Judgement Day: Should You Be Worried?

Judgement Day: Should You Worry?

Since his birth in 1956 as the poster boy for the cover of Mad Magazine, Alfred E. Neuman has been known for his famous quote, “What Me Worry?” Maybe this piece of Americana fiction, one of the most recognizable faces in the world for many generations of Americans, could also be the poster child for today’s society when it comes to religion. Simply put they are not worried about the concept of judgment day.  

In 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul addresses those who do not believe in the resurrection of the dead when Christ returns- the results of the denial 

 1 Corinthians 12-19    Results of Denial.

12 But if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?  13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then empty [too] is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. 15 Then we are also false witnesses to God because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, 17 and if Christ has not been raised,* your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.18 Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.

The Corinthians had many in the congregation that began to doubt and live their lives in a way much different than the way Jesus had taught and the Apostles had instructed them.  Because of this Paul rebukes them, since, if there is no life after death, they may as well live according to “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (verse 32). At its root, the philosophy of “eat, drink, and be merry” is an expression of hopelessness. If this world is all there is, “we are of all people most to be pitied” (verse 19). Paul has harsh words for those who deny the raising of the dead: “Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame” 

1 Corinthians 32-34

32 If at Ephesus I fought with beasts, so to speak, what benefit was it to me? If the dead are not raised: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33 Do not be led astray: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 34 Become sober as you ought and stop sinning. For some have no knowledge of God; I say this to your shame.

The theme of What Me Worry stuck to a generation of people growing up in the mid 1950s like Elmer’s Glue on a Valentine’s Day card.  Homemade of course, yet it was constructed out of love.  

If you grew up in this time- you would not have known the horrors of WWII personally- except what you heard from your grandparents, great grandparents, and parents.  You would not have known about food or gas rationing and you would have not had to struggle through the great depression.  This was another place and time for you.  However, you worried about another cloud on the horizon, a nuclear cloud.  You were the first generation to grow up under the mushroom cloud, the first generation to do duck and cover drills carefully under school desks, and the first generation to be told that the world could end in any minute.  Is there any wonder why this generation embraced the philosophy of not worrying about too terribly much?  Then in rapid succession came: Civil Rights Movement, The Bay of Pigs, The Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK assassination, Vietnam War, MLK assassination, RFK assassination, Kent State, Watergate, Nixon resignation, 21% Interest rates, Iran Hostage crisis, Reagan assassination attempt, The Pope assassination attempt, Iran Contra, Panama, Gulf War I,  Yugoslavia, 9/11, Afghanistan,  Gulf War II, Fast and Furious, Syria, Trump, and Afghanistan pull out.  Is there any wonder why we do not worry?  We have been programmed not to worry, not because it is not important, but because it is advantageous for some in power not to have us worry.  

This is simply wrong, wrong, wrong.  We must worry and we must work out our own personal salvation.  This is why we are here on earth in the first place.  We are not here for all of the problems mentioned above.  They will always be problems.  Think of this as a problem as a distraction to keep you from focusing on the real issues before you. 

Our final judgment will not be over how much money we made, or what occupation we had here on earth, it will be over what we did with our time and talents for Jesus Christ.  Did we build up his Kingdom on earth?  Did we contribute to his society here on earth?  Social justice is helping others to hear the word of God.  There are billions of people here on earth that need to be spiritually fed, are you doing anything about it?  If not you, are you leaving this up to someone else?  Why?  Do you not realize that you are on earth to do these things!  

This is what Paul wrote to the Corinthians on this very subject.

First Corinthians 50- 58 The Resurrection Event.

50 This I declare, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption* inherit incorruption.

51 Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed,

52 in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For that which is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility, and that which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality.

54 And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written shall come about:

Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law

57 But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

We should not and must not be like the Corinthians.  We must believe in Jesus’ resurrection and work every day so that we too may live with in-this is the real social justice of this world and the next.  What me worry?  Of course, you should- worry that you have a limited time

here on earth and an unlimited amount of work to do for Jesus Christ.