Things to Come: The Last Judgment
If you've ever been to court, you know that it can be an awesome experience. The judge wears a black robe and sits above everyone else. You feel the weight of his or her authority and the law. Even if you're just an observer, you're impressed! The scriptures speak of a court experience we have ahead of us: the last judgment. That's when we stand before God and give account for how we've lived! The last judgment is so awesome and personal that the scriptures use various pictures to describe it. In Matthew 25, Jesus said it's like virgins keeping their oil ready for the bridegroom's return, like a master who settled accounts with his servants, and like a shepherd who separates his sheep from his goats at night. The apostle Paul said it was like an appearance before a high government official (2 Corinthians 5). He also says it will be like fire applied to a house (1 Corinthians 3). The last picture in the scriptures is the great white throne...