The Judgment

Question 1: Where will the proceedings of Judgment take place? On the Earth, or Heaven? I believe that Christ will not set foot on the Earth and that we will meet Him in the air.

ANSWER: Certainly you are correct that Christ will not set foot on the Earth when He returns and that we will meet Him in the air (I Thessalonians 4:16-18). Neither will the "proceedings" take place in Heaven, since the righteous will not enter heaven until after the Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46), The Bible does not speak of a specific place where we will be judged! Surely, we cannot determine such on the basis of our present world and material existence, since all of this will likely have passed. The best we can know is that it will take place in the presence of the Great Judge, Jesus Christ.

Question 2: Where will Paradise be following the Judgment?

ANSWER: Since Paradise is that part of the Hadean World in which departed righteous souls are at rest awaiting the Resurrection and Judgment (Luke 16:19-31; Luke 23:43; John 20:17), after which they will enter heaven, there is no apparent need for Paradise to exist following the Judgment and our entry into Heaven. The same would be true of that part of Hades, described as a place of "torments" (Luke 16:22-23) in which departed unrighteous souls are held in reserve awaiting the final Resurrection and Judgment (II Peter 2:4).

Question 3: Since flesh and blood cannot enter heaven, are we to understand that our physical bodies will be changed before we enter into heaven? Who was Alexander the Great? How will we know when the Gospel has been preached in all the world?

ANSWER: Yes! Our bodies will be changed (I Corinthians 15:50-54; Philippians 3:20-21; I John 3:2).

Alexander the Great was the king of Macedonia, or the Grecian Empire, that was referred to as the third kingdom of Daniel 2:39 and as represented by that part of the image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream made of brass (Daniel 2:32, 39). He lived from 356BC to 323BC, a total of 33 years, during which time, as one of the greatest generals in history, he conquered much of what was then known as the civilized world. After his death, the kingdom that he established was divided (in 311BC) into many successor states by his quarreling army officers. These states continued to exist in a number of very loose alliances until conquered by Rome in 197BC. In 146BC, Greece, because of her rebellious nature toward Rome, was reduced to a mere Roman province known as Achaia.

Christ said the Gospel would be preached in all the world before the destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:14) in 70AD and, according to the apostle Paul (Colossians 1:5, 23), it was! It was done in their generation and is being done in our generation by faithful efforts such as that put forth by Truth for the World. It is now available to nearly all around the globe via radio, television, printed page, and on-site missionaries, but not all people have accessed it or received it! The task given us is to continue to make it personally available to those coming of age and to future generations. In this sense, it is a task that will not be fully completed until the end of the world (Matthew 28:18-20). The faithful are to always serve as continuing transmitters and connectors, proclaiming it to all that will listen! This is the ongoing assignment that He has given His people!

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