Most people, including most Christians, are somewhat afraid of the judgment. The Bible contradicts the notion that the judgment is a negative event. Instead, it presents the judgment as good news. Notice what the Apostle John wrote:
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”
— Revelation 14:6-7
Notice that in these verses, the Judgment is presented in the context of the Everlasting Gospel. If it’s part of the gospel, then the judgment must be good news.
Fear God
The text tells us that the way we prepare for the judgment is by fearing God. What does that mean?
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
— Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Notice that the fear of God is connected with the keeping of His commandments. Also notice that the judgment is connected here with the fear of God. This is saying that we show that we fear God when we are obedient to His commandments.
Give Glory to God
The call also tells us to give glory to God. Jesus explained what this means:
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
— Matthew 5:16
The Apostle Paul gives further clarity:
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
— 1 Corinthians 10:31
This means that we glorify God by doing what is good and by taking care of our bodies, which are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Worship the Creator
The first angel’s message also calls us to worship God as the Creator. Don’t all Christians already do that? Not exactly.
When God created the earth, as recorded in Genesis 1 and 2, He designated a day for worship by resting on the seventh day, blessing it, and sanctifying it, or making it holy. By worshiping God on the day that He designated at creation, we are worshiping Him as the Creator. But most of Christianity worships on the first day of the week, which is a common working day as defined by the biblical account.
Notice the commandment:
“Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.”
— Exodus 20:9-10
This unmistakably points to the Lord God as the Creator and calls for worship on the seventh-day Sabbath.
The Judgment in Daniel
Now let’s look at one of the most exciting evidences that the judgment is good news. In Daniel 7 we find a prophecy concerning the little horn that persecutes God’s people and thinks to change God’s times and His law. The early Protestant Reformers—Luther, Calvin, Wycliffe, and others—identified the little horn as the Roman Catholic Papacy.
In verses 9 and 10 of Daniel 7, we see the judgment convene when the Ancient of Days takes His seat:
“The judgment was set, and the books were opened.”
— Daniel 7:10
Here we see that the judgment began in heaven, and that there is an examination of the evidence recorded in books. John describes the same scene:
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
— Revelation 20:12
Good News for the Saints
Now comes the most exciting news of the judgment:
“I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.”
— Daniel 7:21-22
This tells us that it is the judgment that stops the persecution of the little horn power, the Antichrist. Daniel reaches the same conclusion a few verses later:
“But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”
— Daniel 7:26-27
The word he refers to the Antichrist power. The word they refers to the court. The incredible good news is this: it is the decision of the judgment court in heaven that finally removes all the power and dominion of the Antichrist. Because of the decision of the Court, the saints are not only set free from persecution, but they are given dominion and the Kingdom of God. Isn’t that the best news in all the universe?
The Final Victory
The judgment in heaven is indeed the best news of all time, because it places the people of God forever beyond the reach of Satan and his antichrist power, the Roman Catholic Papacy, which during the Dark Ages murdered somewhere between 30 and 50 million people.
But Scripture warns us to stay alert:
“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.”
— Revelation 13:3
This means that the persecuting power will rise again and continue until the end of time. When the final judgment of the Court in heaven is pronounced, the power of the Antichrist will be forever removed, and God’s people will dwell in His kingdom in safety forever and ever. That’s the good news of the judgment.
