What is judgment?

Dear editor:

In my last letter entitled “Life is short” (Sunday, June 10), I began by making the point that not only is life all too brief, but that we also only get to live one time here on earth.

I used the Bible verse Hebrews 9:27 as my main reference on this matter: “it is destined that each person dies only once and after that comes judgment.” Judgment? Exactly what is God speaking about when He refers to this judgment? Let’s look at an example concerning judgment that we can all understand.

“Have you ever been required to appear in court before a judge? Even if your only offense was a parking or speeding ticket, the courtroom experience can be very intimidating. Your wrong cannot be undone and you must give an account for your actions and accept whatever consequences the judge decrees.”

“There will come a day when every human being will be required to stand before the Judge of the universe. At that point, there’s no turning back, no chance to start over. We will each be held accountable by Almighty God for our choices and actions in this life.”

“If you’ve trusted in Jesus as your Savior, you will appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10). This isn’t a judgment of your sins, because they were judged when God’s wrath was poured out on His Son at the cross. Since the Savior has already secured your eternal destiny, you will stand before God, clothed in Christ’s righteousness. The purpose of this judgment is evaluation of your works to determine if they are worthless or deserving of a reward” (1 Cor. 3:13).

“The Great White Throne Judgment is reserved for people who have rejected Jesus an their Savior (Rev. 20:11-15). The works they have done will be evaluated according to God’s record books. Since their names are not written in the book of life, their eternal destination will be — the lake of fire.”

“Although no one can avoid being judged, the good news is that you have a choice regarding which judgment seat you will appear before. But the only time you can make that choice is in this lifetime. Once your earthly life ends, your destiny is set.” (Quotes from Dr. Charles Stanley, In Touch magazine, July 2018.)

“The Holy Spirit warns us to listen to Him, to be careful to hear his voice today and not let your hearts become set against Him … But now is the time. Never forget the warning, ‘Today if you hear God’s voice speaking to you, do not harden your hearts against Him” (Hebrews 3:7, 15).

“What will you do on the Day of Judgment?”

“No one knows when that day will come. The only time you can be sure of is now! Now is all you have.”

“You’re only one heartbeat away from eternity. Where in eternity? Heaven or hell?” (“The Harbinger” by Jonathan Cahn).

Only Jesus can save you. Turn to Him while you can! Lloyd Hoffman Hot Springs