Unconditional Love and the Paradox of Judgment: The Last Judgment
Part 3
So far, Parts 1 and 2 have set up insight into the nature of God and what judgment really is, which is an important foundation as we attempt to speak on our last topic in this series. The topic of the “Last Judgment” is usually tied to the question “What happens when we die?”, while others tie it to a belief in a final judgment at the end of time, whenever and whatever that is. For most, this is all just speculation because they have not died yet, so how would they know what happens? Others have not been to the end of time yet, so how would they know what it looks like?
However, we will look at some people who have died and get some insight into what they saw before returning to their body. These are called NDE’s or “Near Death Experiences” and they have fascinated me for as long as I can remember. One of my favorites I will be pulling from is Howard Storm's because it covers so much of what other NDE’s have also shared, while having both positive and negative experiences to bring balance. One of the main reasons these experiences are helpful is how they help us live our lives here and now, regardless of what the full picture may look like in the future.
They help us understand what really matters in life.
Let’s begin with some scriptures:
Just as humans are appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment, so also Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await Him. - Hebrews 9:27
Two quick notes here. First, Jesus raised Lazarus and others from the dead, so this verse can’t mean people can’t come back from the dead if they have died “once.” Jesus also proved this true in his own death and resurrection. Second, this verse seems to hint at what many deem to be the “returning of Christ”, as in an event tied to what others call “the last judgment”, which in this context, turns out to be a positive judgment: the salvation of others. Yet how many times has Jesus already appeared? And for those who believe Christ took the sin and judgment of the world in his death on the cross, how much judgment of the world did Jesus overcome?
Next verse:
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad. - 2 Cor 5:10
This verse is one of the clearest indicators of how important our life is right now. The context is about the things we do “in our body” and prior verses in that chapter note the tension of being in a body and what happens when we leave this body. It also reveals us being given a Spirit that understands “things to come.” All this to say, we are to learn why we are here, which has an impact on when we are no longer here in the body. We are to learn that what we do here “in these bodies” will continue on when we leave our bodies.
This verse and context fits perfectly with many NDE’s. Many of those who had died, left their bodies, received powerful insights, and then returned to their bodies, share a common theme of having a “life review.” That is, their entire life was shown before them, sometimes in a flash. They saw all the good and the bad they did, while also being able to feel all the ways they made others feel. It is important to note that even while they were able to see and feel the most negative of their choices, they were simultaneously unconditionally loved in the presence of God. They were in the presence of Love feeling no condemnation from God.
Why?
There is no condemnation in Christ. (See Romans 8:1)
Therefore “the judgment seat of Christ” has no condemnation in it, which is why life reviews have no condemnation in it. The only condemnation that can come is from anything other than God or the rejection of Love. This is why people “stand condemned already” when they reject Christ because they have chosen to live in their own condemnation and judgment of Love. (John 3:8-9)
We have the choice to love Light or darkness.
This is so important to see God’s non-judgment here. In these life reviews, God was not judging them but simply allowing them to experience the weight of their own life, sin, goodness, or choices. This is especially helpful when talking about the idea of punishment. Our choices of sin or darkness is its own punishment, which is why God does not need to punish. If we understand this NOW, in this life, we wake up to the nature of God that gives us Real Life as it was meant to be. That Life is Unconditional Love, which frees us from the punishment of all that is not God and invites us to live a meaningful life of Love.
Besides, all that is not God is fear.
Look closely at these verses:
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. - 1 John 4:16-19
This is what we are to rely on. God is Unconditional Love. God frees us from our own sin and judgment, which is anything that is not of love. God forever seeks for us to live in Love so God can live freely in us. This gives us confidence on the day of judgment, or our life review, because if we live in love, we transition from death right into the judgment seat of Love that has nothing to do with fear or punishment.
This is Good News!
The only thing left for those who reject God’s nature of Unconditional Love is fear of punishment. (See Hebrews 10:27) Yet even this fearful expectation of punishment is coming from their own choices and beliefs, not God’s. A major question is, “Will God leave people in their own banishment forever?” Many NDE’s would say no, even after experiencing some hellish things before finally coming to the Light. One guy might disagree as he said he spent 23 minutes in what he called hell, made claims people can’t get out of hell once they go there, and then somehow returned from hell after 23 minutes to write a book about it
It seems he has some missing pieces to his own story as God’s larger nature and story brought him back from what he judged as something others cannot come back from.
Which brings us to this scripture:
For surely we will die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises ways that the banished one may not be cast out from Him. - 2 Samuel 2:14
God seems to forever be devising ways to make sure people are not cast out entirely from God’s love, even if they banish themselves for a time. God seems to want to reconcile all things for all time and will never leave or forsake this plan no matter how long souls forsake God, others, or themselves. This is the nature of Unconditional Love, which naturally devises ways to free us from any hellish condition.
Why does all this matter?
First, it reveals the nature of God, the very nature of Love we are designed to live in and from, while we are in this body and away from it. This is the Love that is to be in us so that we maximize our potential while we are here and we can get to see the fruit of that love in our life review. This has always been the meaning of Real Life: to be loved by God and to love and be loved by others.
Without Love we gain nothing in this life. Read the whole Chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 to further see what Love looks like.
Second, even if people do not have a lot of works done in love to see in their life review, there is something that still remains and will always remain: God’s love for them. As long as they stop turning away from this Love and turn from living in fear, they will be invited to continue exploring Love’s endless wonder.
Paul said it this way:
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” - 1 Corinthians 3:11-15
Those flames feel hottest for those who do not learn to love, but there is a Love that is greater than this. This Love is greater than our hearts, especially if our own heart condemns us, which is something Christ never does.
Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things... - 1 John 3:20
So then, how shall we live knowing that we are appointed to die once and our life will be reviewed on the basis of whether we learned to Love? The foundation of Christ has been laid, but how do we know we are living in God and God in us?
We will be free from condemnation realizing condemnation does not exist in God.
We will be free from the fear of punishment as God is Love and casts out fear.
We will receive God’s love for us without condition.
We will love each other without condition, while serving the world as Christ did in order to reconcile all things back to God.
“But Preston, what about the talk of Christ coming on the clouds for a final judgment in the future? I understand he brings salvation but does he not also do away with evil people who misjudged the meaning of life?”
To this I say,
God is greater than our hearts and questions, and He knows all things. When Christ comes on the “clouds of judgment” maybe the last judgment to be defeated is our own? Maybe those clouds were all the ways our lives were clouded by not heeding the teaching of Jesus to “not judge less you be judged by your own judgment?”
Love just keeps coming on the clouds that act as a shroud blinding eyes from seeing the Real nature of God:
”On this mountain He will swallow up the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; He will swallow up death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the disgrace of His people from the whole earth.”- Isaiah 25:7-8
It appears that Unconditional Love comes on the clouds of our judgment in order to make it our last judgment, so that the only judgment that remains is:
Love.
-Preston Hall
Bonus NDE Experience
Another favorite NDE’s comes from Bob Jones. When he first died in 1975 from health complications he was asked by God, “Did you learn to Love?” He was sent back to his body and brought much encouragement to countless people for his remaining years. He would tell people that God told him he was God’s valentine. It was fitting then that when Bob died for the final time in 2014, it was on Valentines Day.
God truly is Love.
