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Raised to Judgement: At
the Court of Felix
The apostles of Jesus Christ travelled the Roman world with a bold and urgent message. Jesus had died; but he had risen from the dead and his exaltation to God's right hand gave new hope to all who would try to follow his example of obedience. In spite of mocking, derision and persecution, these apostles sounded forth their great clarion call: being witnesses themselves of Christ's resurrection, they were galvanised into action, publicly proclaiming the hope of resurrection for all true disciples of the Lord. There is probably no
better way for us to learn more about this wonderful and
comforting Christian hope and the associated teaching
concerning God's judgement of man, than to examine it
through the preaching of one of these apostles who had
joined the group of witnesses, as "one born out of
due time" (1 Corinthians 1 5:8). He too was
persecuted and imprisoned for the things he preached, but
while in custody would not be silenced and continued to
speak, even to his captors, of the hope which filled his
own heart. At Felix's side was his
teenage wife Drusilla, by all accounts a great beauty and
just widowed as a result of the death of the Syrian king
Azizus to whom she had been married, probably at the
behest of her father Herod Agrippa 1, at the tender age
of fourteen. Whether the tenderness of her character
matched that of her age may be questioned by her
premature association with the uncultured Felix long
before Azizus' death regularised the situation. It seemed
part of the family characteristics of the Herods to
disregard the sanctity of marriage and treat the bond
with contempt. Had not John the Baptist been imprisoned
and subsequently beheaded by Herod Antipas for his
effrontery in criticising him for taking his brother's
wife? (Matthew 14:1- 11). It is therefore fitting that we in our day should examine the same principles, recognising in ourselves, as well as in the world of which we form part, the need for more exalted standards of thought and conduct. It is neither comfortable nor fashionable to speak of a time of coming judgement. It seems a subject inextricably linked with the doctrine of hell-fire, which has become an object of derision and the butt of music hall jokes. But while eternal torment deep in the bowels of the earth is nowhere taught in Scripture, judgement is an integral part of God's programme which will result in the world ultimately being full of His glory. Just like Felix of old, though, if we try to push the subject from our consciousness we shall hardly succeed. Even Felix trembled as he saw the strong connection between his way of life and his ultimate destiny. He was unwilling to mend his ways and strive after the "holiness without which no man shall see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). Our own experiences teach us that, whether we like it or not, there is a connection between endeavour and reward; and between disobedience and punishment. It is the guiding rule in the disciplining of children and management of organisations and is summed up in the phrase 'the carrot and the stick'. Consider the following words, written by the same apostle who stood before Felix and Drusilia:
There is, then, a
responsibility incumbent upon those who wish to be
followers of the Lord Jesus Christ to lead lives
consistent with, and reflecting the standards he taught.
To do this it is necessary to "deny ungodliness and
worldly lusts" now to the extent that we are
aware of the certainty of his return. How similar these
words are to those spoken to Felix! Nowhere is the quality of self-control or temperance upheld. Instead "each man does that which is right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). Just as that was true at a critical stage in the history of Israel, so it is true today. Of course, if there are no standards set, there can be no judgement; or, to use the words of Scripture, "where there is no law, neither is there transgression" (Romans 4:15). Our society, in order to flout the required standards for life set by God, has therefore had to reject the idea of judgement. The catch phrase for our age, as it was for the civilisation whose similar disregard hastened its destruction by flood and tempest in Noah's day, is: "Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" (1 Corinthians 15:32; Matthew 24:38; Luke 17:27).
