“They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”
who is ready
God will fulfill an obligation to himself to judge. God does not expect people to live under threat, but he must be consistent with or true to himself. We do not do what we do for doing good itself, but out of love for God. Thus, it is of the very nature of being related to God to be subject to requital or accountability. Sin works retribution against us. God conjoins accountability and love and forgiveness through redemption by the blood of Christ.
God holds himself ready and prepares himself to judge. He will leave no stone unturned.
to judge
“To judge” is in the future tense. Non-Christians will face the Great White Throne Judgment one day.
Heb 9:27, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”
Death is bad enough but to face the judgment of almighty God is worse.
the living and the dead
God will judge the “living”– those unbelievers alive at the last judgment.
God will judge the “dead” – unbelievers who died physically before the last judgment. God the Father gives the function of judgment to the Lord to judge both the living and the dead.
Ac 10:42, “And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.”
God will judge non-Christians at the Great White Throne Judgment.
Rev. 20:11-15, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
PRINCIPLE:
Non-Christians will face accountability to God at the Great White Throne Judgment.
APPLICATION:
If you know not Christ, these words must terrify you. There you will stand with all of your sins.
However, there is wonderful news that Jesus paid for all of your sins for all time by his death on the cross. If you accept that truth by trusting God’s promise, you will not face this judgment.
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