Concise Bible Dictionary:
1. PENAL JUDGMENT. This may be administered on earth in God’s government of men or of His people, in accordance with the principles of the economy in force at the time; or hereafter for eternity, in accordance with God’s decrees. God’s four sore judgments on the living were threatened against Jerusalem, and have often fallen upon mankind generally, and will fall upon them in the future, as shown in the Revelation.
1. War, death by the sword either from an enemy from without, or in civil war.
2. Famine, which may arise from a dearth in the land, or by a city being besieged.
3. Noisome beasts, which doubtless includes the ravages of locusts, because they spoil the land and make it desolate.
4. Pestilence, which has often swept away its thousands (Ezek. 14:13-21).
Besides these there are in various parts of the earth conflagrations, earthquakes, eruptions, cyclones, avalanches, floods, frosts, shipwrecks, sea-waves, and so forth, some of which happen every year. These occur in the providential government of God, and by them He continually makes Himself heard, and manifests His power (compare Job 37:13). But beside this providential government, there are often direct judgments, hence the prophet said, “When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isa. 26:9). Such judgments are, alas, too often accounted as natural phenomena or mere accidents or calamities, without any recognition of God, and are soon forgotten. They should warn men; as a slight shower often falls before a storm, so these frequent judgments are but the forerunners of the great storm of the wrath of God that will surely fall upon this guilty world, when the vials of His fury are poured out (compare Rev. 6-20).
All judgment, that is, the act of judging (κρίσις), whether of dead or living, has been committed to the Lord Jesus. He is represented as coming from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, when He will tread the people in His anger, and trample them in His fury, and their blood will stain all His raiment (Isa. 63:1-3). His judgment falls on the living nations; also before Israel is restored to blessing, judgment from God will fall upon them. See TRIBULATION. Upon professing Christendom also God will execute judgment. See BABYLON THE GREAT. The eternal punishment of the wicked is called “eternal judgment” (Heb. 6:2). The fallen angels are reserved unto judgment (2 Peter 2:4): and everlasting fire is prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41).
2. SESSIONAL JUDGMENT. The common expression “the General Judgment” does not occur in scripture. By this term is commonly understood that all mankind on “the day of judgment” will stand before God, or rather the Lord Jesus, to be judged according to their works, and there to hear their eternal destiny. But this is not according to scripture. In all the passages (except 1 John 4:17, where it speaks of the Christian having boldness in the day of judgment) it is “day of judgment”; not the day of judgment, as referring to one specified time.
Besides the sessional judgment of the empires in Daniel 7:9-14, there are two other such judgments in scripture, with more or less of detail, which do not take place at the same time, nor embrace the same people. The Lord Jesus has been appointed to judge the living and the dead (Acts 10:42).
In Matthew 25 the living are judged, and in Revelation 20 the dead are judged, both of which cannot refer to the same judgment.
In Matt. 25 In Rev. 20
It is the living nations, and no mention of the dead, this earth being the scene of it, to which the Son of Man comes. It is the dead, and no mention of the living, the earth having “fled away” before His face who sits upon the great white throne.
Some are saved and some are lost. No mention of any saved: all are lost.
Judged solely according to their treatment of the Lord’s brethren, and no mention of general sins. Judged according to general sins, and no mention made of their treatment of the saints.
It is plain that these are separate and distinct judgments. The judgment of the “living” will be at the beginning of the Lord’s reign. After the Church has been taken to glory, Christ will still have His own servants doing His work upon the earth, such as His two witnesses in Revelation 11:3 (compare also Matthew 10:23). When He comes to reign, the nations will be judged as to how they have treated these whom He calls His “brethren.” The judgment of the wicked “dead” will be after the millennium, and will embrace all who have died in their sins from the creation of the world. They will be judged according to their works, and the secrets of men will then be judged.
Then the question arises as to the saints who may be alive at the coming of the Lord, and the thousands who have died. They cannot be included in either the judgment of Matthew 25 or of Revelation 20. As to their persons, whether they are to be saved or not, it is plainly stated in John 5:24, that they will not come into judgment at all. “He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment; but is passed from death unto life.” The AV reads “condemnation,” but the word is κρíσις and is translated “judgment” in the same chapter in verses 22, 27, 30, and “damnation” in verse 29. It is the same word also in Hebrews 9:27: “As it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment; unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
3. THE JUDGMENT-SEAT OF CHRIST. All will be manifested before this judgment-seat that they may receive the things done in the body whether it be good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10). This does not clash with the above statement that the believer does “not come into judgment.” The Lord Jesus will sit on the judgment-seat, He who died for believers’ sins, and rose again for their justification; and He is the believer’s righteousness—He will not judge His own work. The saint, being divinely justified, cannot be judged, indeed, John 5:24 declares he does not come into judgment at all. But he will be manifested: the things done in the body will be brought into review, all will then be seen by him in its true light, whether good or bad, and this will but serve to exalt the grace that has saved him.
Then an account will be required as to what sort of servant he has been. Has he used the talent committed to him? Some may have labored with improper materials, and such work will be burned up, and the workman will lose his reward, though he himself will be saved yet so as through fire. Whereas, with others, the work will abide, and the laborer will get a reward (1 Cor. 3:14). Each shall receive a reward according to his own labor (1 Cor. 3:8). The apostle John exhorted the saints to abide in Christ that he, as a workman, might not be ashamed before Him at His coming (1 John 2:28; compare 2 John 1:1,8). These passages apply to the Christian’s service, to each of whom a talent is given.
The exhortation to the Philadelphians is “Hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy crown” (Rev. 3:11). And the Lord says “Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give to every man according as his work shall be” (Rev. 22:12). All that Christians do now will then be manifested; they should therefore seek to do such work as will stand the fire, and such as will be owned and approved of in that day by their Lord and Master. His love to us is “made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as He is so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17).