Doctrinal Outlines 



ETERNAL JUDGMENT 

I. 
Introduction 
A. 
One of the most astounding truths revealed in the 
Bible is that God is not trying to save all the world 
now! 
B. 
And yet, conversely, another one of the most 
encouraging and positive Bible truths is that all 
mankind shall have a chance for salvation. 
c. 
How can both these teachings be true? If God is not 
trying to save the world now, how can all humanity 
have a chance for salvation? The answer to the 
seeming dilemma is in the Bible doctrine of eternal 
judgment. 
D. 
What about all the billions of people who lived from 
Adam till now, who never knew of the name of Jesus 
Christ, the only name under heaven by which people can 
be saved (Acts 4:12)? Are they lost forever --doomed 
<-'-------f-3';:>to 
die with no hope for eternal life? What about the 
-idolaters and heathen throughout history? 

E. 
And what about even much-loved members of your own 
family--now deceased without knowing Jesus Christ, 
perhaps, or alive but not now religiously minded? 
What about them? 
II. The Basic Doctrine 
A. 
You need to know and be able to explain how you know 
what good things are in store for all these people. 
This information will help you to explain the doctrine 
of eternal judgment . 
. , B. The judgment period for a person is the time of hisI ) calling, until death or change into a spirit-composed 
~--{J.l-. member of God's Family. It is during this time that a 
· 1 +~person's life is continually being judged against the 
/biblical standard of righteousness. 

c. 
For different groups of people, this judgment will 
occur at different times --either now Cas in the case 
of God's Church), during the Millennium or after the 
Hillennium in the Great White Throne Judgment. 
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III. The Usual Teachings of This World 
A. 
The teachings of the churches of this world are far 
afield from the clear revelation of the Bible. Most 
churches do not even understand that all people are 
not being called to salvation now, let alone 
understand the connection between the time of one's 
calling and his period of judgment. 
B. 
The churches usually view the judgment merely as the 
time of passing of a sentence upon a person. Many 
people probably picture a courtroom, complete with a 
fatherly but somewhat stern God in a black robe behind 
a large desk, faced by fearful, once-living sinners 
waiting to see if they will go "up" or "down." But 
such a picture is in no way that presented by the 
Bible! 
IV. The Bible Teaching 
A. 
The astounding, central truth essential~~ 
, 
understanding this topic is that God is ot trying to 
save all the world now. Satan is said to e deceiving 
t.~ whole world (Revelation 12: 9). If the whole world 

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(is deceived, how can it be in the process of being

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"' s· ved? 

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B. 
From the days of Adam and his eviction from the Garden 
of Eden, through the days when Moses told the children 
of Israel that "the Lord has not given you a heart to 
perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear" 
}.·If.~teronomy 29: 2-4), it has been obvious that God is 
~.~Ynow saving the whole world. 

c. 
Paul said, "God hath concluded them all [humanity J in 
unbelief, that he might [eventually, but not nowl have 
mercy upon all" (Romans 11:32, Authorized Version). 
D. 
No wonder Satan is called the "god of this world" (II 
Corinthians 4:4, AV) and God's way is called the way 
only "few" now take (Matthew 7:14). No wonder Paul 
called the vast majority of humanity "strangers from 
the covenants of promise, having no hope and without 
God in the world" (Ephesians 2: 11-12). 
c/-·) 

E. 
But why? Why has God chosen'Qgt to save all people? 
The answer, simply, is that for God to fulfill His 
master plan of building righteous, holy character in 
humans and then to put those humans into His powerful, 
universe-ruling )i'a~ly, He must first allow humans to 
learn that they IQ_~!}<:'I God. People will learn that 
crime against God's law doesn't pay--that life 
without God leads to war, misery, unhappiness and 
destruction. 
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F. 
Therefore most, but not all, of humanity are being 
left to themselves now. 
G. 
Some are being called by God now to preach His message 
as a witness to the world (not to proselyte or convert 
the world --Matthew 24:14) and to learn God's way, so 
they may teach the masses when God finally does call
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the rest of the human race and open their minds 
(Revelation 5:10). 

1. 
Two key scriptures in this regard are II 
Corinthians 6:2 and I Peter 4:17. 
2. 
II Corinthians 6:2 is misleading in some 
tra~.. ~s~ations, which read that God has succored us 
in\~~· day of salvation. But this verse, both 
in the original Greek and in the Old Testament 
verse from which it is quoted, does not con~a1~, 
the definite article, but reads that now is(·~~ay 
of salvation.• Obviously, if,r.ww--i\' ~day o¥ 

salvation, then there must be( othey times when God 
'has dealt or will deal with people. 

