Litany of the Four Last Things: Judgement

When Thy summons we obey,
On the dreadful Judgement Day,
Let not fear our soul dismay:
Hear us, Holy JESU.


While the lost in terror fly,
May we see with joyful eye
Our Redemption drawing nigh:
Hear us, Holy JESU.


May we see Thee on Thy Throne,
As the SAVIOUR we have known,
And have follow'd as our own,
Hear us, Holy JESU.


May we then. among the blest,
Who Thy Name on earth confess'd
Hear Thee calling us to rest;
Hear us, Holy JESU.


Judgement is not often mentioned in the contemporary writings of today's worship leaders.  We know God judges individuals, groups, congregations, nations and the earth - that is the basis on which we hope in Christ. Without God's just rule our world is simple anarchy - the loudest, strongest or the popular(ist?) make the calls as to right and wrong.  We have seen the tragedy of that in the death camps of Hitler, the Rwandan genocides, the immersion of Europe and North America into materialistic bliss and poisonous tensions leaking out of the middle east.


When Jesus comes, he comes to save and to judge, to heal and destroy, to gather His own to Himself, and to cast those who do not own Him into the utter darkness.  Jesus is Judge and Saviour and his beauty as both is wonderful and terrible to behold.  We need to recapture something of this in our corporate worship today.

"For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days..." Mark 13:19-20