We can be sure there will be a Judgement

God isn’t really going to judge people, it’s just a threat to make us behave -- I’m a good person so I will be ok -- If God is all loving he will let us most of us off -- Be nice, help people, everything will work out in the end anyway regardless of what you believe. bla bla bla …

Unpleasant though it is to talk about, there will be a judgement and it’s wrong to trivialise or hide that fact.


Because God judges sin

Now the LORD observed the extent of the people's wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil. So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them. It broke his heart. (Gen6)

The “extent of the wickedness” is easy to understand. Stalin, Hitler, Mao, etc. Notice though that God said, all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil

"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment” (Matt12)


Because there is only enough room in the universe for one God

Adam and eve’s rebellion was that they were not content to have God as God. They wanted to be Gods themselves.

"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen3)

From that moment on we were all sinners, that is why we sin. Every human being turns away from God, that’s why we are all guilty.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, ... For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened (Rom1)

At this point it should be clear that Aunty Flow who gave you pocket money when you were a kid and Nice Dave who occasionally buys a meal for the tramp on the corner – Are also standing under God’s judgement.

God will be God.


Because Jesus said it

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left." (Matt25)
 

Because God has done it before

Now the LORD observed the extent of the people's wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil. So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them. It broke his heart. And the LORD said, "I will completely wipe out this human race that I have created. Yes, and I will destroy all the animals and birds, too. I am sorry I ever made them." (Gen6)

Eight people survived.


Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus

By Jesus’ death and resurrection God has provided a way to escape his judgement. Jesus did a swap with his people – God judged him instead of us.

God has provided this rescue because he wants us to be safe from his judgement. And that judgement must be terrible. If the judgement were trivial or it was possible for a “good person” to get through – I don’t think God would have provided such a costly rescue.

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev20)


Because God will have no evil in the new creation

"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it." - Jack Handy

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God ... Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Rev21)

K, that’s enough thinking for today