The Confession of Faith (51)

This last article of our confession speaks of the last day of the world—the Day of Judgment. It means that death is not the end of man, and this was also shown as the expectation of Job when he said, “For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”

In other places of God’s Word, we find that same expectation, but the Lord Jesus especially made this clear when He emphasized that His children should not fear them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul. They must fear God, who can destroy both soul and body. After the judgment, soul and body will go to their eternal destination, “for all the dead shall be raised out of the earth, and their souls joined and united with their proper bodies, in which they formerly lived.” The same body and the same spirit will be united. God’s justice requires that the same body which sinned against Him will also be punished; otherwise, God would not do justice to that man. It must also be the same body of God’s people since Christ merited salvation for His Church and it is personally applied. It is therefore necessary that the same body which He had purchased becomes partaker of His glory.

Some think that there will only be men then, and no women, and they base this upon Ephesians 4:13, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” We do not agree with this on the basis of what God’s Word says in Matthew 22:30, “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” The Lord does not say that women will not exist, but that they will not be given in marriage.

The bodies which are raised, or are still alive at that time, will not need food any longer. “As for those who shall then be living, they shall not die as the others but be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and from corruptible, become incorruptible.” Christ will judge the quick and the dead, which for God’s children will lead to eternal glory, but for the wicked will lead to eternal damnation. “Then the books shall be opened, that is to say the conscience.” When Christ shall come to judge, all the inhabitants of the world shall see Him. What an impressive moment that will be; it is the day of reckoning.

When Christ came in the fullness of time and assumed our human nature, He was rejected, mocked, condemned, and killed. God’s justice now requires that Christ be restored in glory before all mankind as the true Son of God. The unbelievers will experience the terrible sin they committed in rejecting the Son, who was the only way of salvation; outside of Jesus no deliverance is possible. He will also deliver His people who have sighed under the persecutions of the enemy, those who have often wept and suffered because of oppression for the name and sake of the Lord. God’s people should not be too depressed because the Lord promises that it is only for ten days, and then He, as the faithful Head of the covenant, will restore them before the eyes of the world. This is My people!

The books will be opened—this is our conscience. Some think it will take a very long time to judge all the inhabitants of the world, but when the Lord opens the conscience, they will in a moment see their whole life which was spent either in the service of Satan or, by the grace of God, in the service of the Lord. All men must give an account of their thoughts, words, and actions; therefore, the judgment will be dreadful to the wicked and ungodly. They shall become immortal but only in order to be tormented in everlasting fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels.

This judgment will be according to the law which has been given to us and which is read every Sunday morning in church. The wicked and hypocrites will then pray to the mountains and to the hills to cover them before the Lord, but that will not be possible. With a curse in their heart, they will have to confess, “God is just. I am guilty and worthy of death. Now it is too late for ever.” Before they were mocking with God’s love and grace—but now salvation has become impossible. The words “too late” will be terrible for all those who have not served the Lord in truth and uprightness.

This judgment will be terrible for the wicked but most desirable and comfortable for the righteous and elect. They will receive the reward which the Lord has promised to the faithful servants, even though they have found themselves so unfaithful time and again. Are then the good works the ground of salvation? No, not at all; but as the fruit of faith, a good tree must bring forth good fruit. It is the fruit of God’s own work in the hearts of His children. They may enter into eternal glory out of free grace. They are also sinners, but the Lord does no injustice because Christ has given perfect satisfaction to God’s justice. He has been obedient to the law and has also suffered the punishment for the trespassing of the law for His Church, which He received from the Father as wages upon His labor.

“The faithful and elect shall be crowned with glory and honor; and the Son of God will confess their names before God His Father and His elect angels; all tears shall be wiped from their eyes.”

At the end of this article, it can be seen so clearly that the confession was written in the days of persecution, in days when it was so difficult to confess the name of the Lord. How different it is today; we live in free countries. We do not hope that persecutions will return; generally, however, they are the most fruitful times for the church. We do not know what the future will bring us, but we hope, young people, that the Lord may prepare us to meet Him. We do not know whether Christ will come in this century, but many of us will die in this age, and then the world will come to an end for us. Ask the Lord that He give us an impression of the shortness of our lives and that we may learn to count our days.

We have now come to the end of this series of articles about our confession. It is an old confession, but not old-fashioned. We hope and pray that the Lord has used or will yet use these explanations to the glory of His name and that among our young people a desire may be born to serve Him as the highest good.

(This installment marks the end of this series.)

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