J.C. Ryle on Christ and the Final Judgment

"There is a day coming when all men shall be judged.  The sea shall give up the dead which are in it, and death and hell shall deliver up the dead which are in them.  All that sleep in the grave shall awake and come forth, and all shall be judged according to their works (Rev. 20:13; Dan. 12:2).

"And where will Christ be then?

"Christ Himself will be the Judge.  'The Father . . . has all judgment unto the Son.'  'When the Son of man shall come in His glory, 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 divides the sheep from the goats.'  'We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad' (John 5:22; Matt. 25:31, 32; 2 Cor. 5:10).

"Now if any reader of this message little of Christ, let him know this day that he is very unlike God!  You are of one mind, and God is of another.  You are of one judgment, and God is of another.  You think it enough to give Christ a little honor, a little respect.  But in all the eternal counsels of God the Father, in creation, redemption, restitution and judgment - in all these, Christ is 'all'"  (Holiness, J.C. Ryle).

John Calvin on Three Main Attributes of God

"God, the Creator of heaven and earth, governs the world which was made by him.  In every part of Scripture we meet with descriptions of his paternal kindness and readiness to do good, and we also meet with examples of severity which show that he is the just punisher of the wicked, especially when they continue obstinate notwithstanding all his forbearance.

"Assuredly, the attributes [of God] which it is most necessary for us to know are these three: loving-kindness, on which alone our entire safety depends; judgment, which is daily exercised on the wicked, and awaits them in a severer form, even for eternal destruction; righteousness, by which the faithful are preserved, and most benignly cherished.  The prophet declares, that when you understand these, you are amply furnished with the means of glorying in God.  Nor is there here any omission of his truth, or power, or holiness, or goodness.  For how could this knowledge of his loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness exist, if it were not founded on his [incorruptable] truth?" (Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin).

J.C. Ryle on Christ and the Future of Sin

"There is a time coming when sin shall be cast out from this world.  Wickedness shall not always flourish unpunished, Satan shall not always reign, creation shall not always groan, being burdened.  There shall be a time of restitution of all things.  There shall be a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness, and the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Rom. 8:22; Acts 3:21; 2 Pet. 3:13; Isa. 11:9).

"And where shall Christ be then?  And what shall He do?

"Christ Himself shall be King.  He shall return to this earth, and make all things new.  He shall come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and the kingdoms of the world shall become His. The heathen shall be given to Him for His inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession.  To Him every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord.  His dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed (Matt. 24:30; Rev. 11:15; Ps. 2:8; Phil. 2:10, 11; Dan. 7:14)" (Holiness, J.C. Ryle).