# NEED Commentary on WCF Ch. 33 - Of the Last Judgment



## CDM (Jul 31, 2006)

I have had several people in recent days, including family, ask me about this portion of the WCF. Some say the elect will answer for nothing as we will be seen (by God) wearing the righteousness of Christ. Others believe this judgment is where ALL (including the elect) are rewarded for their toils and obedience (or lack thereof). the reprobate are banished to hell while the saints will be rewarded according to their works and their sins will not be remembered.

The WCF, Ch. 33, _Of the Last Judgment_ reads:



> I. God has appointed a day, wherein He will judge the world, in righteousness, by Jesus Christ, to whom all power and judgment is given of the Father. In which day, not only the apostate angels shall be judged, but likewise all persons that have lived upon earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ, to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds; and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.
> 
> II. The end of God's appointing this day is for the manifestation of the glory of His mercy, in the eternal salvation of the elect; and of His justice, in the damnation of the reprobate, who are wicked and disobedient. For then shall the righteous go into everlasting life, and receive that fullness of joy and refreshing, which shall come from the presence of the Lord; but the wicked who know not God, and obey not the Gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be cast into eternal torments, and be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.
> 
> III. As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment, both to deter all men from sin; and for the greater consolation of the godly in their adversity: so will He have that day unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come; and may be ever prepared to say, Come Lord Jesus, come quickly, Amen.



Thoughts?


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## NaphtaliPress (Jul 31, 2006)

Here is Shaw's commentary.


> Chapter XXXIII. Of the Last Judgment
> 
> Section I."”God hath appointed a day, wherein he will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ, to whom all power and judgment is given of the Father. In which day, not only the apostate angels shall be judged; but likewise all persons, that have lived upon earth, shall appear before the tribunal of Christ, to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds; and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.
> 
> ...


Reformed.org has their pages messed up and they are not friendly to direct linking for some reason.


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## SRoper (Jul 31, 2006)

I was just going to ask a very similar question. If you don't mind I'll piggyback on your post. Is believing that the saints will not be before the great white throne of judgment compatable with WCF 33? If not, is a PCA elder allowed to take exception to this?


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## tcalbrecht (Jul 31, 2006)

> _Originally posted by SRoper_
> I was just going to ask a very similar question. If you don't mind I'll piggyback on your post. Is believing that the saints will not be before the great white throne of judgment compatable with WCF 33? If not, is a PCA elder allowed to take exception to this?



I would think the answer would depend upon whether such a positions strikes at the vitals of religion, in this case does it strike at the nature of Christ as "Judge of the world" and the fact that He "shall return, to judge men and angels, at the end of the world" (WCF 8:1,4)?

Does this question have to do with some semi-dispensational view of "bema seat" judgment vs. great white throne judgment?


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## CDM (Jul 31, 2006)

> _Originally posted by NaphtaliPress_
> Here is Shaw's commentary. [...]



I have Shaw's. Any others?



> _Originally posted by SRoper_
> I was just going to ask a very similar question. If you don't mind I'll piggyback on your post. Is believing that the saints will not be beforee the great white throne of judgment compatible with WCF 33? If not, is a PCA elder allowed to take exception to this?



It was my understanding the elect won't be before the Great White throne judgment as that will condemn the world. But believers will appear before the "bema seat" judgment. Do some say this is one in the same?

I know there is more commentary out there (hint to the PB's favorite Huguenot historian/researcher par excellence *cough* of the South *cough).

Is it correct to say that believers will have to give an account ("bema seat") for all they did in regard to rewards in heaven and the wicked will appear beforee judgment (White Throne) to be eternally condemned?


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## NaphtaliPress (Jul 31, 2006)

Chris, Do you have GI Williamson's commentary on the WCF? I also have David Dickson's. However I would have to scan both and no time for that now. Perhaps Matthew Winzer, who published the Dickson, can provide that text easily enough?


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## tcalbrecht (Jul 31, 2006)

> _Originally posted by mangum_
> It was my understanding the elect won't be before the Great White throne judgment as that will condemn the world. But believers will appear before the "bema seat" judgment. Do some say this is one in the same?
> 
> ...
> ...



I don't think so.



> 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 *And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.* (Rev. 20)



If only the unrighteous appear at the judgment described in Rev. 20, then that last statement and the references to the Book of Life seem a bit out of place.



> 31 "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. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. (Matt. 25)



I can't think of a good reason to separate the judgment of Matt. 25 from the one described in Rev. 20. Such a view seems to create more confusion.

Each man is ultimately judged according to his works. The unrigheous must stand before Christ on their own merit. The righteous stand on Christ's merit, and their good works are a gift from the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:8-10). When the Judge sees the Christian He sees the righteousness of Christ, and the good works that He has bestowed to those who trust in Him.



> Notwithstanding, the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him; not as though they were in this life wholly unblamable and unreprovable in God's sight; but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections. (WCF 16:6)


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## VirginiaHuguenot (Jul 31, 2006)

> _Originally posted by mangum_
> I have Shaw's. Any others?



Besides Shaw, Dickson and G.I. Williamson, there are also commentaries/study guides on the WCF by A.A. Hodge, Gordon Clark, Rowland Ward, Joseph Pipa, Wayne Spear, and Edward Morris, to name a few.


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## MW (Jul 31, 2006)

All judgment has been committed to the Son. There is only one judgment, and that before the tribunal of Christ. Consider Matt. 25, the sheep and the goats. In Vol. 10 of Thomas Manton's Works there is a series of sermons on this passage which I highly recommend.


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## Pilgrim (Aug 1, 2006)

> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> 
> 
> > _Originally posted by mangum_
> ...



This question is not addressed specifically in Clark's _What Do Presbyterians Believe?_. Most of the discussion on Chapter 33 consists of a survey of millenial views, as well as noting that secularists cannot understand history. 

Clark's commentary grew out of articles that were originally published in the _Southern Presbyterian Journal_ and he did not consider it to be a formal commentary. I haven't finished reading it yet, but it appears to be a useful book for study classes and discussion groups, which is the intended audience. 

[Edited on 8-1-2006 by Pilgrim]


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