The End is Near

Seen on a church sign recently: “The Day of Non-Judgment is Near.” Do we see the irony here? The closer we get to Judgment Day, the more we feel the worldly pressure to stop worrying about judgment—and perhaps more so, to stop judging everyone else. And maybe, just maybe, there is a small part of us that is tempted to give in to that way of thinking: If I don’t bother anyone else, if I don’t confront or condemn anyone else, then I won’t have to worry about them doing the same to me.

Could it be that the standards have changed? Could it be that some parts of the Bible don’t apply in the same way they used to? Can so many Americans all be wrong? Do we need to be so strict in our teachings? Wouldn’t we draw more people into our church if we backed off a little?

God’s Word in Joel chapter 3 gives us the opposite message of that church sign. God will sit and judge the nations on every side; he will judge all mankind. He will confront and condemn humanity for its great wickedness according to his holy standards, the ones revealed to us throughout the pages of Holy Scripture.

When it comes to the Day of Judgment, it’s not a question of “if,” but “when.” On the one hand, Joel’s message isn’t meant to make us comfortable; we will stand before God for judgment, too, and we must be aware that on our own, we don’t stand a chance of appearing innocent. We are called to repent for our own wickedness and despair of our own futile efforts to win God’s favor.


Instead, in Joel 3:16 it says, “The LORD will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the LORD will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel.” In this verse, we are called to find our refuge in the stronghold of God’s grace, the grace we own through Jesus Christ, our Savior. We don’t have to hide from judgment; no, we hide ourselves in Jesus and the righteousness that is ours through faith in him. God has not changed his standards, but Jesus has fulfilled them for us, in our place. Judgment is coming for all, but all who are found in Christ will be justified before God.

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