First Epistle of Peter
GIVE AN ACCOUNT
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 4:5 (KJV)
"Who shall give account"
The word "who" refers back to those who speak evil of the Christian or in other words, unsaved sinners. They will have to give an account to God for every word they say. They will have to answer for everything they have ever said about or done to a Christian. This provides a consolation to the Christian which should eliminate any desire for vengeance, because the judging of our persecutors is safely left to the Lord.
It is well to remember that even the Christian shall give an account to Him. We should be careful of our every word and deed. All will come up for review when standing at the judgment seat of Christ.
"that is ready to judge"
The Day of Judgment will come all too soon for so many. What a time it will be for all of us when we all stand face to face with the Lord Jesus. So many despised Him, ridiculed Him, rejected Him; they spat in His face and now He is sitting on the bench as their judge. What a day that will be!
At His coming, He will judge the quick (living). This will be a terrible experience for many. "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond-man, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb, for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Rev. 6:15-17).
"judge...the dead"
The dead shall be judged, too. The saved dead will also be brought before the judgment seat of Christ to receive their heavenly rewards. The wicked dead shall be brought before the great white throne (Rev. 20:11-15). We read of the dead being called up from the grave and the sea. Not one will escape standing before Him on that great day.
Have you ever wondered about the necessity of the great white throne judgment? There are millions of wicked dead awaiting judgment who are now suffering. They are guilty and are already receiving just retribution for their sins. Yet, when resurrected, they will stand before the Lord to be judged once for all eternity. It seems like God will not leave a stone unturned to prove conclusively that everyone who is lost is righteously confined there. He has promised all a truly fair judgment where all will be revealed. In other words, God has promised to tell us in complete detail, why we will spend our eternity in heaven or hell.
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 4:6 (KJV)
Admittedly, this is a difficult verse. Some have used it as further proof that the wicked dead are given a second chance. But there is nothing in the verse that actually teaches this concept.
"For this cause"
This expression obviously refers back to verse 5. Why was the gospel preached to the dead? Because God was ready to judge the living and the dead, and all, even the wicked of verse 4, would have to give an account to God. Because they were soon to stand in the judgment, they were to have the gospel preached to them. That it has something to do with the judgment of the dead is very evident from the statement, "that they might be judged".
"the gospel preached also to them"
That the gospel was preached to them does not necessarily mean that they would have an opportunity of getting out of torment. First, what is this gospel? It is the story of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We do not question that this story was heralded in heaven and hell. Certainly, Christ would have the right as well as the power to do so if He desired. One may ask, "Why should He want to do this?" Though He is not answerable to us, still, the verse reveals that it has something to do with the judgment.
We believe that in the final analysis every soul that ever lived will be judged by the cross of Christ. No matter whether they lived in Noah's time or Christ's time or our time, everyone will have their judgment explained to them in the light of the cross of Christ.
Again, as explained in connection with verse 19 of Chapter 3, this does not mean that any confined to torment now will ever be released and taken to heaven. As the rich man in torment was not released because Abraham talked with him, neither will those wicked in torment be released because they have heard the story of the cross.
"also to them that are dead"
Some have understood this verse to mean that the gospel was preached to those that are now dead, as though the gospel was preached to them before they died. Some think that the right interpretation is that these referred to were not the wicked dead, but those who were saved. But, in light of its context, our conclusion is that they had the gospel preached to them after death. That the Lord may have also preached to the saved dead is certainly possible, however, the context infers principally the unsaved.
This seems to be a broadening of the thought revealed in verse 19 of Chapter 3. We do not believe Peter is speaking of one thing there and something different in this verse. It would be strange that two verses so similar and close together should mean entirely different things. No, both verses indicate that the message of the cross was actually heralded to those that were physically dead. The preceding verse (1 Pet. 4:5) speaks of judging the dead. No one questions that it refers to those who were actually dead. Is not our verse a continuation of the same subject – preaching unto and judging those actually dead?
From the context, the primary thought is evidently the unsaved dead. Read verses 3 to 6 all together and one cannot help but accept this to be true. Verse 3 speaks of the sins of the Gentiles; verse 4 of these Gentiles speaking evil of the converted ones. Obviously, the word "who" of verse 5 refers to those same Gentiles. They were the ones who were to give an account unto God, who is ready to judge the living and the dead. It is hard to believe that now in verse 6 the subject suddenly changes entirely to the saved, especially when we see how closely our verse is linked with these other verses. Verse 6 may include the saved, but certainly does not exclude the unsaved.
"that they may be judged according to men in the flesh"
These wicked dead are now living in their spirits in hell. They have been righteously confined there. A policeman here on earth may unrighteously arrest a victim, keeping him in jail several days before his trial. Then after a lengthy trial the judge may liberate him, declaring him innocent. But God, who can put one in hell, never makes a mistake. No one is confined there who does not deserve it. He is confined now in the spirit, but not unjustly confined.
Their full judgment will not come until the great judgment day. They live now in the spirit, but according to God's will. Though they now live in the spirit, they will still be brought to that final great judgment before God. In other words, after that great judgment day they will "live according to (the word of) God, in the spirit". This last expression may be meant for the saved dead rather than the unsaved.
God will not leave a stone unturned to prove that His condemnation of the wicked is in every way just. So at the time when wicked ones are brought to judgment, they case will be given a complete hearing. They will be "judged according to men in the flesh". On no other grounds can we account for the necessity of the great white throne judgment.
