Alan Lewis
Elon, North Carolina
June 2026
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others. (Acts 17:29-34 NIV)
Today, we want to talk about the most unpopular doctrine in the Bible, the doctrine of divine judgment. People don’t like the idea of accountability. They like to be able to do anything they want and not be held accountable to anyone.
That is why some people become atheists. They don’t like the idea of God telling them how to live, so they deny Him. They erase Him. They try to cancel Him.
People don’t like the doctrine of judgment. They avoid it. Some preachers stopped teaching it. They flat-out deny it. They say that there won’t be a final judgment.
They would say that Hell is incompatible with a loving God. How could a loving God send anyone to Hell? When you die, you just cease to exist. That is what the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach.
Others do not deny it; they redefine it. They say they believe in Hell, but it is not a place of punishment. It is not a place of torture. It is not fire and brimstone and it definitely is not eternal
Last time, we studied one of the most famous sermons of Paul. It was not preached in a church but outside on a hill in Athens, Greece. Some of the best sermons were preached outside, like the Sermon on the Mount. He preached it around 50 AD.
Paul is on his second missionary journey. He is alone. Silas and Timothy are not with him and he is doing evangelism wherever he goes in the city. At the end of the chapter, he preached to some highly intelligent people.
He preached to intellectuals and deep thinkers. Athens was the intellectual center of the ancient world. It was a center of learning, like Oxford, Cambridge or Harvard.
Some of the world’s smartest people came from Athens. Some of the greatest thinkers of history came from Athens (Plato, Aristotle, Socrates). Western philosophy is founded on these three men.
Paul encounters some Greek philosophers. An apostle met some philosophers. It was a strange combination. Paul encountered some Epicurean and Stoics philosophers.
They were the two big philosophies of the day. Both their founders started schools in the city of Athens hundreds of years earlier. It was a topic of debate among Athenians.
Some sided with the Stoics. Others sided with the Epicureans and they argued which one was better. They are not burning issues among philosophers today, but they were in ancient Athens.
They used to be very popular philosophies. Today, very few people know anything about them, but Paul encountered them and he encountered them at the Areopagus.
It is a place where people went to debate new ideas. Some people just live to argue. They love to debate. If you love to debate, you would have loved the Areopagus. That was where debate took place and ideas were exchanged.
This was a different kind of city. Paul went to Thessalonica and he received persecution. A mob got together and came looking for Paul. He was forced to leave the city but, in Athens, new ideas were examined and debated, not attacked by violent mobs.
It was a tolerant city. It was also an idolatrous city. There were idols everywhere. There were temples everywhere. What Paul did was brilliant. The idolatry in the city bothered him but he did not stand up and blast all of their idols. Instead, he complemented them.
He did not immediately start preaching to them about Jesus. Before he talked to them about Jesus, Paul had to tell them who God was. He had to get their interest, and he did that by talking about this altar to an unknown God. Paul said he could tell who unknown God they worshipped was.
This group of people were very smart. They were intelligent. They were educated but they had never read the Bible. They were biblically illiterate. They knew nothing about the true God, so Paul had to break everything down for them. He did so without quoting one Bible verse.
How did they react to Paul? Paul had a lot of obstacles to overcome. This group did not know who God was. They did not know that there was only one God. They were involved in a false religion. They had never heard of Jesus. They had never read the Bible
They were Greeks, so they rejected the concept of resurrection. The Greeks believed that the body and was and the spirit was good, so they had no desire for their body to be resurrected.
Some thought Paul was crazy. One of the Athenians called him a babbler (Acts 17:18). Some mocked him (Acts 17:32). They weren’t all converted but some were. A number of them were converted (Acts 17:34).
Two are mentioned by name. Luke mentions a man and a woman. The man is Dionysius and the woman is named Damaris. The man was influential. He was a member of the Areopagus.
Early church tradition says that he became a church leader. He became the first bishop of Athens. He became the first pastor. The fourth century church historian Eusebius quotes someone from the second century who said he became the first bishop of Athens.[1]
We don’t have Paul’s entire sermon, just Luke’s brief summary. Paul starts with creation. He tells them about God. Then he tells them about Jesus.
Then, he talks to them about final judgment. That is why they need Jesus. His sermon goes from creation to final judgment. Today, we are going to see what Paul said about final judgment and how we can avoid it.
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
What the Bible say about the final judgment? Different religions teach different things. There is some false teaching on this topic. What does God’s Word say?
Six Truths about Final Judgment
1) This day is coming
Ben Franklin once said, “Nothing is certain, except death and taxes.” Another thing that is certain is judgment.
it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27 ESV)
We all have an appointment. We all have an appointment with death and an appointment with our Creator.
None of us know the date of our death but we all will die one day and God knows when it will be. After we die, there is another thing that is certain: judgment.
It is an unpopular doctrine. Naturalists believe that this life is all there is. They don’t believe in an afterlife. Atheists don’t believe it. Many say that we don’t have to worry about judgment. Everyone goes to heaven, which wouldn’t be heaven if Hitler is there.
Epicureans did not believe in a final judgment. They believed in the “eat, drink and be merry” philosophy. They emphasized pleasure. If it feels good, do it. They believed in living for the present. Don’t worry about eternity.
Skeptics mock the concept of God judging people in the future, but they forget that He already has.
Over four thousand years ago, God judged the world in Noah’s day with WATER. He sent a global food and wiped out the whole planet.
