Judgement day came and went?

21 May 2011. The day arrived with a beautiful sunrise, the crisp morning air fresh and inviting. If May 21^st were any other day, there would have been the promise of a lovely day. However, Saturday carried a promise of judgment and gloom.

Church groups met in churches in anticipation for the great day of judgment. Others stayed at home with family and friends having a day of quiet contemplation. Some spent the day in prayer and worship. Many looked to the skies, hoping, praying that they would see the return of Jesus on the clouds.

The earthquakes never came. Jesus did not come. God spared us his judgment for another day.  Thousands were disappointed. Millions scoffed. Few cared less. Whatever people did yesterday, they will probably remember it, as the day judgment never came. Critics will ridicule Christians all over the world because of this day. The masses will frown on the message of the Bible because of the claims made by one man.  

21^st May came and went, in all respects, a wonderful day. Fantastic weather, friendships, and life made it a day filled with joy and happiness.  However, what if we had two incredibly destructive earthquakes, how would that have changed our indifference? We all know that there will be an eventual end to this planet. How it happens is a matter of personal belief. Whether Jesus comes back to reclaim his kingdom and destroy a corrupt and evil world, or whether the sun explodes, is a matter of personal acceptance of an inevitable event.

We must save one thought for the Bible, because the book is fantastic. Throughout the pages of the Bible is much wisdom and instruction. There are answers to every spiritual question, and many wonderful gems, which we need not discard because of religious bias. Let us not judge the words of a global treasure because of the actions of one man. Often this singled out book is criticized and discarded, not because of its words, but because of the people who proclaim to speak on its behalf.   

The challenge for the Christian is to stop lending ears and heart out to the voice of a man, but rather to pick up the Bible and find within it, the love, beauty, and riches of faith. For the critic, likewise, criticize from a vantage of knowledge. If the critic has not read the Bible from cover to cover and voices an opinion, all it is, is a repetition of another man’s words. The critic and the believer that never reads the Bible are guilty of one thing; neither knows what the book says for itself, therefore, both of them drinks from an empty glass.