Life Given, Life Taken

Q: In the final judgment, will God take the life of the wicked by force?

A: I suppose you are interested in God’s fairness or justice when the destruction of the wicked and the evil forces occurs. In the context of the cosmic conflict, this is an important concern because it determines whether the conflict will come to its resolution. A brief review of the judgment could be useful in answering your question.

A Crime Committed: Any crime alters the social order of any society and would require the use of a legal process to reestablish it. One can only imagine the magnitude of the impact of the crime committed by a cherub that rebelled against the government of God (Isa. 14:12-14). It certainly impacted every one of God’s creatures across the whole cosmos. Restoring the original order established by God at creation would be an immense challenge that would require the use of an infallible legal system, one that reveals in an absolute and unquestionable form the truth of what happened. It should be powerful enough to bring the conflict to an end in a righteous and loving manner.

The divine intention is to restore cosmic peace and order through the final verdict.

Investigation and Analysis: After an evil action is committed, the evidence supporting the accusation has to be gathered, investigated, and analyzed (e.g., Gen. 3:8-13; Hosea 4:1, 2). The investigation attempts to show that the accusation is valid and that, in the search for justice and the restoration of peace, someone should be charged for the crime; the culprit must be clearly identified. The Bible emphasizes this aspect of the judicial proceedings by referring to heavenly books containing the deeds of human beings (Dan. 7:9, 10; Rev. 20:12) and by stressing that in the divine tribunal humans will be judged by those deeds (Matt. 12:36, 37; Rev. 20:13). It is an intensive cosmic search and analysis that will demonstrate that those charged with the crime are indeed guilty. This investigation and analysis is done in the presence of heavenly beings, who, as witnesses, are allowed to look at the judicial proceedings under the personal direction of God and His Son (Dan 7:9, 10, 13; John 5:22). The investigation and the analysis of the evidence will be so thorough that all of God’s loyal creatures would acknowledge the integrity of the process and the reliability of God’s justice.

Verdict: Once the evidence is investigated and analyzed, the divine tribunal will pronounce a final verdict—guilty or not guilty. There are two components related to this aspect of the final judgment of the wicked that I would like to mention. First, the verdict is not negotiable. There is not a cosmic court of appeal for the wicked. It is to be enforced, no matter what, during the executive judgment (Rev. 20:9). Yes, God—the giver of life—will bring their lives to an end. Second, the divine intention is to restore cosmic peace and order through the final verdict. It is at this point in the judicial proceedings that the figure of Christ and His infinite sacrifice rises above the immense crowd of the wicked and appears to them as the Lamb that was slain (Rev. 14:10). He is God’s Faithful Witness, who unfurls before them the cross as unquestionable evidence of God’s infinite love and justice. Nothing else is needed to persuade the wicked and the forces of evil that God is—and has always been—a God of love and justice (Phil. 2:10, 11; Rev. 5:11-13), and that they deserve to die. God will then take their lives as fire descends from Him and consumes them (Rev. 20:9). At this junction in cosmic history the conflict will be peacefully over.