p. 138 | A Future Judgment

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 19, 1861

A Future Judgment.

THE common sentiment of mankind has always regarded a future retribution as something required by reason, in order to reconcile the facts of human life with the justice of God. No feature of our condition in this world has more generally arrested the attention of the thoughtful observer

of human life, than the obvious want of correspondence between the character of individuals, and the awards of divine providence towards them. It is true that the inequalities of our condition are sometimes exaggerated by superficial observers. Outward prosperity does not necessarily imply inward happiness, nor outward adversity the absence of it. But one of the chief reasons why the relative happiness of different men cannot be inferred merely from their external circumstances, is, this instinctive anticipation of a retribution to come, which is a terror to the prosperous sinner, and a support to the suffering saint.

Remove this anticipation, and the inequality would be vastly greater than it is.

But in spite of this qualifying consideration, it is still great and potent. David observed it in his day. Jeremiah was so struck by it that he could not refrain from expostulating with God as it were, yet with reverence and acquiescence. "Righteous art thou, O Lord when I plead with thee, yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments, wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? Wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?" Our Lord himself admitted it when he represented Abraham as saying to Dives, "Son, remember that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and thou art tormented."

But it is not needful to lay any great stress on this argument to prove a future judgment. The scripture testimony on the subject is copious and decisive. The references to the judgment in the Bible cannot be explained in the theory that God's retributive justice has its complete exhibition in this world. The judgment is habitually spoken of in the future tense. It is expressly connected with the second coming of Christ. "Judge nothing before the time," says the apostle Paul, "until the Lord come." "We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body." If the judgment day begun at his advent and has continued ever since, how does he say, "I came not to judge the world?" How does Peter say that "the earth which is now, is reserved against the day of judgment?" How was it that Paul reasoned before Felix of "a judgment to come?" How is it that he speaks so emphatically of "that day," and always as of something future? And how shall we understand the parable of our Lord, in which he likens the kingdom of heaven to a man travelling to a far country, who calls his servants, assigns them their duties, departs on his journey, and after a long time cometh and reckoneth with them?