3. \r Peter 4:17 makes the point that now is only~ 
time of salvation more clear, showing for whom now 
I 
is the time for salvation: "For the time has come 
for judgment to begin at the house of God."

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H. 
Notice that a judgment is now on the house of God -the 
Church of God--but not upon others. 
1. And clearly this judgment is not a mere 
sentencing, but a process of evaluation made by 
~ God as He watches over our growth through a period"' of time.

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(.) 2. lOf course, ultimately, judgment includes God's 
final decision about our spiritual state, and even

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' the reward if we qualify or the sentence to death 
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~f we don't, but to call eternal judgment merely

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khe single moment of decision for God is mistaken. 

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"' 
r. But if now is not the only time when God will call

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(.) 
0. humanity --that is, subject mankind to spiritual0 
judgment for their works, while they know God's law 
then when are the other times? 

1. 
The first period of judgment, when most will be 
deceived and only a few will be called, is now (I 
Peter 4: 17) • 
a. 
This era ends with the return of Jesus Christ 
to set up His Kingdom, and the resurrection to 
eternal life of all who were called and 
qualified from Adam's time till then. 

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b. 
As Revelation 20:5 says, "This is the first 
resurrection.• It is the time of redemption 
of the few •called" (Romans 8:28) who form the 
"firstfruits• (not the whole spiritual 
harvest --James 1:18, Revelation 14:14) of 
God's master plan. 
time of ·ud ment is during the 
iliennium the 1,000 years immediately after 
rn to set up His Kingdom. 

2. 
~-!'>~:!.~~--~ 

a. 
One clear theme running throughout the Bible 
is that during the Millennium all then alive 
will know the truth of God (Isaiah 11:9, 
Jeremiah 31:34, Joel 2:32). 
b. 
This millennial period of judgment differs 
;.w.m the world now in that all people then 
(aliv~ will have a chance for salvation. 
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c. 
But, still, those who lived and died from Adam 
till Jesus Christ's retru-m and the first 
resurrection will not ~tJ have had a chance. 
Their chance will come, --tiowever. 
d. 
It is spoken of in Revelation 20:11, which 
describes the Great White Throne Judgment. 
This is the time of the second resurrection, 
when the dead from all time, small and great, 
will be raised to another physical existence, 
except this time with a difference. 
e. 
(!.'his time the "books" (the Bible) are opened 
to their understanding (verse 12), and they 
live out a full life span with the chance to
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~-now God and the truth of salvation. 

f. 
This is the time when all the humans who have 
not had a chance will be given one. This is 
the time of judgment for Tyre and Sidon, Sodom 
and Gomorrah, as Jesus revealed (Matthew 
11:22, 10: 15). 
g. 
It is spoken of in plain terms by the prophet 
Ezekiel: "Behold, 0 My people, I will open 
your graves and cause you to come up ••.I will 
put My Spirit in you, and you shall live• 
(Ezekiel 37:12, 14). 

3. 
Now God's merciful, fair plan will be complete. 
All will have had a chance for salvation, a period 
of living during which the truth of God will be 
open t6 their minds, and they will be judged 
according to it --their judgment period. 
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4. 
For the Church that period is now. In the 
Millennium all those then alive will have their 
chance. Finally, during the Great White Throne 
Judgment all the former dead who didn't have a 
hance before will get their opportunity~~~-one 
ill get a "second chance,• but will get ~ne ~ull 
pportunity for salvation. '··


v. 
Key V s 
Here are some main scriptures relating to eternal 
judgment: · 

A. 
Mark 4:l~~Jl2 and John 6:44 show that God is not trying 
to save ~.:)the world now. 
B. 
II Corinthians 6:2 explains that now is not the only 
.day of salvation. 
c. 
I Peter 4:17 shows that judgment is a process of time 
while one is under review by God, and that judgment is 
.now on the Church. 

D. 
Revelation 20:1-12 describes the various resurrections 
that delineate the various judgment periods. 
E. 
Isaiah 11:9 and Jeremiah 31:34 say that all people 
will know God in the Millennium. 
F. 
Ezekiel 37:12-14 illustrates how the former dead will 
be raised and given the truth of God during the Great 
White Throne Judgment. 
ll VI . 
Cone lus ion 

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Q.f..-a-1±-the-·d·o-ctr-ines of the Bible, none show God's 
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~ 's.oundles..A._f_airnes.~ any more than the tr~JL~bout judgment. 
All people everywhere will receive an ~~].,chance at 
salvation~ and at a time in which their'(_o~ chance of 
:;; success w~ll be great indeed.

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Truly, our loving God is not a respecter of persons, but 
fair to all humanity! 

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