Not Judgment Day Yet

I'm sure you might've heard about the buzz around today, May 21st being Judgment Day. And that clearly has not happened. Jesus clearly states in the Bible that we will not know when he returns, only God does. Judgment day will sneak on us like a thief in the night. It's not something that can be predicted, and won't fulfill a prediction on a specific day. The Bible is clear as daylight on that:

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. - Matthew 24:36 (ESV)

Morever, Revelations speaks so much about what the Rapture will be like. Earth and its denizens will be deeply uprooted and put into turmoil by natural disasters and lack of faith. And although we have had numerous devastating natural disasters lately, this is nothing compared to what Revelations goes into detail about.

But more important than anything else is something my Dad was talking about. He heard this from a pretty well-known Christian radio speaker. This man explained in a letter to the people group believing in May 21st as Judgment Day, that though he hoped for Jesus to return and for us to be reunited with him on this day, it isn't how God says it will work. God will give us the ability to discern his son's coming. He will let us know that Jesus is back at the time of his return, because we will be ready and we will know, when other people may not know. As for predicting the day of his return, we will not be able to predict it and it's not our job to try and do it. And just as a good rule of thumb, we should live each day as the last. Because our lives can be taken away at any time and Jesus could return at any time as well.

Bottom line: we cannot ever possibly judge the day when God will judge us. But when it happens, we will know, and for those that are ready, it will be the best feeling of knowing ever.

Is Friendliness Enough??

The other night as I was falling asleep, I thought about how we are always told to be friendly to everyone . As I was thinking about this common mandate, I realized that friendliness has the potential to fall short of the life that Jesus calls us to live, as His followers.

This realization came after I had seen a homeless man outside my church a few Sundays ago. Although I greeted him and invited him into the church as I walked past, I now understand that that friendliness was not what was needed. That man wanted a friend. He was truly in need of someone going over to him, sitting down on the bench, and taking the time to talk with him.

From this experience, I understand we are called by Jesus to LOVE everyone we meet and love does not mean acting with superficial kindness. No. Instead, to love someone is to value them. Even if we will never see them again, we need to view our relationship with them as more then just an act of "friendliness." We should treat them with respect, honesty and true kindness. This type of friendship, even if lasting for a moment, will have the strength to show someone Jesus' love. It will be strong enough to break down barriers of distrust, so that we can show them that Jesus also wants to be their friend.

Love is for Everyone

So, you'd be crazy if you didn't know that Osama Bin Laden died yesterday on May 1, 2011 in the hands of America. Obviously, there's been an enormous buzz on his death and a lot of jubilant celebration, as well as a reminder that the September 11 attack was around a decade ago.

I think it is absolutely reasonable to be happy with the rest of America that the leader, who caused so much pain, has been killed, but a part of me is wondering if that is the right way to respond. You see, I think it's good that "justice has been done", especially if this operation does end up helping disband the organization Bin Laden started, but as Christians we are called to love everyone and be forgiving and hope that people are able to enter Heaven and not face Hell. Here's a quote:

Christians, we never have a reason to rejoice over a soul going to Hell, no matter what they may have done to you or your country. 

- Jonathan Lewis

Now I'm not saying that I take one side over the other, I'm just kind of conflicted. Clearly, Osama Bin Laden was the cause of nearly 3,000 of deaths and his existence thus far would have projected the reason for numerous additional deaths, so it's a great thing that this noxiously powerful and influential man has been killed and hopefully is preventing more deaths. And as much as we should celebrate the justice aspect, I don't want to disregard the fact that Osama Bin Laden is probably in Hell right now and that idea right now is not something I am going to be jubilant over. But I talked to my parents about this, and they kind of concluded that yes, it's sad that he has to go to Hell, but clearly that's the judgment he deserves (and so do the rest of us), but it's because he never believed or trusted in the power and love of Jesus (which is what has redeemed us). And it's unfortunate, but it's reality. But I'd also love to hear what you think about this issue, and comment below.

All in all though, Jesus calls us to love everyone. We need to be forgiving and loving towards everyone no matter who they are and how they have persecuted us. There may be people who go against our beliefs, but we should still show our love towards them. Because our love has no discrimination and no boundaries. It is a love of unconditional high regard. Since that is what Jesus showed us in the first place, unconditional love that overpowers all the hate we've ever expressed and all the sins we've ever committed. He is love.