Divine judgment is not a popular topic, and few Bible teaches discuss it because it disturbs the status quo of what people think about themselves. However, for those who are true followers of YHVH Elohim, who are serious students of the Scriptures, and who are intent on pursuing biblical standards of holiness and righteousness, this subject must not be avoided.
The dictionary definition of judgment: “a decision of a court or judge; a misfortune or calamity viewed as a divine punishment.”
The Bible speaks a lot about judgment. When we read about the subject of judgment in the Bible, it usually pertains to the “other guy”: someone in the past, or someone in the future, or someone that we consider to be more sinful than we are. The problem is that our pride prevents us from thinking that it is something that could happen to us.
Judgment is nothing more than suffering the consequences of our actions. It’s simply a function of the law of cause and effect. If you jump off of a building, you’ll suffer the consequences of your actions when you hit the ground. Similarly, when we break YHVH’s commandments, we will suffer the consequences. It’s a matter of degrees. To the degree that we obey his commandments, we’ll reap the blessings of obedience. Conversely, to the degree we disobey them, we’ll reap the negative consequences (Lev 26:3ff cp. 14ff). For most of us, our actions with regard to obedience to YHVH’s laws are a mixture of both good and evil, so we’re reaping both blessings and curses at the same time.
As a result of coming out of the mainstream church, most of us have been so indoctrinated with the concept of YHVH’s love and grace, that we have a skewed view of his judgments. Few preachers ever talks about divine judgment. Add to this the fable of the pre-tribulation raptures, and the idea of divine judgment is shoved further into the back of many believers’ minds. If a preacher does talk about divine judgment, they’re often accused of being judgmental, and this accusation, whether accurate or not, tends to shut down the conversation on the subject of divine judgment. No one wants to talk about it since it messes with people’s false view of an Elohim that is so loving and gracious that he would never judge anyone for anything. Any discussion of the subject of divine judgment also forces people to face the reality of their own sinfulness and wickedness and the fact that they deserve Elohim’s judgments for their disobedience.
Beyond this, most of us have contrived a our own personal theology whereby we excuse and justify ourselves to maintain the comfort zones of our sin. Our hearts become hardened as we justify our sin, and we often excuse our own sinfulness by comparing Continue reading
