Welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the book of Romans. Today is study #3 of Romans 2, and I will be reading Romans 2:2-5:

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

I will stop reading there. We are moving on to verse 2 where we read, in Romans 2:2:

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

Once again, this would refer back to the previous chapter and the long list of sins that closed that chapter. And to begin chapter 2, God warns those that say they are Christians, but are engaged in a judgmental attitude, that it indicates very strongly that they are not truly born again. So God first discusses their judgment, which is wrong judgment. It is erroneous judgment because man is not qualified to judge his fellow man, so he has no authority, and he has not been given that role of judge. The Lord gave that role to the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the One who executes judgment, and the saints execute the judgment written only in the sense of declaring the Word of God.

And that should be pointed out. Some people may hear a study like this where the EBible is emphasizing that man is not to judge his fellow man, and they might say, “Well, EBible Fellowship judges people all the time. You judge the people in the churches, and now you judge the people in the whole world, because you are saying there is no salvation, and it is Judgment Day. And you are saying that this person is not saved, and that person is not saved.” But, no, I never have – and I never would – point the finger at any individual and say that person is not saved. That is not my role, and that is not any man’s role. But what is my role and the role of God’s elect is to share the truth of the Word of God, the Bible. As God opens things up to the understanding of His people, we are obligated and duty-bound to share that information.

So, yes, the Bible teaches that judgment began at the house of God, and the Bible teaches that the timeline for that judgment was 23 years, to the exact day. And on May 21, 2011, the Bible teaches that God transitioned from judging the churches to judging the world. The Bible teaches a lot of things about these two end time judgments: first, on the churches, and then on the nations. And the Bible speaks of a darkened sun, and the moon and stars falling, and water drying up, and men seeking death and not able to find it, plus all kinds of information that the people of God share. We will speak it and teach it, and this information has obvious implications. That is true, but it is one thing for us to teach that the Bible says God shut the door on May 21, 2011, but it is another thing for us to go to people and say, “That means you are not saved.” Never have I done that, and I hope no child of God would ever do that. That is not for us to do. We are not to make that kind of application.

For example, we shared the truth that God shut the door on the churches on May 21, 1988 for 23 years. The Holy Spirit was not present there, and without the Holy Spirit there cannot be salvation. And then people in the churches were faced with obvious implications, so they come and say, “Well, you are saying that I am not saved, and my family is not saved, and nobody in the churches are saved.” I am not saying that, specifically, about anyone. All I can say is that the Word of God, the Bible, teaches that there was no Holy Spirit within the congregations, and Satan was actually the one ruling in the churches, so there could not possibly have been any salvation taking place in the churches. I am not saying this to any individual person. That is not for me to do. It is up to that person to deal with the things the Bible says, and how they deal with it is absolutely none of my business.

Likewise, all I can say is that the Bible locks in the date of May 21, 2011, and God shut the door of heaven and ended His salvation program because He had completed it. He has saved everyone whose name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. And here we are years after (that date), and there are obvious implications, so people will, no doubt, feel judged. But, again, it is not me or any child of God that is doing the judging. It is the Word that judges. Remember, that is what God says in John 12:48:

He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

That is how the Son was entrusted with the judgment. The Father gave to the Son the role of judge and the task of caring out the judgment, because the Son is the Lord Jesus, who is the Word. The Word is the Law, and it is the Law (the Word) that has been offended throughout history, and it is the Law that is taking vengeance, like a jealous man upon his adulterous wife (mankind). It is the Word of God, the Law, that is judging. And it is judging individuals. That is, it is judging every unsaved person. But it is not the child of God that is engaged in pointing the finger. May it not be. Of course, there is a “fine line” between saying, “The Bible says the door is shut and there is no more salvation,” and pointing the finger at any person. Pointing the finger steps over the line, and we are not to do that.

We read in Psalm 149:5-9:

Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye JEHOVAH.

The saints (those that God has saved) execute the judgment written. And, once again, just to make this as clear as possible, this means we declare what the Bible says: “It is Judgment Day. It is the time of the wrath of God, and God is punishing the wicked of the world.” There is no violation of God’s Law that says, “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged.” We are not involved with that type of judgment in any way, but we are involved with what “judgment” the saints have always been involved with throughout history, which is that as we learn the truth (from the Bible), we speak the truth. And it just so happens that in this particular time period, as the saints of God learn the truth (that it is Judgment Day), it is pronouncing the judgment on the unsaved. But that is the Word’s doing. It is the Word that is carrying out the judgment.

It says in Romans 2:2:

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

Man’s judgment is not according to truth. It is according to his feelings and his ideas. He has already shown himself to be incorrect by the very fact that he is judging. He disqualifies himself immediately from the judgment with which he would judge. It is already unlawful, ungodly, and worthless, which is why God tells us that it is a very small thing to be judged of man’s judgment. Remember that verse? I think it is in 1Corinthians 4. In the context of the child of God being a steward of the mystery of God, it says in 1Corinthians 4:2:

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

This is referring to faithfully understanding and declaring the hidden truths or mysteries of the Bible, as God makes known these “secrets” to His people. Then, not coincidentally, it says in 1Corinthians 4:3:

But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.

Now why would God put this verse in this context of His people being stewards of the mysteries of God? It is because as we declare that there was judgment on the churches, or that there is no place of eternal hell; or that Christ died for sins at the foundation of the world, or that May 21, 2011 was Judgment Day on the world, men of the world will speak against it. They will call the people of God all kinds of things in their determinations and judgments: “You are a heretic! You are a follower of Satan! You are cold-hearted and cruel! You are a monster!” They will go on, and on, and on.

