today. There are many out there who have been thinking about the end of the world. Is COVID-19
the end of the world? Or is it the beginning of the end? Is it something that marks the end?
While most people would say no, there are some who are saying that it is.
Some of them are Christians. You don't have to look too hard online to find people on Twitter
or Facebook or YouTube who apparently have found the coronavirus in Bible prophecy.
One person on Twitter said, I don't know how serious the coronavirus is going to be, but
there was some passage in the book of Revelation from the Bible where it talks about a significant
portion of humanity being wiped out by disease and pestilence. In response to that, another
person chimed in and said, yes, the beginning of sorrows, Matthew 24, Australian wildfires,
coronavirus, earthquakes in odd places, increased rage and murders worldwide, massive hunger
increases, hashtag Jesus is coming. The end of the world is here. According to a religion
professor at the University of Alberta, there are some Christians out there claiming right
now that the Bible foretold this pandemic long ago, right there in Revelation where it talks
about one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse who represents pestilence or plague. He's galloping
across the globe right now is what he says some Christians are saying. The end of the world
is just around the corner. And whether people agree with that or not, it has got many people,
especially Christians, thinking about the end of the world. When it truly does come, what will it be
like? Well, Jesus long ago talked about the end of the world. He talked about what will happen in the
distant future. He talked about the final judgment. And unlike many of the voices out there on social
media right now, we can trust with certainty the words of Jesus. This morning, we look a little,
look at just a little of what Jesus had to say about the day of judgment. If you have your Bible with you,
please open it up to John chapter five. We've been working through the gospel of John,
the story of Jesus as told by John. And if you missed last week, last Sunday, I gave a bit of a
summary of all that's been happening up in the story of up until now in the story of Jesus. So if you,
if you missed that, I encourage you to just take a quick listen online to the first five minutes of
last Sunday's message. This morning, we find Jesus in Jerusalem. Jesus is having a heated discussion
with the religious leaders. Jesus has just healed a man on the Sabbath day. And now the religious
leaders are coming after him again. In fact, John tells us that Jesus was already on their wanted list.
Even before he did this, the religious leaders wanted Jesus dead. And now as they're having this
conversation with Jesus, they want him dead even more because of the things Jesus is saying.
Jesus has been claiming to have a special relationship with God, a father-son relationship
with God. The religious leaders have been listening to this and they hear him claiming to be that
on the same level with God or equal to God. Last Sunday, we heard Jesus speak these words at the end
of verse 20. He said, yes, and he, the father will show him the son, even greater works than these
so that you will be amazed. What is Jesus saying? The healing of that man by the pool of Siloam,
that guy who couldn't walk for 38 years, that's nothing. You're going to see more amazing things
than that. And then Jesus tells them about two amazing things that they will see.
And the first of these two things we talked about last Sunday, Jesus told them that just as the father
raises the dead and gives them life, so also the son raises the dead and gives life to whom he's
pleased to give it. That's something you will see. He told them that the time has come now for people
to hear and believe his words and receive eternal life. Jesus told them that they will one day see
something really amazing that he will do, that one day they will hear his voice calling them out of
their graves to final judgment. So the first amazing thing was that Jesus, he said, you will see that
the son of God has power to raise the dead back to life. This morning, we look at the second amazing
thing that Jesus says they will see, and it has to do with the final judgment at the end of the world.
We're going to pick it up in verse 21 here.
For just as the father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the son gives life to whom he is
pleased to give it. Moreover, another thing that you will see, the father judges no one, but has entrusted
all judgment to the son. Let me read those words again. The father judges no one, says Jesus,
but has entrusted all judgment to the son. Now let's imagine for a moment what the reaction of
the religious leaders would have been to that statement. I imagine they'd be thinking something
like this, like, do you hear what this man is saying? You're saying that God will not judge the
world. Why? Because he has, what, delegated that special right and responsibility to you? A mere man?
Blasphemy! Is probably what they're thinking. How dare you speak like that?
Perhaps some of them even had some of the Old Testament scriptures come to mind. Passages like
Psalm 75 verse 7, where it says,
It is God who judges. He brings one down. He exalts another. Or passages like Isaiah 33, 22.
For the Lord is our judge, our lawgiver, our king. It is he who will save us. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God.
