JUDGEMENT DAY

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 05 February 2012

Hi all,

Judgement Day: When will it be? That there will be a Judgement Day is certain. If God is good, a judgement day is not in question. There must come a day when every man, woman and child living, or deceased will be held to account for what they have done. A good God must ultimately judge sin and sinners. There are only two possibilities associated with this.

The first possibility is that God does not exist. If so, we might as well live any way we want, because after we are dead, there is nothing else. This world is all there is. So eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. For those of us who have a relationship with Jesus Christ, this is not even a remote possibility. We know God has created everything; and everyone is accountable to Him.

The second possibility is that He is not a good God. This too is unthinkable. Creation itself declares His glory. Many of His creatures may have arbitrarily decided that He is not good. But if He is not a good God, He would not have sent His one and only Son to die for us. A bad God would be indifferent to the plight of His creation and would simply ignore it.

Both of these two possibilities are lies. But those who choose to believe that He is not a good God and those who choose to believe that there is no such “Person” as God, are free to do so.

I am forever indebted to my late headmaster. He pointed out that truth has nothing to do with our opinions. He pointed out that 2 and 2 equals 4. This would be true even if every person who was, is, or is yet to be born, unanimously agreed that it is not so. We cannot vote truth into or out of existence. You may like the truth, be indifferent to it, or hate it. Truth remains truth in spite of public opinion. For example, everyone believed the world was flat. Now we know it’s round(ish).

Judgement day is another absolute. God has said it will happen. It will happen in spite of the opinions of the entire creation. It must do because God will not allow sin to continue to contaminate His creation for eternity. He will deal with it. He has also said that He will do so. Thus on both these counts it will happen without a shadow of a doubt.

When it will happen has been discussed by theologians ad nausea for longer than we know. However, “when” is not important - Pre-tribulation; mid- tribulation; post- tribulation; before the millennium; after the millennium. Such arguments constitute an exercise in futility. The fact is everyone will ultimately stand before the judgement seat of Christ. Sure, whether or not you are a Christian will be taken into consideration. But no one can avoid it!

What will happen on that day has been described by the Lord Jesus and referred to by other New Testament writers. ³¹ "When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. ³² Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, ³³ putting sheep to his right and goats to his left. Mat 25:31-33 MSG

When this happens, on which side will you be placed? If as a Christian you have already been placed on His right hand side, don’t think for one moment you will enjoy what will then take place. What will happen to the goats is not exactly material for our Sunday Schools. After the judgement there will be a terrible sentence imposed on them. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Belief in Hell may not be popular today. Many Christians have dismissed the idea completely. But Jesus Christ is the one who has given us the vast majority of the Biblical teaching about Hell. I’m sure He knows all about Hell. I believe Jesus only taught truth. So in the final analysis, regardless of what any theologian may say, it is a reality. All our opinions are irrelevant. When it comes to a decision as to whether Jesus or the theologians are correct, it’s a one horse race. I believe Jesus is always correct!

Today’s meditation looks at Judgement Day in more detail.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland.

Judgement Day

Which side will you be standing on? The left side or the right? We know when Jesus comes again; some folk will get a fright. They thought that they were genuine, but this just wasn’t true; And when you stand before the Lord, what will He say to you? “My good and faithful servant, with you I’m very pleased. You did what I commanded. You haven’t only squeezed Into the place prepared for you by Father High above! Your right reward is waiting in the Kingdom of My Love!” Perhaps He’ll turn and say to you, “Depart for you are cursed. The life you lived is only by the hypocrites rehearsed. It’s true you did a lot of things you said were in my Name.     But I have never known you. Your life was just a game.

Cast this wicked person, into the lake of fire. Where you will weep and gnash your teeth. Your punishment is dire.” Of course we’ll all be standing at Jesus judgement seat. He’s going to judge each one of us and tell us if we meet, The standards He has set us. Then will you pass or fail? You’ll stay with Him forever, or languish in His jail! This concept isn’t popular. In fact it’s seldom taught. For “God’s a Sugar Daddy” is what your teacher thought. “A God of love could never cast a person into Hell. I’m sorry if you think that way. He got it wrong as well! My sheep will all be standing, upon My right hand side. Each one of them will constitute my faithful, Holy bride. The goats will all be gathered and stationed on my left. They will be filled with terror. Indeed, they’ll be bereft, Of any sense of safety. They’ll tremble in their fear. They’ll wish they had been different and that I wasn’t near. They only have themselves to blame. They went and joined a sect! They didn’t get into My Word, so they could not detect, That what they had been hearing, was tickling their ears. If only they had asked Me then! They wouldn’t be in tears. Until the dreadful instant, when I’ll be on the scene, There’s still an opportunity for them to still come clean. Never mind the devil and all his dreadful lies. If you are obedient there will be no surprise. For I will show before the time, the things that you must face. A place with Me in glory, or by your sin disgraced.” Jim Strickland – Written Sunday 5th February 2012