Do We Have the Right to Judge Whether Someone Is in Heaven or Hell?

 Transcribed by AI

Radio Voice of the Life of God. Our Lord, how great is Your name, we see Your power upon the earth. Let us give thanks for Your name, Your glory in the heavens. Yes, like this, it can change in ten years, it can change in fifteen years. Then it says, "Oh, the judge who has no faith, oh, the one who has mercy and compassion, the God who is just, does not have more mercy and compassion than Him." Yes, there are strict judges, and this person says no more, became quiet and judged unjustly. Yes, oh dear, really we humans often judge in place of the Lord. I remember my father telling a story about someone who had died in our area. I didn’t even understand who they were, what they did, or what they didn’t do, but they had died. Yes, even people, the local community or the mosque leader would say, "I will not lead the funeral prayer." Yes, because I didn’t remember correctly; in God's view, there was no share for that one. It was a certain type, meaning they were in hell, and for that reason, I do not want to lead the funeral prayer because if I do, I would share in their sin. We humans have no right to judge except for God. Yes, but people judge in some gatherings when someone passes away. We would go, we would see with our own eyes, we would hear with our own ears that in a place where there should be true words, where the blessings and good deeds of that deceased should be remembered, in every corner of the house you would see people gossiping, speaking ill. God forgive them, may He heal them, that this has been forgiven. The atmosphere of these things is common among our people, and our dear listeners should not place themselves in the place of God in making assumptions and determining things when God’s word says all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, just like in this story that you remembered, Shukria.

There is another story from Shukria that I read where a respectable lady came to a young man and said, "Brother, I have a question. If you answer my question today, I will find peace." She wanted to say that her life is completely dependent on Jesus Christ. She said that she had a daughter who was paralysed and never harmed anyone, always lying in her bed, and years ago she passed away. However, I don’t know where she went. Every neighbour, every relative of ours would say she was a troublemaker, and she asked, "What do you think, where did she go?" The lady wanted an answer so that she could make a decision, meaning she wanted to receive some special comfort. Yes, if we have that comfort, other thoughts will calm us. Yes, truly, this also makes us uncomfortable, and this lady also. But she swore, saying, "Here, God gave me wisdom. I asked Him, if you were in the place of God, where would you send her?" She said the lady smiled and said, "Well, she is my daughter; I would send her to heaven." She said, "I told her to be assured that God’s love is much greater than ours. If you are a person who has this much love, how much greater is God’s love?" Yes, the lady thanked, praised, and glorified in the name of Jesus Christ, and her heart was touched and she believed in Christ and surrendered to Him.

So sometimes we become like God and want to judge the dead as if they are alive. But let it be in our minds, dear listeners, that if a person is sinful, is in wickedness, because of surrendering to that person, we should not remind ourselves of their sins. We must be cautious and remember that God is the main judge. Yes, if their good deeds do not come to our minds, or if they have not done any good, it is better to remain silent. Let us give only surrender and peace to their family and relatives. It is not necessary that if we do not speak of their sins, we should speak of their good deeds and say anything from our hearts that could cause distress, that might make someone feel bad. We shouldn’t even judge in our hearts.

So dear listeners, we want to understand this and comprehend what the book of Romans, chapter two, verse one, says to us. It says, "So you, O man, who are you to judge others? If you are someone, you have no excuse. Because while you judge others, you are doing the same things they do, and you condemn yourself." This means God's word here... yes, how clearly it speaks to us. Yes. Do not judge; if you judge, then you are like those who do the same things. Yes, there it warns us to avoid judging others' actions. How unaware we are in judging others. How righteous and pious we think we are in our own eyes. Yes. But how mistaken we are. When we think that we are so righteous and pious and worthy that we even give ourselves the right to judge the actions and thoughts of others. The truth is, dear listener, we prove that our eyes are open to the sins of others, but hidden to the sins of ourselves. We do not see them at all. They are hidden and blind. For this reason, here God's word says every man seems right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts. We should be so occupied with seeing our own sins and repenting from them that we do not give ourselves opportunity to judge others.

