Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Bema Judgment & Justice

Copyright © 2022 Dag Heward-Mills

First published 2022 by Parchment House

Find out more about Dag Heward-Mills at:

Healing Jesus Campaign

Email: evangelist@daghewardmills.org

Website: www.daghewardmills.org

Facebook: Dag Heward-Mills

Twitter: @EvangelistDag

ISBN : 978-1-64330-609-4

All rights reserved under international copyright law. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book.

CHAPTER 1

Why Judgment?

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

2 Corinthians 5:10

1. What is Judgment?

Judgment is the ability to judge.

Judgment is the ability to make a decision.

Judgment is the ability to form an opinion objectively and authoritatively.

Judgment is the ability to form an opinion wisely.

Judgment is the ability to form an opinion authoritatively.

Judgment is the ability to come to a conclusion about someone or something.

The absence of judgment is the absence of decisions! The absence of judgment is the absence of someone who can come to a conclusion about a matter. The absence of judgment is the absence of a wise person who can form an opinion authoritatively and objectively. The absence of judgment leads to chaos! Confusion is birthed by the absence of someone who can wisely bring matters to a conclusion.

One of the saddest things in life is to live amongst people who cannot come to conclusions and take final decisions about issues.

Solomon’s ability to pass judgment and to execute justice made him the famous king that he was. It is important to pass good judgments that are accepted by all parties as fair, objective and authoritative. When King Solomon passed judgment about which mother should have the living child, he was hailed as a great king.

And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.

1 Kings 3:25-28

2. What is Justice?

Where there is justice, decisions and conclusions are characterized by fairness, justness, reasonableness and even-handedness.

Justice is a characteristic that is greatly desired in human society.

Justice is the quality of being fair or impartial.

Where there is justice there is fairness!

Where there is justice there are impartial decisions!

Where there is justice there is even-handedness!

Where there is justice decisions taken are just and fair!

It is good to know that we are going to stand before a God who is filled with judgment and justice. God will be fair! God will be just! God will come to conclusions and take decisions. God will be even-handed! God will be impartial when He relates to us. God will not mete out wickedness and injustice to us. We can be assured that God is a God of judgment and justice.

Do not think that judgment and justice are going to come only when you die. God’s judgment is being implemented as we live today. God’s judgment will continue in eternity! God is administering His judgment right now! God’s justice is being released into the world! We are all experiencing His justice and His judgment today. Some of the things that are happening in our lives are simply the judgments and decisions of God.

3. Judgment and justice are more important than other things in the church.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the WEIGHTIER MATTERS OF THE LAW, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

Matthew 23:23

Doing judgment and giving justice are very important to the building of the church. Judgment and justice are weighty parts of the law. Jesus elevated judgment and justice above other things in the Law. Jesus called them weightier matters!

Not everything has the same importance! Definitely, judgment and justice have a greater importance in the church than tithing and offerings. Judgment, mercy and faith are weightier matters of the law. It is important that we pay attention to these things. We have books on faith. We have books on mercy and love. We must also have books on judgment and justice.

Judgment and justice are even more important than sacrifice. Why is this?

To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Proverbs 21:3

The lack of judgment and the lack of justice cause offence. Offence is the beginning of all forms of disloyalty. When people are offended, they become disloyal. A lot of evil can come from people who are disloyal, disgruntled and discontented.

Most wars are caused by injustice. The rebel wars in many nations were fought by people who thought they were treated unjustly. The First World War began because someone was murdered. This crime led to a war that killed about seventeen million people. The deaths of seventeen million people could have been avoided by the application of judgment and justice.

The French Revolution came about because there was a shortage of bread. The poor people in France felt that they were not being treated fairly. They revolted against the king whom they felt had enough food to eat and had not provided for the rest of the country. In the end, about forty thousand people died through the French Revolution. The thousands who died in the French Revolution could have been saved, if judgment and justice had been served by the King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette.

The Second World War started because Adolf Hitler felt that the Germans had not been treated fairly after the First World War and that the Versailles Treaty was not a fair resolution of the First World War. A perceived injustice then led to the Second World War that caused the deaths of fifty million people. The deaths of fifty million people could have been avoided by the proper administration of judgment and justice.

4. God loves judgment.

FOR I THE LORD LOVE JUDGMENT, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

Isaiah 61:8

Judgment is very important to God. All through the Bible, you will find that God sees judgment as an important thing. He actually loves judgment. He loves you when you love judgment. God loves it when conclusions and decisions are taken. God loves it when people are treated fairly. God dislikes it when people do not receive judgment and justice.

God’s power is based on His judgment, His justice and His mercy.

Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.

Psalm 89:14

When you come before God you will see four important things which are far from men: Justice, Judgment, Mercy and Truth! God is not a man that He should lie. Unfortunately, men are full of lies and deception. The human race is filled with injustice, wickedness and deception. Yet the throne of God is based on the exact opposite. The throne of God is based on justice and judgment and truth. Most human beings base their power on wickedness and injustice. God is full of love and mercy but men are not merciful and have very little love to give! God is full of truth. His throne is established on truth. God will deal with you fairly, justly and in truth.

5. Judgment and justice are the principal works of a leader.

And David reigned over all Israel; and DAVID EXECUTED JUDGMENT AND JUSTICE unto all his people.

2 Samuel 8:15

Being fair and even-handed is the master key to a stable throne. Judgment and justice are important parts of leadership. You may wonder when it is that you will be administering judgment and justice since you are not a judge. Whether you like it or not, every leader is forced to administer judgment and justice. A leader will be administering judgment and justice all the time through the human resource management systems.

A leader is always taking decisions about how to treat people and that is judgment. When you are not fair and even-handed to people that you employ, you are deficient in judgment and justice. When I worked as a doctor for the government, I felt a lot of injustice. I could see the absence of judgment. After seven years in medical school, I wondered why I was experiencing what I was experiencing. I felt that I needed to be out of that system. God made David a king so that he would administer judgment and justice.

Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.

1 Kings 10:9

6. Judgment and justice are things that must be studied, understood and learnt. Without studying the Word, you will not understand how to implement judgment and justice as a leader.

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; TO RECEIVE THE INSTRUCTION OF WISDOM, JUSTICE, AND JUDGMENT, AND EQUITY;

Proverbs 1:1-3

The proverbs of Solomon administer knowledge, understanding and wisdom. This knowledge, wisdom and understanding are what will help you to form wise judgments.

There are many law schools in the world. What do they study? They study the laws of the land. They study property law, criminal law, jurisprudence, equity, the law of contract, constitutional law, legal methods, torts and so on. There are many things to study about law, judgment and justice.

Indeed, it is always a prestigious thing to have studied law and to have graduated as a lawyer. It sounds even more prestigious to have become a judge. A judge is a very high office in any country. In some countries, the Chief Justice is the third in command in the whole nation. That shows you how great a judge is.

If you want to practice judgment and justice you will need to study the word of God and find out the principles of judgment and justice from there. Indeed, many of the law books derive their principles from the Bible. The Bible is the greatest source of wisdom for judgment and justice. Through the knowledge of the word of God you will understand why certain things are the just recompense for what has been done.

7. Where there is no judgment and justice there is oppression and violence.

IF THOU SEEST THE OPPRESSION OF THE POOR, AND VIOLENT PERVERTING OF JUDGMENT AND JUSTICE IN A PROVINCE, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.

Ecclesiastes 5:8

Where there is no one to administer justice and judgment, violence and oppression emerge as prominent forces.

The difference between well-developed countries and less-developed nations is often the absence of judgment and justice.

When you work for people who are not fair or even-handed, you will always feel oppressed.

Many under-developed countries have institutions that are oppressive. Many people are turned into petty thieves because of the oppressive system. People are filled with complaints and murmurings because of the oppressive work environment. Embassies are filled with departees who want to get away from the unjust and unfair work environment. Doctors, lawyers and other professionals want to work where they will be appreciated and treated fairly. They want to work where they will receive a just recompense for all their hard work.

When someone works hard and effectively but is not rewarded accordingly, an injustice is done. When someone does wrong and is not punished appropriately, injustice has begun to grow.

Where people are chosen to do jobs just because of their tribal or family relations, there is injustice and a lack of judgment.

It is important to fight for justice, judgment, and fairness to prevail. The absence of judgment and justice will destroy every secular government, every church government and every type of leadership.

If you do not fight for justice, judgment and equity, you will end up fighting useless and fruitless wars.

8. You will be chosen because of your ability to institute judgment and justice.

FOR I KNOW HIM, THAT HE WILL COMMAND HIS CHILDREN AND HIS HOUSEHOLD AFTER HIM, AND THEY SHALL KEEP THE WAY OF THE LORD, TO DO JUSTICE AND JUDGMENT; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.

Genesis 18:19

God chose Abraham because Abraham would institute judgment and justice. You cannot be promoted to a place of authority if you are not prepared to practice justice and judgment. You must learn how to be fair to all. You must understand what people are experiencing on the other side of the fence. You must understand judgment and justice.

Many people think that God chose Abraham only because he was a man of faith. Indeed, he was a man of faith. But there were many more reasons why God liked Abraham. Abraham was a man who was fair and even-handed. You can see his even-handedness from his dealings with Lot. When it was time to part with Lot, he asked Lot to choose the land he preferred. He knew that Lot would not understand that God had called him and not Lot. He allowed Lot to have his way. In the end, all that Lot chose was given to Abraham by the Lord. Lot would never have the chance to accuse Abraham of cheating him of the best part of the land.

When Abraham was old and getting ready to die, he realized that his children would challenge Isaac, the heir. In all fairness to his other children, he gave them gifts and sent them away. He then gave the rest of his things to Isaac. He was a man of judgment and justice.

And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.

Genesis 25:5-6

When Abraham encountered Melchizedek, he sensed that Melchizedek wanted to give him some money. But he said, “I will not take even a thread or a shoe latchet from you. I do not want you to feel that you made me rich.” Abraham was a man of judgment and justice. In all his dealings he was open, fair and wise.

And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Genesis 14:21-24

Most people do not understand judgment and justice and the importance that it plays in the ministry. Decide to become a man filled with the principles of judgment and justice. Judgment and justice is attractive. Abraham was attractive because he was filled with fairness, justice and uprightness.

9. Judgment establishes the church.

The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.

Proverbs 29:4

Judgment and justice establish a country and also establish a church. When there is no judgment and justice, a church cannot continue to be established.

When a church is filled with immorality at the highest level, it is impossible for the immoral leaders to execute judgment and justice on the lower ranks. This causes immorality and perversions to thrive and spread. As immorality spreads into the church, the church is destroyed by the inner corruption.

There must be strong responses to moral failures like fornication, adultery and other sexual perversions. Today, churches are filled with fornicators, adulterers and sexual perverts because these practices exist among the leaders and authority figures. Because the leaders are equally deep into these things they are unable to stamp them out and pass judgment on them.

The king by judgment establishes the land. The person who receives gifts, bribes, parcels and favours cannot pass judgment on those who give him these things. When you go to certain large churches, you will find out that certain sins are not mentioned at all. You will only find a lot of encouragement, a lot of comfort and a lot of messages of hope for a brighter future and a better tomorrow. It is important to notice what is being preached about. It is equally important to note what is not being preached about.

Things that are not preached about reveal what is a problem in the leadership. What is not judged reveals what cannot be judged because the leaders lack the moral strength to do so.

Judgment and justice are necessary parts of developing a government. Your church, your community, your group will be ordered and established through judgment and justice.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, TO ORDER IT, AND TO ESTABLISH IT WITH JUDGMENT AND WITH JUSTICE FROM HENCEFORTH EVEN FOR EVER. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 9:7

It is important to set things in order and to establish the church that God is using you to build. As the church grows, there must be more judgment and justice. As the church grows, there must be an increase in the government of the church. An increase in judgment always implies an increase in laws, rules, government and justice.

I remember a church that became a blessing to the community, the city and the region where it was established. It was noted as one of the first great independent churches in that country. As the years went by, the senior pastor and several of his aides fell into immorality. Because the evil was being practiced at the highest level, there was no judgment and justice administered. Although many people accused the pastors of immorality, justice and judgment were never applied.

