QUESTION:
Jesus speaks to his disciples often about an imminent day of judgment, and describes what it will be like when the Son of man will come in clouds with power and glory (see Matt. 24:30). There is an apocalyptic message in the Gospels that involves God's judgment, and yet Mary Baker Eddy stated that "no final judgment awaits mortals ..." (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 291) since the judgment is ongoing. Why did Jesus speak of this final judgment in such a dramatic manner? Was he simply reassuring his disciples that their work and sacrifice would be rewarded so they didn't get discouraged?
—A READER IN MASSACHUSETTS
A1 In the Gospel of John, Jesus does not predict an imminent day of judgment. Instead judgment is portrayed as happening at the very moment one comes into the presence of the Christ. This presence or essence is described as the light that "shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it" (John 1:5, New Revised Standard Version). Jesus makes plain that anyone who willingly comes to the light will be redeemed; whereas anyone who hides from the light because their deeds are evil will be judged (see John 3:17-21). In other words, we bring judgment on ourselves by our lack of response to the Christ.
Judgment and salvation are important because they are evidence of God's righteousness in action. But in John, this redeeming action is not the product of a personal, wrathful God or Messiah unleashing anger on humanity, picking and choosing who will be saved and who "left behind." The light knows only what is of its own nature—love, illumining, or revealing what is good. The light will also automatically expose any darkness as pretense, because darkness has no real "presence" in the light.
Darkness is "unveiled" (the meaning of the Greek word apokalypsis) for what it is. Because of the presence and irresistible power of spiritual light, a new world is made possible—a world that knows no darkness or death. "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life" (John 5:24, NRSV). So one doesn't have to wait for an end of time to have eternal life.
If there is a "second coming" in the Gospel of John, it is Jesus' promise of the Comforter who will "abide with you for ever" (John 14:16). Jesus tells his disciples right before his crucifixion that "it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" (John 16:7). Jesus knew he had to leave so that his disciples could both witness his resurrection, and also discover the kingdom of heaven or Comforter within—something that wouldn't happen as long as they could lean on the personal Jesus. He explicitly tells them that this Comforter or Spirit of truth "will be in you" (John 14:17, NRSV). He seems to be saying that he doesn't need to come back because the Comforter—the divine light or Truth Jesus embodied, which the darkness could not overcome—will guide them, and us, "into all truth" (John 16:13).
I find in the Gospel of John a savior spiritually perceived as the Christ-idea, or "The divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error" (Science and Health, p. 583). This Christ function is really apocalyptic in that error is exposed as a lie (judged); and that which is good is revealed (saved). This process of revelation or unveiling is what happens in the book of Revelation, "The Revelator lifts the veil from this embodiment of all evil, and beholds its awful character; but he also sees the nothingness of evil and the allness of God" (Science and Health, p. 563). The "allness of God," which has always been (see Gen., chap. 1) is again revealed to us and established forever (see Rev., chap. 21).
ELSAH, ILLINOIS, US
A2 I think the general assumption regarding Jesus' descriptions of the final judgment is that this judgment is dependent upon time. So many of Jesus' teachings and demonstrations, however, overcame the illusion of time. He taught that we needn't wait to experience God's goodness, but that it was already present, and only a change in consciousness would reveal it. So then, the teachings of Christian Science are in accord with the teachings of Christ Jesus, because both support the fact that spiritualization of thought, not time, is a factor in finding health, safety, joy, freedom—the kingdom of heaven.
One dictionary definition for judgment is "to understand or correctly discern" and this definition helps give a fuller sense of what's going on during the "judgment day," which as Mary Baker Eddy wrote, "comes hourly and continually" (Science and Health, p. 291). Because God always understands His creation, His judgment of creation doesn't change. It's beautifully summed up in this passage from Genesis, "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). This divine and heavenly judgment or discernment is not limited to the past, but is ongoing—God is seeing, and forever will be seeing, the fullness and goodness of His creation. Perhaps then, it is not God's judgment that changes, it's our judgment that changes. Instead of judging others "according to the appearance" (John 7:24), or by what the five physical senses tell us, we begin to understand, or judge, what's real through spiritual sense—through an awareness of God's presence and power. Jesus said: "Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me" (John 8:15, 16). Jesus' judgment was true and righteous because his judgment harmonized with God's judgment.
To St. John's spiritualized thought came the vision of "a new heaven and a new earth" (Rev. 21:1). Afterward, John couldn't go back to his old way of thinking about life, much as when people began to understand that the earth was round they gave up their ignorant belief that the earth was flat, and it was impossible for them to return to this ignorance.
Today, humanity generally believes in a good God, but a corrupt and sinful creation. Yet when each of us understands righteous judgment and judges according to divine Truth, this will no longer be the case. We will fulfill Jesus' promise and be made ruler over our belief in sickness, sin, disease, and death. I have grown to appreciate Mrs. Eddy's allegory at the end of her chapter on "Christian Science Practice" as a wonderful illustration of this. At first, the man's guilt seems to be a fact, but only according to the testimony of false witnesses. After the false testimony is cast out, divine Love reveals that the man is forever innocent, pure, good, and free. Not only is he healed, he leaves the "courtroom" transformed—with a greater understanding of his perfect relationship to God.
BOZEMAN, MONTANA, US
A3 To me, it's most important to understand what Christ Jesus actually meant. Was his meaning literal or allegorical? Was he speaking of future physical events? Or something more symbolic and spiritual?
Early in his ministry Jesus told his disciples that some of the people present would see the kingdom of God before they died (see Luke 9:27). Consequently some first-century Christians believed that Jesus would return and establish God's kingdom in their lifetime. But he didn't return. So had Jesus got it wrong? Told white lies to his disciples? I think not! His remarks had been misconstrued and the early Church soon began to reinterpret these teachings. Today some cling to a literal interpretation and believe that Jesus' return has simply been postponed. However, Jesus was wont to speak in parables, and as a Christian Scientist I understand these prophecies figuratively.
After all, when Jesus was asked when the kingdom of God would come he explained it didn't come with observation; instead as he said, "The kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17:21). To me this confirms that the coming kingdom is about the spiritualization of thought. The judgment day that "comes hourly and continually" is the means by which error is uncovered and destroyed within our own consciousness; where the Christ, Truth comes to wound to heal, and to punish to reform (see Miscellaneous Writings 1883-1896, p. 215).
The word apocalypse has come to be associated with catastrophic destruction and the end of the world, but the Greek root means "to uncover." Jesus' entire life and teaching uncovered the spiritual nature of God, man, and the universe. And this Christ-impelled transformation of thought continues to take place both individually and collectively every day.
Mary Baker Eddy often wrote in apocalyptic terms. Indeed, I have often thought of page 96 and the surrounding passages in Science and Health as a mini-apocalypse (check it out!). Elsewhere she warned, "The great battle of Armageddon is upon us" (Mis., p. 177). It seems Mrs. Eddy didn't want Christian Scientists to passively wait, but to give themselves actively to the establishment of God's kingdom on earth—here and now.
SCARBOROUGH, NORTH YORKSHIRE, UK
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