June 18, 2007
Judge Not
I think society has so stifled our ‘judgment skills’ that we’ll all need a refresher course when it comes time to judge the world and angels (1 Cor 6). While I can formulate in my mind scenarios for judging the world, I’m at a loss, and at the same time intrigued, at the thought of judging angels. The NIV study Bible cross reference points toward men judging fallen angels, however it seems to me fallen angels have already been judged by God. In any case, whether fallen or not, how would you judge an angel? Without specific criteria, I feel ill equipped for the task. Right now I could do no better than vouching for the attentiveness of my guardian angel.
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Gail;
-----The common concept of humility has always been that we decrease ourselves to elevate others, take the worst to allow others the best, and to simply place ourselves in the dirt. But although sometimes this is true of humility, we are unable to accept such ideas as our judging the world, and even angels, without the rest of its meaning. For humility does not just have to do with your position in relation to another, more importantly, it has to do with your perception and beliefs in relation to the truth. The person who is always ready to reshape his/her thinking upon the discovery of more relevant and true information is indeed humble. That person will always be ready to take his/her place no matter how high or low that place is. What matters to the humble is what is right and true.
-----Satan was not like this. He desired a place and stature among God’s creatures that was not truly his. He desired to reshape truth according to his perceptions and beliefs. Of course, this was to be seeking the position of God. I suspect that meant he was also after God’s throne, or at least a share of it. The way he was going to get it was by elevating himself to that position and taking it of his own proclamation. Heave the truth! He will have it his way! And he will teach others to do the same.
-----I believe that when Satan first conceived this piece of evil, immediately it was known by God and determined that the Lamb would be slain (I Pet 1:18-19). For as it happened in God’s pure and perfect heaven, one lone deed of evil gave birth to a murderous system of destruction leading to the eternal captivity and powerlessness of those who choose to elevate the self in place of the truth and be served, so it also happened in this demented place of deceit and selfishness that one lone deed of perfection gave birth to a loving body of healing leading to eternal glorification and the sharing of the throne of God for those who choose to elevate the truth in the place of self and be servants. What is really happening is that what a self-puffed Satan attempted to take of and by himself from God is being given to Satan’s enemies because they emptied themselves to receive whatever God determined as right and true of and by Himself. And that is a slobber-knocker for the vanquishing of arrogance forever.
-----And to be truly humble we must accept the truth that we will reign with Christ, for it is written (II Tim 2:12, Rev 2:26; 3:21; 5:10; 20:3-4,6). We will actually sit on His throne with Him. That reign begins at the first resurrection before the millennial reign of Christ. At that time the judgment of the wicked has not yet occurred because those who died in denial of the truth about God (which is Jesus Christ) have not yet been resurrected. And Satan has only been slung into the pit. (Rev 20:4-7) So our reign with Him actually begins before the judgment of the wicked, and it includes the thousand year period of time that Christ will sit on the throne in Jerusalem in a world of mortal men. We also will be in the world as immortals reigning with Him. The sharing of His throne with us is real.
-----Then notice Rev 20:4, “I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge.” I have heard some place us here. For that to be the case, the first resurrection written about at Rev 20:4 would have to be taken to strictly mean those who died during the tribulation period. Taking many things in the Word “strictly” is a slippery slope. But the generic nature of “…thrones on which were seated those…” certainly opens the door to ideas of these being other than the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, only. I Cor 6:2-3 is certainly easier to understand in the light of Rev 20:4, even if it is not us on those thrones. God is writing His Law upon our hearts and in our minds. We are gaining an unique, once in eternity experience of standing to struggle for what is right and truthful in an environment of deceit and wrong. The combination of His writing upon our hearts and minds and our experience gives great credibility to the idea of our judging the world and angels.
-----Who these angels are is another question. I believe that our reign with Christ will include some role in at least the judgment of the lost after the second resurrection, at least as court clerks and stenographers. Does that judgment include the fallen angels and even Satan? I don’t know. I don’t take anything in the Word more or less strictly than the Word gives it. Although the Word does not mention their presence at that judgment, neither does it strictly preclude it. I accept the possibility.
-----We think of heaven as being a perfect place where there will be not the slightest error. And I am convinced of that. But neither do I think of heaven as being a place free of challenges where situations will need no analysis, discernment, and judgment in order to determine the best course of actions between error-free alternatives. I would think His angels may have some of these situations. I would think of heaven as boring if not. I don’t see judgment in heaven as dealing with right or wrong. I see it as squaring perfect situations with perfect truths. And that is where we began - humility.
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