A church, which at one time hosted over twelve thousand people every week, dwindled in size until it eventually closed down. The church building and all its properties were sold to pay debts. Without judgment and justice, the land cannot be established. Indeed, every church is destroyed by the absence of judgment and justice.

None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity . . .

THEREFORE IS JUDGMENT FAR FROM US, NEITHER DOTH JUSTICE OVERTAKE US: WE WAIT FOR LIGHT, BUT BEHOLD OBSCURITY; FOR BRIGHTNESS, BUT WE WALK IN DARKNESS . . .

And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

Isaiah 59:4, 9, 14

As you see in the scripture above, obscurity comes to those who reject judgment and justice. Churches begin to walk in darkness and obscurity because judgment and justice are thrown out of the window. Do not throw aside the importance of judgment and justice. The absence of judgment and justice is the reason why many churches wither, dwindle and fade away.

10. Where there is no judgment and justice evil spreads like leaven.

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? PURGE OUT THEREFORE THE OLD LEAVEN, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

1 Corinthians 5:1-7

Where there is no judgment and justice, evil multiplies and becomes like leaven that is spreading through the dough. Sin is mysterious. Sin is mysterious because the scripture declares it to be so. It is called the mystery of iniquity.

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

2 Thessalonians 2:7

One of the mysterious things about sin is that it spreads like leaven within a dough. If you are close to an immoral, lying, stealing and wicked person, you will become like the person. Why will you become like the person? Because iniquity is a mysterious thing! Liars make you into liars. Fornicators make others fornicators. Sexual perversion spreads mysteriously through the congregation. Adultery spreads amongst pastors without each knowing about the other. This is one of the amazing mysteries of iniquity. This is the reason why Apostle Paul said that you should not fellowship with people who live sinful lives.

But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

1 Corinthians 5:11

Your interaction with pastors who live in adultery will mysteriously cause that adulterous lifestyle to pass on to you. If you fellowship deeply with money-loving and covetous pastors, you will soon be like them. Most money-loving, riches-seeking, grasping pastors are friends with each other. They love each other’s company and they impart to each other the spirits that they have.

A church is a human institution. It is filled with many normal human beings who are equally filled with sexual desires, lusts and human failings. With time, churches are engulfed with lots of immoralities, fornication and adultery. The Corinthian church is a perfect example of this trend. There was immorality, adultery, and fornication in the Corinthian church and this problem sought to engulf and overwhelm the ministry.

Today, there are churches that have problems of deep-seated adultery, fornication, immorality and sexual perversions in the leadership. A failure to pass judgment on these things causes the church to be destroyed.

Paul reacted strongly to the fornication and adultery in the Corinthian church. He passed judgment and asked that the people involved be delivered to satan for the destruction of their flesh. The apostle Paul went on to warn the Christians to flee fornication. Paul taught the Corinthians to flee fornication, then he taught them to avoid fornication by getting married. Paul was well aware that the Corinthian church had no future if it was overwhelmed by immorality. Indeed today, the Corinthian church does not exist.

CHAPTER 2

Formula for Judgment

If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give LIFE FOR LIFE, EYE FOR EYE, TOOTH FOR TOOTH, HAND FOR HAND, FOOT FOR FOOT, BURNING FOR BURNING, WOUND FOR WOUND, STRIPE FOR STRIPE. And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake. And if he smite out his manservant’s tooth, or his maidservant’s tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.

Exodus 21:22-27

And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him; BREACH FOR BREACH, EYE FOR EYE, TOOTH FOR TOOTH: AS HE HATH CAUSED A BLEMISH IN A MAN, SO SHALL IT BE DONE TO HIM AGAIN.

Leviticus 24:19-20

Within the Bible we find the basis of all judgments. This foundation is at the heart of all types of judgments and underlines all forms of responses to evil. According to scripture, if someone removes your eye it must be paid back by removing his eye as well.

These statements reveal the fairness, the justice and the even-handedness that is applied to someone who has done wrong. Justice must be served to the person who has been wronged. A decision has to be taken on what must be done for the wronged party. Failure to take a decision is to deny that judgment.

The Bible gives us the basis of what we should do. The Bible teaches us what must be done and what can be done in response to evil. A breach for a breach! Burning for burning! Wound for wound and stripe for stripe!

There are many evils perpetrated which are not in this exact format. In our modern world, no one may remove your eye, your tooth or even your hand. In our modern world, no one may burn you or give you stripes. However, there are many painful things that can be done to hurt you. Justice can be served to people when these laws are applied. Tears for tears! Wound for wound! A breach for breach! You separate from me and I separate from you! Today, we are left to interpret this scripture in the light of our current situations and experiences.

There is no need to work out judgment against people who are doing wrong against you. The scripture is clear.

Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Romans 12:19

God will reward and God will repay. God has a formula for judging people. All of the scripture bears witness to this reality and shows how God fairly and squarely metes out judgment to people. You cannot fail to see the clear pattern of God’s formula for judgment being an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

Jesus introduced the element of mercy into God’s formula for judgment. Mercy can be introduced so that an eye does not have to be given for another eye and a hand does not have to be given for another hand.

Ye have heard that it hath been said, AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH: But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Matthew 5:38-39

Jesus threw a new light on this scripture when He recognized it as truth and law. He however brought in the aspect of love and mercy.

1. SEED FOR SEED:

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Galatians 6:7

In a sense, the principles for judgment are the principles for sowing and reaping. God has set in motion amazing principles of seedtime and harvest time. The seedtime will always come on, and the harvest time will always follow. The seed will be sown and there will be a harvest of seeds. You sow one little corn seed and you receive a number of corncobs which carry many seeds of corn.

2. WIND FOR WIND:

For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.

Hosea 8:7

You have sown the wind and you shall reap the whirlwind! Why would you have a whirlwind coming at you? Because you sent the wind out! That is God’s formula for judgment. What you send out is going to come back at you with a stronger force. Watch out when you speak strong and terrible words that destroy someone’s life and ministry. Very strong and terrible words will also be spoken against you. Words of blasphemy will boomerang in your direction. You may not be able to recover from the effects of the boomerang of your backbiting and slanderous words!

3. BLOOD FOR BLOOD:

And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.

Revelation 16:5-6

In the book of Revelation, we see an amazing judgment where God gave some people blood to drink. Why would God serve someone with blood? That does not sound very nice. God gave them blood to drink because they had shed the blood of other people. Blood for blood! God’s formula for judgment is very simple: an eye for an eye! A tooth for tooth! A stripe for a stripe! Burning for burning! A hand for a hand! A foot for a foot! And blood for blood!

4. DESTRUCTION FOR DESTRUCTION:

And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.

Matthew 26:23-25

It is important that you believe in God’s pattern of judgment. What you do to someone will be done to you in a way that you do not believe is possible. Judas ended the ministry of Jesus Christ. Judas was not conscious of this principle of judgment. You end my ministry and your ministry will be ended too! You end my life and your life will be ended too! You destroy my happiness and your happiness will be destroyed too.

5. A FREAK FOR A FREAK:

And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father’s concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong. So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

2 Samuel 16:21-23

And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away.

2 Samuel 18:9

It is a rare and bizarre aberration for a son to sleep with his father’s wife. It is an abnormality par excellence! It is even more bizarre that a son should sleep with a number of his father’s wives and precious women. It is a complete and unfortunate deviation from normality that a man should do such things in the view of servants and the general public. By doing these things Absalom opened himself up to receive a judgment. An eye for an eye! A tooth for a tooth! A stripe for a stripe!

Absalom received a rare and bizarre accident in which he was caught by his hair in a tree. He hanged with his hair. It was a very unusual and bizarre accident. Bizarre for bizarre! Aberration for aberration! Be careful when you do these unusual things.

Absalom embarrassed his father and openly defiled his father’s wives. These women were the precious chosen women whom David had selected from among the population of Israel, throughout the years that he had been king. Absalom reduced them to nothing by having sex with them openly in front of the whole of Israel.

Everyone pointed to the tent on the roof and said, “Absalom is in the tent having sex with his father’s wives.” One after the other, Absalom had sex with David’s precious brides. Absalom humbled, humiliated, embarrassed and shamed his father, David, by stomping from woman to woman in the sight of all David’s servants.

The women had to humbly give themselves to Absalom in the same way that they had been giving themselves to his father, David. Indeed, openly sleeping with his father’s wives and concubines was the greatest embarrassment for King David.

Watch out when you take your father’s precious things and embarrass him in the eyes of all. You are cursed beyond measure because you have humiliated your father and laid his precious treasure bare. You will receive a knock on your head that matches your impudence and wickedness. You will receive a freak accident that matches your freak behaviour. You will receive an aberration and an abnormality that matches your aberration and inappropriate behaviour.

6. A TRAITOR FOR A TRAITOR:

Absalom was a traitor to his father. He betrayed him. His father trusted him and never looked back to see what he was doing. Yet he organised a complete rebellion against his father and attempted to kill his own father. He reaped the same thing according to the principle of judgment. He sowed a traitor and reaped a traitor!

When it was time to choose a trusted adviser whom he could depend on, he chose someone who turned out to be an equally good traitor. Hushai the Archite turned out to be equally good at deceiving and betraying Absalom.

No one knows why Absalom chose to reject Ahithophel who had been his faithful conspirator from the beginning and rather chose to believe someone whose loyalties were definitely questionable. Be careful as you betray people! Be careful as you live the life of a traitor! You will be shocked when your own wife turns out to be a traitor to you.

And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, the counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the Lord had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the Lord might bring evil upon Absalom. Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counselled. Now therefore send quickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass over; lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people that are with him.

2 Samuel 17:14-16

7. I WILL FOR I WILL:

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN, I WILL EXALT MY THRONE above the stars of God: I WILL SIT ALSO UPON THE MOUNT of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I WILL ASCEND ABOVE THE HEIGHTS of the clouds; I WILL BE LIKE THE MOST HIGH. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Isaiah 14:12-15

By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I WILL CAST THEE AS PROFANE out of the mountain of God: and I WILL DESTROY THEE, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I WILL CAST THEE TO THE GROUND, I WILL LAY THEE BEFORE KINGS, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I WILL BRING THEE TO ASHES upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

Ezekiel 28:16-18

Five “I Wills” of Lucifer

1. I will ascend into heaven

2. I will exalt my throne.

3. I will sit on the mount of the congregation

4. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds

5. I will be like the Most High God

Five “I Wills” of God

1. I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God

2. I will destroy thee

3. I will cast thee to the ground

4. I will lay thee before kings

5. I will bring thee to ashes

“I will” for “I will”

The five “I wills” of Lucifer were met with five “I wills” of God. Lucifer rose up with his strong will and pride. He rose up against God and declared his intentions to rise up and overthrow Almighty God. He had completely forgotten that he was appointed and created. God Almighty met him and threw him down with a greater show of strong will and determination. Lucifer deserved to be thrown down with strength because he had raised up himself against God.

8. AN END FOR THE END:

Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, what is that to us? See thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

Matthew 27:4-5

Notice how the scripture on God’s formula for judgment is fulfilled in the life of Judas Iscariot.

Judas ended the life of Jesus; his life was also ended abruptly! Judas ended the ministry of Jesus and his own ministry as an apostle was ended abruptly. Be careful how you destroy other people’s lives and ministries. Your life will equally be destroyed. Your ministry will equally be destroyed.

One day, I watched a pastor rise up strongly against me and mislead many people. His activities ended up driving away good tithe-paying members from the churches. Through his rebellious activity, our church lost a lot of its income. I am sure that the income of the church was reduced by millions over the period of his rebellion. Divine judgment, which is based on “an eye for an eye” principle was implemented on this brother and he also lost all his finances. He became a pauper and had no income and no money. I considered it deeply and said to myself, “This brother has cost us a lot of money and now he has equally lost a lot of money and is penniless today.” Fortunately, our church was able to survive, even though we lost a lot of money.

9. DISRESPECT FOR DISRESPECT:

Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

1 Samuel 2:30

Eli did not respect the ministry highly enough to restrain and restrict his sons openly. God’s response to Eli was to remove honour from him. God’s response to Eli was to despise him and his family. Notice how the scripture on God’s formula for judgment is fulfilled in the life of Eli and his sons. Eli did not honour the ministry and God did not honour Eli!

