High Temps in the Holy Temple: Judgment Begins At God's House

Right now, the current crisis on the temple mount in Jerusalem is heating up and reaching another breaking point. The city at the center of the world (Ezek. 5:5) is in the middle of global conflict once again. Yet, for those of us who know and believe the Bible, are we the least bit surprised?

Whether it's Jerusalem, Shanghai, or Damascus, the world at large has no shortage of crises or impending crises. Most assuredly, the term crisis can be seen almost daily in the headlines and breaking news stories. In our day this word has come to mean some sort of critical situation or impending calamity such as the current economic crisis, financial crisis, or the crisis in Ukraine, etc.

However, when we study the etymology of the term, we discover that the root word has a deeper, theological significance. The English word crisis is a transliteration of the Greek word krisis (Strong's 2920), which is popularly translated as "judgment." The related verbal form, krino (Strong's 2919), means "to separate, distinguish, come to a decision by making a judgment either in favor of or against." And similarly, there is yet another form of the word, krima (Strong's 2917), which is found in 1 Peter 4:17:

Because it is the time of the judgment (krima) to have begun from the house of God, and if first from us, what [is] the end of those disobedient to the good news of God? (LSV).

As discussed in this week's 1 Peter study, the verse above is provided in Peter's letter to encourage God's pilgrim-priests to endure "trials of fire" (1 Pet. 4:12) and "share in the sufferings of Christ" (1 Pet. 4:13) while also avoiding the kind of suffering that comes from hypocritical, ungodly behavior (1 Pet. 4:15).

And if the righteous [in Christ] are saved with difficulty—which means, our sanctification ain't exactly a walk in the park based on the "fiery trials"—then imagine the outcome for those who disobey the gospel of God's grace and salvation through Christ (1 Pet. 4:18)!

Aside from encouraging believers to persevere in temporary suffering and trials, 1 Pet. 4:17 also has other doctrinal implications. Again, the apostle says, "...the time of judgment has begun from the house of God...first from us..." The key term here is proton, meaning: "first, in the first place, before, etc."

Now look at how the last book of the Bible mentions the judgment of the seven churches (God's house) first:

Write the things that you have seen, and the things that are, and the things that are about to come after these things; the secret of the seven stars that you have seen on My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are messengers of the seven assemblies, and the seven lampstands that you have seen are seven assemblies (Rev. 1:19–20, LSV).

Revelation chapters 2–3 are a detailed explanation of judgments rendered by Christ—both good and bad—to the seven churches. Therefore, just as Peter says, judgment begins at the house of God.

Next, in chapter 4, we are shown a glimpse of the throne room of heaven with brand new residents—the glorified Church. The judgment of the righteous [in Christ] has been accomplished: The elders are sitting on thrones, wearing white garments, and casting golden crowns—all rewards promised by Jesus in the previous two chapters. Note: This is not the first time in Scripture where elders have been judged first:

Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.' So they began with the elders who were before the house (Ezek. 9:6, ESV).

Peter draws from this Old Testament text in 1 Pet. 4:17 as he affirms the biblical principle that judgment first begins at God's house. Specifically, it begins with the elders (whether in favor of or against). In short, the same typology from Ezekiel 9 applies to the Church as it once did for Israel. The 24 elders shown in the inner sanctuary of heaven have been spared God's wrath and escaped the fiery Trial (with a capital "T" - Rev. 3:10). They do not experience the consuming fire of God during the Tribulation, because their sins were judged at the cross by means of the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 5:6–10). Moreover, their judgment is not condemnation, but commendation; it's a final decision of reward (a.k.a. the "bema seat" - Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10).

Also, take a look at two more "Pre-Trib" verses in addition to 1 Pet. 4:17 with the word proton ("first"):

Simeon [Peter] has related how God first [proton] visited to take out of the Gentiles a people for His name (Acts 15:14, Berean Literal).

And:

Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, because if the departure may not come first [proton], the man of lawlessness may [not] be revealed—the son of destruction (2 Thess. 2:3, LSV).

Finally, regarding judgment beginning at God's house (or temple), Peter also has in mind another Old Testament text: Malachi 3 and 4. Several verses in the last chapter of Malachi reveal that Jesus comes to His spiritual temple first before He judges Israel in the Day of the Lord (Mal. 3:1–4; 16–18; 4:1–3).

For an in-depth look at the Pre-Trib implications of Malachi 3 and 4, please see the Unsealed article: Here Comes the Son.

For an in-depth look at the Pre-Trib implications of the "judged" and glorified Church in Revelation 4–5, please see the Unsealed article: Who are the 24 Elders?

Download the study notes here

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