He judged Sodom and Gomorrah with FIRE and burned everyone up. That is a picture of the judgment that is to come.
A final judgment is sure to take place. It is certain. It will happen. Even though it may not look like it is coming, there will be a day of reckoning.
Paul said that God set a day when he will judge the world.” Not only is it coming but God has already set a specific day when it will happen.
2) It will be a day of accountability
God has already set a day when he will JUDGE the world. This is a frightening topic to stand at the end of time before God and be held accountable.
Most of us do not like accountability. We like to be able to do things and not be accountable to anyone. We live in a world in which there is very little accountability.
People do all kinds of things and get away with them. We have people who commit crimes, are arrested and are immediately let back out on the street. When they are not let out, people protest in the streets.
Three Things JudgedThat raises this question. What will we be held accountable for on Judgement Day? That is a great question. We are not going to look at everything but I want to focus on three things that will come into play on judgment day. Three things stand out. 1. Our Faith The first thing we will be held accountable for is our spiritual state, our relationship with God. John 17:3 says, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (NIV). Do we know God? Do we have a personal relationship with Him? That is salvation. Not everyone who goes to church and calls Jesus Lord knows Him personally. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23 NIV) At the Great White Throne Judgment, the Book of Life will be opened. Is your name in it? 2. Our Life We won’t just be judged by our faith but also by our life. There is not only a Book of Life opened but also a Book of Works. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books (Revelation 20:12 NIV) For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14 NIV) Now there are two myths here. MYTH NUMBER ONE is that we are saved by how we live. Salvation is not by works. Most people think that all of our works will one day be weighed on a divine scale. God is going to weigh your good deeds and bad deeds on a scale. If your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds, you get to go to heaven. If not, you go to Hell. Only, the Bible says over and over again that we are not saved by our works. MYTH NUMBER TWO is that it doesn’t matter how we live on earth. We can live any way we want to. The truth is that one day we will be judged by how we lived our life. We will be judged by how we treat people. We will be judged by our works. We are not saved by works but will be judged by works. How have you treated the least of these? How have you treated fellow believers in Christ? One day, we will all have a life review. It will be played by for us to watch. That could be a frightening thought. How would you like to watch a movie of your life? For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.’ (II Corinthians 5:10 NIV). Paul says, “whether good or bad.” It is not just a judgment of bad deeds. The good things that you have done will be remembered and rewarded. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them (Hebrews 6:10 NIV) Small acts of kindness to people that seem minor and no one sees will be rewarded. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” (Matthew 10:42 NIV) 3. Our Motives God is not just going to look at what you have done but why you did it. God is the one who searches the heart. Some people do great things but do them for the wrong reasons. “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:10 NIV) Sometime people judge our motives. I have had people judge my motives but God is the only one who searches the heart. |
3) It will be a judgment of everyone.
All humanity will one day be judged, the small and the great, the rich and the poor, famous people, celebrities and complete nobodies. No one will be exempt.
God commands ALL PEOPLE everywhere to repent because all people will be judged. For he has set a day when he will judge THE WORLD (Acts 17:31 NIV), not just one nation.
It will be a judgment of the living and the dead. I Peter 4:5 says, “They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead” (NIV)
He will judge believers and unbelievers. Paul said, “each of us will give an account of ourselves to God” (Romans 14:12 NIV).
It is not just unbelievers who will be judged. Paul said that WE must ALL stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Paul included himself. He will have to stand before this judgment seat. This will be a judgment of sheep and goats.
If you are saved, this judgment will not determine your eternal destiny. That was already determined at the cross.
Paul said, “Therefore, there is now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NIV) but we will still be judged.
The way for people to prepare is to repent. God commands all people everywhere to REPENT. Why didn’t Paul say that God commands all men everywhere to believe? That would be true.
He is talking to idolaters. They worship false gods. He did not want them to continue to worship their false gods and also believe in Jesus. They also needed to repent to be saved. They needed to turn from their idols and turn to Jesus.
4) It will be a judgment that is fair
Many verdicts in human courts are not fair. Been all kinds of wrongful convictions (people who are innocent who are locked up or executed and people who were acquitted who were guilty
Justice is not always served in court. This judgment will be fair. For he has set a day when he will judge the world WITH JUSTICE. As Abraham said, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” (Genesis 18:25 ESV)
It will be just because God sees everything. He knows everything. He has all of the facts. Sometimes people say the defendant might be guilty but there is not enough evidence to convict. God has all of the evidence.
And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:13 ESV)
5) Jesus will be the Judge
People judged him and put Him on trial. On day, He will judge them and the tables will be turned. Jesus will not just be the judge; He will be the judge of everyone. He will be the judge of the world.
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31 NIV)
Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted ALL JUDGMENT to the Son (John 5:21 NIV)
And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. (Acts 10:42 NIV)
I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom (II Timothy 4:1 NIV)
Jesus will be the judge. Jesus was not only the Creator and Redeemer; He will be the Judge of all humanity. That is proof that Jesus is God. Only God can judge people. It takes someone who is omniscient to be a judge. You have to know all things. Jesus does.
6) The resurrection is the proof
It is authenticated. It is proven and validated by the resurrection. That is how we know that Jesus will be the judge.
Paul says, “He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” If Jesus did not raise from the dead, He would be just an ordinary man. He would not be able to judge anyone.
[1] Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.4.11; 4:23.3.