10. HUMILIATION FOR HUMILIATION:

And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

Genesis 9:22-25

Notice how the scripture on God’s formula for judgment is fulfilled in the life of Noah and Ham, his son.

Ham sought to shame his father by exposing his drunkenness. Ham sought to embarrass his father in such a way that his father would lose respect and dignity in society. In response to this, Ham and his family received a withering curse to become servants of servants. Indeed, they were truly lowered in society and shamed forever. Today, Ham and his descendants have lost dignity for hundreds of years and have reaped an unprecedented lowering in the eyes of other races.

The descendants of Ham have often lived their lives as slaves, as poor people, as destitute, as unintelligent, as incapable and as low-class people. Indeed, it has been a lowering for a lowering! It has been humiliation for humiliation. It has been shame for shame. It has been demotion for demotion. It has been difficulty for difficulty.

In the ministry, I have encountered people who have tried desperately to shame me and say negative things about me to bring me low in the eyes of the public. There are times I have looked at these evangelists of shame and mused to myself, “Do these people know what is going to happen to them?” As they have tried with all their hearts to spread stories about me, so will their shame be multiplied on themselves and their descendants! As they have sought to poison people about me, so will an innumerable company be poisoned against them!

11. REJECTION FOR REJECTION:

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: FOR THOU HAST REJECTED THE WORD OF THE LORD, AND THE LORD HATH REJECTED THEE FROM BEING KING OVER ISRAEL.

1 Samuel 15:23-26

Saul rejected the word of God. God responded with a fair and just judgment. God’s formula for judgment was implemented against Saul. An eye for an eye! A tooth for a tooth! A stripe for a stripe! Burning for burning! A hand for a hand! And rejection for rejection! Saul rejected God’s word and he received an equal and opposite rejection from being God’s appointed king.

When you reject God He will reject you too. This is the eternal law of judgment! Rejection for rejection! Disregard for disregard!

Disrespect for disrespect! Since you have no regard for the word of God, God will have no regard for you and your life and ministry. If you reject His word, God also will reject you.

12. REFUSAL FOR REFUSAL:

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: BECAUSE THOU HAST REJECTED KNOWLEDGE, I WILL ALSO REJECT THEE, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

Hosea 4:6

Rejection for rejection! When you reject knowledge, you will also end up being rejected. There are those who reject books. There are those who reject knowledge. There are those who reject information. There are those who reject preaching messages. There are those who reject videos. Because they rejected all this information they will also be rejected. They will be refused entry into many places. They will be refused entry into the room of an evangelist. They will be refused entry into the room of a prophet. They will be refused entry into the room of the mega church pastors. Refusal for refusal! Disregard for disregard! Rejection for rejection!

13. EXCLUSION FOR EXCLUSION:

And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Genesis 3:22-24

Exclusion for exclusion! Separation for separation! Rejection for rejection! And an eye for an eye!

Adam and Eve chose the devil’s company and words, rejecting God and His words. Adam and Eve were also rejected from the close company of God. When Adam and Eve had a chance, they excluded God and preferred the devil’s ideas and words. They had not met the devil before. They did not know who he was. But he convinced them very quickly to follow him. Adam and Eve had a cosy relationship with the devil that excluded God.

God felt so sad when He was excluded from the three-man fellowship. Adam, Eve and the devil had formed a fellowship. God was not wanted and He was not invited. The devil’s ideas were reigning. Satan had succeeded in winning the hearts, minds and company of Adam and Eve.

When the Lord God came to visit in the cool of the day, He was shocked that He had been excluded from the special fellowship. Adam and Eve were distant and did not seem so interested in His arrival and His fellowship.

God was suddenly excluded from His friends and His creation. Adam and Eve did not need electricity. They did not need running water. They did not need the internet. They did not need accommodation. They did not need houses or cars. They only needed the presence of God!

The presence of God made life in the Garden of Eden far greater than any life human beings are leading today with light, internet, mobile phones, cars, microwave ovens, dishwashers, electric stoves, washing machines and aeroplanes.

What was going to be the judgment for Adam and Eve? What had they done to God? They had excluded Him and separated themselves from Him. God’s formula for judgment was simple. A stripe for stripe! Burning for burning!

The Lord God separated Himself from them just as they had separated themselves from Him. The Lord excluded them from the Garden just as they had excluded God from their fellowship. Exclusion for exclusion! Separation for separation!

14. MERCY FOR MERCY, JUDGMENT FOR JUDGMENT:

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Matthew 5:7

For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

James 2:13

Blessed are the merciful! Why are the merciful blessed? The merciful are blessed because of the principle of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. That principle applies to mercy as well. Mercy for mercy! Love for love! Kindness for kindness! Forgiveness for forgiveness! We love Him because He first loved us!

Because you show mercy you are due for mercy. Mercy will boomerang back to you and be multiplied in your face. Whenever you have a chance to show mercy, do not miss the opportunity. You are filling up your bank account with multiples of mercy. This mercy will be deployed one day when you are in need of mercy. The scripture is clear: he shall receive judgment without mercy that has shown no mercy.

This is why the scripture tells you not to judge people because when you judge people you are going to end up being judged. God would prefer that you do not judge anyone. When you do not judge anyone, you will not be judged. These are the words of Jesus Christ. Whenever possible, avoid passing judgment or commenting on things that do not need your opinion.

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

Matthew 7:1

I always remember when God kept me away from passing judgment on a brother. One day, a brother, a leader of a Christian group had fallen into difficulty. There was to be a meeting of an angry caucus of this fellowship one afternoon. The agenda of this meeting was to deal with the brother who had fallen into sin.

Everyone was heated up, ready to condemn the mistake and immoral behaviour of this brother whom we had all held in high esteem. The meeting had been set for two o’clock in the afternoon. At one o’clock, I was struck with a bizarre diarrhoea which held me pinned down in my house from one o’clock till five pm.

I could not believe that I was not going to be part of this meeting that was going to sort out our sinful leader. As soon as the meeting was over, the diarrhoea strangely stopped, just as suddenly as it had started. I would have been one of those who would have judged this brother. I would have ended my ministry by passing judgment on something I did not even understand.

By passing an unwarranted judgment, I would have set myself up for my own failures that would definitely happen in the future. I was going to need mercy and I did not need anything that would keep me from getting that mercy.

15. SWORD FOR SWORD:

Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.

Matthew 26:52

Jesus commanded the young man to put away his sword. The sword represents violence. Violence begets violence! Jesus knew that anyone who was violent would receive a violent response. It is an eternal law. An eye for an eye! A tooth for a tooth. Judgment for judgment. Mercy for mercy and a sword for a sword.

16. PERSECUTION FOR PERSECUTION:

Paul persecuted the church and he equally received a harvest of persecution like no one else in the ministry.

Apostle Paul is the perfect example of someone who experienced the fair judgment of God on his ministry. He started out by attacking the church. He persecuted the church and persecuted pastors and servants of God who were seeking to spread the gospel. Notice how Paul describes himself. He described himself as a blasphemer, as injurious and as a persecutor of the church. Paul sowed the seeds of injury and persecution.

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

1 Timothy 1:12-13

Indeed, God saved him and washed him with the blood of Jesus. He was called and anointed and sent out to preach the gospel. But the wickedness that he had manifested against the church was not to be so easily forgotten. He would reap a harvest of persecution for the rest of his life. I want you to notice all these amazing scriptures that show how Paul was persecuted throughout his ministry. No one experienced as much persecution as Paul did.

And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death.

Acts 9:29 (NASB)

But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their region.

Acts 13:50 (NASB)

And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers, to mistreat and to stone them, they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region;

Acts 14:5-6 (NASB)

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.

Acts 14:19 (NASB)

The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely;

Acts 16:22-23 (NASB)

For the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, “Away with him!”

Acts 21:36 (NASB)

They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he should not be allowed to live!”

Acts 22:22 (NASB)

And as a great dissension was developing, the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them and ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks.

Acts 23:10 (NASB)

To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure;

1 Corinthians 4:11-12 (NASB)

Persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

2 Corinthians 4:9 (NASB)

Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.

2 Corinthians 11:24 (NASB)

For which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.

2 Timothy 2:9 (NASB)

As you can see, Apostle Paul reaped a harvest of suffering, persecution, despair, assault and imprisonment like no one else. Why is this? The laws of God’s judgment are real and they do happen! Assault for assault! Insult for insult! Imprisonment for imprisonment! Stoning for stoning! Persecution for persecution! Beatings for beatings! Lashes for lashes! Mistreatment for mistreatment! Attempted murder for attempted murder! It is important that we believe in God’s laws of judgment. “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves”, is all that He says to us (Romans 12:19). His eternal laws of judgment are in place.

And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will WALK CONTRARY unto me; Then will I also WALK CONTRARY unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins….

And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but WALK CONTRARY unto me; Then I will WALK CONTRARY unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.

Leviticus 26:23-24, 27-28

To walk contrary to something is to oppose it and to be hostile to it. Paul opposed the church and he was hostile to the church. If you walk contrary to God, He will walk contrary to you. Notice the eternal laws of judgment: Hostility for hostility! Opposition for opposition! God says if you walk contrary to Him, He will walk contrary to you.

17. DENIAL FOR DENIAL:

And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.

Matthew 26:75

To deny means to abstain or to disown. Peter denied Jesus Christ when He was on trial. Since denial means to disown or abstain, we can safely say that Peter abstained from Christ and disowned Christ in the last hours of Jesus’ ministry on earth. I am sad to say that Peter disowned Christ just before He died on the cross. This is what happened.

If we are to go by the words of Peter, Jesus would have had nothing to do with Peter any longer. He would have thrown him out and completely dissociated himself from Peter. Jesus could not believe that Peter was disowning him at such a critical moment. I am sure Jesus was saying to Himself, “Peter says he does not know Me? Really? We just had dinner together.”

It was amazing that Peter seemed not to know Jesus when he was in the company of these other people. When he was in Jesus’ company and with the other disciples, he seemed to really know Jesus. Just a change of company seemed to change everything for Peter. He denied Jesus, which is to disown and abstain from Jesus. He abstained from mentioning Jesus’ name.

He said, “I do not know Him. I have never heard of Him.” Peter declared, “I am not religious.” He became completely secular. There was no sign that he had any pastoral training at all. No one believed that he could preach. This was all because of a little girl. Peter did this on three occasions to emphasise that the disowning and abstaining was real and deep. Jesus in His great love accepted Peter into His fold. Indeed, He accepted all His other disciples back into His fold. However, the judgment of God stands sure in its fairness and equity.

Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

Exodus 34:7

Notice that God will by no means clear the guilty. He visits iniquity upon generations. Even though Peter was forgiven, he was also disowned in a sense.

In a sense Jesus’ glory and power also left Peter. Another person called Paul rose up and began to have the pre-eminence in the church. Even though Paul was not among the original twelve disciples, he became like the father of the church, instead of Peter.

Today, we are far more connected to Paul than to Peter. Indeed, Paul had no personal interactions with Jesus. But he became such a mighty apostle that no one could deny it. Paul himself said that he was not behind the chiefest of apostles. Who was the chiefest apostle? Was it not Peter? Paul said, I am not a whit behind the chiefest apostle.

In other words, “I am not a whit behind Peter.”

For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.

2 Corinthians 11:5

I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: FOR IN NOTHING AM I BEHIND THE VERY CHIEFEST APOSTLES, though I be nothing. Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.

2 Corinthians 12:11-12

Paul knew that Jesus had elevated him to the level of Peter who was the chiefest apostle. How did this happen? It seemed that the grace of revelation visited Paul, rather than Peter. Paul worked harder than Peter. Paul said that he laboured more abundantly than all the apostles. Obviously, he knew what Peter was doing. That was why he was bold enough to say that he laboured more than Peter did.

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

1 Corinthians 15:10

Peter disowned Jesus at the crucifixion. Indeed, Jesus forgave Peter but there was a sense in which the power of Jesus lifted from Peter’s ministry after the crucifixion. This led to the pre-eminence of Paul in the church up until this day. God has raised up somebody who has laboured more than Apostle Peter. God has raised up someone who is not behind Peter in any way, even though Peter was appointed as the rock.

18. TOUCHED BELLY FOR TOUCHED BELLY: THIGH FOR THIGH

But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband: Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell; And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, TO MAKE THY BELLY TO SWELL, AND THY THIGH TO ROT: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.