The Lord is one. There's only one God. And as Abraham said long ago, he is the judge of all the earth.
So who do you think you are, Jesus of Nazareth, to claim to have authority to judge?
That's what I imagine they might be thinking right now.
But this is what Jesus said that day.
The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son.
He's basically saying, listen, the Father and I are so closely intertwined in our working
that truthfully, he himself is not the one who does the final judging.
Rather, he has entrusted that responsibility to me.
Jesus is not saying that God will neglect his responsibility to bring justice to the world.
Rather, he's saying that God has chosen to carry out his justice
by entrusting the work of judging to his Son, to Jesus.
Do you hear what Jesus is claiming here?
He is claiming to be the one that we will all stand before someday.
He's claiming to be the one that we will examine the details of our lives, the things that we did,
the things that we said, our attitudes and motives that we carried.
He's claiming to be the one who will examine all these aspects of our lives
and then render judgment on God's behalf, determining what our final outcome will be.
Imagine you were there that day as Jesus said these words.
If these words are true, there is only one fitting response,
and that's to tremble in the presence of Jesus.
We might imagine a question rising in the thoughts of those who heard Jesus speak that day.
Assuming that what you're saying is true, Jesus,
why would God entrust or delegate his responsibility to judge to someone else,
to you, a mere man?
Is it not his responsibility alone to judge?
Isn't that one of the reasons that we praise him and give him glory and honor him?
Why would he give this privilege and authority to someone else,
no less to a human being?
Isaiah 42, verse 8,
I am the Lord.
That is my name.
I will not give my glory to another.
Jesus gives an answer to this very question.
The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son.
Why?
That all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.
The reason my Father has entrusted all judgment to me
is so that all people may honor me,
just as they honor him.
So that all people may honor, may give praise and glory to me,
just as they give praise and glory and honor to God.
If there's any doubt about whether Jesus is claiming to be equal with God
or on the same level with God,
that doubt should be long gone by now.
If God does not share his glory with another,
and yet he does share his glory with this Jesus on purpose,
this Jesus man must be special.
He must be more than just a man.
He must, in some mysterious way,
be one with God himself.
And this is the truth that Jesus is steering us towards.
We talked about this on a previous Sunday, May 24th.
If you want to go back and watch that video on YouTube,
you can.
And Jesus said, or will say later on,
to one of his own disciples,
don't you believe that I am in the Father
and that the Father is in me?
It is the Father living in me
who is doing his work.
At another point, which we haven't got to yet in the story,
he will make this statement to the religious leaders
and say, I and the Father are one.
Two distinct persons,
and yet one and the same God.
Jesus is both truly human and truly divine.
John told us this at the very beginning.
He said that Jesus is more than just a human being.
He is the Word who was God
and was with God at the very beginning
before anything was made.
The Father loves the Son.
And so that the Son might be respected
and honored and glorified as he deserves to be,
God has entrusted this very special work,
the work of judging to his Son, Jesus.
And what kind of judgment are we talking about here?
Notice Jesus' words.
Has entrusted all judgment to the Son.
All judgment.
The ultimate and final judgment,
as we see in the verses which follow.
So, God has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
and he has done it so that the Son might be honored.
But he's done it for another reason.
There's another reason given in verse 27.
Jesus says this,
And he, the Father, has given him, the Son,
authority to judge.
Why?
Because he is the Son of Man.
Now, what does that mean?
In order to grasp this,
we need to understand that the Son of Man
is not just a poetic way to refer to Jesus being human,
the Son of a human being.
It does refer to Jesus' humanity,
but more than that,
it's a title which points back
to what God said long ago,
which we read earlier in the service
through the prophet Daniel.
God gave the prophet Daniel a vision,
and this is how Daniel described it,
as we read earlier.
In my vision at night,
I looked,
and there before me was one like a Son of Man
coming with the clouds of heaven.
This Son of Man approached the Ancient of Days
and was led into his presence.
He was given authority,
glory,
and sovereign power.
All nations and peoples of every language
worshipped him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that will not pass away,
and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
So, why has the Father entrusted
all judgment to his Son Jesus?
Because Jesus is this Son of Man,
which was prophesied long ago.
He is the one that God planned long ago
to give authority and sovereign power to.
