The Last Judgement

Behold the great and terrible day of Judgment. The day when all nations shall bow before Jesus Christ and be weighted. (Romans 14:11). The Last Judgment is not particularly popular with unbelievers, nor is it with believers. People prefer a merciful God, one who gives people limitless second chances. The problem is that many do not understand the balance of mercy and judgment. Without judgment there is no justice, without justice there is no security, without security there is no safety and without safety there is no peace. Jesus offers the olive branch to all mankind in the form of the cross. Any who believe in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

The Lord is compassionate, He has given every man and woman the opportunity to hear the Gospel at some point in their lives. With the advent of the internet, there is no more excuses for ignorance. The real issue however, is not that people are unfamiliar with the Gospel, but rather that they are rebellious towards it. Man of this day and age wants to be self sufficient and independent. He does no want to bow the knee or ask a deity for discernment about life's choices. Man has made himself a god and in the process wants to destroy the One True God.

There are some who are not so dissident in their disposition. There are plenty of people who claim to believe in God. However, the issue comes to a head when a Christian says there is only one God, the Triune God: Father, Spirit, and Son. If someone can accept the Trinity and believe in Christ, there is still another hurdle to get over: The Last Judgment. Most countries are a mix of cultures and as a result Christians befriend many pagans and people of other religions. The bonds formed with unbelievers is a double edge sword. On one hand it is an opportunity to represent Christ and share his love with the lost. On the other hand it can create seeds of resentment regarding The Day of Judgment. Thoughts that the Lord is not just or would never judge my good unbelieving friends fester until they ripen into black fruit.

There is a day of great and terrible judgment. A day when Jesus Christ will examine all men and women. There will be two lines: The Mercy Line and the Judgment Line. Those in the mercy section will be anointed with the blood of Christ and be judged for their good deeds and witness on Earth. In stark contrast, those in the judgment section will be unprotected and subjected to the full authority of God's Law and be judged for every wicked deed they did. Some call this unfair, but can the Creator of all things be unfair? A Maker has the right to unmake what they have made. A program writer may delete his program, a writer may burn his book, and a farmer may destroy his crop. Authority to judge what is made is given to the Maker and we, God's creation are by right subjected to His justice.

There are two destinations that were formed before the foundations of the world. One is the celestial heaven, wherein the Almighty and his family dwell in paradise. The other is the fiery inferno of hell, where the wicked dwell in torment. Hell like the Last Judgment is not popular with unbelievers and many believers alike. Many Christians find fault with God, that he would destine people to reside in place of perpetual anguish, when this life is already full of agony. Even the scholar and popular pastor Rob Bell eventually denied the existence of Hell in his Book, Love Wins. He apparently decided to recant what he wrote in Velvet Elvis, because in that book he talks about how often Jesus Christ mentions Hell.

Jesus Christ mentions hell more than He does heaven. Here is majority of verses on the inferno that awaits the unbeliever and all the fallen angels. "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magical arts, the idolaters and all the liars-- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Revelation 21:8). "They will go to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Matthew 25:46). "They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power." (2 Thessalonians 1:9). "And throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:50). "In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who will suffer the punishment of eternal fire." (Jude 1:7). "They will throw them into the fiery furnace; where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt 13:42). "Then he will say to to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matt 25:51). "For God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment." (2 Peter 2:4). "Do not be afraid of those kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell." (Matthew 10:28). "But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had preformed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast, and worshipped his image. The two of them were thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur." (Revelation 19:20). "The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them and each person was judged according to what they had done. The death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death." (Revelation 20:13-14). "But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:12). "And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 25:30). "And anyone who is not written in the Book of Life will be thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:15).

Kingdom of Heaven, the Outer Darkness and Hell.  

The Inferno is a necessary part of God's plan. It is intrinsic with The Last Judgment. Those who have rebelled: The devil, his fallen angelic allies, and wicked people must receive the full measure of the Almighty's Justice. Christ has given every person a chance to evade the flames, but the fire of anarchy burns in many hearts and manifests itself openly throughout the history of the human race. Can anyone honestly judge God for placing monsters like Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Ceausescu in Hell? Certainly most Christians and unbelievers alike approve of these four being in the flames, but there are many mini-Hitlers and mini-Maos roaming the Earth. The same Satanic seed of sedition towards the Savior exists in millions and even billions. These people have an opportunity to uproot the rebellion with Christ's cross and plant instead the Lord in their heart. But for those that resist to the end, damnation awaits. There is no avoiding it for those who ascribe to anarchy and set themselves against the Almighty.

 

 Will the wicked be devoured by devils? Dante sure seemed to believe so. One must marvel at the complexity of The Divine Comedy. The Inferno with its nine levels of torment. Intriguing is the notion that the fires of hell is really God's presence for the unprotected. For the saint, the Lord's presence is comforting, but according to Dante it is a flame that burns the unrepentant sinner. Perhaps Dante is right, maybe it is God's presence that will set this wicked world aflame and only the believer will remain.

There is hope. Thank God for hope in the form of Jesus Christ. The Last Judgment is neigh, but not here yet. There is still time for sinners to turn from their rebellion to reverence. We have a chance to become the Bride of Christ and live forever more in the celestial paradise. From there we will also inhabit the New Earth and New Jerusalem. On that great day of Judgment we shall either rush to the Bridge Groom or fall into flame with Bezeelbub. May we choose to be wed to Christ and not perish with the principalities and pernicious people. The Lord in his mercy has given us this moment to recognize our need for salvation. Do not reject the free gift from God that is the Gospel. Your soul is at stake and remember that the Maker can unmake what he has made. Hell is flames, but God also can send the unrepentant sinner to oblivion! Yes, the nihilist's belief exists, their black oblivion is reserved for certain wicked. They perhaps shall see what they expect, only they could have avoided it had they chosen to follow Christ.

Jesus Christ and His Bride (The Saints)

In the end, we shall all be judged. Let it be our good works and not our bad works. May we arrive at the seat of God's Judgment with the blood of the Lamb upon our foreheads. May the Second Death pass over us, as the first did in Egypt. All it takes is believing and confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord and God. Through Him is the only path to eternal life. (John 14:6)