Judgement is Coming

Amos 5:18 ESV

Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light,

1 Thessalonians 4:17–18 ESV

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Matthew 25:13 ESV

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Introduction

As we enter these last three weeks of the Church year the Lectionary turns our attention to the end of all things that bring us to the Last Day, known in the Bible as “The Day of the Lord” and “Judgment Day.” Today we will specifically focus on this day and not the events leading up to it, which will be covered over the next two Sundays. Our texts, in a peculiar way, line out for us three different aspects of this day. First, Amos speaks about the coming Judgment that will take place that day. There will be no disputing the righteousness of God, no appeal, a “recounting” of deeds not a “re-counting” of deeds. And the majority of the world will be sent to hell on that day.

In our Epistle lesson tells us that the outcome for God’s own children will be different from that of the world. We are not like the hopeless world where most see themselves as their own God, but our hope is in Jesus Christ and His righteousness that will bring us to both resurrection and rapture into heaven. Paul, himself, urges us to comfort one another with these words.

Finally, our Gospel lesson today speaks of the Ten Virgins- Five wise and Five foolish. The wise Virgins were prepared— they brought enough oil to wait for the Bridegroom. The foolish ones ran out of oil and “the door was shut.” What is that oil? How are we prepared when we, the Bride, meet our coming Bridegroom. We pray the blessing of God the Holy Spirit upon us as we consider the theme: “The End.”

Amos’ Judgment

The theme of the Prophet Amos is the universal justice of God. The Israelites expected a “Day of the Lord” when all of their enemies would be judged. But what they were not prepared for was that God’s judgment would fall on them as well. God’s own people coming under God’s own judgment. We see the earthly result of this as Israel vanished from existence after the exile into Babylon. No more tribes. No more glory. Scattered as scattered can be. Amos exclaims to Israel that God would judge them more harshly than their neighbors. They knew better because they knew God. Our text bears this theme out.

The beginning of Chapter five is haunting: “Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel; forsaken on her land with none to raise her up.”

The stark truth is this: God’s people have the ability to turn against Him. It happened with Israel and it can happen to us. And so, God’s warning stands before you today:

Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is darkness, and not light,

Before we look to the hope that this Last Day brings, we need to do a spiritual inventory of our lives. How am I living apart from God? What is it about my life that I would not want Him to make public, as He will, when Jesus lights up the Sky on the Last Day? For that we must turn to the mirror of God’s Law.

This is why it is so important that you memorize the ten commandments. Know them, and their meaning as you learned it from the Catechism inside and out. For they will be the light that shines on your darkness to expose your evil heart. Sin always kills. Sin always condemns. Sin always deserves hell. Even if it is yours.

Right about now its very easy to fall prey to this. With the election issue that is before our country the division is deep. This is not to say that there are not holy reasons to hold to our position as Christians. But be careful that you do not hate. You are called to love those on the other side of this great divide. You are called to pray for them. You are called to witness to them. But hatred stops this all cold, and if Jesus comes you will be found to be unworthy. For hatred is murder. And murderers cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.

There is a reason that the Lord has delayed His coming, and it is specifically this. He is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to eternal life. Forgiveness from Christ is not license to hate with the expectation of forgiveness. We need to rout that sin out through confession. We need to hear the blessed absolution on our darkness. We must pray to the Holy Spirit that He changes our hearts. If this darkness permeates our lives now, imagine what will happen when things become even darker in our country. So do not be quick to ask the Lord to come before you understand that the Cross was necessary for you as well. Without the forgiveness of Christ that day will be fore us darkness and not light. Own up to your sin. Confess it. Then let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like and ever flowing stream in your lives. The best justice in the world is the justice that Jesus took on Himself for you so that you can stand before Him. Live that out. Share that. Cling to Him in faith alone!

Paul’s Hope

Scary stuff, for sure. But thank the Lord this is not the end of the story. Recognizing these sins that we bear, Paul interjects the hope of Jesus to our hearts. He acknowledges that there are those who grieve without hope— actually these are the people who have NO hope in their lives, the people who do not believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. When we go through loss, we do grieve, BUT that is temporary for us. We will see them again. God’s promise to you. And we will be in heaven as well. For we have been given Christ’s robe of righteousness in Baptism. We were baptized into His death that buries the sin in our lives, killing it off; and then given the guarantee of His resurrection from the dead. It is only through this faith in Christ that we can stand in the judgment.

That standing is in the hope of the resurrection and rapture.

Paul tells us some of the details of Judgment Day:

1 Thessalonians 4:14–17 ESV

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

First, as we confess in the Creeds, we believe in the “Resurrection of the Dead.” For those in Christ, they will be raised to eternal life in heaven, where we will dwell bodily.

Just a practical word here. I’ve had people asking questions like “what about those who are lost at sea?” or “What about cremation?” None of that stops the Lord from bringing back the bodies.

Revelation 20:13 ESV

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.

The same holds for cremation which really is just a speeding up of the process normally caused with decay of the flesh. Jews and the ancient church always buried believers as a testament to their belief in the resurrection. But now, pagans are buried also, who do not believe in the resurrection.

The dead will be raised.

And then, the living Church on earth will be taken up after the dead are brought into the kingdom. This is our hope. It shows that we will live forever in God’s Kingdom and not suffer hell, nor be annihilated as so many believe. The creed of the world is “Dead is dead.” It is not ours. We believe in the “life of the world to come.”

The Bridegroom Comes

Our Gospel is the parable of the ten virgins- five wise, and five foolish. The wise ones bring extra oil so that they could wait all night if needed for the arrival of the bridegroom. The foolish just bring enough for several hours. The bridegroom is delayed, the foolish virgins go off to buy more oil and while they are gone the bridegroom arrives. The door is shut and they are not allowed in.

What does this parable mean? How does it apply to us and our faith?

The Virgins are those waiting on the Bridegroom. Jesus is the Bride, the Church are those waiting for Him.

His coming is delayed. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but all to have eternal life.

The Church waits.

Some are not prepared. Their trust in the Lord grows cold. They teach false doctrines and begin to approve of sin. Their love grows cold. They become more self reliant. But none of this prepares them for the arrival of the Groom. Their faith “runs out.” They seek light elsewhere than from the only place it can be found. The door is shut.

But those who are the Lord’s own, they are prepared. Actually, they are prepared by the Bridegroom Himself. They trust in Him no matter what their eyes behold. They know He is coming even though they have to wait. Their love for both the Lord and their enemies remains intact and full to the brim. The watch, they wait, they hope, they expect. They shall not be disappointed.

The Lord Jesus will come with a shout and trumpet blast. The bridegroom welcomes those covered with His blood. The ones for whom the punches of the nails and thorns pierced His body. The ones whom He calls His bride.

Beloved, the Bridegroom is coming. Delayed, but He has not forgotten. He knows you. He has opened the door for you. Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus, come.

Amen.