God’s Universal JudgmentDoug Focht, Jr. As we have been examining the various criticisms which scholars and theologians have leveled against the Bible, we have seen that the Scriptures have undergone assaults from all quarters, religious and non-religious. Even creeds and church traditions are, in their own way, statements of contempt for Holy Writ, in that they often assume that the "laity" is not savvy enough to understand the Scriptures, or that church traditions themselves are of a higher divine preference. On more than one occasion, those who stand for the truth and only the truth have born their share of criticisms. We have been judged to be narrow-minded, Pharisaical, and unloving. I even heard one preacher from a certain denomination accuse the congregation where I was worshipping of "Bibliolotry," meaning that we worshipped the Bible rather than God. Moments earlier he had lectured us how that we shouldn’t be so judgmental. Sigh. Still, it may occur to someone to ask what difference this all makes anyway. So what if some people don’t believe the Bible? So what if most people who do believe it don’t follow it exactly? What difference does it make? Is God so strict that He’s going to send everyone to Hell who isn’t doing exactly right? "Strict" is a relative term, and so is "exactly right." I thought my parents were pretty strict with us kids as we were growing up, but looking back, I know that we had it much easier compared to the way they were raised. Nevertheless, before we consider how "strict" God is, we would do well to consider what is at risk should we refuse to accept His discipline. One of the hallmarks of a good theory is its ability to predict the outcome of events which relate to that theory. The theory of a flat earth would predict that if a ship sailed far enough, it would fall off the edge. A "round-earth" theory would predict otherwise. The evolutionary model, which poses that man evolved from animals, rejects the idea of God’s special judgments (during Noah’s time, for example) and predicts that mankind will evolve upwards, toward that which is increasingly more beneficial both physically and morally to the species. On the other hand, the biblical model predicts that man will not substantively change physically, and will degenerate morally to the point where Christ will return a second time to destroy this earth as we know it, and judge the world, much as He did during the days of Noah. In fact, these two events are linked in 2 Peter 3:2–7: "…knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." (NKJ) After a warning to us not to think that God counts time like we do, the text continues in verses 9–10: "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. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up." If the earth continues to evolve for eons to come, then the biblical model will have been invalidated. However, if the Bible is correct, then anyone who has waited to that day to find out which model is the truth—evolutional or biblical—will have waited too long. And as that day approaches, the truth will become more and more obscured to those who do not have a love for it now. When will that day be? In the first place, it can better be determined when it will not be: Jesus will not return during a time when people are expecting Him. As in all judgments of God, warning signs are given to those who would heed them, but 1 Thessalonians 5:3 shows that few will even know about those warning signs: "For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman." Immediately turning his attention to the faithful, the apostle continues, "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief." Why will some be in darkness and some not? God’s warnings as well as His promises are only found within the body of His word. He communicates His ideas to us in no other way. Those who choose to ignore the Bible, disbelieve it, or allow others to be their sole interpreters of it, will miss these warning signs. In future articles, we will examine more closely these warning signs, and how that they seem to be taking place before our very eyes. In the meantime, here are some things to think about:
—From Growing in Grace, Vol. 1 #12, August 25, 1996 To contact the author, please send e-mail to: dnfj@yahoo.com
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