So What is The Judgment Day? How Should Christians Prepare for it?
Posted: Sunday, January 04, 2009
by Eugene Redstone
There's been quite a buzz lately about the coming Day of Judgment spoken of in the Bible. This is something I've been fascinated with for most of my life, but I should state right up front anyone who claims to have all the answers on this topic is probably trying to sell you a book or trying to get you to sign up for their newsletter. There are only a few literal descriptions of the Judgment Day in the Bible, leaving a lot open for debate. It's not an easy subject and what I am writing here are just my observations. Hopefully it will provide some discussion and food for thought.
What Should We Fear?
In my short 42 year lifetime I think I've seen quite a bit. I've lived through dire predictions of the planets lining up and causing the Earth to spin out of orbit in 1984. I've read through my copy of "88 Reasons Why Jesus Will Return on September 8th, 1988". I watched people around me stockpile food and weapons for the advent of the year 2000. (I didn't have enough money to stockpile anything myself!) Currently it seems the predictions of the end of the World are predicated on the fact that
Now I'm not mocking anyone caught up in these past movements. As a Christian I believe that we are living in the last days and indeed Jesus is returning for His Bride. But in the midst of these movements, I've witnessed Christianity at its' worst and I'm afraid of the worst of Christianity reappearing again in 2009.
The problem that I see is that these "last days" movements result in fear, and not much else. We know that Jesus and the Apostle Paul both said that we can judge a person or situation by the resulting fruit, so if these movements did not result in obedience and holiness, then I would have to guess that these movements were not of God in the first place.
How Should Christians Prepare for the Day of Judgment?
I believe the clearest and most complete portrayal of the Judgment Day found in the Bible comes from Jesus, and can be found recorded in Matthew 15:31-46. Here it is in the NIV courtesy of BibleGateway.com and Zondervan:
The Sheep and the Goats
31. "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37. "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38. When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39. When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40. "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41. "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43. I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44. "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45. "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46. "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
The goats go to eternal punishment, and the sheep go to eternal life. As Keith Green said in his song The Sheep and the Goats, "The difference between the sheep and the goats is what they did, and didn't, do." In other words, these examples seem to have to do with actions rather than just faith. I guess that's fodder for another article.
What I'd like to point out here is that the sheep were prepared for the Judgment Day because they were feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, inviting in the strangers, helping the sick, visiting the prisoners, and clothing those who needed clothing.
To the contrary, the goats were not prepared for the Judgment Day because they were not doing the above. My guess is that many of the goats would have done these things if they had known they were doing it to Jesus, but since they didn't see Jesus in "the least of these" they didn't do it.
I would like to leave you with this thought: When you hear man speak about the coming Day of Judgment, does it leave you fearful, or full of compassion for those who are less fortunate than you? Does it make you want to be tight-fisted with what you have, or does it make you more willing to share with those around you? Does it allow you to look down your nose at others, or does it make you feel like we all live in a fallen World so we need to help others to the best of our abilities? I submit for your consideration that if it is the former and not the latter, we should be questioning if it really is of God.
Hi Bruce, you got that one straight down the line. And you told about as much about that day as can be told...factually.Thanks Joel, I've been interested in hearing your views on the Judgment Day... I certainly don't want to take a simplistic view of it, but it seems to me that this passage is at the heart of the matter.I wrote an article in December 2007, just after a few months of being with Searchwarp, on the Final Judgement. You might want to go back and read it. It comes at it a little differently than yours but still has the same idea. The number is swa280901.htm. It drew less than 200 views.I've learned the hard way that religious articles don't draw readers as well as reviews and sexual escapades.Ha! Yes, I guess that is a sign of the times too! Or maybe such topics have always been very popular.
I will take a look at it, thanks!
well...it was very gud hearin dis frm u but den i dont think dat dis day is ever gonna cum
Bruce, I will soon be 47 and seem just now able to recover some from the "last days" beating over the head I got growing up. I am very interested in your views on the subject and look forward to more.
Thanks Bruce for this informative and great read about judgment day. This inspires me to write something as well. I not only found this informative, but well researched. I enjoyed your view. Thanks for sharing this with us, I am joining your fan club, and look forward to more of your work.
Thanks for the interesting article Bruce.
I agree that Christians should be more intent on doing good works to glorify their wonderful God now rather than waiting in frozen terror at rapture bus-stop. The end will come when it comes and no one knows when that is. (Jesus's words).
I often think that all the end-time hype is a convenient excuse for not growing and becoming a disciple. Remember the parable of the talents, the one who buried the talent ended up weeping and gnashing his teeth - a scary thought. Also the Church is a far cry now from the one going out in victory at the rapture. We need lots of change.
P.S. I have to say I don't agree with your favour towards Obama in spite of his abortion policy. Legalised murder is always legalised murder and if only we Christians could stand together on God's principles and practise them ourselves politicians would be forced to govern according to God's law.
All the best,
Terence
Hi Bruce, nice article, I enjoyed reading it for sure. Well by what you say here I am a sheep....but what about the part about believe on the lord and thou shalt be saved? Or, ye must be born again? That part............What I have learned, you are correct with what is written up there. Well for sure it is right because it is scripture from the bible. But I was taught that we have to accept Jesus in to our heart, ask forgiveness for our sins, repent of our sins and try to be christ like as much as you can. This is where I fall, I zig zag all over the place, I can't seem to keep on the straight and narrow very well, but my heart is. I don't know if that will get me through the perly gates or not.Anyway no matter what I loved your article, it is nice, interesting and very comforting. Thanks for writing it. I enjoy articles on God and different peoples thoughts.What do people say if you don't want an arguement to start: Don't talk about politics, religion and something else.......LOL anywaysHave a Great 2009 Bruce
Bruce,Indeed this is an article for thoughts. Judgment day certainly is a day for separation of the sheep from the goats, wheat from chaff and the good from the bad. Each person will be judged by the way he or she has lived. It is also true that some movements have manipulated and instilled fear into people which enslave them as a result. God has not given us the spirit of fear but of love and sound mind. Hence a christian can prepare for judgment not by focusing on the judgment but by focusing on having a consistent loving relationship with God. In a true relationship, the focus is to love and please the other party. So if we christian focus on loving and pleasing God, we would find ourselves listening and obeying God in all we do. We would come to a point where we live just for him, to know him and expose him to the world. By so doing we cannot but be prepared for God's coming and the judgment day.
nice artile BRUCE, but what do you say about the latta suffuring of christians and the mark of the beast, dont u think that has already began, with all these modern technology, remember that the devil wont just strike and reveal him self he will enter us with his mark slowly and stratagically until we get use to it and except it with out notice. remember that when the devil was cast down to earth They didnt remove his power, so he will use anything in his migth to devour us, the music we listen to, the devil was the angle of music in hevean now look what he is doing to us the youth he has caught us up in hip hop. seriously the end is near so "pray least you enter into temptation"
I believe inGod I believe that he is fair.
Very helpful, I like the balanced approach to the content. It makes a lot of sense and is very reassuring.
I think that the message of the Bible is purely a guide to salvation. There are many questionalbe theories as to how salvation works in the light of what this article is representing when comparing it to another verse and book on the Bible like Romans chapter 3. Its pretty confusing because there in Matthew chapter 15 it states more of an attitude and work ethic towards God than it does accepting a free gift from God. I'm suggesting that would defeat the purpose of God humbling himself and taking our ransom for sin. No? So I believe the versus in Matthew have other to do with something aside from salvation. Likely somehing that has to do with Isreal and judgment over Nations that rejected them.