Turning the page…
Turning the page…
Glory · Jesus Christ
Both, and neither is half of the truth: the Son of Man is the Judge appointed by the Father, and He is the One who came to seek and save the lost. Judgment is real, and it is His; mercy is His first movement, and it is real. The two meet at the cross, where the Judge took our condemnation so that those who trust Him need not fear the day of judgment.
https://glorystudy.com/questions/is-the-son-of-man-title-judgment-or-mercy · Scripture quoted from the World English Bible
Daniel 7:9-14
As you read: The ancient scene behind everything: the court is seated, the books are opened, and the Son of Man receives the everlasting kingdom.
9I saw until thrones were placed, and one who was ancient of days sat: his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and its wheels burning fire.
10A fiery stream issued and came out from before him: thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
11I saw at that time because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke; I saw even until the animal was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given to be burned with fire.
12As for the rest of the animals, their dominion was taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.
13I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Matthew 25:31-46
As you read: Jesus spells out the judgment: the Son of Man on his throne separates the sheep from the goats.
31“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.
32Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
35for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in.
36I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink?
38When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you?
39When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’
40“The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
41Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels;
42for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink;
43I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44“Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’
45“Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’
46These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Luke 19:1-10
As you read: The same Jesus who is the Judge stops at the tree, invites Himself to dinner, and says He came to seek and save.
1He entered and was passing through Jericho.
2There was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector, and he was rich.
3He was trying to see who Jesus was, and couldn’t because of the crowd, because he was short.
4He ran on ahead, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way.
5When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
6He hurried, came down, and received him joyfully.
7When they saw it, they all murmured, saying, “He has gone in to lodge with a man who is a sinner.”
8Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.”
9Jesus said to him, “Today, salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham.
10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
John 5:19-30
As you read: Judgment is given to the Son; and hearing His word with faith brings eternal life now.
19Jesus therefore answered them, “Most certainly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise.
20For the Father has affection for the Son, and shows him all things that he himself does. He will show him greater works than these, that you may marvel.
21For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he desires.
22For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son,
23that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who doesn’t honor the Son doesn’t honor the Father who sent him.
24“Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
25Most certainly, I tell you, the hour comes, and now is, when the dead will hear the Son of God’s voice; and those who hear will live.
26For as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself.
27He also gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man.
28Don’t marvel at this, for the hour comes, in which all that are in the tombs will hear his voice,
29and will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.
30I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is righteous; because I don’t seek my own will, but the will of my Father who sent me.
John 3:14-18
As you read: The Son of Man is lifted up so that whoever believes in Him should not perish: the judgment and the mercy in one act.
14As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
17For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.
18He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
In Daniel's vision, the Son of Man approaches the Ancient of Days as the court is seated and the books are opened, and to Him is given an everlasting kingdom: the figure of Daniel 7 is a judge receiving a crown. And in the Gospels the same Jesus says the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Judgment and rescue are not two different characters; they are two works of the same Lord.
“A fiery stream issued and came out from before him: thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”Daniel 7:10
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, there came with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”Daniel 7:13-14
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.””Luke 19:10
“For the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.”Matthew 18:11
John is blunt: 'The Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son... because he is a son of man.' Paul preached that God has appointed this man to judge the world in righteousness, and Jesus described that day: the Son of Man on his throne, the nations gathered, the sheep and the goats separated, and the eternal outcome declared. No one will face that judgment but through Him, and no one will miss it.
“For the Father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to the Son,”John 5:22
“He also gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man.”John 5:27
“He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that this is he who is appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead.”Acts 10:42
“because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.””Acts 17:31
““But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”Matthew 25:31-32
“Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;”Matthew 25:34
“Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels;”Matthew 25:41
“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.””Matthew 25:46
Before He ever speaks of the judgment seat, Jesus speaks of being lifted up so that whoever believes in Him will not perish. 'God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.' To the woman caught in sin He said, 'Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.' The mercy is not a door He opens reluctantly; it is why He came.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.”John 3:16-17
“If anyone listens to my sayings, and doesn’t believe, I don’t judge him. For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.”John 12:47
“She said, “No one, Lord.” Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more.””John 8:11
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.””Luke 19:10
In John 3, the mercy and the judgment are one act: the Son of Man is lifted up on the cross, and whoever believes in Him is not condemned, while whoever does not believe stands already condemned. Paul says the record that stood against us was nailed to the cross, taken out of the way. The Judge bore the judgment. The mercy cost Him everything, and the judgment is finished for everyone who trusts Him.
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”John 3:14-15
“For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.”John 3:17-18
“wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us; and he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross;”Colossians 2:14
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”Romans 8:1
The answer Scripture gives is not fear or presumption; it is faith. Jesus said whoever hears His word and believes the Father has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. John adds that love gives us boldness in the day of judgment, because we are in Christ. The same Judge who will one day separate the nations is the Brother who was tempted as we are. Draw near to His throne of grace now, and you will find mercy.
““Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and doesn’t come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”John 5:24
“In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so are we in this world.”1 John 4:17
“For we don’t have a high priest who can’t be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need.”Hebrews 4:15-16
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”Romans 8:1