Jesus is the one.
In God's plan,
God's kingdom is going to be established
on this earth
through Jesus,
the Son.
So, yes,
the Lord,
God,
the Ancient of Days,
is the judge
of all the earth.
And Jesus will say that
in John chapter 8.
But God has chosen
to do the work of judging,
and especially the final judgment,
through his Son,
Jesus.
And in a very real sense,
this shouldn't really come
as a surprise
to the religious leaders.
If they really knew
their scriptures,
they would know
that God had planned
to give authority
and power
and even authority
to judge
to someone special
who would act
on his behalf.
Think back to the words
spoken by Isaiah,
the prophet,
which we read
at Christmastime.
For to us
a child is born,
to us a son
is given,
and the government
will be
on his shoulders.
Of the greatness
of his government
and peace,
there will be no end.
He will reign
on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing
and upholding it
with justice
and righteousness
from that time on
and forever.
think of the words
Isaiah spoke
a little bit later.
A shoot will come up
from the stump
of Jesse.
From his roots,
a branch will bear fruit
and the spirit
of the Lord
will rest on him.
This one who will come,
he will not judge
by what he sees
with his eyes
or decide
by what he hears
with his ears,
but with righteousness
he will judge
the needy.
With justice
he will give decisions
for the poor
of the earth.
Isaiah 42,
verse 1,
Here is my servant
whom I uphold,
says the Lord,
my chosen one
in whom I delight.
I will put my spirit
on him
and he will bring justice
to the nations.
Is God the judge?
Yes.
But he has told us
long before all this
that he will bring justice
to the world,
to the nations,
through his chosen servant,
through a descendant
of Jesse
who will have
the spirit of the Lord
upon him,
through a human child
who will be born to us,
a son who will be given
to us.
And all of these words
spoken through Isaiah
were penned
in Hebrew
700 years
prior to this conversation
Jesus is having
right now.
Jesus is saying,
I am that one
one
whom God has said
he will give authority to.
I am that chosen servant.
I am
the son of man.
And you will see it
and you will be amazed
when the time comes.
God is the judge.
Yes.
But he will bring about
justice on the earth
through
Jesus,
his son.
that's what Jesus said.
And that's what the apostles
realized and understood
and taught as well.
Acts 10 42.
He,
Jesus,
this is Peter talking,
commanded us
to preach
to the people
and to testify
that he is
the one
whom God
appointed as
judge of the living
and the dead.
Paul in his
famous sermon
in Athens
said,
for he,
God,
has set a day
when he will
judge the world
with justice.
How?
By the man
he has appointed.
He's given proof
of this to everyone
by raising this man
from the dead.
Romans 2 verse 16,
Paul says,
this,
what I'm talking about
will take place
on the day
when God judges
people's secrets
through
Jesus Christ
as my gospel
declares.
From all of these
places in God's word
we hear
very clearly,
very strongly
that there is
a day of judgment
coming
at the end
of the world,
so to speak,
as we might say.
A day
when all people
will stand
before
the throne
of Jesus.
A day
when all people
will see the face
of this same man
who walked
the dusty streets
of Jerusalem
2,000 years ago.
Take a second here
and just imagine
what that moment
will be like
for you
to stand
before him.
he will examine
the details
of your life,
the things
that you did,
all the things
that you said,
the attitudes
and motives
you carried,
and yes,
even the secrets
and the hidden
things
that no one
knows about
but you.
He will examine
every aspect
of our lives
and render
judgment
on God's
behalf,
on behalf
of the Father
by the authority
that's been given
to him.
Let's be honest,
this is not
a heartwarming
truth
about Jesus.
It would be
if we were all
innocent,
good,
and perfect
people,
but we aren't.
this truth
puts a holy
fear of Jesus
into our hearts,
a reverence,
an awe,
a respect,
as it should
because all of us
have sinned
against God
in many ways.
We all fall
so far short
of his glory
and goodness.
We've all done
many of the things
that God has said
in his word
are wrong,
are sinful,
are evil,
but there is
good news.
There is
hope.
Listen to what
Jesus said
in verse 24.
Very truly,
I tell you,
whoever
hears
my word
and believes
him who sent
me
has eternal
life
and will
not
be
judged,
but has
crossed over
from death
to life.
