He loves righteousness and hates wickedness.
The contemporary scene is marked by injustice and oppression. Crime abounds on every inhabited continent. The suffering masses cry out for someone to punish the guilty, protect the weak, and liberate the oppressed. Corruption in the judiciaries of the world only adds to the pain that iniquity causes all over this troubled globe. Worse than its effects on humans, however, sin offends the holy Creator and mars His planet. Thankfully, the Word assures us that, “He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). The Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect judge and possesses all of the qualities that one desires in a jurist. Only He can effectively put down evil and exalt righteousness.
The qualities of the Man on the bench
Abraham correctly grasped a central facet of good legal practice in these words: “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25) Truly, a good judge must act righteously. Psalm 45:6-7 affirms that the Messiah meets this requirement: “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: The scepter of Thy kingdom is a right scepter. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: Therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows” (Hebrews 1:8-9 confirms that these verses refer to Christ.) This passage also shows that He abhors wickedness. He hates what He should and He loves what He ought.
In addition to righteousness, one who presides over legal proceedings should possess an expert knowledge of the law. Once again, the Lord Jesus meets this criterion through His status as Lawgiver (Gen. 49:10; Isa. 33:22; Jas. 4:12). Christ referred to His close connection with the Law in His ministry, saying that He had come to fulfill the Law rather than destroy it (Mt. 5:17). Of course, He was referring to the books of the Torah, commonly called “the Law” by the Jews. He fulfilled the types, symbols, and prophecies in the Old Testament Scriptures. Moreover, He fulfilled its righteous demands, for He never sinned and always did God’s will (1 Pet. 2:22; Jn. 8:29). Finally, He died and rose again in order to enable believers to walk in the Spirit, thereby fulfilling the Law’s righteous requirement (Rom. 8:3-4, JND).
The perfect knowledge of the Judge
Human corruption or ignorance in legal proceedings sometimes leads to the guilty going free or the innocent being wrongly convicted. The Lord Jesus possesses several characteristics that ensure this will not happen at the tribunals over which He shall preside, including the Bema, His Millennial reign, and the Great White Throne Judgment. First, He is omniscient—no facts pertinent to the case will be overlooked. One can see this attribute on display in His letters to the seven Asian churches in Revelation 2-3. “I know” is the repeated phrase from the risen Christ’s lips (e.g. Rev. 2:2, 9; 13; 3:1, 8, etc.). He is perfectly familiar with each of their situations, including their inner thoughts and spiritual condition. His judgment proceeds from complete knowledge. In keeping with this quality, His tribunal will one day “judge the secrets of men” (Rom. 2:16). 1 Corinthians 4:5 puts it this way: “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.” In short, the all-wise Judge knows the facts and will unfailingly execute justice accordingly.
Justice is sometimes perverted by greedy members of the judiciary. There is no fear of this occurring with Christ, for He is impartial and incorruptible. He never lies—indeed, He is the truth (Jn. 14:6)! Nor is Christ moved by men’s personalities or social status, for He is “no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34; 1 Pet. 1:17). He cannot be bribed because He owns everything (Ps. 24:1; 50:12). When Satan offered Him the kingdoms of this world without having to go to the cross, the Lord flatly refused (Mt. 4:10). He is content to wait for the day when this world’s kingdoms will become His by divine inheritance (Heb. 1:2; Rev. 11:15).
The limits of human justice
Man’s courts are often frustrated by their inability to enforce their decisions. For example, criminals are sometimes tried in absentia, found guilty, and given specific sentences. Since the court is powerless in these cases to apprehend the missing defendant, they are reduced to lamely handing down verdicts without the ability to enforce them. Being omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, the Lord is under no such constraints, and will never allow the guilty to escape judgment. He knows where people are, and He can apprehend them wherever they might hide. When He arises to judge the earth, He will be inescapable. Revelation 6:15-17 graphically depicts this awe-inspiring scene: “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’”
Because Christ bore the believer’s penalty on the cross, He saves him from the wrath to come (1 Thes. 1:10). As the Scriptures say: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). He was unjustly judged by sinful men; they violated Jewish and Roman laws in their duplicitous show trials. Peter notes the Lord’s meek response to their unjust treatment of Him, saying, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth: who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously” (1 Pet. 2:22-23). In contrast, He will treat everyone fairly in accordance with God’s righteousness. Those whom He has justified will enjoy eternal life, and those who remain in their sin He will condemn.
Obviously, the Father selected the perfect candidate to bring justice to this devastated planet. His chosen Judge is faithful and will not cease His work until evil is put down and God is exalted over all (1 Cor. 15:25-28). He intends for mankind to honor the Son with the same respect that they render to the Father (Jn. 5:22-23). Thus, He appointed Christ to judge the earth. Today, men despise and dishonor the blessed Lord. All too often, He is viewed as a nonentity in both world and personal affairs. When He judges, however, “every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and…every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Php. 2:10-11, NASB). Jesus will unmistakably be Lord and Christ in the new heavens and new earth.