Shawn Davies
09/21/2012
Dr. Scott G. Sinclair
Intro to Christianity through Art

The Last Judgment

The last judgment in the bible talks about how Christ comes to pass judgment on those who have sinned. The person would need to repent for their sins in order to be saved and be able to rejoice in the light of the Lord. There are many ways to interpret the passages in the bible pertaining to the last judgment. It mainly depends on the person and what he or she can draw from the passages that gives them the most meaning to their life and how to apply it to their current situation. I found a few passages that helped me get a better understanding of what the last judgment is about.

I feel that, as with many things from the bible, people can take passages from the bible that refer to the last judgment too literal sometimes. Sometimes when I walk down the street, in certain parts of San Francisco, I usually end up running into someone who has a cardboard sign that says "the end is near." I believe that the last judgment is there, in many ways, to help make sure that Christians as a whole try to stay on a path of good. I felt that when I read passages that talked about the last judgment it made me think outside of my normal realm of thinking.

This particular passage from Revelations 20: 11-15 that peaked my interest and caused me to reflect on it a bit: " Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." This passage made me think about a number of different things and in a few ways look at my own life and reflect on certain parts of it. One thing I take away from this passage is that the Lord is sitting on his throne with two books open beside him. He then judges the dead based on what had transpired in their life while they were living. To me it means that a person should try to live their life in a way that they would be proud and welcomed into heaven. So when the person gets to the point where they are being judge, as long as the good outweighs the bad, the person would be allowed to live, or ascend.

Another passage I found interesting and made me reflect on, or what I tried to take away from it, was Romans 14:10. The small part of the passage is:" Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God." When I reflected on this particular part it made me think about a lot of different aspects of me and others. What I tried to take away from this small part is that why do we judge each other so much. It made me think why do we tend to judge our family the harshest when we shouldn't be the ones to condemn their actions. It made me think about all the times I had been too harsh or rash in judging what my brother has done or was currently doing. I asked myself this question the other night, why should I judge him for something that I myself have done once or twice before? This particular passage from Peter 3:10-13 made me stumble a little when I read it at first. "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." This particular passage made me stumble because I wanted to see how I felt about it and what it had to say. I really wasn't sure what the message I was trying to get from it and how it made me feel as I reflected on it. What I think I am taking away from this passage is that the Lord is currently unhappy with how much people were sinning down on earth. He took it upon himself to "start over" and rebuild the heavens into something that he would be happy with. He wasn't happy with some of the people that made it into heaven and wanted to he wanted to open up to the earth and show how much sin and destructiveness was actually going on. I also believe and think that we all make choices that are both good and bad. Also in this message gets mad at a few of the angels for possibly trying to pass judgment and decided to send them down towards hell to make an example out of them. The next passage that I chose to reflect on is Matthew 26: 36-40: " I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." To me they are questioning the Lord's presence and why they haven't been able to physically see him with their own eyes. Why is he keeping himself from those that worship him. I chose this particular passage from Matthew because I think that even though they knew that they had received good things, why couldn't they return the favor back to the Lord, or be able to tell him in person. The King then responded in kindness that they had done something good for someone else so that they were being blessed in turn with kindness. With the passage Luke 16:19-31, I realize that it is not the entire passage. The part I did pick out in particular made me reflect on how a person could relate it to some of the more powerful and elite today. “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. ... " It made me reflect on how some people take things for granted and how many people can be rude to those that are suffering needlessly. How even those that suffer needlessly can be treated poorly by those who have everything. This just makes me think that just because a person may have riches and excess doesn't mean you should treat someone who doesn't have that any less human. For when both people die and they have to be judge by someone in death one will be sent to heaven and the other to hell. I can see how some people would take this literally and treat everyone equally regardless of class. As I reflect on this I see how it can be applied today in that there are many people who are rich that still treat the poor like dirt without knowing the person's back story. The passage that seemed to stand out to me when I was looking for passages to reflect on for this paper. It is in Matthew 7:2: " For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. " This particular passage stood out because this passage I think if many people read it who didn't go to church on a regular basis would probably sit and think on it. What I have taken away from this passage is that if you judge someone harshly, then when you eventually pass on you will be judge just as harshly by the Lord. I know it is hard sometimes to remember that a person shouldn't take the bible literally word for word, but I can see how with a passage like this how easy it would be to do so. I personally took it as if I am to judge someone a little or too much, then there is someone out there judging you just as little or harshly. Revelations 17:8: " The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come." When I read this passage it made me reflect on how that even though someone didn't see this "beast" it is lurking in the shadows waiting for its time to be released unto the Earth. When the "beast" is released it will come after those who sinned and are not in the book of life. I took away from this is that even though there is nothing there literally, sometimes there can be a feeling that something is lurking just waiting to come and get you. With Acts 17:31: " Because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” I reflect on that at some point the Lord will resurrect Jesus and send him back out amongst his disciples. This to me is saying that the Lord is telling his people that there is a man that he as personally chosen to judge the world by in how he is treated. The Lord will raise the man from the dead at his choosing.

