I must confess: I don’t get
Judgment Day.
Oh, I have read the
Scriptures. I’ve read in Matthew 25 of
how all the nations of the earth (presumably past and present) will gather
before Jesus’s throne and everyone will be divided into sheep and goats. Sheep get eternal life in heaven, goats get
eternal punishment.
I’ve also read about how the
people of the Old Testament, especially the Psalmists, seem to view judgment
day differently from the Christian mindset.
Whereas I tend to view Judgment Day as me being the defendant with Jesus
as my attorney, the Psalmist’s mindset seems to be one of a plaintiff arguing
before God against those who “done him wrong”.
[Note: the phrase “done him wrong” rarely appears in Scripture, I just
threw it in here because it’s how I talk/think.]
I understand all that. It makes me shudder at times, but I
understand it.
What I’m confused about—and
this is probably all me—is why there will be a Judgment Day at all. And I realize that I (and others, if I read
them right) may have been preaching—especially at funerals—as if there won’t be a
Judgment Day.
Think about it: how many
times have you been to a funeral and heard the minister (maybe even me)
proclaim that the person who has passed away, because Jesus was their Lord and
savior, is now happily ensconced in heaven? I’ve heard that. I’ve said that.
If it’s true, what happened
to the Judgment Day?
Auntie Mae passes away on
Wednesday. We have the funeral on
Friday, wherein we proclaim her happily rejoicing with the angels. Was Judgment Day on Thursday and the rest of
us missed it? Is Auntie Mae rejoicing in
Purgatory (not the ski area)? Is there a purgatory? (The ski area is called “Durango Mountain
I actually have an answer to
these questions—which I will get to in another blog—but my question I’m trying
to address here is why there needs to be a “Judgment Day” (possibly all-caps) at all.
Couldn’t God just take me from my death bed straight into heaven? He knows whether I’ve trusted my life to his
Son or not. Why is the (from my
perspective) rigmarole of Judgment Day necessary? To that person who hasn’t trusted in him, who
has chosen to be a goat, God knows that, too.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not arguing against Judgment Day. Scripture
says there will be one, so I trust there will be. And I am confident I won’t be confused there,
or afraid of the outcome. I just don’t
get it.
Thankfully, knowing why God does what he does is not a
criteria for salvation!
Good points, Sam, and I share your concerns about this. I would humbly offer a few things to consider (which I'm sure you already have): 1. God exists outside of time, hence trying to time-sequence things is difficult for our puny/finite brains. 2. I believe that there's a sense of God intending to ensure that the justice of His judgment is clear to all, and that their choice and the responsibility for it will be made clear to them as a result of "Judgment Day". Also, they will need to bow their knee to Him. 3. My personal concern is for the "bema seat" where (I believe) all Christians will have their "works" exposed and measured (by fire). Yes, rewards will be given, but it will be much more than that alone. I suspect that this will be public and I will be held accountable for how I used the resources I was given. I will in fact then be quite disappointed and will be ashamed/very sad (weeping/gnashing of teeth?) when these things are shared and I have to face them. I will still be saved, but I will clearly see what I have given up by squandering the opportunities I had to serve and be profitable. I also think it's possible that all of my works will be publically exposed (not as condemnation, but to be revealed for what they are -- perhaps like a "movie"???) This is quite sobering, to say the least!!
ReplyDeleteIn the Old Testament they do seem to be talking more about a Final Judgement Day for the world in general. Such that at some unspecified point in the future, God would say, "Enough!" and end the whole experiment that was us. Of course in the Old Testament they seemed to be saying that such a day was quite imminent. In the New Testament, the focus seems to have shifted to an individual accounting. Like you said, though, it seems confusing when God already knows what we've been up to, so why the need to go through with the formality? I'll go out on a limb here and guess that it's more for our own edification rather than His. When I take a test, I hate it when they just give me a pass or fail. I want to know which ones I got wrong and what the correct answers should have been. Of course it's not possible in the flesh to have a perfect score. Hopefully, with Jesus as my advocate, the scales will be tipped in my favor. As in any court, it is important that we deem that we've been judged fairly rather than arbitrarily. And as far as at the grave site, all you can really do is commend the departed to the Lord. And remember that the criminal who died on the cross next to Jesus could have been the sorriest of human beings his entire life. But he recognized and accepted Jesus at his death and was promised a place in heaven. So it is not for us to say where someone might or might not be after they have left the flesh behind. So is it wrong of us to pray at the grave site that our Lord keep the departed soul three days after they died? Maybe a little late it would seem to us. But the Bible does point out that God knows our needs and prayers even before we ask and pray. So maybe not too late.The real question is can our prayers tip the scales at all when a loved one's future is in the balance?
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