Echoes of Judgment Day

 And this is the judgment that the light had come into the world and human beings loved the darkness more than the light, because their works were deranged. Because every single person practicing foul things hates the light and doesn't come to the light, so that his works wouldn't be brought to light. - John 3:19-20, my own translation this afternoon.

As I've been reading the news, it occurred to me today that there's a trend that's been repeating over and over again. This trend that occurred to me can be found in both mainstream media, and niche news sites that cover more geeky topics. The more I thought about it, the more of a pattern I saw over the last several years that appears to be speeding up and intensifying. This theme or pattern is one of the unveiling of old wrongdoings and mistakes, and the intense reaction against that unveiling. 

     Sometimes it's just on a personal level, at other times it's on the collective level of a nation, but it seems in these latter days that everyone's hidden sins are coming to light, and it's making people very, very angry. It's disturbing and unsettling them, and they're lashing out, trying to either cover them back up, or destroy those bringing either their individual works or their collective works into the light to be exposed for everyone to see. And in the process of trying to hide their works again, they only expose themselves all the more. 

     And my thoughts turned to these verses in the Gospel of John, and also to the very concept of "judgment day" when everyone's works are exposed for all to see. Another thought was the term "day of anger," or "day of wrath." These latter days seem to be filled with anger, wrath, and judgment, not of God, but of human beings towards each other as the consequences of their wrongdoing and selfishness are on display for everyone. Everyone appears to be angry with everyone else, and everyone appears to be judging everyone else. And it's only getting worse, not better.

     How does one stop judgment day, or the day of wrath? By letting go of judgment and anger, forgiving, and loving one another as God with Christ loved us. One stops judgment day by doing what Jesus taught, and following His Way, because judgment day is caused by our own selfishness, judgment, fear, and anger. The fruit of our own actions and words is what judges and condemns us.