A scary Advent message for us all

Today is the first day of Advent with a scary message in the gospel for all of us. The gospel talks about being prepared for Christ's second coming, which will come "like a thief" in the night.

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"In [those] days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be [also] at the coming of the Son of Man."

What a very inspiring message on the first day of the festive Christmas season, isn't it?

A friend of mine, who's very active in a charismatic community, told me something like this in one of our conversations, "Christ does not force himself on us! If we accept him, good. If not, it's ok."

I can still recall the horror I felt when I heard that. That was not what Jesus said! One word crossed my mind: Heresy.

Modern day Christians often portray Jesus as a "feel good" savior for mankind. Jesus is a good man. But don't mistake him as someone who's there to make you feel good. A lot of his teachings will jolt you out of your comfort zones --- and that includes what would happen if you reject His Kingship.

That the world will soon come to an end is certain. It can die naturally billions of years from now ... or a wayward comet will cross our planet's path ... or our individual time has come.

One thing is certain for 99.99% of all humans today --- that includes you and me. We won't be here 120 years from now. Another group of humans would be here by then, and almost all of them won't be here in another 120 years.

Death, my friend, can come to us like a thief in the night. But that's not the most frightening thing! The most frightening thing is what the gospel tells us today, about what would happen if you haven't accepted Christ by the time He comes again.

Christians believe --- and the Bible is clear about this --- that when Christ returns, those who have been dead will arise. Then they will be judged. The rest stays in eternal joy in heaven, while the rest goes to eternal fire in hell. Nobody dies and is gone forever and escape whichever eternal state they'll end up in.

I don't know with you, but I believe that if a person does not accept Christ now and a bullet hits him a second later, his soul is in biiiig trouble, my friend. He will be raised on the last day to be judged ... and when that time comes, it will be too late for him.

Fear of the end of the world, fear of a comet crossing our path, fear of our own death, or fear of the eternal fire --- these are good things. They remind us of our own mortality and how little we are in the face of the glory of God. Without such fear, do you think God --- who has given us free will --- can get our attention?

It's why what my friend said about rejecting Christ is patently misguided. It's not ok to reject Christ. No, it's not ok at all.

Here's some piece of good news, even if you accept Christ in moments right before your last breath, Jesus will accept you. This happened to the thief in last week's gospel, who acknowledged Christ's kingship and asked to be remembered. Christ brought this thief with him to paradise that very day.

It's Advent. We celebrate the birth of Christ. We celebrate here the first coming of Jesus. We celebrate here the coming of the One who would judge us on the last day. What do we say to him as we look at him as a baby in a manger?