Judgement
… And he will come to judge the living and the dead ……
Has He come? Is He still to come? Has He judged? Is He yet to judge?
The Day of the Lord
In the Old Testament we read of the Prophets proclaiming The Day of the Lord when the present age will be obliterated and God will directly intervene in judgment. (eg Isaiah 2.6 to 4.6). This is seen as God’s Second Coming after his Creation. Waiting in Jerusalem after the Easter events, the followers of Jesus, schooled in this Messianic literature, believed Jesus likewise would soon return. But he didn’t come as expected.
Second Coming
Paul, in his letters, moves from an immediate expectation to an eventual realisation that no one can foretell when the “Second Coming” will occur. Over the ages many have tried with apparent conviction, but have been proved wrong by events. Others argue that John saw the Second Coming realised in the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Jesus came again in the Spirit as he had promised. Indeed John 5.23-30 indicates that judgment is over and eternal life has begun for those who believe. He seems to point to a personalised eschatology as an infinitely repeated event in the soul of each individual. From Matthew to Revelation of John we have prophecy of what is to come or what has already been fulfilled, depending on the interpretation.
Our Expectation
It has been said that the supreme standard of judgment is reaction to human need.
(Matthew 25.31-46). Jesus teaches us that we serve God by serving others. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by what is to be done; but feeding on faith in God’s presence and in the knowledge of his love for life in the world, we know that we will always have support and comfort. We see the judge, but do not fear the judgments. We expect judgment, but trust the judge.
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