can execute that judgment or He can delegate His authority to angels or humans to do it on His behalf.
In the next episode, we will look at the kinds of things that bring us into the space of having to be judged and receive God’s judgment. We will look at how judgments have been executed in the past and I’ll wrap it up with God’s judgments against America.
Alright, see you next time.
Want More?
If you enjoyed this episode, then you may also enjoy the episode of the show about the fear of success and how it hinders purpose or this episode detailing what to expect when operating in your purpose.
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