William S. Plumer
God has not concealed His intention of bringing every work into judgment with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. From the earliest ages, inspired men have spoken freely and clearly of the Day of Judgment. Enoch, who was the seventh from Adam—all of whose life on earth except the last twenty-two years was cotemporaneous1 with that of Adam—prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Jude 14-15). Three thousand years after Enoch, Jude found no fitter words by which to warn daring sinners of their coming doom than those just quoted from the antediluvian2 prophet. The doctrine of a judgment is a familiar theme among inspired writers of both testaments. It is taught in the Law, in the Prophets, in the Psalms, in the Gospels, and in the Epistles. It was so well understood in the days of Christ and of Paul that they simply call it “that day,” thus designating it as the Day of days, “the day for which all other days were made,” and in comparison of which all other days are as nothing. The Day of Judgment will be the Great Day—so inspir
The Day of Judgment will be the Great Day—so inspired writers often and properly style it. It will exceed all other days for the brightness of its beginning. Other days had their dim twilight, but this will begin in ineffable effulgence.3 Their light was from the sun; the light of this shall be from Him Who made all things. Other days dawn with general quiet, but this shall begin with great and unusual noises. “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people” (Psa 50:3-4). Jesus shall come in like manner as He went up on high: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God” (1Th 4:16). On that day, men will see sights and hear sounds unlike all that ever struck their senses before. The brightness of Immanuel’s coming will extinguish the light of the heavenly bodies; and the sounds that shall be heard shall make the earth reel and stagger like a drunken man! This day will be crowded full of wonders. It will be begun, carried on, and closed with such displays of miracles as the world has never seen before. The results accomplished by it will be as wonderful4 as the progress of its events. Every way of God to man shall then be justified. All wickedness shall be put down. All cavil5 shall be forever silenced. All judgment shall then be executed…
The Day of Judgment is a day fixed. The time for it is set by God Himself: “He hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained” (Act 17:31). To God that day is known; to us it is unknown. To Him it is certain; to us it is doubtful. “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Mat 24:36). It will come as a thief in the night, as the flood came on the old world, as the tempest of wrath came on the cities of the plain. Yet it is unchangeably determined by God. Men may not be looking for it, but God sees it afar off. As nothing can hasten it, so that it shall come before God’s purposes respecting the world are accomplished, so nothing can delay it one moment beyond the time fixed in God’s eternal counsels for its coming.
Frequently the Day of Judgment is called “the day of the Lord.” It will be the day when the Lord Christ shall appear in glory, display the wonders of His mediation6 and the perfection of His government, and will publicly be owned and crowned as Lord of all. There will be no disputes concerning the divinity of Christ, on or after the Day of Judgment, which will be His day…“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (Joh 5:22). That day will be the Day of the Lord Jesus.
The Day of Judgment will be above all others a day of convocation.7 The heavens and the earth shall furnish the assembly. The chariots of God, which are twenty thousand, shall roll down the skies, bearing in them ten thousand times ten thousand, an innumerable company of angels. Fallen angels too shall be there, and them that sleep in Jesus shall God bring with Him. All that died in their sins shall be there. All that are alive on the earth shall stand before God. Not one of all God’s rational creatures shall be missing. Prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, saints, sinners, liars, hypocrites, infidels, blasphemers, haters of God shall all be present. The assizes8 of the universe shall then be held. Millions on millions shall crowd this greatest of all congregations. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2Co 5:10). This will be the first and the last gathering of all the denizens9 of the universe…
Notes:
1. cotemporaneous – living at the same time.
2. antediluvian – before the Biblical flood.
3. ineffable effulgence – indescribable brightness.
4. wonderful – astonishing.
5. cavil – petty or trifling objections.
6. mediation – Christ’s work as a go-between to reconcile God and man. “It pleased God in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son according to the Covenant made between them both, to be the Mediator between God and Man; the Prophet, Priest and King; Head and Savior of His Church, the heir of all things, and judge of the world: Unto whom He did from all eternity give a people to be His seed, and to be by Him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified.” (Second London Baptist Confession, 8.1; available from Chapel Library)
7. convocation – a large, formal assembly of people.
8. assizes – sessions of the court.
9. denizens – inhabitants; citizens.
Published with permission of Chapel Library.