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When Does the Judgment Occur?

A pre-trib rapture mandates a pre-trib judgment before the rapture can take place because Jesus has to decide who can be raptured and who cannot. The fact that Jesus judges the people of Earth before the Second Coming is well supported in the Scriptures, but no scriptural support exists for a judgment of the living before the Great Tribulation begins. In fact, I find the opposite to be true. One of the primary purposes of the Great Tribulation is to judge the living. (Revelation 3:10) The contest between obeying God and observing His Ten Commandments versus obeying the Antichrist (the devil) and receiving his mark will separate the people of Earth into one of two camps. Notice what Jesus says about the Second Coming: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a Shepard separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

Jesus clearly establishes when the sheep are separated from the goats. This happens, Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory…All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another. They [the wicked] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” In this text, Jesus describes the scene that occurs on the last day, the day when the eternal reward is given. Nothing is said about gathering up His sheep before the Second Coming. Nothing is said about granting eternal life to millions of people seven years before the Second Coming.

Notice these verses: “He [Jesus] answered, ‘The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them id the devil. The harvest is at the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds arte pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.’” (Matthew 13:37-43) These verses conflict with the notion of a pre-trib rapture. The harvest is at the end of the age and we know from the earlier verse (verse 30) that the weeds (the wicked) and the good seed (the righteous) grow together until the time of the harvest. When the Son of Man sends his angels, they will gather up the good seed and throw the weeds into the fiery furnace. Nothing is said about sparing the weeds for seven more years after the good seed is taken up to Heaven.

[Jesus said] “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come [this time] to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.” (John 12:47-48, insertion mine.)

This may sound strange, but  “the last day” issue rises again. Jesus makes an interesting point about the last day in these verses. From earlier study we know that “the last day” occurs at the Second Coming. Therefore, no one actually knows whether he or she is saved or condemned until the Second Coming or the last day. Keep in mind that I am writing of knowing, not about believing. A person may believe he or she is saved or even lost, but faith is not the same thing as knowledge. Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Knowledge, on the other hand, is a matter of fact. This is why the tree in Genesis was called “the knowledge of good and evil.” Humankind had no knowledge of sin until sin occurred. God gave instructions about sin (Genesis 2:17) and Adam and Eve knew that sin could occur, but they did not know what sin was. Once sin was experienced, it became a matter of fact. The point in John 12 is timing: According to Jesus, no one will know whether he or she is saved or condemned until the last day which occurs when the righteous is resurrected. Righteous people cannot be ruptured to Heaven (saved), if the rest of the living has not been condemned to death yet! According to the words of Jesus in John 12:47,48, everyone left behind after rapture would be condemned to eternal death. Notice what Jesus said about His appearing: “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done…Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.” (Revelation 22:12-15)

John 12 and Revelation 22 are in perfect harmony. When Jesus returns, His reward of salvation or condemnation is with Him. When He arrives, all people will have been judged according to their deeds (works, KJV) and Jesus Himself will physically distribute everyone’s reward at His appearing. Jesus will execute the condemned (the goats, or the wicked) by a single command (the sharp sword that comes out of His mouth). (2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 19:21) The righteous dead will come to life and rise and join the resurrected saints and “fly away” to meet the Lord in the air “at the last day.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16)

The Bible teaches that the judgment of man takes place before rewards are handed out at the last day. “Now all has been heard: here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear god and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

This verse confirms that God will “pass over” or judge each person that lives on the face of the Earth. He will review every deed during the judgment process and make a determination regarding each person, whether for salvation or condemnation. If a person lives by faith, then his or her deeds or works will confirm his or her faith. (James 2:17) This is why our works judges us. Notice this confirming verse: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)

Did you notice that Paul uses the inclusive pronoun again? “For we must all appear…”Paul knew that he too must stand before the judgment seat of Christ. So everyone, good or bad, including Protestants believing in a pre-trib rapture, has to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. The judgment of the living occurs during the Great Tribulation. God is going to test the faith and loyalty of the living with tribulation! (Revelation 3:10) In fact, this is why God permits the worldwide mark of the beast test to be established-to see who will obey Him and live by faith, even to the point of death.

The Church at Philadelphia

“Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” (Revelation 3:10) Pre-trib rapture believers to defend their escape form the Great Tribulation often use this text. So, let us carefully examine this text and its content. To be fair, if the Bible had one verse in it, and this was the only verse, I could be persuaded that the Bible supported the idea that the saints will escape the hour of trial that is coming upon the whole world. However, when compared with everything the Bible has to say about the end-time, this verse does not actually say what it is purported to say. This verse was directed at the church of Philadelphia. So, we need to ask, will the church of Philadelphia be the only church to escape the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world? I do not believe this to be true. There are six more churches in Revelation, and we need to discover what happens to them during the Great Tribulation.

