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WHAT
PRESBYTERIANS BELIEVE ABOUT THE DAY OF JUDGMENT
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What is “the day of judgment?”
The “day of judgment” is sometimes referred to as
“the last judgment.” Although “the last
judgment” is a non-biblical term, it implies a future
and final trial before God. The “day of
judgment” refers to a time when God’s kingdom will
prevail once and for all over all injustice, hatred, and
hostility. It refers to a time when God will triumph
over any and all things which oppose the goodness of
creation. |
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What
will the day of judgment be like?
During the medieval period, Christians tended to think of
the day of judgment much as it is pictured in
Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel.
The day of judgment was perceived as a time of anxiety and
of divine vindictiveness when God will decide who would be
among those called upward into the blissful clouds of the
heavenly blessed, and who would be among those dragged down
by hideous demons into the horrible tortures of the damned.
We Presbyterians believe that the first thought which comes
to Christians when they think about the judgment day ought
not to be anxiety about who goes to heaven and who goes to
hell. Rather, it ought to be thankfulness and joy that
the Creator and Redeemer of the world shall prevail once and
for all—when justice will triumph over injustice, when
love will triumph over hatred, and when peace will triumph
over hostility. The day of judgment will come not against
creation, but for
the good of creation.
Presbyterians believe that the day of judgment is not a time
of wrath and destruction. Rather, we believe that it
is a time of fulfillment—a time of restoration and renewal
for all of creation. It is a time when the
reconciliation between God and God’s people will be
complete. We believe that this is good news not only
for Christians, but for everyone.
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Do
Christians also face God’s judgment on the day of
judgment?
We believe that God’s judgment applies to all of
creation and to all persons—Christians and
non-Christians alike. The apostle Paul states that,
“He [God] will repay according to each one’s deeds”
(Romans 2:6). “For we shall all stand before the
judgment seat of God” (Romans 14:10).
Now, if this were all which Paul says about the last
judgment, then all of us (even Christians) must look to
the day of judgment with great fear and trepidation.
For, no matter how moral or righteous we are of our own
accord, we would still stand condemned for our failure to
love God with all of our whole being and to love our
neighbors as ourselves.
But, we believe that this is not the final word about the
last judgment. Paul also states, “There is
therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus” (Romans 8:1). So, even though we Christians
shall stand in judgment before God, we can look forward to
the final judgment without fear, but with gratitude that
we are not condemned in the eyes of God. |
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Who
is our judge?
The entire perspective of the last judgment changes once
we realize Who the Judge will be. The Judge will not
be a vengeful deity; nor will He be an unbiased
“blind” judge. The Judge will be Jesus Christ
Himself. The One Who judges us and all of creation
is the very One Who loves us and reconciles us to God.
“Who
is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, Who died, yes,
Who was raised, Who is at the right hand of God, Who
indeed intercedes for us.” (Romans
8:34)
When
we realize that our Judge is none other than Christ, we
believe that we can look forward to the final judgment not
with terror, but with comfort and assurance. |
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What
does the day of judgment mean for those who are not in
Christ?
It is certainly true that some persons have not affirmed
their faith in this Judge (Jesus Christ) as Lord and
Savior. Some persons are not “in Christ” either
because they have never known of Him or because they
prefer to stand on the record of their own moral and
religious merits. So, what does the day of judgment
mean for those persons who are not in Christ?
Presbyterians
believe that we cannot say what the last judgment means to
those who are not in Christ. We can only say what
that judgment means for those of us who are in Christ.
We believe that we who are in Christ ought not to take
sadistic pleasure in the condemnation of anyone. The
good news of Jesus Christ is that God does not hate
sinners. God loves them and wills their
reconciliation and salvation. God commands us also
to love them, not to look gleefully forward to the time
when we can enjoy seeing them “get what they have coming
to them.”
Indeed, if we realize that, while we too were weak,
ungodly sinners and enemies of God, Christ died for us
(Romans 5:6-11), then we would do all that we can in
attitude, word, and action, to let other sinners and
enemies know that the same good news is for them as well.
No! We cannot say what the day of judgment means for
those who are not in Christ. But, we can say what it
means for us who are. We believe that the day of
judgment means that we must hope for sinners rather than
hope against them.
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"What We Believe"
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