Come Judgement Day!

So many crimes have been committed throughout time, and so many culprits seem to have escaped justice. 


The cruellest torturers of WW2 died before they could stand trial; the vilest tyrants died peacefully after ordering the deaths of countless subjects; and the fathers who raped their daughters exited this life without anyone outside the family having learned of their betrayal.


And so the atheists and victims raise their fist in angry protest against a god who apparently willingly turns a blind eye. And so fuel is brought to the fire of bitter protest: God, if you're as powerful as you claim to be, why did you allow this to happen? Why wasn't so and so brought to justice? Why have so many thugs successfully outsmarted both law enforcement officers and forensic experts? Why, God, why?


No escape for the guilty


There is no easy, comprehensive answer to the dilemmas and paradoxes involving the story of criminals who got away with their misdeeds. But the Bible has quite a few revealing (and to some: disturbing) leaks to bring to the fore as to how God intends to redress the problem of 'justice evasion'. And I for one, quite frankly, find God's anti-justice evasion programme to be very satisfactory and very encouraging.


It may sound horrific, and, truly, some have lost their sleep over endless speculation as to what God's day of judgment will entail for their part, but on the whole this event, this Grand Court Session of all Eons, will ensure that all unrepentant offenders will get their just deserts. There'll be no accused persons missing from the rostrum, and no act of crime against the little ones will remain unaddressed until all sentences have been passed and executed. But how can this be?


"..it's appointed for men to die once - and after this, judgement" (Hebrews, the New Testament, chapter 9, verse 27)


1. Death separates man and wife, and victim and offender, but even across this final border there is no escape or God-proof hideaway. Ignoring God and the victims pleas for mercy was easy enough then for the e.g. serial killer, but now there will be no pardon, no clemency, no leniency. The powerful, heavenly Secret Service agents who will facilitate the arrests are commonly referred to as 'angels'. They may sound innocent enough, but there'll be no hesitation, or escape hatch, when these giants spring into action. Their awesome strength is attested to several times throughout Scripture.


And so the Pol Pots will finally have to answer for their catalogues of vices and cruelties. Adolf Hitler will have to appear before the court in total humiliation, as well as the petty thieves, the abortion doctors, the tyrants who mismanaged their countries, as well as the poachers and destroyers of the environment.


"God now commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has set a day in which he is going to judge the world...by the Man he has appointed" (Acts, the New Testament, chapter 17, verses 30-31)


2. The Supreme Judge that day will be Jesus Christ. Not only will he be supremely just in his verdicts. He is also supremely qualified for the job, in that he is fully cognizant of what it means to be human, having spent 33 years on earth acquanting himself with all facets of human existence. He is intimately aware of the dangers that rid our race, and he, as many others before and after, has experienced immense pain and the total deprivation of justice. He was sentenced to death over nothing. He hadn't committed a single crime, and yet the death sentence was carried through to completion.


The resurrected Christ is still a human being also, but on Judgment Day he will fully exhibit the prerogatives of Godhead. He is named Creator of all life forms, and holding both the patented right to human life as well as  animal and plant life, he is extremely passionate about what he rightfully regards as his own. Thus he is uniquely qualified to avenge all kinds of destruction or annihilation of that which he at one time brought into being.


Christ cares for that which is His


He doesn't treat any offense lightly, particularly not those which in some way or other affected those created, above their fellow creatures, in the likeness of God. He will pay back in like measure to those who callously abused, molested, terrorised or brutalized the young and the old, the Gypsy and the Jew, the mentally handicapped and those to weak to resist their attackers.


"For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans, the New Testament, chapter 5, verse 6)


3. At the heart of this Great Event lies the consummation of justice. As God's enemy, man was 2000 years ago restored to friendship with its Creator again through Jesus' reconciling and atoning death on the Cross. And while some resisted the ensuing offer of grace and peace with God, others fully accepted it with all its implications: in this astounding exchange, and reversal of roles, God was seen as just by punishing the crime, but, amazingly, instead of crushing the guilty party, he allowed the Jewel of Innocence to accept full responsibility for our crimes. And so on the Cross we were in actual fact acquitted, not convicted.


On Judgement Day those who spurned their Maker, their Saviour and their fellow men will have to fully embrace the implications of their actions. And while dodging prison the first time around, they will now forever be banned from all things that can possibly be described as good.


The crimes committed will be avenged once and for all, and justice will be doled out in full measure on all men.