Training · The 1689 Baptist Confession
The last judgment
The final chapter: who is judged, by whom, for what, and why the date is withheld.
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Card 1 of 5
Who judges, and who is judged?
Jesus Christ judges, having been given all power and judgment by the Father - and everyone who has lived, along with the fallen angels, appears before him.
The judge is the mediator. The one who came to save is the one before whom everybody finally stands, and the confession lets that stand without softening either side of it.
'He's set a day when he'll judge the world fairly through a man he's chosen. He proved this to everyone by raising him from the dead.'
Acts 17:31Confession 32.1
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What is anyone judged on?
Their thoughts, words and deeds - receiving according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.
Thoughts are on the list, which is what makes the judgment total rather than a review of the public record. Set beside justification, the believer stands there in a righteousness that is not their own, and the assessment is still real.
Because all of us will have to stand before Christ and be judged, so each person gets what they deserve for what they've done in this life, good or bad.
2 Corinthians 5:10Confession 32.1
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What is the day of judgment for?
To display the glory of God's mercy in the salvation of the elect, and of his justice in the condemnation of the wicked.
Both, and they are given equal weight in the same sentence. The outcomes are then described in the language of Matthew 25 and 2 Thessalonians 1, without qualification.
And these people will go away to never-ending punishment, but the good people will go into life that never ends.
Matthew 25:46Confession 32.2
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What are the two outcomes?
The righteous receive everlasting life and fullness of joy and glory in the presence of the Lord; the wicked are sent away into eternal torment and punished with everlasting destruction, shut out from his presence.
The confession words both as the same kind of thing - a place someone is put, permanently - and it will not soften either half. Its own reason is in the paragraph before: the day exists to display the glory of God's mercy and the glory of his justice, and either one on its own would show less than the whole.
And these people will go away to never-ending punishment, but the good people will go into life that never ends.
Matthew 25:46Confession 32.2
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Why does Christ want us certain there will be a judgment, but uncertain when?
Certain, to deter people from sin and to comfort the godly in hard times. Uncertain, so that nobody grows complacent and everyone stays ready.
The whole confession ends on this, and it ends by telling you what to do with the doctrine rather than by restating it: be always watchful, and be ever prepared to say, Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.
The one who tells about these things says, 'Yes, I'm coming soon.' Yes, come, Lord Jesus!
Revelation 22:20Confession 32.3