The Living and the Dead

“And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.”  Acts 10:42

This is the climax of the first Christian sermon to the Gentiles delivered by Peter in the house of the Roman centurion, Cornelius. Peter emphasized the truth that Jesus was not just the promised Messiah of Israel, but that “He is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36), and that it is He alone Who will judge the “living and the dead.”

This striking phrase occurs only three times in the Bible, each time denoting that Christ is Judge of all men. Paul wrote to Timothy as follows: “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:1-2). Peter wrote concerning the gross Gentile sins from which his readers had been delivered: “they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead” (1 Peter 4:5).
   
When Christ returns “the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thess. 4:16), and then all believers including those still alive in the flesh at His coming, “must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Cor. 5:10). This will be the judgment of the “living.” All the saved are alive in Christ at “the resurrection of life.”

But He must also judge the dead - that is, those who are “dead in your trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1) at the “resurrection of judgment” (John 5:29), “For...the Father...has given all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22). “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne... and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds....This is the second death” (Rev. 20:12-14).