Judgment Begins At The House of Yahweh
One verse of the Bible which was quoted 50 years ago or more; and much more often than it is today, even though today we are arriving at the time of its fulfillment. This verse is 1 Peter 4:17,
"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begins at us, what shall be the end of them that obey not the gospel of God?"
Strangely enough, this verse is almost always used by the Judeo-Christian ministers today, to threaten their own congregations with judgment and condemnation. This is as though it was the Christian who should be in fear of this judgment. Perhaps this does get more money in the offering that Sunday but, is this a correct use of the word of Yahweh? Let's examine the subject in detail.
America was a Christian nation. It was founded by Christians, who came to this continent when it was an untamed wilderness, peopled by fierce savages. They came here, as their own records tell us, to establish Christian communities where they could worship Yahweh without interference. Even today, although we have allowed the entrance of millions of people who hate our God and everything we hold sacred, yet the great majority of our people are still Christian.
Our people are not completely perfect, people were never sinlessly perfect at any time, that is why there was a need for Yahshua to come and save us by His sacrifice on the cross. His death and resurrection were not in vain. Yahshua has cleansed us of the guilt of our sins, if He had not, then He would have died in vain. Yahweh's purpose can never fail. He has saved us from the judgment for our sins and redeemed us as His children, who had strayed like lost sheep. It isn't the Christians who need to fear the judgment. 1 John 4:17 tells us,
"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world."
It is still true that judgment must begin at the house of Yahweh but we see that it is not judgment upon the Christians. Who then, are to be judged among those who are found in this nation which is the household of Yahweh?
For in the day that judgment comes Christ has told us:
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew
7:22-23) KJV
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41) KJV
Luke tells us:
“But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.” (Luke 13:27) KJV
The Book of Psalms tells the same story, just in different words:
“Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.” (Psalm 6:8)
KJV
“Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God.” (Psalm 119:15) KJV
Those who hate our God, are loud in their denunciation of us for our supposed sins. These supposed sins consist mostly in not helping them to commit their own sins, on a scale as great and profitable as they desire. Should we hang our heads in shame and plead guilty to their accusations? Never! Isaiah 54:17 gives the answer.
"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of Yahweh, and their righteousness is of Me, saith Yahweh."
Yes, our righteousness is of Him. The righteousness which
Yahweh imputed to Christians because Yahshua died and was
resurrected to accomplish this very thing. Therefore, every tongue
that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.
In many places, the Bible tells us that Yahweh's judgment
will fall upon the ungodly. Upon those who hate Him and refuse
His sacrifice made for us upon the cross. One of these many
verses is, 1 Samuel 2:10, "The adversaries of Yahweh shall be
broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them:
Yahweh shall judge the ends of the earth."
There are many more verses to the same effect, those nations
which are not Christian must face the final accounting for their
wickedness. This is because they have refused to accept the
salvation offered them by Yahshua. What can possibly remain
except the judgment of complete justice? What a heavy penalty
complete justice will require for their many centuries of
continuous wickedness!
Then why are we told that judgment must begin at the house
of Yahweh? There is time enough to get the other nations in their
own turn, meanwhile let them stew in their own juice. The
household of Yahweh, His people the Anglo Saxon,
Scandinavian, Germans, all Israelites, must be cleansed at the
beginning of this period of judgment which we see already
coming over the horizon. We must be made ready to receive
Him. Since the Christians are not the people against whom the
judgment is coming, then why does it begin with our own nation?
It begins here precisely because we have allowed those who
hate our God to come here and live among us in great
numbers. They ceaselessly attack every mention of the name of
Yahshua.
They constantly strive to prohibit all mention of His name in
the schools, in any public place or in governmental
proceedings. They even want to remove those who fight against
Yahweh in his own household.
No nation can be righteous with such people in its midst.
Consequently, the judgment must begin in this nation in order to
remove those who fight against Yahweh in His own household.
Psalm 1:5 tells us, "Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in
the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous. Note this is completely different from the judgment
upon the other nation. Those nations who reject Yahweh and all
His commandments, could never be called the congregation of
the righteous. This speaks of a judgment which falls upon those
who are sinners while they are among the congregation of the
righteous.
Obviously, they couldn't be part of the congregation of the
righteous, for then they would not be sinners. They are found
among the congregation of the righteous, as an inassimilable,
forever alien element among them. Having rejected Yahshua,
they must therefore face the judgment they have earned. Yahshua
tells us in John 12:48, "He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not
My words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have
spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."
It should not be hard to identify those who must be removed
by this judgment. Yahshua, as well as many of the prophets, tells
that their rejection of Him leaves them no escape from
judgment. Isaiah 3:9 completes the identification. It is very
appropriate that this should come in verse nine, as nine is the
number always associated with judgment in the Bible. This verse
points out, "The show of their countenance doth witness against
them: and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hid it not. Woe
unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves."
Today our nation is flooded with corrupting
influences. Salacious movies and books, a false psychology taught
in many of our schools, which undermines the confidence of the
youth in their own parents. This list grows longer with liquor
dealers who grow rich selling whiskey to youths. There is a well
financed campaign to break down all moral standards in the
coming generation. Then there is politics, wherein nothing counts
but winning public office, no matter what kind or degree of
corruption is needed to win. There is merchandise sold by
advertising, which cleverly contrives to mislead the buyer to
expect better quality than he receives.
Surely none of this could have come from truly Christian
sources, it is the antitheses of Christianity. Yet we find it here,
wealthy, powerful, numerous and utterly corrupt. It is the work
and congregation of the righteous. This element must be removed
before we can be ready to enter into the kingdom of Yahweh as
the congregation of the righteous, the household of Yahweh. It is
upon these aliens that the judgment falls, not upon us. It is this
very process which Yahshua was describing to us in the parable of
the tares among the wheat. This is recorded in Matthew 13:24‑30,
36‑43, where Yahshua told us of the tares growing among the
wheat, but being no part of it. The tares were the children of the
devil. Yahshua also identified them in John chapter 9, living
among Yahweh's own children, who must be weeded out to be
burned in the fires of judgment.
When this is completed, we shall have a glorious nation
which is truly fit to be the kingdom of Yahweh, the congregation
of the righteous, with nothing remaining that can tarnish our
glory. Yahshua concludes His explanation of the parable of the
tares among the wheat, with the statement that as soon as the
tares are removed, "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the
sun in the kingdom of their Father."
The time of judgment is at hand. The tares themselves are
publicly declaring their fear of the national resentment rising
against them. They bitterly attack every attempt to reinstate the
moral and political values of the day when this nation was
morally great. They attack all this as a movement of the extreme
right. Be glad that you are extremely right, for only thus can you
be in the company of Yahweh. Let judgment begin at the house
of Yahweh as quickly as possible, so that we can be cleansed and
made ready to receive our God, Yahweh! (Taken, in part, from a study entitled “Judgment Begins At The House of Yahweh,” by Bertrand L. Comparet)