Day of Judgment

There is coming a day where everyone will have to stand before the living God when he will review all that we have done whether good or evil. He will determine if we are fit to enter into eternal life or experience eternal damnation. This day, in scripture, is called the Day of the Lord. It is going to be a Day of Judgment. For those who wanted to see the Lord it will be a day of rewards. Their hopes will be fulfilled; they will finally have the opportunity to commune with their God face to face (in the body). For those who have not been watching (those who have not been looking) it will be a day of torment and unrest. It will be a day of death for them. This scenario scares people. Most folks worry about the prospect of God coming down and meting out judgment. But this day is the greatest thing that can happen to us. People have always wondered about the evil in the world. They want a stop to it. And God has given his solution; all evil will be judged by him. But people are unwilling to accept this because they do not want to be judged for the evil they have done. It is the ultimate irony. Humans despise evil but do not despise the evil they do to others. Nevertheless, God sees everything we do and he will judge us for it. There is no greater relief than this. People have been debating for centuries about the way the world should go. Finally, someone will come and make the decision for us because we cannot do it for ourselves. This is the Christian hope. Here we want to express what salvation is from this context.

The Judgment of God and the Meaning of Salvation

Salvation means being spared from the judgment of God unto damnation. God's judgment is coming whether we like it or not. God has to make the final decision about the world he created. Through Jesus, however, we have been given an out. "And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come" (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Even though we have sin, and most times continue in sins, if we turn from our wickedness unto Jesus, we will be afforded the opportunity to share in the glory of God. His glory will destroy those who oppose them or exalt those who are with him. The validation of our Christianity depends on this day. This is when we will be vindicated.

How?

It all comes when we see him and we will be as he is. To answer many questions, yes, those of us who have held on to Jesus in our lives do receive heaven. We are allowed to commune with him there. But that is not our hope: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:1-3). Paul describes this in even more detail let us see what this experience will be like,

But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body ... It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit ... The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 44-45, 47-57)

We shall all be changed into the image of the Lord from heaven. This is our hope. We will look just like him. And because we were like him on earth, when we see him our bodies will be just like his in the new place. What is this new place?

Transformed Bodies and Transformed Planet

The Christian hope is not to go to heaven, although that does happen. Our hope is that heaven will come to us. This is the problem with teachings on the rapture. People believed that the rapture is our only hope we are supposed to all be taken up from this evil place. Well, it just so happens this is not God's hope for the world. He called it good in the beginning and he wants to renew that goodness (Genesis 1:31). Let us see what the Lord says about the world,

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. (Romans 8:19-25)

The "whole creation," everything in the world, is waiting for God's people to be changed. This is the manifestation of the sons of God, when we shall look as Jesus looks. John speaks of this time in Revelation when he tells us:

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:1-8)

Notice, when God shows up all things become new because they already connected to his newness. But those who were stuck in old sins were excluded they would not partake in this life. They would have to suffer a second death. People who against the Lord will be raised from the dead too: "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:8-9). We who glory in God everyday are promised eternal life. Those who do not will suffer eternal damnation. The issue is if we are in Christ now. We have to be "Dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory" (Colossians 3:3-4). Our hope is to appear with Jesus. So that we may see the Father and all worship before him. Those who have rejected God in the present will not be able to do this then. They cannot enjoy the world to come.

Conclusion

Very simply put, God has called us to himself through Jesus who is "the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). Our hope is that when he appears we shall be with him in the sense that we will be raised from the dead. We will then be judged on whether our names are in the book of life. If we are in God's book, our resurrection is unto life. If not, our resurrection is unto death.

DRAFT V2010-06-28T4:47:26 PM