Yes, this work in ourselves, dear listeners, is done in a way that aside from believing in Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God comes into us, and in that state, we can discern. We understand how sinful we are. Yes, no one says they are not sinners. But only the Spirit of God shows us how sinful we are. Completely.

So Shukria, in chapter 7 of the Gospel of John, verse one, how beautifully Jesus Christ says, "Do not judge others, so that God does not judge you. Just as you judge others, you will be judged. In the same measure you use, it will be measured to you." Dear listener, if we judge, we come under God’s judgement. To the same extent we give to others, it will be given to us. Completely.

We must not judge others' characters, motives, thoughts, and inner lives. Only God can judge our inner selves, and one day it will be revealed what we thought and what we spoke. "Who are you to judge another's servant?" There are external judgements that we can see, someone in sin, something visible. Yes. The sight of God means we can see. We can go and say that someone has done a bad deed and condemn them. Yes, with very good intentions. But we have no right to even have inner judgments.

Yes. So, in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter twelve, verse thirty-six, what does it say? "But I tell you that on the day of judgement, everyone will have to give an account for every empty word they have spoken." Amen. Jesus Christ warns us about every word we speak. Every idle word that comes out of our mouths, even from our thoughts, we will have to answer for them. And it is a very serious warning that on the day of judgement, we will give an account for every idle word we have spoken.

Yes, each of us can know the heart of God, the mind of God, the language of God, from the time we wake up until the time we sleep, we can recognise those words of God, the words that flow from our mouths without thought. If wickedness exists in our hearts, sooner or later, with our words, everything will be revealed on the day Jesus Christ returns. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Yes, so dear listener, we followers of Jesus must not fear any human being, not even the devil, and our only fear should be of God. Humans and evil spirits can only destroy our bodies, and today in the world, we see believers who go out for service, for love, for companionship, to share God’s word, bringing the word of God to others. We see that they are arrested and killed and wiped out. If they were afraid of being killed, oh dear, anyone who loves their life would never do such work.

But here we see that we followers of Jesus Christ, when we serve, we do not fear those who can kill our bodies and destroy us because this is the word of God, the command of Jesus Christ, the promise of the Lord that says do not fear for your body. I am the owner; if they strike your body, kill it, or destroy it with a sword, only God can give eternal life; He alone can bring it back. No one can ever separate us from God, as stated in Romans 8:35.

So, dear listener, once again, chapter six, verse twenty-three of the book of Romans says so beautifully, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Today we encourage you, we urge you, dear listener, to be mindful of your own words, to be aware of your rightful and wrongful judgements. One day for everything that comes out of our mouths, in gatherings, in moments of joy or sorrow, whatever we say, we should remember that one day we will be accountable for our words in the presence of God, that no one has the right to judge.

Let us entrust everything to the just God. So today in our country, why do these judgements even lead to war and conflict? Because we make judgements, we make unwise decisions, we misunderstand. For this reason, it is better to hand everything over to God. If we judge, our wages will be death, and death is far from God. Moreover, on the day of resurrection, we will not even be able to see God’s face. How hard it is, how difficult it is to think about this.

But we have a free gift in faith. In connection, in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that if we believe in Jesus Christ, we receive life and eternal living through faith in Jesus Christ. We encourage you again to turn to the word of God, to read the Gospel, the Holy Book, which reveals the true God to us. He opens His arms to you, and every language and every ethnicity in Afghanistan, He warmly invites you, today is the day of salvation, today is the day of joy, and your salvation begins from this moment? If you believe, if you open your heart to the Lord, to Jesus Christ and invite Him, the Lord's door is open for you at all times.

Again, dear listeners, we hope that from today’s programme you have received blessings. Remember, truly, whenever you gather, whenever you hear these words, let it come to your mind that you should never judge others and never place yourself in the position of God that this one is doomed and that one is in paradise, for the just judge is the Lord Himself. Once again, we entrust you into the powerful hands of the Lord.