“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2, ESV)
“Does hell serve a purpose? … Remove it from the Bible and, at the same time, remove any notion of a just God and a trustworthy Scripture.…
If there is no hell, God is not just. If there is no punishment of sin, heaven is apathetic toward the rapists and pillagers and mass murderers of society. If there is no hell, God is blind toward the victims and has turned his back on those who pray for relief. If there is no wrath toward evil, then God is not love, for love hates that which is evil.
To say there is no hell is also to say God is a liar and His Scripture untrue. The Bible repeatedly and stoutly affirms the dualistic outcome of history. Some will be saved. Some will be lost.” (P. 170 Grace for the Moment, Max Lucado)
There are many people in this world who do not like being judged. They do not like the fact that their good works and evil deeds all have consequences. I recently watched an employee who made a big mistake at work get upset at her employer. The young woman failed to follow office procedures that were required for a certain task, and it caused a terrible mess in the records. When she was called on the carpet by her boss, the employee was visibly upset at the boss. So, let me get this right… the employee who made a mistake she knew better than to do was upset at her boss for calling her out on the mistake? The employee acted like she was wronged, as if the boss was doing something shameful. The only person in this situation who was making mistakes was the employee. She not only messed up the office procedure, but she reacted poorly to criticism. She failed her task and reacted with vehemence to her boss. I’m betting that in the end, the employee thought her boss was a jerk when her boss was acting with good judgment. It was the employee who was totally in the wrong.
Many people do not like knowing they are in the wrong, finding out they made a mistake, or realizing that they need to change their ways. They like to shift the blame to others or allow others to pay for their mistakes. God doesn’t allow such nonsense. God will judge you based on your own choices and decisions. God will judge you based on the good and evil you performed. In this life and the next, God’s judgment upon your life will be based on your own thoughts, words, and deeds. God is not fooled by any attempts at subterfuge, lies, shifting of blame, or hidden actions. God will bless every good deed and punish every evil deed. There is NO getting around this fact.
The scripture for today is from the Old Testament book of Daniel. The words were written more than five hundred years before Jesus was born. Daniel was a prophet who was very close to God. He defended God against the sinfulness of Nebuchadnezzar. He kept the faith despite being thrown to lions! Daniel was also given a glimpse of the future by God and God’s angels. In Daniel 12, Daniel was given a vision of Judgment Day. In the scripture above, Daniel wrote that in this vision, “those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). This judgment will occur when God separates those who deserve everlasting life from those who, through sin and evil, deserve everlasting contempt and shame. There will be no middle ground. There will be no nefarious methods to squirm out from that judgment. You are blessed, or you are condemned.
Scripture declares that God is love (1 John 4:8). God is merciful (Psalm 145:8). God does what is right (Daniel 9:14). Human beings may show hate instead of love, hard-heartedness instead of mercy, and do what is wrong instead of what is right. Those who are borne of God, who live in relationship with God, will need to deal with their sin and ask for God’s grace. You will need to make things right in your life before Judgment Day. You need to separate yourself from the sinfulness of this world. Throw yourself into the arms of God. Follow His teachings. Trust the Lord Jesus. Listen to God’s Spirit. Daniel saw Judgment Day coming. Will you follow God’s ways to eternal life or find only everlasting contempt? Will Judgment Day bring your celebration or your everlasting shame?
If you think that today’s subject and scripture are too negative or gloomy, realize that they are not meant to be. Judgment Day is meant to be a day to receive your eternal reward. Sadly, there are too many who have set themselves up to never receive that reward. What do you think you will receive on that day? How would you judge your own life?
In the movie, “Saving Private Ryan”, a soldier for whom others died, says to his wife, “Tell me I’ve led a good life. Tell me I’m a good man….” He was looking at the graves of his fellow soldiers who died so young. He knew they died for him. He wanted to show his life reflected well their sacrifice. How well does your life reflect the love of God? Jesus died on a cross for you. Have you lived a righteous life for Him? On Judgment Day, we find out.
