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

Abstract

The presented paper analyzes the text of Rev 11:15-18. The analysis showed that the divine judgment depicted in the discussed text has two dimensions. First, it is the 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 punishment is expressed by the verbs krino and diaphtheiro. The people being judged and punished are defined as nekroi and diaphtheriontes ten gen. The term nekroi, in the author’s opinion, is to be understood in a spiritual meaning. The sentence pronounced on the culprits is a typical example of retributive justice. Because the term nekroi is to be understood spiritually (i.e., the matter is “the spiritually dead”) one cannot see in Rev 11:15-18 a direct announcement of the last judgment. The analysis of the following context shows that the beginning of the last judgment is performed by means of events depicted in Rev 12. The main criterion of affiliation regarding one of the two groups (the rewarded or the punished) is the attitude towards the Messiah presented in Rev 12:5. It does not mean that there is no relationship between the judgment having been already executed and the last judgment. The verdict pronounced by the last one will be a logical consequence of what takes place now.