Numbers 5:20-22

The woman who is unfaithful to her husband shall reap a swollen belly and a rotten thigh. Belly for belly! And thigh for thigh! Instead of a belly full of a baby, she is getting a belly full of water. Instead of thighs that are full of delight and deliciousness, her thighs become rotten and ugly. “Belly-full” for “Belly-full”! Lovely thighs for ugly thighs!

CHAPTER 3

Sin and Judgment

Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written. And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

Daniel 5:24-28

Belshazzar was tried and weighed in the balance and was found wanting. Every sin has a weight and every sin you commit tips the scales of judgment in one way or another.

Different sins have different weights. How can we know the weight of each sin? It is not easy to know the weight that a sin carries. However, we can notice the different things that Jesus said about different sins and give them a weight accordingly. We can also find out the comments that are made about different sins in the Bible.

All sins are not the same. Some sins are greater than others. If you think that all sins are the same, it is because you do not understand the scripture. Jesus pointed out to Pilate that the people who had brought Him to Pilate had committed a greater sin than he Pilate was about to commit. Jesus was pointing out to Pilate that the sin of the Pharisees and the religious leaders was greater than the sin of the politicians.

Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: THEREFORE HE THAT DELIVERED ME UNTO THEE HATH THE GREATER SIN.

John 19:11

You can know the weight of a sin by considering the comments made about that sin. Some sins do not just invoke the wrath of God but they set off curses. Indeed, there are varied responses to the sins in the Bible. From today, you must have a proper estimation of a sin. Your estimation of a sin must be according to what is written in the Bible about it.

A greater sin, therefore, must invoke a greater response from you. What response is that? You must have a proper respect and a greater fear for great sins. Of course you must have a proper respect and the fear of God in you for every sin. However, since the Bible clearly makes certain sins greater than others, your fear, your respect and your defences against certain sins must be even greater.

In this chapter, you will see five different groupings of sins. Please take note of the different kinds of sins and the heavenly comments made about them. There are accursed sins. Accursed sins are sins that open the door to a curse. There are sins that Jesus made specific mention of and warned against. There are satanic sins. These are the sins that satan himself committed. Walking in these satanic sins unites you with the devil himself. There are sins that are called abominations. And finally there are sins that God hates. All these groups of sins are clearly outlined in the Bible.

Accursed Sins

Accursed sins are heavily weighted sins because they bring on curses, they invoke curses and they stir up a curse. Moses pronounced a curse on everyone that ventured into any of these evils. Please take note of how deadly these sins are because they truly bring curses. A curse is something you cannot escape from. A curse is condemnation to perpetual failure, poverty, sickness and disease from which you cannot be healed. Surely, you will not want a curse on your life.

1. The sin of idolatry

Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

Deuteronomy 27:15

2. The sin of dishonouring your father and your mother.

Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Deuteronomy 27:16

3. The sin of cheating.

Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour’s landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Deuteronomy 27:17

4. The sin of wickedness to the weak and the handicapped.

Cursed be he that maketh the blind to wander out of the way. And all the people shall say, Amen. Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Deuteronomy 27:18-19

5. The sin of dishonouring fathers

Cursed be he that lieth with his father’s wife; because he uncovereth his father’s skirt. And all the people shall say, Amen … Cursed be he that lieth with his mother in law. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Deuteronomy 27:20, 23

6. The sin of bestiality.

Cursed be he that lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Deuteronomy 27:21

7. The sin of incest.

Cursed be he that lieth with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Deuteronomy 27:22

8. The sin of deception.

Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Deuteronomy 27:24

9. The sin of assassination.

Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Deuteronomy 27:25

10. The sin of ignoring the Law

Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Deuteronomy 27:26

11. The sin of stealing

Then said he unto me, This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it. I will bring it forth, saith the LORD of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof.

Zechariah 5:3-4

Abominations

These are heavily weighted sins because they are called abominations. An abomination is a bad, shameful and detestable action. It is something that is greatly disliked and abhorred. Please take note that God greatly dislikes and abhors pride, wickedness, lying lips, a froward heart and injustice.

1. Pride

Every one that is PROUD IN HEART IS AN ABOMINATION to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

Proverbs 16:5

2. Wickedness

It is an ABOMINATION TO KINGS TO COMMIT WICKEDNESS: for the throne is established by righteousness.

Proverbs 16:12

3. Lying

LYING LIPS ARE ABOMINATION to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.

Proverbs 12:22

4. A froward heart

They that are of A FROWARD HEART ARE ABOMINATION to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.

Proverbs 11:20

5. Injustice

He that JUSTIFIETH THE WICKED, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are ABOMINATION to the LORD.

Proverbs 17:15

Things That God Hates

These are heavily weighted sins because they are things that God hates. God has not declared hatred for everything. He has declared His hatred for certain things. Please take note that God hates pride, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, wicked schemes, feet rushing to do evil, a false witness and someone who sows discord amongst brethren.

1. Pride

THESE SIX THINGS DOTH THE LORD HATE: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A PROUD LOOK, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Proverbs 6:16-17

2. A lying tongue

THESE SIX THINGS DOTH THE LORD HATE: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, A LYING TONGUE, and hands that shed innocent blood,

Proverbs 6:16-17

3. Hands that shed innocent blood

THESE SIX THINGS DOTH THE LORD HATE: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and HANDS THAT SHED INNOCENT BLOOD,

Proverbs 6:16-17

4. Wicked schemes

THESE SIX THINGS DOTH THE LORD HATE: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: . . . AN HEART THAT DEVISETH WICKED IMAGINATIONS, feet that be swift in running to mischief,

Proverbs 6:16, 18

5. Rushing to do evil

THERE ARE SIX THINGS WHICH THE LORD HATES, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: . . . A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil,

Proverbs 6:16, 18 (NASB)

6. A false witness

THESE SIX THINGS DOTH THE LORD HATE: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: . . . A FALSE WITNESS that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Proverbs 6:16, 19

7. One who causes division amongst brethren

THESE SIX THINGS DOTH THE LORD HATE: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: . . . A false witness that speaketh lies, and HE THAT SOWETH DISCORD AMONG BRETHREN.

Proverbs 6:16, 19

Four Sins Jesus Specially Warned About

Jesus warned us about four dangerous sins. According to Jesus, there are certain things which we must avoid at all cost.

Jesus’ comments about these things are enough to warn us to stay off any possibility of getting involved in these sins.

You must notice Jesus’ comments about abuse of authority.

Causing little ones to fall is the abuse of authority and is considered a terrible sin by Jesus. Those who abuse their authority change the lives of those whom they abuse. They rob people of their ability to live normal lives. They take away people’s ability to have a healthy life.

Causing others to fall and to go low is another terrible sin which Jesus warned about. People are going to fall anyway. But the one through whom they fall is earmarked for a severe judgment. Jesus warned that those who cause people to fall and to go low are in danger of a terrible judgment.

Jesus then warned about the Pharisees’ hypocrisies. Jesus simply hated the pretence of the Pharisees. He could not stop Himself from calling them vipers. They hated Him all the more because He confronted their evil, pretentious and wicked ways.

Jesus also warned about betrayal. His only comment was that it would have been better for Judas that he was not born. That is a terrible saying. Jesus met many sinners. He encountered the woman who had committed adultery. He met the woman of Samaria. He met other tax collectors. He never made any such comments about them. But for the one who betrayed Him, He said it would have been better if he were not born. Indeed, Jesus’ comments about these four particular sins serve us a strong warning to stay as far from them as possible.

1. Abuse of authority: A sin worthy of an unusual death.

Then said he unto the disciples, it is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Luke 17:1-2

2. Causing others to fall: A sin worthy of an unusual death.

Then said he unto the disciples, it is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Luke 17:1-2

3. Betrayal and treachery: Judged to be the worst of sins by Jesus

The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! GOOD WERE IT FOR THAT MAN IF HE HAD NEVER BEEN BORN.

Mark 14:21

4. Hypocrisy: Judged to be a terrible thing

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Matthew 23:27-28

Satanic Sins

Satan is the one who committed the first sin in the universe. The first sin in the universe was pride. Satan is not called a fornicator. There is no scripture which says that satan is a father of fornication. Fornication is a sin of human fleshly weakness but lying and deception are demonic in origin. You may fall into a sin of human weakness but enter into satanic sins when you start telling lies and involving yourself in deception.

Satan is the father of lies. Satan is a murderer. As soon as you get into sins such as murder and deception, you are getting nearer the devil. There are those who fall into sin but do not tell lies about it. Such people are better off than those who tell lies.

1. The sin of lying like the devil: When you become a liar like the devil, you are able to deceive a lot of people, the way satan deceived a lot of people. Hypocrisy takes you deep into that realm where you deceive a lot of people about who you really are.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

John 8:44

2. The sin of murder like the devil: Ruthlessly killing and murdering people is another satanic evil. Murderers must expect God to deal with them like the devil.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

John 8:44

3. The sin of accusing people like the devil: Blasphemy and speaking injurious words to accuse God’s servants and his prophets, day and night, is a terrible sin and will incur the same judgment that satan has received.

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Revelation 12:10

4. The sin of tempting people like the devil: Satan is a tempter. He pushes people to the place where they fall deep into a hole where they cannot come out from. When you abuse your authority, you tempt people in a way that they cannot escape. God will judge you in the same way that He judged the devil. You assume demon-like characteristics when you are a tempter of human beings.

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Matthew 4:1

5. The sin of opposing like the devil: Satan’s name was Lucifer. His name was changed from Lucifer to satan. Satan means opposer. Do not allow yourself to become an opposer. Do not always be part of the opposition. God wants you to be someone who is positive and a can-do person.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

1 Peter 5:8-9

CHAPTER 4

The Great White Throne Judgment

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:11-15 (NASB)

1. The great white throne judgment will take place before Jehovah Himself. No one will be able to escape from the one who sits on the great white throne.

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

Revelation 20:11

2. The great white throne is a judgment that is reserved for unbelievers. As you can see from this passage, the people who were tried at the great white throne were transferred from death and hell straight into the lake of fire.

Born again Christians will appear before the judgment seat of Christ and not the great white throne. Born again Christians are not appearing at the great white throne in order to be transferred into the lake of fire. Born again Christians are not going to go into the lake of fire. Born again Christians are going into heaven because of the blood of Jesus.

3. The judgment of the great white throne is the judgment for all dead unbelievers who were great, mighty, rich, noble and once lived on the earth. On earth, many great people are able to escape from judgment. However, at the great white throne, the great people of this earth will not escape justice, as they have done so many times on earth.

AND I SAW THE DEAD, small and GREAT, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Revelation 20:12

4. The judgment of the great white throne is the judgment for all dead people who were small, insignificant, poor, unimportant and once lived on the earth. No matter how insignificant you are, you will not escape your judgment. Some people make a great effort to look more insignificant and innocent than they really are. I know of people who were assassins and who have converted to Christ. They looked innocent so the police never caught them. The great white throne will catch up with all such innocent looking but wicked people.

AND I SAW THE DEAD, SMALL and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Revelation 20:12

5. The judgment of the great white throne is the judgment for all dead people out of the books that contain and describe the works, the lives, the sins, and the achievements of men. It is out of the facts and information written in these books that judgment will be determined for all men who are judged at the great white throne. Many people do not believe that books that record all our life’s activities exist. No circumstance will escape the great books of the Lord. Today, we have computers that store huge amounts of data and information. It is also possible for seven billion people to appear before the judgment seat of Christ and have the details of their lives revealed. Everyone must get ready for the opening of the great white throne books.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and THE DEAD WERE JUDGED OUT OF THOSE THINGS WHICH WERE WRITTEN IN THE BOOKS, according to their works.

Revelation 20:12

6. The judgment of the great white throne is a judgment of all those who died and were buried in the sea. Indeed, the sea contains many, many dead people. During the world wars and other historical wars, hundreds and thousands of people died and were buried at sea. The sea is an endless mass of water. No matter how many dead bodies you throw into it, it seems to absorb them all easily. It is only on the day of the judgment at the great white throne that the sea will vomit out all its dead. Adoniram Judson is one of the famous people who was buried at sea.