Does that
sound like
good news?
Yes,
it does.
What does
Jesus mean
when he says
that whoever
believes and
hears his word
will not be
judged?
In the
original language
that this was
penned in,
that word for
judge can mean
two different
things.
In fact,
in English,
it can mean
two different
things as
well.
Judgment can
be the work
that the
judge does,
the work of
evaluating the
facts and
deciding between
giving a
decision or
a verdict,
innocent or
guilty,
right or
wrong.
But judgment
can also refer
very specifically
to the
sentence or
to the
punishment
that we
would receive
when we're
guilty before
the judge.
So which
one does
Jesus mean?
Does he
mean that
we will,
those of us
who hear his
words and
believe,
will get to
skip out on
the day of
judgment?
That we
won't have to
stand before
his throne and
answer for
what we have
done if we
believe his
words?
Or does he
mean that on
the day of
judgment it's
only those who
didn't believe
who will be
evaluated and
that the rest
will be passed
over?
I think what
Paul says in
his letter to
the Corinthian
church helps
clarify it for
us.
2 Corinthians 5
verse 10,
Paul says
this,
for we must
all appear
before the
judgment seat
of Christ.
And let's
remember that
Paul is writing
this to
Christians,
to believers,
to the church
at Corinth.
We must all
appear before
the judgment
seat of Christ
so that each
of us may
receive what is
due us for
the things
done while
in the body,
whether good
or bad.
And so I
think if we
bring this
together with
what Jesus
said, it's
clear.
When Jesus
says that
those who
hear his
word and
believe will
not be
judged, he
means not
that they
won't appear
before him
at the
judgment, but
that they
won't be
condemned.
Whoever
hears my
word and
believes him
who sent
me has
eternal life
and will
not be
judged, will
not be
condemned,
will not
be punished,
but is
crossed over
from death
to life.
This is
really good
news.
It's
frightening to
think that
one day we
will all
stand before
Jesus and
our lives
will be like
an open
book to
him.
Everything
we've done
and said
and thought,
all of our
secrets exposed,
but Jesus
says that
even though
this day
is coming
when we
will stand
before him,
whoever
hears and
believes his
words now
will receive
eternal life
and on that
day when I
call you out
of your grave,
says Jesus,
if you heard
and believed
my words,
you will not
be condemned.
Instead,
you will rise
to eternal
life,
to live
forever.
Do you
hear Jesus'
words?
Do you
believe
that the
Father sent
him to
speak them
to you?
It can be
all too easy
today to get
caught up in
the emotion
and the hype
that's come
about because
of the spread
of this virus
around the
world.
Is this the
beginning of
the end of
the world?
Is this the
start of the
one world
government?
Is this,
is Elon Musk's
Neuralink,
the precursor
technology to
the mark of
the beast?
The truth is
we don't know.
It's certainly
not clear or
obvious from
these kinds of
things that we
read about in
the news that
this is the
very end.
At least it
doesn't seem
that way from
what I read in
the scriptures.
leaders.
And so if
our thoughts
do go to
the very end
times, to
the end of
the world, I
hope and I
pray that they
will go to
what is clear
and to what we
can be certain
about, to what
is truly one of
the most
important realities
of the end of
times.
What Jesus said
that day to the
religious leaders,
believe that a
day is coming
when he will
judge the world
and bring justice
to the nations.
Final punishment
and condemnation,
justice is coming,
but there is a
way to be spared
what we all
deserve.
If we listen to
and believe the
words of Jesus,
the one God
has sent into
the world to
be the rescue,
to be the
savior, this is
the truth more
than anything
that our world
needs to hear,
especially in
times like this.
And so may we
believe it, may
we cling to it,
and may we
speak it with
gentleness and
respect and
love to those
who are willing
to listen.
Let's pray.
Father in
heaven, thank
you for these
words.
I pray and
ask that you
would give each
of us ears to
hear what you
are saying through
your son here.
Increase in all
of our hearts
faith and trust
in what you
have said through
Jesus.
We thank you
for this gracious
gift and
offer of
life, eternal
life, that we
don't need to do
anything for
except believe
and receive it
as a gift.
You're amazing,
Lord.
We pray this in
Jesus' name.
Amen.