GOD IS JUDGE HIMSELF

By Todd Pekel

And the heavens shall declare his righteousness:
for God is judge himself. Selah. (Psalm 50:6)

 

The moment in time when "God is Judge Himself" and when "the heavens shall declare his righteousness,” is a time most Christians look forward to with great joy, and rightly so. For the moment described is the moment of our gathering unto the Lord, to meet him in the air. The verse above, however, contains truth worth expounding. In fact, the section of Scripture that precedes this verse puts it into context worthy of our utmost attention.

Psalm 50:3-4:
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
4 He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.

What do you imagine the return of our Lord to be like? Just a quick “poof” and everything is suddenly great? Regarding the manner in which he shall come, the Scriptures teach that “a fire shall devour before him and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.” Moreover, he is coming, “that he may judge his people.” The parallels between this future appearance and the appearance of God on Mt. Sinai are striking indeed.

Exodus 19:16:
And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.

At this appearance of God, “all the people that was in the camp, trembled.”

Exodus 19:17-18a:
And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.
18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire....

“On the third day in the morning... there were thunders and lightnings... and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud.” Compare this with what the Scriptures teach regarding the return of our Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:16:
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

What will that voice say?

Psalm 50:4-5:
He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people.
5 Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.

“Those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice” is not referring to anything that you or I have done. This covenant and sacrifice is made manifest by God’s Son upon the cross at Calvary, “through the blood of the everlasting covenant.”

Hebrews 10:10:
By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Hebrews 13:20:
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

This is the everlasting covenant made by God with those that believe in Jesus. If you have entered into this covenant with God “through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” then Christian, you need to know the following.

Romans 3:24, 26:
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

God is not only just; He is “the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Therefore, since the covenant and the sacrifice upon which our justification is based are God’s, he alone is judge.

Psalm 50:6:
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.

Selah! This Scripture says, consider this and give it some thought. In other words, pay attention. “God is judge himself.” What kind of judge do you picture God to be?

Psalm 51:4:
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

David tells us that is no need for witnesses in God’s courtroom, for he himself is an “eyewitness” to the evil that is done. The evil that David did was done in the sight of God.

Hebrews 4:13:
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

As eyewitness, God’s judgements “are true and righteous altogether.”

Psalm 19:9b:
... the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

Revelation 16:7:
And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.

God is coming to judge his people and his judgement will be perfectly just. There will be no court of appeals and endless legal debates by silver-tongued lawyers. There will be no “it depends what your definition of is, is.” There is no “higher court” to overturn his ruling, for “God is judge himself.” As the Scriptures teach, we who have made a covenant with God by the blood of the sacrifice of his Son Jesus Christ must appear before his judgement seat.

2 Corinthians 5:10:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Whether it be good or bad, each will receive according to “that he hath done.” No appeals, no “I was going to but...” no more blaming it on someone else.

1 Peter 1:13-17:
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

God will judge according to every man’s work without respect of persons. This is “sobering” to say the least, isn’t it?

1 John 2:28:
And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Evidently then, some are going to be ashamed at his coming. Children of the Most High, how can we insure that it’s not one of us? The answer, was in the verses above, did you see it?

1 Peter 1:14:
As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

Obedience will go a long way to insure that we are not ashamed before Him at His coming. As obedient children whose “former lusts” are just that; former!

1 Peter 1:15-16:
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

How are we to be holy? To begin with we are to be holy “in all manner of conversation.” Just as God sees our evil deeds, he hears our vain conversations.

Philippians 3:20:
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

In light of what we have just read, the following should take on a deeper meaning for us all.

Matthew 5:37:
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

If you think about it, God’s message to his people throughout the ages really hasn’t changed all that much. It has been, and more or less is, “come out,” “be separate” and “touch not.”

2 Corinthians 6:17:
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

God has always desired a separate, clean and holy people. A people that would fear and serve him in a manner befitting the one, true God.

Hebrews 10:28-30:
He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

Truly, “the Lord shall judge his people.” May we be compelled to walk more closely with him, knowing “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). God bless you all.

 

 

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From the March 2002 issue of The Vine & Branches