John 3:17: " For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." When I read this one sentence I got a couple of different views on it when I took the time to reflect on it. The first message I took away from it was that God sent his son to see if the world could be saved by having him in the world spreading the Lord's message. The second message that I took away from it was that God wanted to test his people by sending his son to see if they could change and be "saved", or would they stay the same and continue to sin. When I read Isaiah I found this particular passage to reflect on. Isaiah 11:4: " But with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked." I walked away from this passage with a couple of different ways to interpret it. The first thing I took away was that the Lord will be lenient on the meek and possibly the poor, he will strike the earth with a shot of lightning and kill those who have been wicked and sinned. The other thing that I took away from this passage is that the Lord is quick to judge those who have not yet learned their lesson and have yet to repent. Also he is quick to judge the poor and in a way that may not be fair to them. Thessalonians 1:5-10: " This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, ...". I found this particular passage another hard one to reflect on and see what I could take away from it. What I first got from this is that if God finds or has evidence that the judgment is righteous then you might be considered worthy of entering his kingdom, for which he has also made you suffer for. God will afflict those who have afflicted you in some way and make it better for you as well as others in the same position. I also got from this that the Lord will inflict vengeance on those who do not believe in him, his son, or his message. The Lord is the one and only true "God" and that there are no other "Gods" like him. I think that this passage comes off a little pushy that there is only one supreme person and he is the only one out there. Acts1:1-26: " In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

When reflecting upon the passage from Acts I had some trouble trying to see what message I could take away from it. When I broke the passage down into simple sentences I found it easier to reflect upon it. Jesus began to teach what his father the Lord had given to him through commands. Jesus had the apostles help him in spreading the commands that the Lord had given him when he was taken up to Heaven. Jesus gave his apostles proof during a forty day period that he was in fact alive and speaking about the kingdom and God. At some point the apostles will be baptized in the Holy spirit a few days from when he has spoken to them. What I have taken from this is that the Lord will let Jesus' apostles by baptized for the Holy spirit in a few days after Jesus comes back from talking with his father. Psalm 23:6: " Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. " When reflecting upon this small passage I get the message that as long as you are a good person and merciful you will end up in heaven with the Lord. I think that many people believe this whether they go to church or not. As long as what they feel they are doing is good then they will end up some place good. In many ways I found it difficult to illustrate the last judgment. Trying to find the best pictures to help paint the scene of what the bible was talking about. A lot of the pictures that I found through various websites all showed the same general scene. I went with the pictures of the Sistine Chapel because I found the painting to be the easiest to show. I found it easy to strip down the different sections of the painting and talk about them in detail. The different stories in the sections stood out more to me than some of the other pictures of paintings that I saw.

Overall I feel that the last judgment makes many people, when they read certain passages, take away that they should be model and upstanding citizens. I have personally seen and experienced that some people will take certain passages that pertain to the last judgment and try to force them onto others. It has made me reflect on why and how people can take some of those passages too literally. I realize that the bible is not a piece of literature that needs to be taken literally word for word. But I can see how some people get over zealous with it and do take it word for word.