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
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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.
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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
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