Christians in the western world live in increasingly secular societies, and the hateful spirit of antichrist that in times past was supressed by the general acceptance of Christianity is now out in the open. Yet this spirit can today be restrained to a great degree by the presentation of our Christian faith in terms that people can understand.
In the past, Christians spoke more of Future Judgement, and the thought of having to answer to God after death was a great restraint on the inherent sinful nature and will to break God’s Law. That restraint is now all but gone, and the effects of its removal are visible in the lawlessness that is visible in the streets of our cities.
People’s thoughts are now more on Present Justice than on Future Judgement, and since they see Christians as preoccupied with the future rather than the present, they are dismissive — even contemptuous of what we stand for. We can blame ministers for not preaching enough on the Day when the thoughts and actions of all will be judged “by that man which God has ordained” (Acts 17), but the stable door has long been left open, and the horse has bolted. So, how to address this societal attitude?
This can best be done by preaching more on the fact that to God Present Justice is as important as Future Judgement. Prophets in Old Testament times warned more about rampant injustices than future judgement; which can be proved by running a finger down the references to both in your Bible Concordance.
The New Testament has more to say on Future Judgement because its writers lived in a time when the arrival of the long-expected Messiah in the person of Jesus from Nazareth underlined the certainty of God’s expected Judgement, which in part fell on them in 70BC, when the Roman Army destroyed their Temple. Thereafter Jewish society was more openly divided between those who were on the Lord’s side and those that were not.
People still fear Death, as every minister knows from the faces of those who attend funerals. But for most of the time that fear is supressed, and even dismissed by thoughts of injustice and inequity. If there is a God, why does He not do something about the terrible things that are taking place?
So, we need more focus on accountability through the preaching of certain Judgement to Come, and more emphasis as well on God’s justice as is evident in this present life and times. As in, “As a man sows, so also shall he reap.” And in “He who sows to the flesh (lower nature) shall of the flesh reap corruption.” Not only in a future judgement but also in present judgements, such as sexually transmitted diseases, the effects on families of increasing lawlessness, and the widespread corruption that results from theft being accepted as normal, with less chance of being caught and punished. In the case of the latter, judges and magistrates are noticeably soft.
Genesis 18:19 informs us that as far as God is concerned, His judgement and His justice go hand in hand — and they should also in our minds. Justice Now, and Judgement Then — and each as important as the other.