And THE SEA GAVE UP THE DEAD which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Revelation 20:13

7. The judgment of the great white throne is the judgment of the millions who are already dead. Many people have died in this world.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; AND DEATH AND HELL DELIVERED UP THE DEAD which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Revelation 20:13

8. The judgment of the great white throne is the final judgment of some who were already in hell. Many of those appearing at the great white throne will have already been in hell for some time. When they originally died, they had to be kept somewhere before being sent to their final destination.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; AND DEATH AND HELL DELIVERED UP THE DEAD which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

Revelation 20:13

9. The judgment of the great white throne involves the final transfer to the Lake of Fire of all those who have died and of those who are in hell. Hell is actually more than one place. There are different areas within the network of damned and doomed prisons.

Sometimes a section is called hell. Other sections are given names like Tartarus. Yet other sections are called Hades. Some sections are called Gehenna. Yet other sections are called Paradise. Indeed, today, prisoners on earth are transferred from one prison to another. Sometimes they are transferred from medium security prisons to maximum security prisons. The transfer from prison to prison is something that is very common on earth. It should come as no surprise that people who are in hell should be transferred from one prison to another. The transfer from death and hell into the lake of fire is a momentous event that will take place at the great white throne.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Revelation 20:14

10. The judgment of the great white throne is based on the Book of Life.

If your name was not found in the Book of Life, you were sent into the lake of fire. It is important, therefore, for all human beings to have their names written in the Book of Life. Make sure that your name is in the Book of Life.

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:15

CHAPTER 5

Bema Judgment

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.

2 Corinthians 5:9-11 (NASB)

The judgment seat of Christ has to do with believers whereas the white throne judgment has to do with unbelievers. Unbelievers will be judged at the white throne and a decision will be taken as to whether to admit them into heaven or not. Believers will be judged at the BEMA, which is the judgment seat of Christ.

Even though you are forgiven for your sins and admitted into Christ, there is a judgment that awaits all believers.

In this chapter, we see ten things that will happen at the Bema judgment seat of Christ. These ten things are clearly outlined in the word of God. There are only two places in the New Testament that this judgment seat of Christ is mentioned. Apostle Paul’s brief mention of the judgment seat of Christ is enough to reveal what will happen there. You must be ready for all that will happen at the Bema judgment seat of Christ.

1. LABOUR will be rewarded.

WHEREFORE WE LABOUR, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

2 Corinthians 5:9

When referring to the Bema, Apostle Paul said that he spent a lot of time labouring in order to be accepted before the Lord. Without hard labour you will never have a good experience at the judgment seat. If you have been living a life of leisure, rest and comfort, you will be shocked at the judgment seat of Christ. Jesus said we should pray for labourers because the harvest is plenty but the labourers are few. Make sure you are one of the labourers who will be ready at the judgment seat of Christ.

2. THOSE WHO PLEASE THE LORD will be rewarded.

Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, TO BE PLEASING TO HIM.

2 Corinthians 5:9 (NASB)

Most Christians have lived for themselves, rather than trying to please the One who called them. Apostle Paul prepared for the judgment seat of Christ by seeking to be well pleasing to the Lord. Anyone who seeks to please the Lord and lives his life by that rule will do well at the judgment seat of Christ. You will not be afraid of the judgment seat of Christ if you live to please God.

3. PUNISHMENT FOR CHRISTIANS will take place at the Bema.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be RECOMPENSED FOR HIS DEEDS in the body, according to what he has done, WHETHER GOOD OR BAD.

2 Corinthians 5:10 (NASB)

Many Christians have lived their lives in Christ doing bad things. At the judgment seat of Christ, you will be held accountable for the bad things you have done. We are washed and cleansed by the blood of Jesus and entitled to enter into heaven. But you will still account for the bad things you have done.

We will all account for the bad things we have done in Christ. Whilst on earth, many Christians live carelessly in sin. They do not obey the word of God and they indulge in everything that worldly people do. There is very little difference between these Christians and worldly people.

Many Christians are steeped in stealing, lying, fornication, idolatry and adultery. Do you think there will be a difference between those who practiced all these things and those who did not at the judgment seat? Of course there will be! We will be held accountable for our lives at the judgment seat of Christ. Those who do not bother to take God seriously will regret it when they stand at the judgment seat of Christ.

4. GREAT REWARDS will be given out at the Bema judgment seat of Christ.

You must be ready to receive your rewards in Christ. The Bema judgment seat of Christ will be the greatest event for believers who have served the Lord. That is where you will receive your crowns and other rewards. That is where you will hear about your eternal rank in heaven. That is where you will be allocated your mansion in heaven. That is where you will be made to start shining as one of the stars in the heavens. That is where you will be rewarded for the good things you have done.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

2 Corinthians 5:10 (NASB)

5. The TERROR OF THE LORD will be experienced at the judgment seat of Christ. Prepare for terror of the Lord. There will be terror at the Bema seat.

Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

2 Corinthians 5:11

There will be great terror at the judgment seat of Christ. Fear like no man has ever known will grip the hearts and minds of those who did not fear God and His word. Everyone who took God for granted will be shocked. Apostle Paul describes it as “the terror of the Lord”. I am sure that those who will experience the terror of the Lord are not reading this book.

Make sure you preach about the terror of the Lord so that Christians fear the Lord and prepare properly for the judgments. God is not a fool. In eternity, those who have obeyed God and those who have ignored the word of God will not be the same. God is just and fair!

There are many terrible judgments that befall Christians on earth. When you experience a judgment on earth, it is so that you do not experience the terror of the Lord at the eternal judgment. If you pass on and seem to escape any form of judgment on earth, in spite of all the bad things you do, be it known to you that you will meet the terror of the Lord at the Bema judgment seat of Christ. After the Bema judgment seat of Christ experience, no one will ever think that anyone has gotten away with doing bad things.

6. JUDGING OF THE BRETHREN will be done at the Bema seat.

BUT WHY DOST THOU JUDGE THY BROTHER? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Romans 14:10

There is no need to judge your fellow brother today. Judgment will happen at the Bema. Today, Christians despise one another and speak words of judgment against each other constantly. There is no need for that.

Wait for the judgment seat of Christ where all issues will be made clear. Liars will be proven to be liars. Hypocrites will be shown to be hypocrites. Pretenders will be exposed. No one will escape the fierce judgment of Christ. Stop passing judgment on fellow brothers. Pray for yourself so that you have an easier experience at the judgment seat of Christ.

7. SETTING AT NOUGHT will happen at the judgment seat of Christ.

But why dost thou judge thy brother? OR WHY DOST THOU SET AT NOUGHT THY BROTHER? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Romans 14:10

At the judgment seat of Christ, puffed up people will be brought low. They will be exposed and made to stop deceiving everyone.

In heaven, no one will be able to deceive, as we have been able to deceive on earth. The church is filled with deceivers. There are many liars, hypocrites and pretenders in the church. These kinds of people are able to successfully stay in the church because so much about our lives are hidden from view. In heaven nothing will be hidden from view. At the judgment seat of Christ, even your thoughts will be broadcast.

8. EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW submit, yield, accept, agree, flow and kowtow at the judgment seat.

For it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Romans 14:11

Today, Christians gleefully quote the scripture that every knee shall bow and that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Christians think that this scripture only applies to unbelievers who will be forced to kneel down before Jesus.

Amazingly, this scripture refers to Christians bowing down to God and to His word at the judgment seat of Christ. Everyone will yield himself at the judgment seat of Christ. The resistance of man to the counsel of the Lord will break down at the judgment seat of Christ. Our great pride, defences and arguments will vanish at the judgment seat of Christ.

Today, many people argue about things they should not argue about. Many of us defend the indefensible. Many never admit they are wrong. Many stand proudly defending and proclaiming their own goodness. All that will end at the Bema judgment seat of Christ. Every confession and admission you have refused to make on earth will be made at the Bema seat.

Indeed, once we are before the judgment seat of Christ, there will be no more denials but instead there will be confessions, declarations, admissions, revelations and acknowledgments of our wretchedness and guiltiness before the Lord.

Every tongue will confess to God! Every tongue will make declarations and admissions to God. Every tongue will acknowledge the right and the wrong. Every tongue will speak and reveal the truth about all matters and issues we experienced on earth. What a day that will be! What a day of confession that will be!

9. At the Bema judgment seat of Christ, everyone will give an account.

So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

Romans 14:12

Even those who did not study accounting in school will be forced to give an account of their lives. Everyone will have a chance to give an account of the things they did and the details of their lives. The things you did! The things you didn’t do. Why you did those things? How you did them? Who was involved? Who helped you? Who didn’t help you? Explanations, reasons and defences will be given when you are giving your account. Incomes, inflows, expenditures, the costs and the challenges you faced will all be declared. You will account for why you did not achieve certain things.

10. True and fair judgment based on all factors will happen at the Bema judgment seat of Christ.

But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.

1 Corinthians 4:3-5 (NASB)

The Justice of Bema

It is a mistake to judge others based only on what you see and know. Anyone who attempts to enact the judgment seat of Christ before time will make a mistake. Judgment is based on three things: what you have done, what is hidden and what was your motive. Therefore you must not bother to judge others. Neither must you bother to judge yourself because there are factors that are hidden from our eyes.

Our motives for doing things are also not clear. Remember that motive is very important in deciding whether something is a crime or not. A woman who is raped is not considered to be a fornicator, even though she might have undergone the act of sexual intercourse. Her motive for being in that situation is clearly not because she desires to have a sexual or romantic experience with a rapist. Her lack of motive and desire for sex exonerates her completely from the sin of fornication.

This is why you must not pass judgment just based on what you see and know. What you see and know is very limited. You have only two eyes and you have only two ears. You are definitely limited in your ability to pass judgment. Apart from this fact, many people are clever at hiding their ways. You would be surprised at what you would find in the church if you dug a little deeper beneath the surface. You would be surprised at how many people are good at acting good when they are actually evil.

If you try passing judgment before time, you will make the mistake of judging another man’s servant. It is indeed a great mistake to judge another man’s servant. A servant is a servant only to his master. There is a sense in which ONLY the master can assess his servant because he serves only the master.

Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

Romans 14:4

It is also a great mistake to judge people based on your personal standards. Many things are actually grey areas and people have different opinions about different things. For instance, all through the Old Testament, polygamy was practiced even as an act of goodness and kindness to care for widows and women who were without husbands.

When Jesus was asked about a woman who kept marrying because her successive husbands were dying, He did not make any comment about it being wrong for the woman to be an additional wife to anyone. Today, polygamy is frowned upon but the question many people ask is: “When did polygamy become a sin and why are widows not taken care of by surviving brothers as was done in the Old Testament?”

There are many varied opinions that Christians have about drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, pornography, masturbation and so on. Generally speaking, all these are frowned upon. However, different opinions do exist. Apostle Paul warned that Christians would stand or fall only before their own Master.

Do not make the mistake of judging people based on your personal standards that are not the Lord’s standards.

Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

Romans 14:13-14

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.

Romans 14:13 (NASB)

As the apostle has taught us, no one should practice anything he considers to be right in such a way as to cause other believers to stumble, to fall and to depart from the faith.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

1 Corinthians 13:9-12 (NASB)

On the judgment day, many controversies will be settled. We will be shocked to find out what was right and what was wrong. Anyone who claims that the laws and the rules for Christianity are clear and easy to discern is mistaken. There are many so-called grey areas. We must humbly accept that we do not know everything. We know only part of the truth. We do see dimly, through a glass. On that day we will see clearly! The mysteries will be made known. The revelations will be abundant. Light will come into our darkness and we will see clearly and understand clearly. Let us wait for Judgment Day!

CHAPTER 6

Self-Judgment

For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

1 Corinthians 11:31-32

It is important to judge yourself so that you will not be judged. What does this mean? Judging yourself is to take hard decisions against yourself. These hard decisions that you take against yourself will be humbling decisions that bring you low. The lower you bring yourself, the further you are from being brought low by someone else.

It is time to judge your self so that no one will ever have a chance to judge you.

How to Judge Yourself

1. To judge yourself is to lead yourself properly. Leadership involves judgment. A leader is a judge.

The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.

Proverbs 29:4

A leader is a decision taker. The kingdom is established through the judgments of a leader. There are three areas where a leader has to apply judgment. First of all, he has to apply judgment to the masses. That is the easiest part of the judgment of a leader. It is easy to see the wrong in other people and apply strict rules against them.

