Throughout the ages, God has been recognized and honored as the Judge of all the earth.  For example, Abraham appealed to God as the ultimate judge who would deal justly:

Genesis 18:25 (NASB) “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” (emphasis added)

An unnamed psalmist also petitioned God as the “Judge of the earth“:

Psalm 94:2 (NASB)  Rise up, O Judge of the earth, render recompense to the proud. (emphasis added)

And while God is unquestionably the supreme judge, it is also true that from Moses[1] onward, He has determined that men (and at least one woman[2]) would serve as judges on His behalf.  As God’s spokesman, Moses directed the people thus:

Deuteronomy 16:18-20 (NASB) “You shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your towns which the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. ¹⁹  “You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous. ²⁰  “Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

Generations later, King Jehoshaphat soberly reminded the judges he had appointed in the fortified cities of Judah, that they sat as judges on God’s behalf:

2 Chronicles 19:6 (NASB)  He said to the judges, “Consider what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the LORD who is with you when you render judgment. (emphasis added)

Unfortunately, not all of those assigned to judge have done so in righteousness.  The psalmist records God’s rebuke of unfaithful judges:

Psalm 82:1-2, 8 (NASB) God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers. ²  How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah… ⁸  Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who possesses all the nations.

The Promised Judge

Thankfully, however, Isaiah prophesied of a coming judge who would be empowered by the Spirit of the LORD:

Isaiah 11:1-5 (NASB) Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. ²  The Spirit of the LORD [Yahweh] will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. ³ And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear; ⁴  But with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. ⁵  Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, and faithfulness the belt about His waist. (emphasis added)

The promised judge would be the Messiah, a descendant of King David[3] who would have an anointing from the Spirit of God to judge with equity and would himself, fear the LORD.     

Roughly seven hundred years later, Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus.  The long awaited Messiah explains how God the Father delegated all judgment into his hands:

John 5:22-30 (NASB) “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, ²³  so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. ²⁴  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. ²⁵  “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶  “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; ²⁷  and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. ²⁸  “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, ²⁹  and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. ³⁰  “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  (emphasis added)

If Jesus is God, this passage makes no sense because we are told more than once that God gave him the authority to judge.  As God, Jesus would innately possess the power and authority to execute judgment (both to condemn and give life) and would certainly not need God to give it to him.  Furthermore, Jesus explains that the reason God gave him the authority to execute judgment is because he is the Son of Man.  The term Son of Man is used in Scripture to emphasize someone’s humanity.[4]  When used of Jesus, it is also understood to be a Messianic title.  In other words, Jesus wasn’t given authority to judge because he is God, but because he is the human Messiah.  It makes no sense to say that God delegated authority to God so that he could judge mankind.  However, when we understand that Jesus, who is the last Adam,[5]  was exalted to the right hand of God, not because he was deity returning to a heavenly throne, but because of his sacrificial obedience even unto death (Philippians 2), it makes sense for him to receive authority from God that corresponds with his exaltation.  What’s more, in John’s passage, Jesus said he could do nothing on his own initiative.  A strange and uncharacteristic declaration to make for someone who is God. Finally, Jesus says that he judges, not according to his will, but the will of God who sent him.  Which is to say that Jesus deferred his will to that of the Father’s.  How is it that God can have differing wills?

God Appointed a Man to Judge the Living and the Dead

That God would install a man to represent Him as judge is in perfect keeping with the rest of Scripture.  Paul announced to those gathered on Mars Hill in Athens that God was going to judge the world through a man:

Acts 17:29-31 (NASB)  “Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. ³⁰  “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, ³¹  because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.” (emphasis added)

What proof did Paul offer that God would judge the world through a human?  Jesus’ resurrection from the dead!  This would have been the perfect time for Paul to reveal that the human judge that God had appointed was himself, God.  But Paul identified Jesus as a man, not as a God-Man, a title that is not found in Scripture and wasn’t used of Jesus until the third century.[6]

The apostle echoed this same message when he wrote to the church in Rome.  He explained that God is not partial but will render to each person according to their deeds, regardless of whether they are Jews or Greeks. How will God accomplish this? Through His appointed judge, Jesus the Christ:

Romans 2:16 (NASB) on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. (emphasis added)

Not surprisingly, Peter shared this same message when he preached to Gentiles in Caesarea:

Acts 10:42-43 (NASB) ⁴²  “And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³  “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”[7] (emphasis added)

Savior or Judge?

Some may recall that Jesus said he did not come to judge the world, but to save it. How then can he also say he will judge the world?

John 3:16-21 (NASB) ¹⁶  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷  “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸  “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.[8]  (emphasis added)

Scripture teaches that the purpose for which God sent Jesus was for him to be the Savior of the world.  However, when Jesus returns, he will reveal men’s hearts and judgment will come upon those who have not accepted him as their Savior and obeyed him as their Lord:[9]

1 Corinthians 4:5 (NASB)  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. (emphasis added)

The Great White Throne Judgment

Revelation affords us a brief but powerful look at the climax of Christ’s role as God’s appointed judge.  At the culmination of his thousand year reign upon the earth, and after the devil has been cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, an event will transpire that has come to be known as the Great White Throne Judgment:

Revelation 20:11-15 (NASB) 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. ¹²  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. ¹³  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. ¹⁴  Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵  And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (emphasis added)

Although the text does not specifically tell us this is Jesus, scholars across the board interpret this to be him based on the passages already discussed, as well as the following:

2 Timothy 4:1-2 (NASB)  I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: ²  preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. (emphasis added)

Thus, the first time Jesus was on the earth it was to offer salvation to man.  The second time, will be to dispense God’s judgment on those who have rejected Him and His Messiah.[10]

Some may further question how a man could possibly judge the world?  First, let us remember that it is God’s prerogative to judge the world in this or any way He chooses.  Second, remember that God deemed Jesus worthy to rule the kingdom under His authority because of his obedience, even unto death.[11] What’s more, as we’ve already discussed, God has a long, rich history of assigning men as judges on His behalf.  Even the apostles have been assigned to judge the twelve tribes of Israel in the coming age:

Matthew 19:27-28 (NASB) Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” ²⁸  And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (emphasis added)

And last, but not least, you and I–as those redeemed by Christ’s sacrifice–will likewise, judge the world and angels:

1 Corinthians 6:1-3 (NASB) Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? ²  Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? ³  Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? (emphasis added)

If God can appoint redeemed sinners as judges of the world,  how much more the sinless Christ!

As Scripture testifies, God is the supreme judge of all the earth, and He has appointed His faithful Messiah to dispense justice on His behalf at the end of the age.  May we live in such a way that there is no reason for us to fear his coming judgments, but, rather to eagerly await his return:

2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NASB) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; ⁸  in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. (emphasis added)

[1] Exodus 18:13-16, 19-26; Deut 1:9-18;17:8-9.

[2] Deborah is the first female judge recorded in the Bible.  See Judges 4:4ff.

[3] Acts 13:23.

[4] Numbers 23:19; Job 25:6; Psalm 8:4; Isaiah 51:12; Ezekiel 2:1, etc.

[5] 1 Corinthians 15:5; Romans 5:14.

[6] Origen is said to be the first person to use the term God-Man for Jesus.  “God-Man,” Wikipedia, accessed 9-27-19, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God-man_%28Christianity%29

[7]  See also 1 Peter 4:5.

[8] John 8:13-15; 12:47-50.

[9] Hebrews 5:9.

[10] John 3:18; 5:24.

[11] Ephesians 1:17-21; Philippians 2:5-11; 1 Corinthians 15:23-28.