If there is no hell, God is not just. If there is no punishment of sin, heaven is apathetic toward the rapists and pillagers and mass murderers of society. If there is no hell, God is blind toward the victims and has turned his back on those who pray for relief. If there is no wrath toward evil, then God is not love, for love hates that which is evil.
To say there is no hell is also to say God is a liar and His Scripture untrue. The Bible repeatedly and stoutly affirms the dualistic outcome of history. Some will be saved. Some will be lost.” (P. 170 Grace for the Moment, Max Lucado)
There are many people in this world who do not like being judged. They do not like the fact that their good works and evil deeds all have consequences. I recently watched an employee who made a big mistake at work get upset at her employer. The young woman failed to follow office procedures that were required for a certain task, and it caused a terrible mess in the records. When she was called on the carpet by her boss, the employee was visibly upset at the boss. So, let me get this right… the employee who made a mistake she knew better than to do was upset at her boss for calling her out on the mistake? The employee acted like she was wronged, as if the boss was doing something shameful. The only person in this situation who was making mistakes was the employee. She not only messed up the office procedure, but she reacted poorly to criticism. She failed her task and reacted with vehemence to her boss. I’m betting that in the end, the employee thought her boss was a jerk when her boss was acting with good judgment. It was the employee who was totally in the wrong.
Many people do not like knowing they are in the wrong, finding out they made a mistake, or realizing that they need to change their ways. They like to shift the blame to others or allow others to pay for their mistakes. God doesn’t allow such nonsense. God will judge you based on your own choices and decisions. God will judge you based on the good and evil you performed. In this life and the next, God’s judgment upon your life will be based on your own thoughts, words, and deeds. God is not fooled by any attempts at subterfuge, lies, shifting of blame, or hidden actions. God will bless every good deed and punish every evil deed. There is NO getting around this fact.
The scripture for today is from the Old Testament book of Daniel. The words were written more than five hundred years before Jesus was born. Daniel was a prophet who was very close to God. He defended God against the sinfulness of Nebuchadnezzar. He kept the faith despite being thrown to lions! Daniel was also given a glimpse of the future by God and God’s angels. In Daniel 12, Daniel was given a vision of Judgment Day. In the scripture above, Daniel wrote that in this vision, “those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). This judgment will occur when God separates those who deserve everlasting life from those who, through sin and evil, deserve everlasting contempt and shame. There will be no middle ground. There will be no nefarious methods to squirm out from that judgment. You are blessed, or you are condemned.
Scripture declares that God is love (1 John 4:8). God is merciful (Psalm 145:8). God does what is right (Daniel 9:14). Human beings may show hate instead of love, hard-heartedness instead of mercy, and do what is wrong instead of what is right. Those who are borne of God, who live in relationship with God, will need to deal with their sin and ask for God’s grace. You will need to make things right in your life before Judgment Day. You need to separate yourself from the sinfulness of this world. Throw yourself into the arms of God. Follow His teachings. Trust the Lord Jesus. Listen to God’s Spirit. Daniel saw Judgment Day coming. Will you follow God’s ways to eternal life or find only everlasting contempt? Will Judgment Day bring your celebration or your everlasting shame?
If you think that today’s subject and scripture are too negative or gloomy, realize that they are not meant to be. Judgment Day is meant to be a day to receive your eternal reward. Sadly, there are too many who have set themselves up to never receive that reward. What do you think you will receive on that day? How would you judge your own life?
In the movie, “Saving Private Ryan”, a soldier for whom others died, says to his wife, “Tell me I’ve led a good life. Tell me I’m a good man….” He was looking at the graves of his fellow soldiers who died so young. He knew they died for him. He wanted to show his life reflected well their sacrifice. How well does your life reflect the love of God? Jesus died on a cross for you. Have you lived a righteous life for Him? On Judgment Day, we find out.