allenroy@cs.pdx.edu (callen roy) (06/25/91)
THE DISTINCTIVE MESSAGE ABOUT THE JUDGMENT
I've been very interested with the theme of the final judgment. Here's why:
It is a message which makes astonishing good sense when seen in its fullness.
Like a golden thread of internal logic, it weaves together soteriology (beliefs
about salvation and escatology (beliefs about final events). It is a motivator
for action and a guard against indifference.
But more that that, it is the judgment message which--to a large degree--
comprises a distinctive message to the world. We can look at this distinctive
message under the following five headings:
First: JUDGEMENT IS GOOD NEWS. The mighty angel of Revelation 14 who
announces that time and importance of the judgment is described as having
'the everlasting gospel.'(Revelation 14:6) We know that the word gospel
means simply 'good news'--as message thoughtful people will be glad to hear.
And thoughtful people will be glad to hear the message of judgment for at
least two reasons. First, Those who are on God's side in the controversy
will rejoice when judgment is given 'in favor of the saints of the Most High'.
(Daniel 7:22) God's people, having experienced the brunt of Satan's
accusations, will be delighted to see the time come when, before the whole
universe, 'he pleads my cause and executes judgemnt FOR me. He will bring
me forth to light; I shall behold his deliverance.'(Micah 7:9)
But on an even grander scale (second reason), the judgment is good news
because this is when the Judge Himself is exonerated from all Satan's charges.
It means the ending of all conflict--the entire universe being brought back
into complete oneness with God. Thus the at-one-ment will be compete, and
rebellion will be no more.
When the judgment is over and the now peaceful universe gathers to celebrate
its outcome, it is worth noticing the words to the song which the redeemed
will sing:
Great and marvelous are thy deeds,
O Lord God, sovereign over all;
JUST AND TRUE ARE THY WAYS,
Thou king of the ages.
Who shall not revere thee, Lord,
And do homage to thy name?
For thou alone art holy.
All nations shall come and worship
in thy presence,
FOR THY JUST DEALINGS STAND REVEALED. (Revelation 15:3,4)
No wonder the saints who have died for their faith cry out with a loud voice,
'O sovereign Lord, holy and true, how loge before thou wilt judge and avenge
our blood on those who dwell upon the earth' (Revelation 6:10)
Second: JUDGMENT REVEALS HOW GOD SIN-PROOFS THE UNIVERSE. It will be an
infinite, eternal thrill to see a universe secure against the possibility of
sin ever rising up again. But what will be even more thrilling wee be to see
HOW God does it! Indeed, it is the METHOD which God uses to end the sin
problem which MAKES it secure.
The final judgment is a statement that Gad will end the controversy by
revealing truth rather than by exercising power. It puts the focus on the
free, thoughtful reponse of persons created in God's image and thus able to
make sense out of spiritual realities. The judgment presents a picture of a
people choosing to set their loyalties upon God forever, because they have
come to know him as He is. It sets forward a conviction that people's
characters will be restored into perfect readiness for heaven because God has
used the methods of truth, love, and freedom--rather than re-creating those
characters by divine fiat.
I feel certain that the judgment emphasizes the sin problem is located in
man's opinion of God rather than in God's opinion of man. Thus the focus is
not a dreadful 'what does God think of me when my name comes up in the courts
of heaven?' Rather, it is a positive 'what do I think of God in the hour of His
judgment?' And also 'What does the world think about my God because of what
they have seen in me?'
Third: CHRISTLIKENESS OF CHARACTER--PRIVILEGE, NOT DUTY. This understanding
of the final judement puts a wholly new context around the Christian's concern
for holiness of life--for christlikeness of character. Never again is the
attitude of perfect submission to God's will seen as some staggering duty,
exacted from us as the reluctant price to be paid for admission to the kingdom.
Instead, the Christian's heart thrills to each new call to holiness, to each
deeper convicting of the Spirit to 'come up higher' in personal peity. For it
is our privilege to 'give glory to him7(Revelation 14:7) in the hour of his
judgment. We count it the highest honor to let our lights shine in such a way
that people will, through what they see of God through us, give glory to the
'Father.'(Matthew 5:16) The deepest longings of our hears center in being
ready to respond to that call to go forth with trimmed and fully fueled lamps
to prepare the way for the coming of the Bridegroom.(Matthew 25:1-13) At a
time when thick darkness covers the earth (darkness of the misunderstanding
of God's character), I believe that the noble commission is ours to 'arise,
shine; for you light has come, and the glory of the Lord has rixen upon you.'
(Isaiah 60:1)
Dismal, self-centered, anxiety-ridden concerns are gone! Who has time for
them? God has given us higher reasons to live--to live FOR HIM who for our
sakes dies and was raised.(2 Corinthians 5:15)
Fourth: FINAL JUDGMENT IS A CLEARER MESSAGE ABOUT GOD. If God's will is an
expression of His wonderful character, then every aspect of that will, lived
our fully in our lives, will allow some aspect of His character to shine
attractively to others. And everything we say or do which reveals His
character helps someone prepare for judgment. For example, in principles of
health, we can see wise, sensible, powerful, God-ordained methods for fighting
disease and staying well. When they are lived, they make God look so good!
And so too with principles of family life, business ethics, community service-
-no part of life is excluded. The totality of what we are lends credibility
to what we say about our God. And for this reason, we long to gladly, fully
embrace all that God has offered us. For it is all a revelation of Himself-
-to us, then through us. And the world nees nothing so much as a full,
accurate revelation of the character of God, that they might make an informed
choice in the time of judgment.
Fifth: A MESSAGE THAT COMPLETES THE PURPOSE FOR ISREAL'S CALL. God calls
Israel 'the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my
praise.'(Isaiah 43:21) He intended that through them His wonderful
character might be demonstrated to all the surrounding nations.(Deuteronomy
4:5-8) His ideal plan was that they should know their God so well that, when
He came to them in humanity to die as their Saviour, they should accept Him
and carry the message of His life, death, and resurrection to the whole
world. Very shortly, then would the world be brought to judgment and God's
eternal kingdom established.
But as a nation, the Jews never seemed to understand their God (Hosea 4:1,
,6; 5:4; 6:1-3) much less His plan for them. And so all that God intended
to be accomplished through literal Israel bacme the privilege of spiritual
Israel.(Galatians 3:14-16,29; 1 Peter 2:9-12) Now God's design is that
'through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to
the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. This was according to
the eternal purpose which he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.'
(Ephesians 3:10,11)
God's desire of all who would join in this privilege is the same as it was
for Israel:
Then they will be my people,
and I will be their God.
I will give them a single purpose in life:
To honor me for all time,
For their own good
and the good of their descendents.
(Jeremiah 32:38,39)
This is the final section of the Judgemnt series. If you have missed any of
the previous postings, just let my know by e-mail which you'd like to read
and I'll send copies of each section you request.
This series was edited and modified from the small, out of print, book called
IF GOD WON THE WAR, WHY ISN'T IT OVER?, by Dick Winn. I was profoundly
influensed by this book. I felt that many others would also find this subject
very compelling and such good news. Judging from the e-mail thus far received,
my reasons for posting the series are well justified.
C. Allen Roy
God loves you. All He wants is for you to love Him back.