Question of the Week: Will Christians Be Judged At The Great White Throne Judgment?

The short answer is yes. In order to properly contextualize this conclusion there are a few things that need to be properly understood. Judgment, in biblical terms, isn’t always referring to condemnation and punishment. The word means “to come to conclusions.” Likewise, the Judge present at the Judgment should be established to understand who will judge those who have received mercy and those who have rejected it. And finally, with both of these facts in place, a careful reading of the passage mentioning the Great White Throne Judgment will hopefully allow all of this biblical material to fall properly in place.

Who Will Judge Non-Believers?

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
John 5:24-30 (NKJV)

In this passage, Jesus is speaking to an audience hostile towards Him following a direct claim that He was equal with God. In order to further emphasize His point, He claims for Himself a right that only belongs to the God of Israel. The audience He was speaking to rightly understood that God alone would judge the earth according to Genesis 18:25 and Isaiah 33:22. For Jesus to claim this right for Himself would be to claim to be that God in the same way the One He referred to as His Father was. By the voice of Jesus, the dead will be raised. Something God alone has the power to do. By the authority given to Jesus by the Father, He will judge all nations. And through the judgment given by Jesus, there will be a resurrection for both the good and evil. With this truth statement made by Jesus and confirmed through His own resurrection, any claim of God judging would have to rightly refer to God the Son given this information.

Who Will Judge Believers?

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.
2 Corinthians 5:9-11 (NKJV)

Paul the Apostle identifies Jesus as the one who our lives ought to be pleasing towards due to the fact that our good and bad deeds are not only known to God, but will be judged by Him. Due to the fact that the audience is clarified to be those who are believers, (we are well known to God, rather than I), they are the ones in mind who will stand before this judgment seat. In further confirmation of Jesus’ point, Paul the Apostle also identifies Christ as the one who who judge those who belong to Him.

What Is The Great White Throne Judgment?

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.
Revelation 20:11-15 (NKJV)

The book of Revelation is the last book of the Bible for a reason. If something isn’t explained, it is stated under the assumption that it already has been explained. Someone is sitting on this great white throne and is later identified as God. The dead, small and great, are standing before Him. And judgment takes place according to their works. Ultimate separation from God, the lake of fire, is determined by whether or not your name is written in the Book of Life. Given what we are told in John, the Father isn’t the one sitting on this throne due to the fact that Jesus Himself clarified that all judgment (including the final judgment) has been committed to the Son. Paul’s point further emphasizes the detail that Christians will also stand before Christ to literally receive rewards for what they have done. Given the complete witness of scripture, Jesus is the one judging everyone, including believers at the Great White Throne Judgment.

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

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Question of the Week: Do Babies Go to Heaven If They Die?

The hardest questions are the ones we don’t have a direct answer for. If it could be established, chapter and verse, then the question would have a simple answer. Because we don’t have a verse that directly states a yes or no, we have to use the same line of reasoning concerning whether pets are in Heaven. (Note: This isn’t comparing pets to newborn babies. The same line of reasoning is used to come to a biblical conclusion on that very same question.)

What do we know about God’s character?
Are there any Old Testament examples that mention infants in the afterlife?
Are there any New Testament examples that mention infants in the afterlife?

What Do We Know About God’s Character?

Beginning with the One with the most influence on our eternal destinies; if the character of God can be established as reliable, then the assumption that God would send unborn or newborn children to Hell would be inappropriate. If the only reason this question about the eternal state of infants is a lack of information, then we need to form conclusions off the information we actually have. In terms of alternatives, would it be a good thing for God to separate Himself forever from someone who never had the opportunity to make a decision to accept or reject Him? Those who would argue in favor of the idea of infants going to Hell would cite Psalm 51:5 mentioning our sinful natures as a part of us from the time of conception and therefore guilty before God. In response to this, Jonah 4:11 is cited as an example of God taking into consideration the fact that people who aren’t old enough to know their right hand from their left as worthy of His pity. The key in coming to proper conclusions about this point is the ultimate reality that everyone left wondering about the eternal state of their loved ones needs to fall back on. God will be their judge. He won’t punish the innocent. Of that much we can be certain.

Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
Genesis 18:25 (NKJV)

Are There Old Testament Examples that Mention Infants in the Afterlife?

During the time of King David, we are given a record of the good and the bad things he did throughout his life. In this collection of honest history, God judges David for committing adultery with a married man’s wife. One of the consequences included the child conceived from that adultery would die. When the prophet Nathan informed David of this, he prayed for the child to be spared through fasting and wearing uncomfortable clothing. The child finally died and David allowed himself to eat and wear normal clothing again. When asked about this, David’s perspective regarding the child is worth noting concerning this issue. David acknowledges the child has gone to the place of the dead. He also mentions that the place the child has gone, he himself would also go to. Unless we assume David thought he was going to Hell, it would be unbiblical to conclude from David’s statement as one of despair. He expected to see his child again after this life. He also expected to see his God after this life. If we put these ideas together, we conclude from the Old Testament that infants have a provision in the eyes of God that the finished work of the Messiah would ultimately cover.

And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
2 Samuel 12:22-23 (NKJV)

Are There New Testament Examples that Mention Infants in the Afterlife?

During the earthly ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, He went out of His way to describe children (on more than one occasion) as the kind of people Heaven belongs to. It would be nonsensical to conclude from Jesus’ statement that the people Heaven belongs to would never see it. It would also be inappropriate to claim that Jesus’ treatment of children is the exact opposite of how He’ll react to their presence as the Judge of all the Earth. Jesus’ example and teachings would both conflict with the assumption that children/infants who die would be unwelcome in His presence.

Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” 
Matthew 19:13-14 (NKJV)

People who experience the death of a child need comfort. Scripture is full of harsh realities that people don’t always want to hear, but this is not one of them. God’s character as the Judge of all the Earth wouldn’t judge the innocent. We have precedent in the Old Testament to conclude God sees children as worthy of His pity in the direct context of judgment. We have the observations of King David (that were never corrected) assuming his dead son went to the same place he expected to in the hereafter. We have the words of Jesus Himself describing Heaven as meant for children. And we also have the example of Jesus showing He isn’t the kind of person who would send them away from His presence. (The definition of Hell) Therefore, it is proper to conclude biblically that children who die will go to Heaven on the sole basis of God’s mercy.

A Reason For Hope is a ministry of Calvary Christian Fellowship of Tucson

Listen: Monday – Friday 5-6pm, on 106.3FM Reach Radio

Email your questions:

questionsforhope@gmail.com

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Watch our Frequently Asked Questions on YouTube.