The Concept of Judgment according to Rev 11:15-18
The Concept of Judgment according to Rev 11:15-18

Summary/Abstract: The presented paper analyzes the text of Rev 11:15-18. The analysis showedthat the divine judgment depicted in the discussed text has two dimensions. First, it isthe reward for the faithful which is defined as “giving reward” (dounai ton misthon).This reward is being given to the faithful (designed as douloi, phoboumenoi to onoma,prophetai, hagioi). The other aspect of the judgment is a negative one. The act of punishmentis expressed by the verbs krino and diaphtheiro. The people being judged andpunished are defined as nekroi and diaphtheriontes ten gen. The term nekroi, in theauthor’s opinion, is to be understood in a spiritual meaning. The sentence pronouncedon the culprits is a typical example of retributive justice. Because the term nekroi is tobe understood spiritually (i.e., the matter is “the spiritually dead”) one cannot see inRev 11:15-18 a direct announcement of the last judgment. The analysis of the followingcontext shows that the beginning of the last judgment is performed by means of eventsdepicted in Rev 12. The main criterion of affiliation regarding one of the two groups (therewarded or the punished) is the attitude towards the Messiah presented in Rev 12:5. Itdoes not mean that there is no relationship between the judgment having been alreadyexecuted and the last judgment. The verdict pronounced by the last one will be a logicalconsequence of what takes place now.

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