The Foundation and Eternal Judgment Part 1: Knowing the Judge
October 8, 2007
By Rodney Kirkpatrick
As we begin the first part in a study of the last of the foundational truths found in Hebrews 6:1-2, eternal judgment, remember that while eternal judgment is a truth, it is also speaks of the person who is The Truth! The word used to translate judgment in this passage comes from a root word that means to distinguish or decide. To know that Christ alone has the power "to decide" is a treasure of immeasurable value and a significant part of the unshakeable bedrock that Christians have the privilege of standing on. This is illustrated in Daniel 7:1-14 (NASB),
1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw a dream and visions in his mind as he lay on his bed; then he wrote the dream down and related the following summary of it.
2 Daniel said, "I was looking in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.
3 "And four great beasts were coming up from the sea, different from one another.
4 "The first was like a lion and had the wings of an eagle. I kept looking until its wings were plucked, and it was lifted up from the ground and made to stand on two feet like a man; a human mind also was given to it.
5 "And behold, another beast, a second one, resembling a bear. And it was raised up on one side, and three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth; and thus they said to it, 'Arise, devour much meat!'
6 "After this I kept looking, and behold, another one, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird; the beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it.
7 "After this I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrifying and extremely strong; and it had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed and trampled down the remainder with its feet; and it was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
8 "While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts.
9 "I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire.
10 "A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; Thousands upon thousands were attending Him, And myriads upon myriads were standing before Him; The court sat, And the books were opened.
11 "Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to the burning fire.
12 "As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time.
13 "I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him.
14 "And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.
In the first nine verses of this passage you have the presentation of two opposing powerful forces, the 4 beasts/horn and The Ancient of Days/Son of Man. While it isn't obvious in the passage up to this point, until the "The court sat, and the books were opened" there is a profound conflict in those who are present as to who is supreme. Daniel 7:21-22 (NASB) continues,
21 "I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them
22 until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom."
(emphasis mine)
Pay careful attention to the nature of the conflict here. People weren't being held at gun point or being coerced by some other natural means, it was the "great boasts" that came forth that had the effect of "overpowering them." 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NASB) says,
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,
The "speculation" present in the book of Daniel will certainly be presented to us many times throughout the course of our lives as followers of Christ. Consider your own reaction and that of those around you to natural disasters, economic hardship, unjust leadership, personal tragedy, etc. It is a significant challenge not to be lead by despair or fear as such scenarios begin to unfold. Multitudes of decisions in Belivers' lives are greatly influenced by if not totally dependant on the answer to the foundational question: Who ultimately is in charge?
One of the prime examples that teach us how to pass such tests is the situation that some of the disciples faced after the crucifiction in Matthew 28:17 (NASB),
17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.
Then came the word that settled things once and for all in Matthew 28:18 (NASB),
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."
You only know that Jesus is supreme when He speaks it to you. Our part is to ask Him to do so and then His authority will become unmistakably clear.