Tomorrow
we die
Clearly, then, the promise of resurrection from the dead should affect the way we live our lives. It is the reward God has promised to those who attempt in their lives now to follow in his ways and commandments. It is therefore necessary for us to understand what hope there is for man at his death. Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes, reviewing the works of man and their ultimate value, declared that:
His description of the death state is equally succinct:
This last phrase perhaps expresses two thoughts. On the one hand, as time passes the dead are forgotten, even by close friends and acquaintances; but also a person's memory ceases when death occurs. It is like many pocket calculators which have a memory function, only so long as power is available. Once that power is switched off, the ability to calculate, to recall from memory, or to display other functions has been removed. This is the condition of man at death, as these words spoken to Adam after his disobedience reveal:
Desire
for Immortality This is a falsehood first
uttered in the temptation in the garden of Eden: "Ye
shall not surely die" (Genesis 3:4). This is the
great untruth, clung to desperately by many, just as
survivors of a shipwreck will attempt to ride a
tempestuous sea on the scantiest piece of flotsam
available. It is untrue, and if we wish to be true to
ourselves we must abandon it and seek to place our trust
in those things which are firm and steadfast "like
an anchor for our lives. an anchor safe and sure" (Hebrews
6:19, N.E.B.).
For a man like Job to make such a cry, the message he had to impart must be of importance. He had been attacked by a disease which was loathsome: a living death. On awakening each morning he would contemplate the finality of death and the futility of life. This crystallised for him a supreme hope, and it was this he wished to be preserved for future generations, for it was the vindication of his own steadfastness in adversity:
That this was not just a pious sentimentality wrung out of him by the agony of his illness is attested to by God Himself, whose comment on Job is recorded later in the book. He says to Job's friends:
The right things about God
which Job had spoken are important for us. He spoke of
the living power of God able to redeem sinful men and
women. In connection with that redemption, he expressed
the hope that he would be present to see and hear God's
judgement of him. And yet Job understood the nature of
death as Solomon described it. He spoke of the
decomposition of his body, but also believed that the
same body would one day stand before God.
By careful repetition, there is an inevitability about the fate of these men -- 'dead' and 'deceased', they shall 'not live' nor 'rise'. As Solomon had said: "The memory of them is forgotten." In contrast, however, to this hopelessness, is the position of those who are God's people:
What we have therefore
learnt is that though for some it is true that the death
state is final, for others, although the death state
itself is the same -- complete unconsciousness, the
"one event that cometh upon all" -- there is a
hope of arising or being cast forth from the earth.
We know sufficiently well
from our study that this is the language of Scripture on
this subject. 'The dust of the earth' echoes the Genesis
record of the fate of Adam, Eve and their descendants.
Clearly there is to be a separation between those whose
destiny is everlasting life and those for whom there will
be shame and everlasting contempt. Daniel's words are also related to another saying of the Lord Jesus Christ:
Resurrection is not a
commonly discussed subject. Conceptions of what happens
after death range across many conflicting theories. Some
fondly think of an existence freed from all trammels of
this life and this earth, but otherwise purposeless. We
should perhaps ask what pleasure such a destiny could
give creature or Creator. Side by side with this view is
the fear of eternal torment, blazing fires and sulphurous
smoke. Common to both ideas is freedom from our present
mortal bodies. Whatever our destiny may be, it will
involve (so it is said) that part of us which is
considered immortal-the essential personality, or 'the
soul', to use the common designation.
