With every embrace of Christ, our path moves more steadily to the right, becoming the path of a sheep. He is present in every opportunity of love and sacrifice, of mercy and generosity. We can say that we moment by moment stand before the dread judgment seat of the Crucified Christ. And that description is revealed in the character of our actions: what did we do to the least of these in our lifetime? This is revealed to have been nothing other than the treatment of Christ Himself. It begins with sheep and goats – that is, what we actually are (ontology). Interestingly, the parable combines both the concept of “ontology” (our being) as well as “character” (our actions). The image of judgment in Matthew 25 (the sheep and the goats) is often drawn on by the imagination. Understanding the nature of the judgment seat reveals why it is rightly called “dread.” It is not some fearful pronouncement we need fear so much as the truth of ourselves that is revealed in that place. It takes place before the dread judgment seat. All of this is taking place in the presence of the Crucified Christ. Enslaved to our own shame and anger, we are slowly pulling each other down towards an abyss of meaninglessness. Presently, we live in a world of arguments. For myself, I cannot imagine any such argument that I’ve had that isn’t revealed in its absurdity and emptiness in that context. Take that argument and stand before Christ on the Cross. It welcomes the thief while the hypocrisy of others drives them away. It unmasks every pretense of uprightness and self-justification. It is Christ Crucified that reveals all things to be what they truly are. The Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world. Paul does not treat this as a temporary, passing image, but the very image of God: “Christ crucified…the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Cor. Paul says that he is determined to know only “Christ Crucified.” (1 Cor. The champion of that book is the “Lamb who was slain,” and it is this Lamb who is most closely associated with “Him who sits upon the throne.” The Great Irony of the Christian gospel, is that all of these images of power are most clearly manifest in the Crucified Christ. There is so much lost in this modern mis-reading of Revelation. The coming throne could be seen in Revelation 20, and this was taken to be the true and permanent revelation of Christ. The “real” Jesus was the one who was coming again and there was to be nothing meek or mild about that coming. This, however, was treated like a temporary feint. For all intents and purposes, they were two different entities. My childhood Christianity made a huge distinction between the Jesus of the Cross and the Jesus of Judgment Day. It is proclaimed for all to see: “King of the Jews.” Orthodox iconography makes the irony yet more clear, by changing the description hanging above the crucified Christ into the “King of Glory.” The Cross is His throne and the Cross reveals His glory. This King is crowned as He “sits” upon the Cross. Kings are normally crowned while sitting on a throne. The irony of this identification (Cross and Throne) is revealed on the very day of the crucifixion. I suggest that you rid yourself of what you think a “throne” is, for the throne of Christ is nothing other than His Cross.įrom the Feast of the Elevation of the Cross: The dread judgment seat of Christ is actually something quite familiar, something that enters our life any number of times and on a regular basis. It was dreadful.īut what is this dread judgment seat? Do we have any examples? The answer is actually quite clear, and it is not what the preachers imagined (based on their misreading of Revelation). I’ve only been in front of a judge twice in my life: for a speeding ticket and to testify in a child custody case (worse than a speeding ticket). At this point in my life as an Orthodox Christian, it is hard not to hear echoes of these frightful threats in the prayer regarding the “dread judgment seat of Christ.” Of course, that same childhood heard lots of predictions about troop movements in the Middle East, explanations of Gog and Magog, and warnings about where everything was leading. It is the last possible moment before all hell breaks loose and the preachers at long last get one right. For a Christian ending to our life: painless, unashamed, and peaceful and a good defense before the dread judgment seat of Christ, let us ask of the Lord.įrom my childhood, I have memories of the phrase, “Great White Throne of Judgment.” It comes complete with an abundance of frightening images and threats.
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