Psalms 50:22

TO THE WICKED

"Now consider this, ye that forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver:"

TO MY PEOPLE

"Whoso offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifieth me.

And to him that ordereth his way aright

Will I show the salvation of God."

The two words that dominate this psalm are here placed above the two divisions of humanity who will be before God in the Final Judgment. "My people" (Psalms 50:7) and "The Wicked" (Psalms 50:16) are used here in the reverse order of their appearance in the psalm. These two verses have the advantage of further clarifying the question of who will participate in the Final Judgment. Psalms 50:22 speaks of the lost; and Psalms 50:23 speaks of the saved.

THE DOCTRINE OF THE JUDGMENT

One of the six fundamental doctrines of the Christian religions is that of the `eternal judgment' (Hebrews 6:2); and it is a mark of the apostasy of our current age that preachers of God's word seldom mention it; and there are congregations of allegedly Christian people all over the nation who have not heard a sermon on "The Eternal Judgment" in years.

The Judgment is necessary: (1) because without it, there would be countless instances in which the wicked would have the better of things; (2) the moral government of God requires it; (3) the total destruction of Satan will at that time be accomplished; (4) the rebellion of the human race against God must be terminated, and that will be accomplished only upon the occasion of the Final Judgment; (5) only in the Judgment shall the saints of God receive their reward in heaven; and (6) only then will the wickedness of mankind find its just punishment. The Final Judgment is the occasion when God will rise in righteous wrath and cast evil out of his universe. There is no motivation for righteous living quite so powerful and effective as careful attention to what the word of God reveals concerning the Judgment of the Great Day.