We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ our Lord, on the Last Day of Judgment, in the first resurrection of the blessed.

Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 5:1–21

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ our Lord, welcome all of you into the fold of our eternal living God, in beloved South Sudan. Our God is the God of our father Abraham, the God of our father Isaac, and the God of our father Jacob. On this blessed morning, full of God’s grace for His chosen people in South Sudan since eternity, I greet you in health and peace.

Beloved brothers, I would first like to point you to this grace from the Holy Bible, as you prepare your hearts in your daily lives with spiritual devotion, faith, and trust in God alone, who has no partner.

A brief note on: We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ our Lord, on the Last Day of Judgment, in the first resurrection of the blessed.

As the Holy Bible states in its main verses in 2 Corinthians 5:1–10:

1. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
2. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,
3. Because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.
4. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
5. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.
7. For we live by faith, not by sight.
8. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
9. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
10. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

And not only this, but the Holy Bible speaks strongly in 2 Corinthians 5:11–21:

11. Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.
12. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.
13. If we are out of our mind, as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.
14. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
15. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
18. All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
19. That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
20. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
21. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The Holy Bible also teaches us about truth and justice in society, as we find in Micah 6:8:

“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

It also says in Revelation 1:3:

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”

And in Daniel 12:3:

“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

In conclusion, beloved brothers and sisters: May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Author: Elder in the Seventh-day Adventist Church 

Contact: WhatsApp: 0913306885 | Email: johndour268@gmail.com