Why will Christ smite the earth and slay the wicked?
Christ will smite the earth and slay the wicked because no unbelievers are permitted to enter His Kingdom. He rules with righteousness, reproving with equity for the meek, and His Kingdom's constitution, the Beatitudes, excludes unbelief. His word and breath accomplish this judgment.
Les explains that Christ will rule with righteousness, a word better than judge because it parallels the Book of Judges where judges ruled. He will rule the poor and reprove with equity for the meek. The Beatitudes—blessed are the poor and blessed are the meek—serve as the Constitution of this Kingdom, fitting perfectly there though not in the church age. Because no unbelievers shall go into His Kingdom, He smites the earth with the rod of His mouth and slays the wicked with the breath of His lips. His righteousness and faithfulness are the girdle of His loins and reins.