JESUS WILL COME AGAIN!

WHAT THEOLOGY BOOKS TRADITIONAL TREATED AS THE "LAST THINGS."  DEATH, JUDGMENT, PURGATORY, HEAVEN AND HELL. AT FIRST GLANCE, FOUR OF THESE FIVE ARE PAINFUL PROSPECTS. CAN THE VISION OF FAITH BRIGHTEN THE NEGATIVE IMAGE?  DEATH. IF WE COULD TAKE A STRICTLY OBJECTIVE VIEW ( WHICH WE CAN'T), WE WOULD SAY OUR LAST DAY, ON EARTH, OUR DEATH, IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER. RATHER AT THE CENTER OF MY LIFE, ALL LIFE, OF TIME AND ETERNITY IS DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS. THAT MAKES SENSE OF EVERYTHING ELSE. JESUS JOINS MY DEATH TO HIS AND MAKES IT BEAUTIFUL. HIS RESURRECTION PREPARES THE WAY FOR MINE. WE ARE NOT TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT OUR OWN FEARS. DEATH IS NOT NATURAL. WE ARE SEPARATED FROM GOD'S BEAUTIFUL CREATION. BUT SUPPOSE OUR DEATH COULD BE A GENTLE AND  QUICK
 THROUGH THE VEIL BETWEEN TIME AND ETERNITY.  WOULD THAT REMOVE OUR FEAR? PROBABLY NOT, BUT THE FANTASY AT LEAST BRINGS US CLOSER TO THE ATTITUDE THAT "FAITH" PRODUCES IN US, DEEP DOWN, BELOW. A FULLY CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE LOOKS FIRST TO THE "DEATH" AND "RESURRECTION" OF JESUS FOR LIGHT AND STRENGTH.  SO CHRISTIANS, TAKING THEIR LIFE AS  A WHOLE, PLACE IT IN GOD'S HANDS.  INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMEND MY SPIRIT.  LUKE (23:46). IS THE PRAYER,  OF LIFE,NOT SOMETHING TACKED ON AT THE END. EVEN IN FEAR AND TREMBLING, CHRISTIANS CAN BE CONFIDENT IN THEIR HEART OF HEARTS, THAT THE GREATEST MOMENT OF LIFE IS DEATH, IN HIS TIME.THROUGH THIS ACT WHICH SAYS, MY WHOLE LIFE IS YOURS. I FREELY GIVE IT TO YOU. BUT NOW IN THE CALMNESS OF PRAYER, WE CAN SEE THE LIGHT OF "ETERNITY" SHINING ON THAT FINAL MOMENT. IS ANYTHING MORE LIKELY TO GIVE US A HEALTHY APPRECIATION OF OUR PRESENT MOMENT. THE DICTIONARY DEFINITION OF JUDGMENT SAYS NOTHING ABOUT CONDEMNATION. WHEN GOD SAID ALL THROUGH THE OLD TESTAMENT, THAT HE WOULD COME TO BRING JUDGMENT FOR HIS PEOPLE, HE PROMISED PRECISELY JUDGMENT FOR THEM---LIKE A JUDGE VINDICATING THE RIGHTS OF THE INNOCENT, RESTORING WHAT HAD BEEN TAKEN AND AWARDING RECOMPENSE. IT WAS ONLY WHEN HIS PEOPLE DELIBERATELY REFUSED TO LIVE BY HIS COVENANT.  THAT GOD'S JUDGMENT WOULD TURN AGAINST THEM.
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT THE MEANING OF JUDGMENT IS TEMPERED BY TWO EMPHASES WHICH THROUGH OUT RUNS LIKE TWO VINES INTERTWINED: "ALREADY NOW" AND "NOT YET." WE ARE NOW SAVED, BUT WE ARE NOT YET SAVED. WE SHALL DIE, BUT WE HAVE ALREADY RISEN IN CHRIST. CHRIST HAS COME. CHRIST IS WITH US ALL DAYS, BUT CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN. CHRIST IS VICTORIOUS, ALL THINGS HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO HIM;  COMFORTING THE SICK AND IMPRISONED--
A WAY OF LIFE-- IS THE DOOR TO HEAVEN. THESE THINGS ARE DONE FOR HIM, EVEN IF ONE DOES NOT THINK OF HIM EXPLICITLY. TRUE GOD MUST FIND GUILTY ALL THOSE  WHO INFLICTED PAIN AND INJUSTICE ON THE INNOCENT. GOD SAVES HIS PEOPLE--THAT IS, HIS JUDGMENT IS FOR HIS FRIENDS.
                 DAY OF WRATH! O DAY OF MOURNING!
                 SEE FULFILLED THE PROPHETS' WARNING,
                  HEAV'N AND EARTH IN ASHES BURNING.
HOW ARE WE TO UNDERSTAND THESE PASSAGES?  THE SCHOLARS AGREE THAT TWO THINGS ARE TANGLED TOGETHER IN THESE PASSAGES.: THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM IN 7OA.D.  AND THE ACTUAL EVENT OF THE WORLD. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SORT OUT WHICH VERSES REFER TO WHICH EVENT. HERE ARE THE "APOCALYPTIC" PASSAGES OF THE GOSPELS MARK 13, MATTHEW 24, LUKE 21. IT IS A REALITY OF THE FINAL JUDGMENT THAT JESUS EMPHASIZED, NOT ITS DATE. THE PEOPLE OF BIBLICAL FAITH SAW CONCRETE HISTORICAL (PAST) EVENTS AS THE JUDGMENT OF GOD FOR INSTANCE, THE JEWISH PEOPLE BEING TAKEN INTO EXILE.