judgment

From the second to the third Passover festival

PER101 The Sermon on the Mount (17), do not judge others
This article examines Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, particularly the prohibition against judging others. Focusing on Matthew 7.1-6 and Luke 6.37-45, it advocates mercy and reciprocity in interpersonal relationships.

2 Corinthians 9.6 (King James Version) :
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

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Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate
PER115 Jesus the Messiah rebukes several towns
Jesus rebukes the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum for their failure to repent despite the many miracles performed in them. He compares them unfavourably with the pagan cities of Tyre, Sidon and even Sodom, declaring that those cities would have repented. This passage emphasises responsibility in proportion to the revelation received and the eternal stakes of rejecting the Gospel.

Luke 12.48 (King James Version) :
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
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Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate
PER125 The sign of the Queen of Sheba
Jesus uses the account of the Queen of Sheba, who traveled a great distance to listen to Solomon, to criticize those who refuse to acknowledge him despite his teachings and miracles.

Matthew 12.42 (King James Version) :
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
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Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate
PER140 The parable of the measure
The parable of the measure (PER140) teaches that the way we judge and treat others determines how God will measure us in return. Jesus calls for attentive listening, reciprocity, justice and generosity. This principle, shared by Mark 4.24-25, Matthew 7.1-2 and Luke 6.38, echoes the golden rule and forms the heart of Christian ethics.

Matthew 7.12 (King James Version) :
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

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Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate
PER158 The judgment of the Pharisees
Pericope PER158 analyzes the Pharisees' reaction to Jesus' miracles at Capernaum (Matt 9.33-34). While the crowd recognizes a divine work, the Pharisees attribute Jesus' actions to the devil. Their rejection is deliberate: accepting Jesus would mean losing their privileges. Yet some, such as Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea and Saul of Tarsus, would choose to follow him. The healed mute man, for his part, goes away in joy and gratitude.

Acts 5.34-39 (King James Version) :
Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:But if it be of God, ye can not overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

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Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate

From the 3rd Passover to the start of the final week

PER230 The parable of the barren fig tree
The parable of the barren fig tree (Luke 13.6-9), reported only by Luke, illustrates God’s patience and the urgency of conversion. Jesus warns that every disciple who bears no spiritual fruit risks judgment, while emphasizing that God grants an additional time of grace. This text follows on from Luke 13.1-5 and carries a twofold message: a solemn warning and divine mercy.

Luke 13.6-9 (King James Version) :
He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

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Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate
PER234 Lament over Jerusalem
The Lament over Jerusalem (Mt 23.37-39; Lk 13.34-35) shows Jesus weeping over the holy city, a few days before his Passion. Through the metaphor of the hen protecting her chicks, he expresses rejected divine love, condemns the murder of the prophets and announces the desolation of the Temple, while leaving open a hope of final reconciliation.

Matthew 23.37-39 (King James Version) :
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
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Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate

Jesus’ ministry: callings, miracles and teachings

PAR004 The wheat and the weeds
The article analyzes the parable of the wheat and the weeds, in which Jesus explains the coexistence of good and evil in the world. This story emphasizes divine patience and the idea of a final judgment. Its lessons offer important spiritual insights for believers.

Matthew 13.24-30 (King James Version) :
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

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Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate
PAR009 The dragnet
This article explores the parable of the net in Matthew 13:47-50, which highlights final judgement and personal responsibility. Using the image of a fishing net, Jesus illustrates the separation of the righteous from the wicked at the end of time, emphasising the need to live in accordance with the principles of the Kingdom of God.

Matthew 13.47-50 (King James Version) :
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

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Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate

The last week before the arrest

PER292 The parable of the wedding feast
The parable of the wedding feast (Mt 22,1-14; Lk 14,15-24) teaches that God invites all people into His Kingdom, but that rejecting this invitation brings a grave judgment. Spoken in the Temple of Jerusalem on the Tuesday of Passion Week, it prophetically announces the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The man without a wedding garment reminds us that entering the Kingdom requires a genuine spiritual transformation, received by faith in Christ.

Romans 13.14 (King James Version) :
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

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Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate
PER307 The Judgment of the Nations
The article analyzes the judgment of the nations in Matthew 25:31-46, where the Son of Man separates the sheep from the goats according to their actions. It emphasizes responsibility and divine justice, and calls for concrete acts of love.

Matthew 25.31-46 (King James Version) :
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

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Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate

The last day up to the crucifixion

PER323 Jesus the Messiah comforts his disciples
In John 16.5-15, Jesus comforts his disciples, promising the Holy Spirit to guide them into the truth after his departure. This important passage highlights the mission of the Spirit: to convict of sin, of righteousness and of judgment, while ensuring the continuity of Jesus' teachings.

