Saturday, October 15, 2005
Acts 1:11 "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."
I BELIEVE HE SHALL COME TO JUDGE THE QUICK AND THE DEAD
Though the disciples had just seen Jesus taken up into heaven, they were assured that He would return again. Jesus Himself had told them earlier: "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2-3). Here at Jesus' ascension two men appeared before them to tell them "Don't worry, Jesus is going to come back again."
What will Jesus do when He returns? We confess that He will come to judge -- as Paul writes, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:10). Because Christ will return to judge all people on that day we often call it "Judgment Day." That day of judgment will be a day of sorrow and torment for some (unbelievers) and a day of happiness and joy for others (believers).
But what about those who have already died? We also confess that He will come to judge the quick (that is, the living) and the dead. Whether believer or unbeliever, alive or dead, we will all appear before Jesus on that day when He returns in glory to judge the world. In his first letter to the Thessalonians, Paul comforts the believers that their believing loved ones who have died will be raised on that day and will live forever with the Lord in heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). We can be sure that both the living and the dead will take part in that glorious day.
But now two thousand years have passed, and still Jesus has not returned. Are we fools for still believing that He will return as He promised? "No!" Peter says. Rather, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
We can be confident that our Savior will return, knowing that even now He continues to work through His Word to bring lost souls to faith in Him. May He continue to prepare each of us for His coming, and also use us as His witnesses to prepare others!