Secondly, he has to take judgment decisions against people that are close to him. This is very difficult. Whenever a leader has to take decisions that adversely affect those who are his friends and those whom he loves, he discovers the greatest challenge of his life.

One head of state who championed the independence of his country declared that the most difficult decision he ever took was when he had to take a decision against his best friend and associate, with whom he had launched the struggle and revolution.

The third level of judgment for every leader is when he has to take decisions against his own self. For instance, if he has to take decisions to curtail his privileges and benefits. Many leaders do not in any way curtail, limit or reduce the benefits that come to themselves. Because they fail to judge that certain things are unnecessarily excessive, they allow themselves to turn into opulent leaders.

2. To judge yourself is to humble yourself without external input.

But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

Luke 14:10

The second way to judge yourself is to humble yourself before you are compelled to do so. Judging yourself by humbling yourself starts from the way you see yourself.

It is important to see yourself as an average person. If you are a man, see yourself as an average man! If you are a girl, see yourself as an average girl! What is an average man like? An average man is someone who likes girls. An average man is someone who will not go through this life without fornication, adultery or immorality.

An average man is someone who has the tendency to be unfaithful. Since you are an average man, you must humble yourself and take whatever measures can be taken to prevent yourself from falling into the woes of an average man.

Do not consider certain things to be below you, far from you or impossible to you. You are an average man and you will do what average men do, unless you take extraordinary precautions against them. That is how to judge yourself!

Sometimes, Christian couples take a decision to live apart in different countries for long periods. An average man will not be able to stay faithful for two years without having sex. When you take a decision that would destroy an average man, you are not judging yourself fairly. Indeed, you are refusing to see yourself as an average man. Seeing yourself as an average man is the humble road to self-judgment. If you do not take this road to self-judgment, you will discover painfully that you are an average man and you will be judged for attempting to do things that only super humans do.

Judgment always brings about a lowering and a humiliation of sorts. If you decide to lower yourself, you will not be lowered by external forces. Many people live in hiding and in secrecy because they fear shame and lowering in the church.

When you are discovered to have been living in sin and deceiving people for many years, people are forced to place you in a lower position that may be far lower than you would have been if only you had voluntarily humbled yourself before others. When a great pretender is nabbed, he is treated like a rat or a snake that has been in hiding. There is a natural outburst of rejection and denunciation of rats and snakes when they are caught.

3. To judge yourself is to punish yourself and take hard decisions that are painful to you whenever necessary.

And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; AND IF THAT HAD BEEN TOO LITTLE, I WOULD MOREOVER HAVE GIVEN UNTO THEE SUCH AND SUCH THINGS. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

2 Samuel 12:7-9

There are kings and men of authority who are allowed to have as many women as they want. Some of these kings take advantage of this liberty and destroy people’s lives. King David was an example of someone who refused to apply judgment to himself. He was allowed to have many wives; and indeed he did!

Polygamy does not prevent fornication. Polygamy does not prevent adultery, per se. When David saw Bathsheba, he thought he could add her to his group of wives. But he should have judged himself, restrained himself and restricted himself to the women that he was legally allowed to have. If he had restricted himself and judged himself, he would not have entered into the trouble that he had in the latter part of his reign.

People in high up positions are expected to resign when something goes wrong. When something goes terribly wrong, you are expected to take a responsible decision and bow out. Your ability to restrict and to punish yourself is a sign of strong leadership with self-judgment.

When you wait for others to take that decision for you, it is a sign of pride and stubbornness. It is gross failure to not apply self-judgment when you should.

CHAPTER 7

Earthly Judgment

SOME MEN’S SINS ARE OPEN BEFOREHAND, GOING BEFORE TO JUDGMENT; and some men they follow after. Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.

1 Timothy 5:24-25

Judgment for sin will surely come. It is about the timing. It may seem that some people totally escape judgment but that is not the case! Some people seem to die just before they are tried. Some people die just before they go to jail. It often seems that some people are lucky when it comes to judgment and justice.

That is not the case! God would not be fair and just if He allowed large numbers of sinners and wicked people to escape from judgment.

And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

Psalm 9:8

When you experience judgment on earth, it obviously affects the judgments you will also receive in eternity.

Although most of the judgment is going to take place at the judgment seat of Christ and before the white throne, some judgments are going to take place on earth. There are two reasons why you may have to receive some judgments on earth.

First of all, people receive judgments on earth to prevent them from continuing in their evil ways. In one instance, Apostle Paul commended some of his followers to satan so that they would learn not to blaspheme.

Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

1 Timothy 1:19-20

The second reason for receiving judgments on earth is so that your judgment in eternity would be modified. When you receive judgment on earth, it modifies your eternal judgment. Is it better to receive judgment on earth or in eternity? I cannot tell. What I do know is that God is fair and He will ensure that you do not suffer from double taxation.

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

1 Corinthians 5:1-5

In the scripture above, we see how Apostle Paul allowed judgment to come onto some fornicators in Corinth so that they would have a different judgment before the judgment seat of Christ. Indeed, some people have judgments on earth so that their eternal judgments would be modified and they would be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Some people have judgments right away whilst some people have them later. If you are one of those chosen to have judgments on earth, you will experience certain responses to your sins whilst those who have not been chosen for that will have to wait until eternity to realise the full impact of their sins. This is why some people steal and seem to get away with it while others are punished in full.

Many people live long after committing many atrocities in this world. Many people die as wise old harmless gentlemen whereas they have lived an outrageous life of barbaric brutality, murder and depravity. You would never ascribe certain evils to some of these elderly gentlemen. Adolf Hitler himself looked like a harmless old man who loved going for mountain walks with his dog. Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler, by his life, leadership and decisions, caused the deaths of over fifty million people.

All in all, the judgment of God stands sure. Whatsoever a man sows, he shall reap (Galatians 6:7).

Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

Acts 10:34

Whatsoever sin or crime you commit, you can rest assured that you will receive a just response from the divine courts of heaven. No one is going to escape the divine judgments that have been laid out concerning the affairs of men. God still rules in the affairs of men!

This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that THE MOST HIGH RULETH IN THE KINGDOM OF MEN, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

Daniel 4:17

I want to share with you several examples of how God caused judgments to come upon people whilst on earth. Many people on earth suffer terrible consequences for their sins. Others seem to simply pass by, committing crimes and escaping any form of judgment and justice. Make no mistake, the principles of God’s word; an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a stripe for a stripe, burning for burning, rejection for rejection, will always apply to human beings in this world.

1. The Earthly Judgment of David for the sin of numbering Israel.

God was angry with David for counting the people of Israel. The judgment for this was to have seventy thousand people die from an epidemic. The angel of death was released against the population. The release of this angel of death was the cause of the epidemic. Perhaps, it was a viral epidemic similar to the COVID 19 pandemic that hit the whole world.

And SATAN STOOD UP AGAINST ISRAEL, AND PROVOKED DAVID TO NUMBER ISRAEL. And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it…

And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel. And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. And the Lord spake unto Gad, David’s seer, saying, Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee Either three years’ famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me. And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man. SO THE LORD SENT PESTILENCE UPON ISRAEL: AND THERE FELL OF ISRAEL SEVENTY THOUSAND MEN. AND GOD SENT AN ANGEL UNTO JERUSALEM TO DESTROY IT: AND AS HE WAS DESTROYING, THE LORD BEHELD, AND HE REPENTED HIM OF THE EVIL, AND SAID TO THE ANGEL THAT DESTROYED, IT IS ENOUGH, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? Even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? Let thine hand, I pray thee, O Lord my God, be on me, and on my father’s house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.

1 Chronicles 21:1-2,7-17

2. The Earthly Judgment of David for the sin of adultery: family troubles.

King David suffered dearly for committing adultery with Bathsheba. His judgment involved the death of his child, experiencing continuous conflict in his family and having his son sleep with his wives.

Indeed, it is frightening to think of the judgment that King David experienced for his adultery. Considering that so many people commit adultery and fornication, judgment according to the “eye for an eye” principle is scary to even contemplate if it is to be carried through for everybody. Although David committed his sin secretly, his punishment was done openly. Indeed, David paid for his adultery.

I am sure that many people on earth do not pay in the same way for the adulteries and fornications they have committed. Whether it is better to go to heaven and receive the recompense for such sins or to receive a judgment on this earth for these sins, I cannot tell! I know a pastor who was a longstanding adulterer who lived happily beyond the age of eighty while he successfully pastored his church.

I do not know of any judgment comparable to what happened to King David that happened to this pastor. His church declined towards the end of his life but he survived and seemed to live longer than most other people. It is possible that he had his judgment on earth. But it is also possible that a fiery judgment awaits him in heaven.

And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? THOU HAST KILLED URIAH THE HITTITE WITH THE SWORD, AND HAST TAKEN HIS WIFE TO BE THY WIFE, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. NOW THEREFORE THE SWORD SHALL NEVER DEPART FROM THINE HOUSE; BECAUSE THOU HAST DESPISED ME, AND HAST TAKEN THE WIFE OF URIAH THE HITTITE TO BE THY WIFE. THUS SAITH THE LORD, BEHOLD, I WILL RAISE UP EVIL AGAINST THEE OUT OF THINE OWN HOUSE, AND I WILL TAKE THY WIVES BEFORE THINE EYES, AND GIVE THEM UNTO THY NEIGHBOUR, AND HE SHALL LIE WITH THY WIVES IN THE SIGHT OF THIS SUN. For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

2 Samuel 12:8-14

3. The Earthly Judgment of Korah and his family for rebellion against Moses; an unusual death;

And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. IF THESE MEN DIE THE COMMON DEATH OF ALL MEN, OR IF THEY BE VISITED AFTER THE VISITATION OF ALL MEN; THEN THE LORD HATH NOT SENT ME. BUT IF THE LORD MAKE A NEW THING, AND THE EARTH OPEN HER MOUTH, AND SWALLOW THEM UP, WITH ALL THAT APPERTAIN UNTO THEM, AND THEY GO DOWN QUICK INTO THE PIT; THEN YE SHALL UNDERSTAND THAT THESE MEN HAVE PROVOKED THE LORD. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, lest the earth swallow us up also. And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.

Numbers 16:28-35

Korah paid the price for his rebellion against Moses. His judgment consisted of a premature and unnatural death for himself and for his entire family. Death also came upon all his associates and those who partook in the rebellion. Indeed, if this is the judgment for disloyalty, all those who partake in such fights against God’s legitimate authorities must be careful.

Many of those who forget, those who dishonour, those who leave you, those who are disloyal, those who pretend, those who are traitors, those who betray, those who oppose and those who vaunt themselves against authority do not experience such judgments. If Korah experienced this judgment on earth for his disloyalty and rebellion, you must watch out for yourself. Jesus said to Judas, “It would have been better for you if you had not been born.” (Matthew 26:24).

Disloyalty and treachery will have terrible consequences. All disloyal people must take note that the judgment for betrayal and treachery is very severe. God would not be fair to do this to Korah and leave other rebels untouched.

4. The Earthly Judgment of Pharaoh for not letting God’s people go to serve Him.

Pharaoh was judged severely by God. God’s judgment is on those who do not allow people to serve Him. Anyone who prevents people from serving the Lord must watch out for a possible reaction from God. Stubbornness will always be judged with destruction. The helpers of Pharaoh warned Pharaoh that Egypt would be destroyed.

Perhaps, your life will be destroyed for not allowing people to work for God. What do you want to see or hear or experience before you soften up towards your God?

Stubbornness is a very dangerous trait to have. Pharaoh’s stubbornness landed him in deep trouble. Many stubborn people seem to get away with their sins and wickedness. It seems that not all judgments are going to be experienced on earth. Some people’s sins are judged early whilst some will receive their judgment in eternity.

And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, how long shall this man be a snare unto us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that EGYPT IS DESTROYED? And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the Lord your God: but who are they that shall go?

Exodus 10:7-8

5. The Earthly Judgments of Nadab and Abihu for offering strange fire and doing things differently from what had been commanded.

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said. And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord hath kindled.

Leviticus 10:1-6

Nadab and Abihu were Levites who died suddenly because they did strange, unexpected and inappropriate things in the temple. All those who behave inappropriately in the house of God must watch out for judgment. Nadab and Abihu did not escape judgment on this earth.

