2012. I am sure that between now and the year 2012 A.D. you will hear a lot about what some think is going to happen at that time. According to the September 25, 2006 issue of Newsweek magazine that year could be the end of the world, as we know it.
Followers of New Age spirituality have noticed that something big happens in 2012 in the ancient and complex Mayan calendar. Their calendar has chugged along for 1,872,000 days, and its cycle stops (and restarts) on Dec. 21, 2012. Speculation over the 2012 cycle change has spurred interest in people around the world. Amazon.com shows more than 100 books on the subject, with titles like “Doomsday 2012” and “2012: You Have a Choice!” A number of spirituality conferences are already convening and I am sure many more will form in the next six years.
So will the world end on December 21, 2012? Obviously no one knows for sure. Only God knows when the Last Day will be. Perhaps the end of the world will come before then. Or history may continue long after the year 2012. I guess I have always figured that if humans are predicting a certain day for Judgment Day God will deliberately choose a different day so that no one can say he or she predicted it.
Regardless of what day we are talking about isn’t it interesting how people constantly try to pick dates for the end of the world? It seems that in every generation both Christians and even non-Christians speculate about when the Last Day will be. For many it becomes an obsession.
Although we can understand the curiosity many have about when Judgment Day will be, doesn’t it seem silly to show little or no concern about what is going to happen on that day? And doesn’t it seem even more foolish to be concerned about what day the world will end and give no thought to who is going to be the judge on that day. And wouldn’t you think people would be concerned about the standard of the judgment they will face?
On this Last Judgment Sunday let’s not worry about the exact day that Jesus will return. Let’s make sure we are ready for his return every day. Let’s take this opportunity to learn the truth about our judge and the basis of his judgment. May the Holy Spirit enable each of you to:
“KNOW YOUR JUDGE BEFORE JUDGMENT DAY”
I. Know his authority
II. Know his power
III. Know his Word
What prompted Jesus to speak these intense words about the Judgment Day? Jesus had healed a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years. On the surface that doesn’t sound like something that would bring criticism from Jesus’ enemies. But he did it on the Sabbath Day. So John tells us that some of the Jews persecuted Jesus for his actions. We are not told what that persecution was. But we are given Jesus’ response to it. He said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” That made the Jews even angrier. John tells us about their reaction in the verse just before our Gospel lesson for this Sunday. “For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:18) Although the Jews were judging Jesus he wanted them to know that one day he would judge them. He pointed out his authority to judge and the power he had at his disposal. Then he offered them the only way to prepare for the Last Day. He called them to repentance and faith. He invited them to hear and believe his Word.
I.
Before speaking about Judgment Day, Jesus revealed the truth about his authority to be the judge of all. “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these.” The Jews were seeing Jesus do some amazing miracles. But because of Jesus’ relationship with God the Father even more amazing things were coming. After his suffering, death, and resurrection Jesus would receive all authority in heaven and on earth from his Father. And at the end of time Jesus’ enemies would see him return in glory with all the holy angels to judge the world.
One big part of Jesus’ authority was his right to be judge on the Last Day. Jesus added this thought, “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.” And in John 5:27 Jesus repeated the fact, “27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.” Every judge has been given some level authority. A judge in Butler, Warren, or Clermont County receives his authority from those counties. A judge on the Ohio Supreme court receives his authority from the whole state. And of course a federal judge is given authority from the federal government. Jesus’ authority to judge came straight from the Father.
Because of this authority all people will appear before Jesus on Judgment Day. There will be no changes of venue, dismissals, mistrials, or requests for a different judge. The Apostle Paul stated it so well in Philippians 2:9-11, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The clear message from the Scriptures is that Jesus will be judge of all. He has been given that right and authority from his Father.
So what does Jesus’ authority to judge mean for us who have gathered here nearly 2000 years after he spoke these words? As believers we rejoice over the authority our judge has been given. It is comforting to know that the Judge of all is also our dear friend. We are guaranteed a favorable verdict on Judgment Day. Jesus, the Judge, has already declared us not guilty of any sins. He didn’t set aside the holy demands of the Ten Commandments. Instead he became our flesh and blood substitute. He lived a perfect life of obedience in our place. In addition to that, our Judge actually paid what we owed and took the punishment that we had coming.
When we combine our Judge’s authority to judge with the verdict he has already spoken for us we can honestly say that it doesn’t matter when the Last Day will come. And it really doesn’t matter when our last day comes. If the world ends before December 21, 2012 A.D. or after that date it doesn’t matter. And the day of our death isn’t important to know either. We can be confident that our judge will declare us not guilty when we stand before him. He has been given the right to do that and he has earned the right to do that. In the second Scripture lesson that the Vicar read earlier in the service we heard, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Knowing our judge before Judgment Day and knowing his authority takes away our concern about when that day will come and what will happen to us on that day. We now wait eagerly for his return. We say with John in Revelation, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
II.