Matthew 26.20 (King James Version) :
Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

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PER338 The presentation before the Sanhedrin
This article analyzes the presentation of Jesus before the Sanhedrin prior to his crucifixion according to the Gospels, setting out the violation of Jewish law by a night trial. Strategically orchestrated by Caiaphas to avoid the crowd, this judgment illustrates key theological and historical issues.

Mark 14.55-64 (King James Version) :
And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together.And there arose certain, and bare false witness against him, saying,We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.But neither so did their witness agree together.And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.Then the high priest rent his clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses?Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

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Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate
PER351 Words to the women
On the road to Golgotha, Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem who are weeping for him. Far from focusing on his own suffering, he prophetically warns them of a terrible judgment about to fall on the city. An episode unique to Luke, it reveals Jesus as a great prophet, concerned to the very end with the salvation of others, and announces the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

Hosea 10.8 (King James Version) :
The high places also of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

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Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate

The Revelation of Daniel

DAN007 Daniel 5 – Belshazzar's feast: when Babylon is weighed and judged
Daniel 5 tells of the fall of Babylon under the reign of Belshazzar, who desecrates the sacred vessels. A mysterious inscription, interpreted by Daniel, predicts the end of the kingdom. God judges human powers, illustrating Belshazzar's arrogance.

Daniel 5.1-30 (King James Version) :
Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand.^{aNotefather: or, grandfather}^{bNotetaken: Chaldee, brought forth}Belshazzar, whiles he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein.Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which was at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone.In the same hour came forth fingers of a man’s hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king’s palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.^{aNotecountenance: Chaldee, brightnesses}^{bNotewas changed: Chaldee, changed it}^{cNotejoints: or, girdles: Chaldee, bindings, or, knots}^{dNotealoud: Chaldee, with might}^{eNotescarlet: or, purple}^{fNotecountenance: Chaldee, brightnesses}Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.Then came in all the king’s wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were astonied.Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed:^{aNotefather: or, grandfather}^{bNoteinterpreting: or, of an interpreter}^{cNotedissolving: or, of a dissolver}^{dNotedoubts: Chaldee, knots}^{eNotefather: or, grandfather}^{fNotemake interpretations: Chaldee, interpret, etc}There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.Then was Daniel brought in before the king. And the king spake and said unto Daniel, Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the captivity of Judah, whom the king my father brought out of Jewry?I have even heard of thee, that the spirit of the gods is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee.And now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing, and make known unto me the interpretation thereof: but they could not shew the interpretation of the thing:And I have heard of thee, that thou canst make interpretations, and dissolve doubts: now if thou canst read the writing, and make known to me the interpretation thereof, thou shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about thy neck, and shalt be the third ruler in the kingdom.Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another; yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation.^{aNoterewards: or, fee}^{bNotein pride: or, to deal proudly}^{cNotedeposed: Chaldee, made to come down}^{dNotehis heart…: or, he made his heart equal, etc}O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour:And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down.But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.And thou his son, O Belshazzar, hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this;But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.And this is the writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.This is the interpretation of the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it.TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.Then commanded Belshazzar, and they clothed Daniel with scarlet, and put a chain of gold about his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain.^{aNotebeing…: Chaldee, he as the son of, etc}^{bNoteabout: or, now}
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

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Level: Intermediate Level: Intermediate

Word of a Friend

PDA001 Casting the stone
The article deals with the biblical episode in which Jesus confronts the accusers of an adulterous woman, teaching forgiveness rather than judgment. Jesus declares that only the one who is without sin may cast the first stone, an answer that scatters the accusers. This account highlights Jesus’ compassion and his role as Savior, advocating forgiveness and redemption rather than condemnation.

John 8.11 (King James Version) :
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

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Level: Easy Audience: Beginners
PDA012 Dying, and Then What…
This article examines what follows death, stressing the certainty of divine judgment and the need to prepare for it by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior. The Christian view of death is transformed from a dreaded end into a passage to eternal rest for those who believe, offering assurance and peace.

Romans 8.1 (King James Version) :
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
King James Version (1769), domaine public — texte : eBible.org

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Level: Easy Audience: Beginners

From the second to the third Passover festival 5 studies

From the 3rd Passover to the start of the final week 2 studies

Jesus’ ministry: callings, miracles and teachings 2 studies

The last week before the arrest 2 studies

The last day up to the crucifixion 3 studies

The Revelation of Daniel 1 study

Word of a Friend 2 studies

From the second to the third Passover festival

From the 3rd Passover to the start of the final week

Jesus’ ministry: callings, miracles and teachings

The last week before the arrest

The last day up to the crucifixion

The Revelation of Daniel

Word of a Friend