They died suddenly even though they were pastors. Once again, if all those who behave inappropriately in the church were to die suddenly, most of us would be dead by now. Indeed, some people’s sins are judged immediately whilst others carry on and are judged much later. This is the nature of judgment. Some happen now and some happen later!

6. The Earthly Judgment of sickness for Miriam for criticizing Moses marriage.

And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.

My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed.

And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. And the Lord said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.

Numbers 12:1-15

Criticism is one of the sins you must be careful of. Miriam received an instant judgment for her sin of criticism. Many people criticize things today and seem to get away scot-free. Nothing happens to them for fifteen years! They may even seem to prosper, flourish and do well as their mouths are filled with wicked criticisms of God’s anointed servants.

Miriam did not have it that way. She was struck down with leprosy almost immediately. God’s earth-bound judgment was swift, direct and severe.

Do not think you have escaped if you do not get leprosy. God will judge you in eternity for all your criticisms.

He may allow some judgment to come your way on earth but He may reserve it wholly for eternity. Do not forget our opening scripture: “Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid” (1 Timothy 5:24-25).

This is why you must confess your sins everyday. You must seek to cleanse yourself of sins that attract judgment from God. You must pray that you do not carry certain things into eternity.

7. The Earthly Judgment of Saul for rejecting the commandments of God.

Saul suffered dearly for his rejection of God’s instructions. He disobeyed God’s clear instructions to destroy the Amalekites. Almighty God interpreted this disobedience as rejection. His judgment was based on the principle of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, rejection for rejection.

Saul was rejected from being the king and David was appointed even while Saul still sat on the throne. A young man called David was anointed to be king in place of Saul. This rejection was God’s judgment on Saul for his disobedience.

There is so much disobedience in the church today. Perhaps, many of us are already rejected and do not even know it. The appointment of others to replace you is one of the judgments you must watch out for. A silent rejection with the appointment of your successor whilst you are still alive, is one of the most deadly punishments in the world.

Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, it repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.

Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord. And Samuel said unto Saul, I WILL NOT RETURN WITH THEE: FOR THOU HAST REJECTED THE WORD OF THE LORD, AND THE LORD HATH REJECTED THEE FROM BEING KING OVER ISRAEL.

And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.

1 Samuel 15:10-11, 23-28

8. The Earthly Judgment of Er for his wickedness; premature death:

And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, whose name was Tamar. And Er, Judah’s firstborn, WAS WICKED IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD; AND THE LORD SLEW HIM.

Genesis 38:6-7

Er was a man whom God found to be wicked. The Lord did not like his wickedness and slew him. He experienced death prematurely because he was a wicked person. Be careful of wickedness. Be kind, loving and patient.

Wickedness attracts the death sentence! I am sure you know that many people seem to be living happily ever after on earth. Nothing bad seems to be happening to many of these wicked people on earth. I can assure you that if they do not receive their punishment on earth, they will receive it as soon as they enter into eternity. God is fair and just! If He slew Er for wickedness, why should He allow you to live on in your wickedness?

9. The Earthly Judgment of Onan for not giving his brother’s wife a child :

And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also.

Genesis 38:8-10

Onan suffered greatly because he was unwilling to marry his brother’s wife and refused to impregnate her. In those days, it was an important duty to marry your brother’s widow. His failure to show this kindness to a widow cost him his life. God was unhappy with Onan and his mistake was recorded to serve as a reminder for us all. If all those who do not show kindness to widows were judged in this way, there would be many more sudden and unexplained deaths in the world today.

Indeed, God is reserving His judgment for our lack of compassion. It is likely that heaven will reveal the judgment of those who do not show compassion.

Remember how Jesus warned that the nations would be divided into two groups. The “sheep” nations would be set to the right and the “goat” nations would be set to the left. What was the basis of this great judgment of the nations? The basis of this judgment was the lack of compassion.

Onan had his punishment for his lack of compassion on his brother’s widow. His judgment was instant and it happened whilst he was on earth. In eternity, you will hear those words, “I was sick and you did not visit me. I was hungry and you did not feed me. I was in prison and you did not visit me. I was thirsty and you did not give me anything to drink” (Matthew 25:42-43)

Your lack of compassion will be judged severely in eternity. Today, you may be getting away with your lack of compassion. But in eternity, all who failed to show compassion will not escape the judgment.

10. The Earthly Judgment on the prophet who ate bread in Bethel.

And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back: And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers. And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase. And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, IT IS THE MAN OF GOD, WHO WAS DISOBEDIENT UNTO THE WORD OF THE LORD: THEREFORE THE LORD HATH DELIVERED HIM UNTO THE LION, WHICH HATH TORN HIM, AND SLAIN HIM, ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD, WHICH HE SPAKE UNTO HIM.

1 Kings 13:20-26

The prophet who ate bread in Bethel is famous for dying an unusual death for disobeying a little instruction. Many years ago, I heard a man of God describing how God called him. He said, “God told me, you must obey me in big things and also in the little things.”

In this great call, this man of God realised that big instructions are as important as small instructions. The prophet of Bethel obeyed God in the big things. He prophesied the word of God and declared judgement on the king. There were great manifestations of God’s power.

However, he disobeyed one little instruction: “Do not eat bread in Bethel!” “Do not have your dinner in Bethel.” Unfortunately, this prophet died because he disobeyed the little instructions.

This is an amazing story and it reveals to all of us that judgment does come to people because they disobey little instructions. I am sure that most of us do not imagine that we can suffer great judgment because we disobey little instructions.

11. The Earthly Judgment of Hananiah for making people trust in a lie and teaching people to be rebellious.

Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The Lord hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

Jeremiah 28:15-17

There was a prophet called Hananiah who misled the people of God. His teachings were wrong. His life was misleading. He caused a great error to fall on the people of God. Large numbers of people were misled because of this man. He taught rebellion and inspired disloyalty. His judgment was swift. A death sentence was pronounced on him. He was to die within a year. To everyone’s amazement, Hananiah the prophet died seven months later.

Today, we have many prophets who are misleading people. Today, we have mighty men of God who control large congregations and mislead God’s people. It is clear that many of them are living good lives and prospering every day. Judgment may not come in this lifetime. But you can bet your last dollar that God is fair, righteous and just. He will not judge one prophet for committing a crime and ignore the others who are doing exactly the same thing.

12. The Earthly Judgment of Jezebel for manipulating her husband into becoming a murderer.

And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying, the dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.

1 Kings 21:23-24

And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, who is on my side? Who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. And he said, throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king’s daughter. And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.

2 Kings 9:30-37

Jezebel received a terrible judgment because she influenced her husband in the wrong way. There are many strong women who are manipulating their husbands into doing things the husbands would never have done on their own.

One day, I heard a pastor make a comment. He said, “I have never met a pastor from ‘such and such a country’ who is not controlled by his wife.” I thought to myself, “I know a number of people who are pastors from that country and I think I agree with him.”

Jezebel was a dangerous woman. Her husband did much evil and she was credited with stirring him up. You must be careful what you stir up your husband to do.

But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, WHOM JEZEBEL HIS WIFE STIRRED UP.

1 Kings 21:25

Ahab had no intentions of becoming a murderer. Ahab actually entered into negotiations with Naboth for his vineyard. Ahab had no plans of killing people for their lands and properties. It was Jezebel who stirred up Ahab until he became a terribly wicked person.

If all women who stir up their husbands to do evil and to disobey God were to be judged on earth, we may have much fewer wives alive today. As you can see, not all judgment happens on the earth. Some people’s sins are dealt with immediately. Others simply pass on and are judged in eternity.

Eve also stirred up Adam to disobey God. Through Eve’s influence, Adam became a sinner and rejected God’s company and God’s direction. Even though Adam was the head of the house, he received the influence to do evil from his wife.

You will notice that Eve did not escape judgment, even though she was not the head of the family. In God’s judgment, there is equity. Judgment is and was shared fairly to everyone who had a part to play in the fall of man. Eve could not hide behind her excuse that she was deceived. Adam could not hide behind the fact that his wife had stirred him up.

In heaven, we will see true judgments based on the right things. No one will be judged unfairly. No one will receive condemnation for something he did not do. Whilst we are on earth we can expect to continually see some people getting away with every bad thing they do whilst others get judged immediately. Never forget this principle: “Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid” (1 Timothy 5:24-25).

13. The Earthly Judgment of Ahaziah to not recover from his sickness because he trusted in an idol, rather than trusting in God.

And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this sickness.”

But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Now therefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.

2 Kings 1:2-4

And he said unto him, THUS SAITH THE LORD, FORASMUCH AS THOU HAST SENT MESSENGERS TO ENQUIRE OF BAAL-ZEBUB THE GOD OF EKRON, IS IT NOT BECAUSE THERE IS NO GOD IN ISRAEL TO ENQUIRE OF HIS WORD? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. So he died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son. Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

2 Kings 1:16-18

Ahaziah, the king received an instant judgment of being judged with a sickness from which he could not recover. God is offended when we do not turn to Him first. God wants us to look to Him for everything. If judgment were to come to all those who do not seek God first, large sections of the church would pass away next week.

How many people in the church seek God as a first option? Most of us are like Ahaziah. To many of us, God is a side plate or a spare tyre. We seek other things first and God has to fit in at the end, if at all.

In eternity, there will be eternal points of regret where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth because we did not take seeking God first seriously. The church has become like King Ahaziah. Most of us are seeking God as a last option. I can assure you that eternity will reveal the seriousness of this grave mistake of putting God last.

I once read a book in which a pastor visited heaven. He met several people he had known on earth who happened to have died. They were all in heaven but many of them were in the outer and darkest parts of eternity.

He met a man who said to him, “The greatest mistake is to find the Lord and yet go on living for yourself after that.” He said, “If I had known on earth what I know here, I would not have lived the way I did.” He told the prophet, “You are greatly blessed to come here before you die. We knew the Lord but we lived for ourselves rather than living for Him. The grief that we experienced when we understood how we had greatly wasted our lives was beyond any grief possible on earth. To come to heaven and discover this reality is the most terrible experience of all. I felt that I was in the deepest dungeon of hell as I stood before the Lord. The Lord Jesus was resolute until my life had been reviewed. I had to say ‘Sorry’ and ask for mercy before He took away the darkness from my life. Now I am in the darkest part of heaven.”1

CHAPTER 8

Apostolic Judgment

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and TO ESTABLISH IT WITH JUDGMENT AND WITH JUSTICE from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 9:7

Apostolic judgments are the judgments of church leaders against sin and evil in the church. Apostolic judgments are the judgments that must be passed in the church to order it and to establish it with judgment and justice. Churches are established on judgment and justice.

Every church will have issues. Every church will have its fair share of sinful characters, immoral behaviour and evil activities. It is the duty of the apostles, prophets and pastors to root out evil when it seeks to be planted in our midst. The church is a human institution that has been anointed by the Holy Spirit. Every human institution is filled with human weaknesses. You can only expect to see weakness, dishonour and shame in the church as it spreads out and grows bigger.

Recently we spoke with an older apostle of a very established church, which has grown into a movement with several thousand churches all over the world. We asked this elderly apostle what he thought was the master key for the persistence of his church into the future.

The elderly apostle said the master key to the future was to take discipline and judgment very seriously. He said that discipline and judgment amongst pastors is very important especially at the very highest level. The key of discipline and judgment was the key this pastor gave as the master key for the continued growth and expansion of the church. The king by judgment establishes the land! If you want the church to be established there must be judgment and discipline against all unrighteousness.

Every church can be overwhelmed with immorality, fornication and adultery as it grows larger and advances into the future. Indeed, many churches are overwhelmed with immorality, fornication, sexual perversions and adultery. The Corinthian church was overrun by these very sins. Apostle Paul spent large sections of his letter addressing these issues that were very important for the life of the Corinthian church. In his letter, he spoke judgment against the immorality and perversions that were rampant in the church.

Human beings are weak and God simply does not accept fornication and adultery to be part of the church. Many large denominations are overwhelmed with adulterous, fornicating or sexually pervert priests and pastors. The manifestation of evil at this level spells doom for the church. Evil and immorality in the church open the doors to demons and devils. Many groups of pastors have become the habitation of devils because of their immoral lifestyle. Immorality has caused them to fall to the level where demon activity is heightened.

