eschatology – The Two Cities

The Final Judgment of Believers in Christ: When does it happen? What is the point?

Mar 17, 2025

Photo credit: “the Last Judgment” by oriana.italy is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0. A review of the scholarly literature reveals a surprising variety of views on when Christians and non-Christians are judged and why. Some, such as Professor Robert Wilkin, argue that “believers and unbelievers will appear at separate judgments.” The Role of Works at the Final Judgment, Contributors Robert N. Wilkin, Thomas R. Schreiner, James D.G. Dunn and Michaael P. Barber, Zondervan, General Editor Alan P....

Judgment Seat of Christ Revisited Once Again: Is This The Icing On The cake?

Mar 10, 2025

Photo Credit: “Lefkadia The Judgment Tomb – VI (37242295582)” by Egisto Sani from Italy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Those readers who have followed my series of posts on this blog know that my rendering of the Judgment Seat of Christ passage from 2 Cor. 5:10 is at odds with the conventional view. My reading would go something like this: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may...

If God Loves Judgment, Shouldn’t We Love It Too?

Feb 17, 2025

Photo Credits: “Michelangelo – The Last Judgment, Sistine Chapel, The Vatican” by Randy OHC is licensed under CC BY 2.0. This short article examines two verses from the Psalms and traces their English translations over the centuries. The point is not to quibble with the various translations. All the renderings of these passages quoted in this article are defensible and equally valid from a linguistic perspective. The focus here, however, is to show a trend in the translations,...

A Brief Explanation Why Believers’ Behavior, No Matter How Sinful, Plays No Role In Determining Their Eternal Destiny, Which Is Eternal Salvation, But Why It Is Still A Very Good Idea To Obey Christ’s Commands

Jan 14, 2025

Photo Credit: “[Mother and children reading bible]” by Library of Congress is marked with CC0 1.0. A review of the scholarly literature reveals that most scholars believe that one’s earthly conduct, that is, one’s deeds while one is here on earth, to some extent play a role in determining whether or not one is saved for all eternity. For instance, in one of the leading scholarly texts on the subject, Four Views on the Role of...

Judgment Seat of Christ—In Rebuttal

Dec 30, 2024

Photo Credit: “Court Gavel – Judge’s Gavel – Courtroom” by weiss_paarz_photos is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. I have received various well-meaning criticisms and objections to the series of articles that I have posted on this blog regarding the correct translation of 2 Cor. 5:10, a passage generally referred to as the Judgment Seat of Christ. To refresh your memories, the text, with special attention to the subordinate clause, reads in Greek as follows (shared text of UBS5...

The Final Judgment: Should Believers Be Concerned?

Dec 20, 2024

Photo Credit: “Anxiety” by Micheal Saisi is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. I have recently come across an interesting article in the form of a research paper submitted for course requirements at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2022 entitled simply The Final Judgment. The article was written by Jeffrey Perry and can be found at the following link: https://www.academia.edu/81015839/The_Final_Judgement?email_work_card=view-paper. Mr. Perry states the premise for this short article in the first paragraph, which is quoted here in full:...

The Eschatologies of 1–2 Thessalonians with Dr. Sydney Tooth (Podcast)

Nov 27, 2024

In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Sydney Tooth, who is Director of Postgraduate Studies & Lecturer in New Testament and Greek at Oak Hill College in the UK, a beloved co-host of this here Two Cities podcast, and the author of the book that we’re excited to discuss in this episode, Suddenness and Signs: The Eschatologies of 1 and 2 Thessalonians (published by Mohr Siebeck). Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Tooth talks...

The Bottom Line: What does a correct understanding of 2 Cor. 5:10 mean for each of us in particular, and for the spread of the Good News of the Gospel generally?

Nov 22, 2024

Psalm 143:10 (ESV): Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground! Has the Gospel message over the years been delivered on smooth and level ground? In other words, has the message been simple, understandable, and direct? I would suggest that it has become overly complicated and jumbled, full of unnecessary twists and turns and rough spots. For example, we have raging debates on the role of works in salvation, speculation about what happens between when...

A Suggestion for Future Commentators on 2 Corinthians

Nov 11, 2024

Photo credit: “inside the library (1)” by Joelk75 is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Some scholars currently working on new commentaries to 2 Corinthians and others updating older ones have expressed some interest in the series of articles I have posted on this blog concerning the proper translation of 2 Cor. 5:10, namely the subordinate clause. Since the grammar of this passage has never been rigorously examined by any commentator as far as I know, and only touched...

Beyond the Current Confusion toward a Coherent and Scripturally Sound View of the Final Judgment

Oct 21, 2024

This note contends that telescoping all final judgment of both believers and non-believers alike before one final apocalyptic tribunal at the end of the age following Christ’s return has yielded a number of unfortunate consequences, which include: (1) creating an unnecessary tension between the doctrines of judgment according to works and salvation by faith; (2) scripturally fabricating the need for some form of a completely unnecessary Intermediate State following one’s physical death; (3) minimizing and...