The path connecting Malkuth and Hod is associated with the Judgment Tarot card. This path connects Malkuth (the World) to the Pillar of Severity. Since the Pillar of Severity represents judgment and God’s wrath, this path may very well be the first interaction that non-believers have with God. Those who are neither called by God nor seek Him out during their lifetimes may depart the world and immediately face judgment. Those who seek God and invest in their spiritual growth can experience the grace and mercy God offers, as described in other paths on the Qabalah.

All of the people on the Judgment Tarot card seemed to be rejoicing at the final trumpet of the archangel. They are not ashamed to be naked, and represent the followers of God who have prepared themselves for this day. For them, this is a day of great rejoicing. It is a day of rescue. The people are portrayed in floating coffins. The water represents a flood, and the floating coffins symbolize the saving grace of God; the people are saved from God’s wrath as Noah was (though image on the card is symbolism, and does not accurately portray the events of Judgment Day).

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

The image the Judgment Tarot card portrays the joyful resurrection of God’s followers. At the last trumpet call of God, the dead will rise and will be changed. All of the righteous will be joined together and will enter into the Heavenly Kingdom.

Isaiah 26:19 But your dead will live, LORD; their bodies will rise—let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy—your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.

Ephesians 5:14-15 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise

The resurrection of the dead will be a joyous event, but only for those who are prepared to meet their maker. Therefore, while we live on the earth, we must do so wisely.

Genesis 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Before Adam and Eve had eaten for the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they were both naked and were not ashamed. After they sinned, they became ashamed, because they knew they could no longer hide their nakedness from God.

Hebrews 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Luke 8:17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

Luke 12:2-3 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

Mathew 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Romans 14:12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

While we live on the earth, we must live as those who expect to given an account to God for our actions. There is nothing done is secret that God is not aware of. We cannot hide our nakedness from Him, nor can we take anything with us. We entered this world naked, and we will leave it naked.

Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Ecclesiastes 5:15 As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

When we die, we cannot take anything with us; other than our deeds and the way we lived our lives. Based on how we chose to live, we can have a joyful union with God or face His wrath on the Day of Judgment.

Revelation 11:18 "And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."

Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.

Revelation 2:23 'And I will kill her children with death, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

Revelation 20:11-13 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.

On the Day of Judgment, Jesus will lead His father’s angels and will judge everyone according to their deeds. The dead will rise; the righteous will be rewarded, and the wicked will be destroyed. Everyone’s deeds have been carefully documented, and on that day, we will all have to give an account of our actions. The Day of the Lord will begin with a trumpet call.

Joel 2:1-3 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

Matthew 24:30-31 Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

The Day of the Lord will begin with a trumpet call. It will be a day of gladness for the righteous, and a day of darkness and despair for the wicked.

Joshua 6:20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.

In the Book of Joshua, the priests were given seven trumpets, and instructed to walk around the walls of Jericho. They followed God’s commands, and on the seventh day they circled the city seven times and blew their trumpets and the walls of Jericho fell. The events at Jericho provide a foreshadowing of what is to come. In the Book of Revelations, there are also seven trumpets, which are given to seven different angels. When the seventh trumpet sounds (the final trumpet) God will establish His kingdom on the earth.

Revelation 8:6-14 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down on the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water—the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night. As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!”

With the sound of each trumpet, a different plague or disaster is released against the earth. This study is only focusing on the events relating to the sounding of the trumpets, but the Book of Revelations also as seals and bowls/vials of wrath that have a similar effect to the sounding of the trumpets.

Revelation 9:1-3 The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.

Revelations 9:13-15 The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God. It said to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind.

Revelation 11:15-16 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God.

The seven trumpets in the Book of Revelations bring about God’s wrath on the earth, and usher in His kingdom. Understanding the judgment and justice aspect of God is important for many reasons. First of all, God is a god of justice, and if you do not acknowledge this aspect of His being then you are not worshiping the true God. Understanding what will take place on Judgment Day is also important, because it lets us know what to expect. Everyone will be held accountable for their actions, and living as those who expect to give an account can make the difference between a joyous reunion with our creator and a day of dread and destruction.

This path of the Qabalah reminds us of God’s judgment, but as we reflect on this aspect of God, we should also contemplate how we use are judgment in our lives on earth. We are going to be judged according to our deeds, and Jesus taught specific principles regarding judgment that we are to live by.

Matthew 7:1-6 “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.”

Luke 6:37-39 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." And He spoke a parable to them: "Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?

Romans 2:1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you Judge another you condemn yourself; for you who Judge practice the same things.

James 2:13 For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus covered many topics very rapidly. They were not so much ‘hard and fast rules’ as they were the foundations of teachings that would later be expanded upon. The concept of ‘judge not lest ye be judged’ does not mean that Christians are never to judge others, but when they do so, they are to evaluate their own behavior first – and not be hypocrites. They are not to cast their pearls before swine, and they are expected to ensure their own behavior is appropriate before seeking to assist their fellow believers.

Christians will be judged according to the same measure that they use to judge others. Clearly, Christians are instructed to judge, identify, and correct their fellow believers who are engaging in sin. However, the measure that they use to judge their brethren should be in accordance with the commandments and instructions they have been provided in the Bible (they are to accurately handle the word of truth). If you are behaving and judging others based on sound doctrine – and not being a hypocrite – then you have no reason to fear Christ’s teaching regarding judging others.

John 7:24 “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”

Christians are not supposed to be prejudice and judge others based solely on their outward appearance.

1 Corinthians 11:31-32 For if we would Judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

If Christians self-monitor their own behaviors, then there would not be a need for them to be judged by either their brethren or by God. However, if they are in need of correcting, God will discipline them. If a Christian is rebuked by a fellow believer, the person is rebuked out of brotherly love (on God’s behalf), so that the believer is not condemned with the rest of the world.

John 12:46-48 "I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not Judge him; for I did not come to Judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him-the word that I have spoken will Judge him in the last day.

Jesus came to be a light unto the world (provide an example – just as Christians are supposed to do) and stated that He did not come to judge the world yet. When He says He would not judge, He meant at that time. At the appointed time, everyone will be judged, and they will be judged according to the words that are now contained in the Bible.

1 Corinthians 6:1-8 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will Judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to Judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall Judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that There is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to Judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers! Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren.

Christian should be able to judge themselves and their brethren, but they should not be hypocrites.

1 Peter 4:15-18 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?"

As followers of Christ, we are to mimic His behavior. We are to live Godly and righteous lives, and we are to withhold judgment until the appointed time. Eventually, Christians will be expected to judge the world (1 Corinthians 6:20), but until that day, they must leave room for God’s wrath (Romans 12:18-19) and trust that God is a god of justice who will not at all acquit the wicked (Nahum 1:2-30). Christians are to have patience. If they have been wronged, they can cry out to God for justice (Psalm 34:16-17, Revelations 6:10, Luke 18:1-8), but then they must wait on the Lord – having faith that He will avenge them and right all wrongs at the appointed time.