The word of God is full of warnings about judgment. We hear clear warnings that we should not judge.

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

Matthew 7:1

However, there are also scriptures that teach us to judge with righteous judgment.

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

John 7:24

So, what must be done when a pastor falls into sin? What must be done when an apostle falls into sin? What must be done when a prophet falls into sin? Apostolic judgments will have to come into play. Apostle Paul gave the best examples of apostolic judgments when he dealt with the Corinthians.

Apostle Paul passed judgments on several people who were involved in immorality in the Corinthian church. His judgments serve as great examples of what to do when such problems befall the church.

Judgment is necessary to establish righteousness and order in the church. “I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?” (1 Corinthians 6:5). We need to judge between the brethren with the wisdom of God.

1. Immorality, fornication, sexual perversions and adultery are leavens that spread within a congregation. Judgment and discipline is important in the church because evil spreads mysteriously within a congregation. Evil is like leaven which mysteriously influences the rest of the dough. Evil is perpetuated by evil spirits who are behind the wickedness that is being manifested in the church.

Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

1 Corinthians 5:6

Immorality, fornication, sexual perversions and adultery are leavens. They spread mysteriously in the congregation. Without discussing with each other, fornicators and adulterers mysteriously multiply in a congregation. When a scandal hits a church, several people will be found to be living similar immoral and unacceptable lives. This is why it is important to root out the leaven of immorality from the church.

2. Immorality, fornication, sexual perversions and adultery spread naturally from the head downwards. Apart from the leaven that spreads from member to member within the church, evils at the level of the leadership spread downwards to the congregation.

It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

Psalm 133:2

The scripture makes it clear that the anointing flows from the top of Aaron’s head down through his beard and to the skirts below. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is the good influence of the Holy Spirit. It flows from the head downwards. All influences flow from the head downwards.

It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;

Psalm 133:2

When a pastor is filled with rebellion, he spreads his rebellion to the congregation because he is the head. When Hananiah the prophet misled the people of God, it was because he was a man of authority and everything that he taught was believed. Evil saturated the Israelites because Hananiah the prophet misled them and taught evil.

Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, HEAR NOW, HANANIAH; THE LORD HATH NOT SENT THEE; BUT THOU MAKEST THIS PEOPLE TO TRUST IN A LIE. Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.

Jeremiah 28:15-17

All through the Bible, the principle is clear. As the priests are, so are the people!

And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward them their doings.

Hosea 4:9

‘And what the priests do, the people also do.’ So now I will punish both priests and people for their wicked deeds.

Hosea 4:9 (NLT)

Apostolic judgments are the judgments of church leaders against sin and evil in the church. Such judgments are very difficult to come to because they are the judgments of a human being against another human being.

Every right thinking person knows that he is capable of doing whatever his brother who has fallen into sin has done. Judging your fellow brother is the worst job you can ever have to do in the church. Indeed, the scripture teaches that you should consider yourself carefully in every case of judgment.

Every time you are called upon to pass apostolic judgments on a brother who has fallen into difficulty, you must carefully consider your own weaknesses. You must not think of yourself as above that sin or difficulty. Always remember that you are an average brother. You are truly just as weak as your fellow brother who has fallen into difficulty.

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Galatians 6:1

Below are some rules for apostolic judgments. When it is time to pass apostolic judgments, your failure to do so will spell the end of your ministry. Today, many churches are riddled with immorality. Today many churches are powerless against immorality because the highest level of ministers are deeply involved in scandalous secret sexual activity.

Decide to practice apostolic judgments based on the principles below.

1. Apostolic judgments are based on wisdom from above. Without wisdom you cannot pass good judgments.

Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. I speak to your shame. Is it so, THAT THERE IS NOT A WISE MAN AMONG YOU? NO, NOT ONE THAT SHALL BE ABLE TO JUDGE BETWEEN HIS BRETHREN?

1 Corinthians 6:1-5

2. Apostolic judgments must be delivered in matters of immorality. When immoral cases arise in the church, apostolic judgments similar to the ones which Apostle Paul passed on the church must be enacted.

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. FOR I VERILY, AS ABSENT IN BODY, BUT PRESENT IN SPIRIT, HAVE JUDGED ALREADY, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

1 Corinthians 5:1-4

3. Apostolic judgments can be decided remotely by an apostle who does not live there. The apostolic anointing will enable the apostle to take decisions about things even when he is not present.

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. FOR I VERILY, AS ABSENT IN BODY, BUT PRESENT IN SPIRIT, HAVE JUDGED ALREADY, AS THOUGH I WERE PRESENT, CONCERNING HIM THAT HATH SO DONE THIS DEED, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

1 Corinthians 5:1-4

4. Apostolic judgments can deliver church members to destruction. In the scripture, we see how Apostle Paul commended certain people into the hands of the devil. What happens when you are recommended into the hands of the devil? When the person is handed over to satan it means he has been handed over to the enemy. The enemy will do what he feels like doing. The enemy will steal, kill and destroy because that is all that he can do. People who are handed over to the devil can expect to be destroyed, stolen from and killed by evil spirits.

To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

1 Corinthians 5:5-6

5. Apostolic judgments include apostolic counselling.

It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. FOR I VERILY, AS ABSENT IN BODY, BUT PRESENT IN SPIRIT, HAVE JUDGED ALREADY, AS THOUGH I WERE PRESENT, CONCERNING HIM THAT HATH SO DONE THIS DEED, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

1 Corinthians 5:1-4

Apostolic judgments always include direction and counselling. Psychiatrists deal with mental problems. Many times psychiatrists work by giving counsel to their patients. Many mentally deranged people need counselling. Perhaps you are in a situation in your church where sin has taken a foothold. Never forget that counselling is a very important element to bring about the solution that you need.

Most people do not realize that apostle Paul fought against the sin of fornication and immorality all through the books of first and second Corinthians.

Apostle Paul dealt with a serious case of fornication that was more extreme than even the types of fornication we find in the world today. He called it “such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles.”

Apostle Paul did a lot of counselling to the Corinthians. After dealing with the matter of high-level fornication in the church and passing judgment on it, he advised everyone to FLEE FORNICATION (1 Corinthians 6:18). Then he went further and advised everyone to AVOID FORNICATION by having their own husbands and wives and being kind to each other.

Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

1 Corinthians 7:2-5

CHAPTER 9

Implementation of Apostolic Judgment

Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

Ecclesiastes 8:11

There are some basic levels of apostolic judgment that must be implemented. Apostle Paul gives us four pillars for dealing out apostolic judgments - counselling, interaction, separation from fellowship, restriction of ministry and dismissals. We learn about apostolic judgment from the example of Paul and the Corinthian church.

First of all, counselling, interaction and instruction must always be implemented. Secondly, there must be a separation from sinners.

Sin is a leaven. Sin spreads naturally amongst the congregation. Even without having a meeting, it is as though sinners agree to spread the virus of sin throughout the congregation. You will find that each of these steps of judgment that are taken against sinful people is biblical.

1. Counselling and instruction: Counselling is very important. You must speak to people that are involved in sin. Your words will have an effect. Everyone who is involved in sin must undergo counselling. Perhaps, through your counselling God will grant deliverance.

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, IN MEEKNESS INSTRUCTING THOSE THAT OPPOSE THEMSELVES; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

2 Timothy 2:24-26

2. Separation from fellowship: It is important to learn the principles of leaven spreading in the church. Leaven is a spiritual entity that spreads, permeates and diffuses in the church. Malice, wickedness and fornication are evils that spread in the church. Entire sections of the church can be overrun by these evils. Apostle Paul said, “You must not company with fornicators.” Who are your friends? What are their lives like? What sort of things are they involved in? I can assure you that whom you fellowship with will directly influence you and your ministry.

I WROTE UNTO YOU IN AN EPISTLE NOT TO COMPANY WITH FORNICATORS: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

1 Corinthians 5:9-11

3. Restriction of ministry: Ministers must be restricted when they fall into sin. Restriction of ministry is a sign of respect and honour to God. When Eli failed to restrict his sons, it was a great sign of disrespect to God. God reacted to the disrespect of Eli. Eli did not respect God enough to take action against his sons. His sons were his future. His sons were the up and coming leaders of Israel. Their moral failure meant that they could not lead after Eli was gone.

Eli’s failure lay in the fact that he did nothing to them and against them. Yes, he spoke to them and counselled them. But he needed to go a step further and withdraw them from active service.

Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. AND HE SAID UNTO THEM, WHY DO YE SUCH THINGS? FOR I HEAR OF YOUR EVIL DEALINGS BY ALL THIS PEOPLE. NAY, MY SONS; FOR IT IS NO GOOD REPORT THAT I HEAR: YE MAKE THE LORD’S PEOPLE TO TRANSGRESS. If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them. And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men. And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house? And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel? WHEREFORE KICK YE AT MY SACRIFICE AND AT MINE OFFERING, WHICH I HAVE COMMANDED IN MY HABITATION; AND HONOUREST THY SONS ABOVE ME, TO MAKE YOURSELVES FAT WITH THE CHIEFEST OF ALL THE OFFERINGS OF ISRAEL MY PEOPLE? Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

1 Samuel 2:22-30

4. Dismissals:

And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, THAT HE THAT HATH DONE THIS DEED MIGHT BE TAKEN AWAY FROM AMONG YOU.

1 Corinthians 5:2

Certain sinful people must be taken away from your midst. Their presence is not acceptable. The time comes when he that has done certain deeds must be taken away from amongst you. Dismissal is certainly necessary and important. Dismissal is a type of rejection. God rejected Saul. God rejects people who reject Him.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

1 Samuel 15:23

When Must There be Dismissal?

A number of factors cause a need for dismissal to arise. Dismissal is not an easy decision to come to. However, dismissal must take place when serious dimensions complicate the original sin. There is a chart with a point system that can help you to rate sins that are presented to the council of elders of any church. (See my book The Gift of Government). Let us now consider five factors that bring in the need for dismissal.

1. A demonic element: When sin develops a demonic element, it must be noted. Demonic elements are obvious when things like stubbornness and other perversions are present. A demonic element is also present when the sin does not make any sense. Many people commit senseless sins from which they do not even benefit. David’s decision to number the Israelites made no sense. He did that senseless act because he was provoked by the devil.

And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

1 Chronicles 21:1

2. Multiple sins: Dismissal must take place when there are multiple sins. The scripture is clear that some people add sin to sin.

Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, THAT THEY MAY ADD SIN TO SIN:

Isaiah 30:1

3. Duplicity and duality: Dismissal must take place when there is strong element of duplicity, duality and pretence. When people are able to live dual lives for a long time, they are exhibiting a strong sense of the demonic. Satan is the best liar and pretender of all. A person who is able to lie and pretend for a long time has imbibed evil spirits. Jesus strongly rejected hypocrisy. Jesus reproved the hypocrites with the strongest of all rebukes.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

Matthew 23:27

4. The length of time the person practices the sin is also important: Practicing a sin for a very long time must lead to dismissal.

Anything that is done for a long time is different from what is done for a short time. Those who tarry long at the wine are those who have red eyes. Those who tarry long in front of their sin are greatly affected by it. They are contaminated and corrupted by it more than those who fell into it and came out.

Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

Proverbs 23:29-30

5. Betrayal and disloyalty must lead to dismissal: When you betray your country it is called treason. The person who betrays is called a traitor. Betrayal is the relaying of information that is harmful or injurious to someone who trusted you. Betrayal is not accepted anywhere. The betrayal of trust is usually the end of relationships.

The betrayal of trust is usually the signal for dismissal. When Judas found out that his betrayal had been discovered he knew it was all over. He hanged himself because he knew that he would never be accepted or trusted again amongst the disciples.

Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

Matthew 27:4-5

Conclusion

To the making of many books there is no end!

It is my prayer that through these few pages you will come to understand the importance of judgment and justice in your church and ministry. May the Lord fill you with wisdom so that you follow in the steps of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. May your ministry be ordered and established with judgment and justice from henceforth and for ever!

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, TO ORDER IT, AND TO ESTABLISH IT WITH JUDGMENT AND WITH JUSTICE from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Isaiah 9:7

References

Chapter 7

1Joyner, Rick. The Vision - (Final Quest & The Call). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2001.