Review Revelation 3:10 and observe these two points: First, Jesus says an hour of trial is going to come upon the whole world to test the living. For reasons beyond the scope of this study, I agree with pre-trib rapture believers that the Great tribulation is imminently before us! I believe this verse points to a final tribulation that has no equal in world history. (Matthew 24:21; Daniel 12:1,2) When a person first reads this text it may appear that the church of Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7) will be kept from experiencing the hour of trial, that is, they will escape this testing time. Unfortunately, many Christians have come to regard this verse as proof that Christians will escape the suffering that will overcome the world during the Tribulation. Actually, this verse does not teach that Christians will be taken to Heaven before the Tribulation begins, but instead indicates that believers will be sustained beginning from (Greek work ‘ek) the hour of trial until Jesus appears. One of the world’s best lexicons on early Christian use of the Greek language is a Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (Bauer, Arndt and Gingrich, 1952, Fourth Ed.) The word in question is the Greek preposition ‘ek and it is translated “from” both in the NIV and KJV. Therefore, the phrase reads, “…I will keep you from the hour of trial…” However, this tiny preposition is also translated in a variety of other ways in both versions of the Bible and has more than a dozen different English equivalents in meaning. For example, ‘ek can mean “from, out of, away from, coming out of, descending from, by, because of, beginning from, begins from, for.” On page 452 of this lexicon, the authors indicate that when the preposition id followed by a measurement of time-as in “the hour of trial” ‘ek can convey the meaning “beginning from.” In other words, a person is justified in reading this verse as follows: “I [Jesus] will keep you beginning from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the world…”

When one word, especially a preposition, determines the meaning of a pivotal verse, we must be very careful in our research. We can and should turn to additional lexicons and other word study helps for insight. Although this effort may be valuable, it is not the highest authority regarding the intended meaning of the verse. Higher and weightier evidence must come from the Bible itself. So, here are three points for your consideration about why this verse should be understood as “beginning from the hour of trial”:

1. Jesus told His disciples,” And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age [world (KJV].” (Matthew 28:20) This verse should be taken at face value. Jesus plainly said He would be with His children to the very last day when He physically and gloriously appears in the clouds. This idea concurs with Revelation 3:10: “I [Jesus] will keep you beginning from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world…”

2. Several verses in Revelation indicate that the saints are on Earth during the Great Tribulation. The word “saints” is mentioned twelve times in Revelation (NIV and thirteen times in the KJV. Except for the 144,000 servants who are taken to Heaven after the seven trumpets end and the 24 elders who were taken to Heaven at the time of Christ’s ascension, Revelation does not place the living saints in Heaven before the Second Coming. In fact, Revelation places the saints of Earth! Notice what happens to the saints in these verses: “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest [the remnant, (KJV] of her offspring-those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus…He [the beast] was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation…If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patience endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints…” (Revelation 12:17; 13:7; 13:10) I do not find support in Scripture for the idea that some saints are enjoying the bliss of Heaven while others are living through a hellish tribulation on Earth. Instead, the purpose of the Great Tribulation is to test those people who live on Earth and to expose who the saints really are! Revelation 14:12 confirm the saints will suffer because they obey God. John says, “ This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who [suffer because they] obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.” The point is that Revelation clearly puts the saints on Earth during the Great Tribulation. Therefore, Revelation 3:10 should read, “I [Jesus] will also keep you beginning from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world…”

3. Let us review the comments of Jesus to all seven churches. The meaning of Revelation 3:10 will become clearer when placed within its larger context. Does Jesus intend to honor the people in the church at Philadelphia with a pre-trib rapture and punish the other six churches by putting them through the Great tribulation? Besides, who belongs to the church of Philadelphia today? How can we tell? Study the chart to see what Jesus says to each church

I regard the seven messages to the seven churches as local and timely messages. This means that when these messages were given in A. D. 95, they were directed at the seven churches that existed in John’s day. Therefore, we have to understand these messages within their local situation, their day and time. (Similarly, we have to treat the epistles of Paul to the Thessalonians in the same manner.)

To appreciate the meaning of these messages, put John’s sandals and stand where he stood. I do not find any justification from Scripture revealing that the seven churches represent seven phases of historical development within the Christian church over the past 2,000 years as some people claim. Neither do I find the message given to the first century church of Philadelphia uniquely applicable to those people who believe in a pre-trib rapture today. I do find these seven churches in Asia Minor to be typical of Christians during all ages. Therefore, the messages should not be promoted as apocalyptic prophecy, but as warning and edifying messages for all Christian churches. Jesus sent timely messages to seven Christian churches that had problems in John’s day, so that Christians everywhere could see that Jesus closely observes those people who proclaim His Name. (Incidentally, more than seven Christian churches existed in John’s day, but Jesus chose these seven because their corporate behavior represented Christian churches everywhere. The number seven is often used a number of “completeness” and therefore, seven messages to seven churches suggest Jesus’ comprehensive analysis of Christian behavior.)

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