A little while ago I was captivated by a clip from a book of essays written by C.S.Lewis. That particular essay was titled “Does Prayer Work?” I set about to find a copy of the book, and was able to purchase it on Amazon.
As I read the 7 essays in the book, I found myself reading and re-reading the last one, “The World’s Last Night.” In a nutshell, the essay is about the imminence of the Second Coming, and the ‘judgment’ that will follow. The thought he develops is that we should think of the ‘judgment’ that will follow His coming more in the sense of ‘a right verdict’. Here is a clip taken from close to the end of the essay:
“I do not find that pictures of physical catastrophe— that sign in the clouds, those heavens rolled up like a scroll— help one so much as the naked idea of Judgment. We cannot always be excited. We can, perhaps, train ourselves to ask more and more often how the thing which we are saying or doing (or failing to do) at each moment will look when the irresistible light streams in upon it; that light which is so different from the light of this world and yet, even now, we know just enough of it to take it into account.”
It led me to think of another verse, in 1 Corinthians 13 (taking it very much out of context!) where Paul says, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” When we stand before our Lord, in the full light of His glory, we will know ourselves (completely and fully) as we have never known ourselves before.
May the Lord enable us to live with that ‘judgment’ in mind.
“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 1 John 3:2,3