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abundantly evident that the righteous and the wicked appear in judgment together for a final
separation, Matt. 7:22,23; 25:31-46 Rom. 2:5-7; Rev. 11:18; 20:11-15. Furthermore, it should be
noted that the judgment of the wicked is represented as a concomitant of the parousia and also
of the revelation, II Thess. 1:7-10; II Pet. 3:4-7. And, finally, it should be borne in mind that God
does not judge the nations as nations where eternal issues are at stake, but only individuals;
and that a final separation of the righteous and the wicked cannot possibly be made until the
end of the world. It is hard to see how anyone can give a tolerable and self-consistent
interpretation of Matt. 25:31-46, except on the supposition that the judgment referred to is the
universal judgment of all men, and that they are judged, not as nations, but as individuals. Even
Meyer and Alford who are themselves Premillenarians consider this to be the only tenable
exposition.
4. THE FINAL JUDGMENT UNNECESSARY.
Some regard the final judgment as entirely
unnecessary, because each man’s destiny is determined at the time of his death. If a man fell
asleep in Jesus, he is saved; and if he died in his sins, he is lost. Since the matter is settled, no
further judicial inquiry is necessary, and therefore such a final judgment is quite superfluous.
But the certainty of the future judgment does not depend on our conception of its necessity.
God clearly teaches us in His Word that there will be a final judgment, and that settles the
matter for all those who recognize the Bible as the final standard of faith. Moreover, the
underlying assumption on which this argument proceeds, namely, that the final judgment is for
the purpose of ascertaining what should be the future state of man, is entirely erroneous. It will
serve the purpose rather of displaying before all rational creatures the declarative glory of God
in a formal, forensic act, which magnifies on the one hand His holiness and righteousness, and
on the other hand, His grace and mercy. Moreover, it should be borne in mind that the
judgment at the last day will differ from that at the death of each individual in more than one
respect. It will not be secret, but public; it will not pertain to the soul only, but also to the body;
it will not have reference to a single individual, but to all men.
D. THE JUDGE AND HIS ASSISTANTS.
Naturally, the final judgment, like all God’s opera ad extra, is a work of the triune God, but
Scripture ascribes it particularly to Christ. Christ in His mediatorial capacity will be the future
Judge, Matt. 25:31,32; John 5:27; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Phil. 2:10; II Tim. 4:1. Such passages as
Matt. 28:18; John 5:27; Phil. 2:9,10, make it abundantly evident that the honor of judging the
living and the dead was conferred on Christ as Mediator in reward for His atoning work and as a
part of His exaltation. This may be regarded as one of the crowning honors of His kingship. In
His capacity as Judge, too, Christ is saving His people to the uttermost: He completes their
redemption, justifies them publicly, and removes the last consequences of sin. From such