But some might say, “Well, a not guilty verdict on Judgment Day sounds great. But how can I be sure that I will be declared not guilty?” That question brings us to our judge’s power. Not only does our Gospel Lesson enable us to know our judge’s authority it also makes us aware of his power to prepare us for J-Day. Jesus said, “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.” Our Judge has power to bring people to life. He can make a person spiritually alive before Judgment Day. That will change the verdict a person receives on that day. Those who are spiritually dead and without true faith in God will be sentenced to eternal punishment. But those who are spiritually alive will be given eternal life. So not only is Judgment Day in Jesus’ hands the spiritual life required to survive it is in Jesus’ hands as well. So again the truth is staring us in the face. Now is the time to get to know our Judge. Now is the time to know his authority and his power. Now is the time to look to him for spiritual life.
And not only does our Judge have the power to give spiritual life now he also has the power to give physical life to those who are dead. He will do this when he returns to judge the world. Jesus went on to say, “For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.” What a judge we have in Jesus! He has been given the authority to judge and the power to carry out his judgments. Both those who look forward to his return and those who fear it will be raised from the dead and judged. Thankfully, through that same power those who believe will be transformed and glorified. And finally, they will be welcomed into the presence of God forever.
III.
Once we know our Judge’s authority and power we will want to know what he has to say about Judgment Day. Let’s make that the last thought we consider in our sermon. We need to know his Word. Jesus the Judge tells us, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.” Hearing the words of Jesus gives us spiritual life and prepares us for Judgment Day. They create faith in us so that we believe are personally declared innocent instead of guilty. And on the last day instead of being condemned we will be commended as God’s children.
So, of course, we continually prepare for that day by constantly hearing Jesus’ words. We gather for worship, and Bible study or Sunday school. In our personal devotions and Bible reading we hear the words of our Judge before Judgment Day. Later on in John’s Gospel Jesus gave us this warning about not keeping his Words. “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.” (John 12:47-48) Oh, friends in Christ, may those words wake us from our spiritual slumber. May we hear the words of the Great Judge. May we know them and believe them.
Although I doubt that anyone here has read the book some of you may have heard of a book called “The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook.” It’s a manual, based on interviews with experts in a variety of fields. It has reached number one best-selling status as a non-fiction paperback book. It just has little chapters, little sections on things like “how to escape from quicksand,” “how to jump from a building into a dumpster,” “how to perform a tracheotomy.” And this has sold over a million copies. Some of the advice is quite predictable. Like in the part that has to do with how to deal with a charging bull, the number one rule is “do not antagonize the bull.” That seems fairly obvious. But sometimes the advice is quite demanding like there’s a section called “how to survive if your parachute fails to open.” Here’s a little test of your survival skills: What should you do if confronted by an angry mountain lion? A, run; B, play dead; C, make yourself look bigger by opening your coat; D, sing a gentle, happy song. Believe it or not, the correct answer according to the “Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook” is C--make yourself look bigger by opening your coat. This is what the authors say, “The principle behind this book is a simple one. You just never know. You never really know what life will throw at you, what is sitting around the corner. You never really know when you might be called upon to choose life or death with your actions. But when you are called, you need to know what to do. That’s why this book is written.” That’s why this book has been written as well. The Bible has the words that allow us to cross over from death to life in every situation. It calls us to faith in the One who will judge the living and the dead.
2012 is just another date in a long list of dates that people have proposed for Judgment Day. In the year 236 A.D. a church leader named Hippolytus predicted that Christ was sure to return by 500 A.D. At the turn of the first millennium, the years between 999 and 1030 A.D. were characterized by excessive speculation about Christ’s second coming among Christians. So much so that it led to social chaos as farmers didn’t plant crops for the next year, buildings weren’t repaired, and the details of daily life were neglected because they thought Christ would return in their lifetime. In the 1500’s Martin Luther said, “This world will not last any longer… than another hundred years.” Christopher Columbus said he was sure the world would end by 1656. The year 1666 saw an explosion in end time speculation, so much so that one pastor wrote in his journal that every time a storm hit, people would go to church to await Christ’s second coming. In the 1800’s a Christian named William Miller said, “I am fully convinced that somewhere between March 21st, 1843 and March 21st, 1844 Christ will come.” Obviously he was mistaken. Just six years ago as the year 2000 approached people again began to speculate about whether or not the Last Day was going to come.
Instead of be concerned about the date for Judgment Day the most important thing for us is to know who will be doing the judging. Through the Words of Jesus we are invited to know our Judge. We can know his authority, his power, and his Word. Those things prepare us for the judgment so we are ready whenever it comes. Amen.
