FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
THE FIRST
PRINCIPLES - XIII
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles
of the doctrine of Messiah, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward IAUE,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and
of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment.
ETERNAL
JUDGMENT – 2
Last week, we ended with this comment:
The execution of an eternal judgment
coincides with each phase of the resurrection of man. The resurrection actually is a prerequisite
for judgment. The Scripture tells us that in Messiah shall ALL be made
alive. His life, death, burial and
resurrection guaranteed a resurrection body for all men, righteous or unrighteous, in order
that the judgment executed upon them can
be either enjoyed…or endured forever.
We have seen that the resurrection is fulfilled in three
phases.
1. Messiah, the firstfruits – When Messiah rose from
the dead and many of the saints who had died also rose and were seen in the
city by many.
2. Those who are Messiah’s at his coming – Those who had obtained
the righteousness of Messiah when he returns.
3. Then comes the end – Those who never
received the righteousness of Messiah.
The “Firstfruits Resurrection” has already occurred; and
those saints who were raised from the dead have already received the reward of
their eternal judgment. The next resurrection
(and eternal judgment) to occur coincides with the return of Messiah.
1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Master, that we
which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Master shall not prevent them
which are asleep.
16 For the
Master himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of IAUE: and the dead in Messiah shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Master in the air: and so shall we ever
be with the Master.
The selection of the participants in this resurrection, those
who belong to Messiah, seals their eternal judgment; for those who rise shall
be with the Master forever. That is an
eternal judgment. Why, then, do they not
stand before a throne and have this judgment decreed upon them? It is because the judgment has already
been executed upon the person of Yahushua Messiah; and all who partake of
this second phase of the resurrection of the dead (those who are Messiah’s at
his coming) are IN HIM; thus, they
have already been judged in and through the body of the Master, Yahushua
Messiah. IN HIM, they were convicted
of sin, and the penalty and punishment was exacted upon them through the
impaling of Yahushua, their substitute, who stood in their place to receive
their judgment; and who descended to the place of the dead, isolated from the
presence of IAUE. BUT!
Our substitute was INNOCENT; and he was vindicated by IAUE Elohim,
who raised him from the dead and seated him at His own right hand. Those who
are Messiah’s at his coming are “the vindicated,” because they are IN HIM who is
the vindicated one.
Many are confused by the passage where Paul talks about
the works of men being judged.
1 Corinthians 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Yahushua
Messiah.
12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every
man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it
shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort
it is.
14 If any
man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any
man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be
saved; yet so as by fire.
This is not an eternal judgment. It is a judgment of works, and ALL MEN shall
be subject it; but it shall occur in two parts.
The first is at the second coming of the Master.
Romans 14:9 For to this end Messiah both died, and rose, and revived, that
he might be Master both of the dead and living.
10 But why
dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Messiah.
2
Corinthians 5:9 Wherefore we
labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
10 For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Messiah; that
every one may receive the things
done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
11 Knowing therefore the
terror of IAUE, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto Elohim; and I
trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
When does this judgment of works take place; and what is
its purpose?
Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the
throne of his glory:
Many people wrongly believe that when Messiah returns and
takes the throne of David in Jerusalem to reign on the earth for 1,000 years
(the millennium, of which the book of Revelation speaks); that only the redeemed
of Messiah shall survive his coming and remain.
This is wholly incorrect. Nations
will survive. Millions around the world
will have survived the great tribulation and will have endured to see the
return of the Master. The purpose of
this judgment of works is to determine who will have the privilege of
experiencing the millennial reign of Messiah; the Kingdom of IAUE on earth.
Matthew 25:32 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:
33 And he shall set the
sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 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:
35 For I was an hungred,
and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and
ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed
me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous
answer him, saying, Master, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or
thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a
stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer
and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch
as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me.
These blessed ones will include both those who were alive
and remained unto the coming of the Master and whose works were acceptable to
him; AND the resurrected redeemed saints of Messiah Yahushua. The resurrected saints will rule with Messiah
over the nations who have no yet experienced their eternal judgment, to the
degree that their own works deemed them worthy.
Remember the story Messiah told about the nobleman who left his servants
in charge of his money while he went to obtain his kingdom (Luke 9:12-27)? He commanded them to occupy until he
returned. When the nobleman returned and
took account of his servants, he gave them RULE OVER CITIES commensurate with
the fruit of their labors on his behalf.
Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also
unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,
prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred,
and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed
me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also
answer him, saying, Master, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a
stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch
as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away
into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
The
“goats” were those who were alive and remained unto the coming of Messiah, but
whose lives were given to selfish pursuits, not recognizing nor caring for the
needs of their fellow man. Their selfish
and prideful dispositions and their absence of character and integrity, attributes
which were made manifest by their works, make them wholly unacceptable to
become participants in the glorious reign of Messiah on the earth. They SHALL go away into everlasting
punishment; but this will not be the execution of their eternal judgment. That is yet to come.
2 Corinthians 5:14 For the
love of Messiah constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for
all, then were all dead:
15 And that he died for all, that they which live
should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them,
and rose again.
Unfortunately,
many believers today are resting in the knowledge that they have prayed a “magic
prayer” thus forever sealing for themselves a positive fate. They do not take seriously the commands of
Scripture to live for Messiah; or to allow his life to be what manifests in our
flesh; or to be transformed to know and understand and to do the will of IAUE. They have no identification with Messiah
Yahushua as their Master. They are no
man’s servant. This is a failure to
understand the foundational “first principle” of the revelation of the person
of Yahushua Messiah in the teaching about eternal judgment. We are to be a people who are not just “IN
HIM,” from a doctrinal position. We are
to be a people who manifest by our lives and actions that he is “IN US.” Our union with Messiah is what makes us one
with the judgment that he has already experienced.
Next
week: The last Eternal Judgment
Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance
of the will of IAUE.