There will also at Christ's return be men and women (and particularly children) who have not had to decide what their response to the Gospel of truth will be. They will continue to live through the time when "the law will go forth of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Micah 4:2). Because of the righteous rule of Christ, conditions in the world will improve and expectation of life will increase -- possibly equivalent to the times before the flood. Isaiah prophesied:
But each, child, youth and aged, at their appointed times will die. At the end of this reign of Christ there will be a second day of resurrection, a second judgement and, for those not granted immortality whose names are "not found written in the book of life", a second and utterly final death (Revelation 20:12-15). The resurrection spoken of in the Bible is a bodily one, just as the era of peace and righteousness to be introduced at Jesus' return involves this earth on which we live. There is no hazy notion of a spirit world in far off places, as an examination of Jesus' own resurrection shows. Firstly, he was mistaken by Mary Magdalene for the gardener and had to rebuke her for holding on to him: "Take not hold on me; for I am not yet ascended to my Father" (John 20:15,17, R.V.). Later, when his disciples were gathered together in the upper room, terrified of the consequences for themselves of his crucifixion, Jesus appeared and they thought they were seeing a ghost. Jesus' answer to their fright puts the matter beyond all doubt:
Bodily
Resurrection The similarity of the time of resurrection and judgement to Adam's own experience is very revealing. He was not created immortal. There was a choice before him to obey God or his own desires, and he chose to do that which formed the pattern that all mankind would subsequently follow. He was therefore 'judged' by God: "Because thou hast heartened unto the voice of thy wife ... cursed is the ground ... in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground" (Genesis 3:17-19). First of all, therefore,
the resurrection involves what the word itself implies --
a rising or standing up: not immediately a change of
nature, but a reconstituted mortal body ready to appear
for judgement. Some will have continued to sin "after
the similitude of Adam's transgression" (Romans 5:14);
others will have striven to follow the example of the Son
of God, recognising the victory his death and
resurrection achieved. This separation is the
"judgement to come" about which Paul reasoned
with Felix, and Jesus himself will be the judge. That release is possible from the previously all-conquering enemy of mankind, as revealed to Job, Isaiah and Daniel was convincingly proved by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because of his victory over death, there is a guarantee for his disciples to share in his triumph. Knowing that man by himself cannot live a life of perfect obedience like Christ's, God has promised that believers can be related to that life and enjoy the benefits which consequently flow. The means of achieving this relationship is baptism based on repentance of sinful ways and acknowledgement of the truth of the Gospel message:
Sweet
Reward of Faithful Following
In harmony with this, the
promise of eternal life is not described in Scripture as
something that can be earned. Instead, it is the "free
gift of God" (Romans 6:23). Undeserved by its
recipients, the gift has only been made possible through
the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This then is the basis of the judgement. We are, perhaps by our association of the word with courts of law, tempted to envisage something of a kind of debate, with an argument of the relative merits of various incidents in a person's life. Rather we should think of the occasion as an opportunity for the verdict to be pronounced by the one who has been given authority to exercise judgement and who is therefore uniquely qualified to do so. The verdict will not be the result of achievement, for it was the ones who would boldly say, "Lord, Lord, have we not in thy name done many wonderful works?" to whom the Lord directed his dreadful reply, "I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Matthew 7:22-23). As Isaiah had prophesied
so long before, God's requirements are for humble and
sensitive servants: "To this man will I look, even
to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that
trembleth at my word" (Isaiah 66:2). Rather, the
verdict will be based upon commitment, the knowledge that
we are each totally dependent on God's mercy for all
things; in this life and also for the blessings with
which the earth will be showered in the kingdom age. How different this is from our own feeble attempts to perfect our characters! In different ways we each display a lack of ability to control ourselves. For one it will be an over-hasty tongue, for another a particular breed of covetousness, for yet others the common sin of pride. When we start a process of critical self- examination, the list is endless. Yet God has promised to those who strive to serve Him faithfully a share in His divine nature. Using eloquent language, Daniel describes this result of resurrection and acceptance at the judgement:
Notice that they shall shine "as the brightness" and "as stars". This is figurative language describing poetically the translation from mortality to immortality. "God is light", the apostle John wrote, "and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Daniel was prophesying that those who are raised and accepted at the judgement will then be changed to immortal beings, living and reigning with Christ and displaying, as he does, the characteristics of his heavenly Father. This is the exalted hope
which is held out in the Gospel message, the "righteousness"
which will be revealed by the "judgement to come"
which so troubled Felix, and which will only be fulfilled
when the harvest of resurrection is gathered in. Christ,
who is the firstfruits of that harvest (1 Corinthians 15:23),
is the guarantee that all we have considered regarding
this subject is certain to come to pass.
MICHAEL ASHTON Reproduced by courtesy of the Christadelphian Magazine and Publishing Association by whom all rights are reserved. |
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