But the Lord would have us to realize the source, as that saying goes, “Consider the source.” And the “source” is (unsaved) man that has extremely limited wisdom. In order to judge, you need to be wise, as Solomon demonstrated. You have to use wisdom to carry out right judgment, but man has no wisdom. He is a fool in his fallen condition and in his natural mind, so he pronounces foolish judgment.

The people of God understand, as Christ did, what is in man, because the Bible tells us. We must get a firm hold of understanding that what is in man is “desperate wickedness.” He is contrary and opposed to everything that is decent, good, right, just, and pure. He is against God. He is in rebellion against God. Then we understand that the judgment of man is of little consideration. How little is it? I suppose it says “small,” rather than “nothing,” because man can lash you with his tongue or even do something physical against a person, but other than that, it is worthless. It is absolutely nothing. It is certainly nothing to fret about, to fear, or to be troubled in mind about. Forget it! Forget it! It is just a man, or even a thousand men, but what I am concerned about is the judgment of God. And that is a serious matter. And now you do not have a “small thing,” but you have the biggest thing. And if you are under the judgment of God, it is not only serious trouble, but it is destruction, at this point.

So, as God says in Isaiah 2, “Cease ye from man.” Let us go there and quote that verse in full. Isaiah 2 is a chapter that is detailing the judgment of God, and the final verse says in Isaiah 2:2:

Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils…

The Lord tells us this to let us know that man is a creature. It was God who breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. It is God who made man and animated his being and gave him everything he possesses. And, yet, man is concerned about man rather than God? Foolishness! Again, it says in Isaiah 2:2:

Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?

He is not to be accounted of. Again, it is of no real concern. He can do no true damage or hurt to the elect. He can only do damage to the physical body, which has seen corruption and will soon die. And if man were to kill us, we would just “gain,” for to die is gain, as we go to be with the Lord. That is a wonderful thing, and our struggles in this life would be all over – and there are quite a number of them. So, if a man should do us that favor, thank God. (Well, I probably should not put it that way.) On their part, they are doing wickedly and evil, but as God said through Joseph, “…ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good.” And that is the case in the death of God’s people in whatever circumstances they die.

Again, it says in Romans 2:2:

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

I was just wondering why God said this in this way: “…the judgment of God is according to truth…” By the way, the word “judgment” is the word “krima,” and it is found 28 times, and only 13 times as “judgment.” It is translated as “damnation” a couple of times, as we read in Luke 20:46-47:

Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts; Which devour widows’ houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation.

The word “damnation” is “krima.” It could say they shall receive “greater judgment.”

Also, we see in Luke 23 regarding one of the thieves on the cross who was responding to the other one, in Luke 23:40:

But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

He was in the “same judgment.”

It is referred to as “eternal judgment,” in Hebrews 6:2:

Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

And that is exactly what God’s judgment is in Judgment Day because it will have eternal consequences when God, ultimately, destroys the world, the sinners, and burns it all up. It is an eternal judgment. And this is the same word translated as “damnation,” meaning “eternal damnation.” If it had been written that way, we would think of a place called “Hell,” because that idea had been drilled into our minds. Eternal damnation! But this word “damnation” is the word “judgment.” So it is simply declaring that God’s judgment against the sinner is to be dead forever in both body and soul. He is annihilated out of existence. It is forever and ever. It is an eternal penalty. He will never be reconstituted or come back to life. He will never have any kind of existence for eternity to come, and that is why the Bible calls it “eternal judgment.” And that is something we have learned, by the grace of God, at this time of the end as He has opened the Scriptures to show us many truths. He has really fine- tuned and purified the understanding of His people to many doctrines, and this is one of them.

Again, in our verse it says, “the judgment of God,” and it could say “the damnation of God,” but it is “according to truth against them which commit such things.” Why is it according to truth? Well, because Jesus is the Truth, as He declared that in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Judgment is according to Christ, and Christ is the Word. Again, the Word will judge in the last day. The Son will execute judgment, and it is all according to the Word. Actually, we are told in John 17:17:

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

God’s judgment is according to truth. It is according to the Word of God, the Bible. We have seen numerous verses that support that, like Revelation 19, which has come up often in our studies. Christ is on a white horse, and He is coming to judge the world. And what is the name God applied to Him in this context of coming to judge? (And Christ has many names in the Bible, so God had many options to use here.) He could have called him Holy or True, and He is called “Faithful and True,” in Revelation 19:11:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

The Lord could have continued to call Him “Faithful and True,” or any number of names that are names of Christ. But as we read the passage, it says in Revelation 19:12-13:

His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

The Word of God is coming on a “white horse” to judge, as it says in verse 11: “…he doth judge and make war.” It is the battle of Judgment Day, and the Word is God is going into action. The Word of God is going to judge the inhabitants of the earth. Then it says in Revelation 19:14:

And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

These are the saints, the elect of God. Are we following some mysterious figure, like some image of the Lord on a white horse in the clouds somewhere? Is that how the saints are judging the world with Christ? No. We are still on the earth, with our lives. We are in our families, in our jobs, and in our neighborhoods. And, yet, we are “following the Word of God.” We are following the Bible’s teaching that May 21, 2011 was Judgment Day, and it is a prolonged judgment period. It is a spiritual judgment, and the Word is judging the unsaved inhabitants of the earth at this time. And God’s people are following, in the sense of believing it and trusting it, knowing it is the truth of the Word.

Then it says, in Revelation 20:15:

And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron…

The “sword” is the word of God: “quick and powerful, any sharper than any twoedged sword,” and it is protruding from the mouth of Christ (where the Word would come forth), and with it He is smiting or killing the nations. He is judging them with the Word: “…the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”