Judgment Day (2 Nephi 2:5-10)

March 31, 2006

2 Nephi 2:5-10--These verses talk about the Atonement and judgment. I’ll let you go read them for yourself.

Sometimes this is how I think it works:

You have truth and light, which are synonomous. God is all truth and all light.

So here on earth we have opposites—good and evil; truth and lies; light and dark. We spend our lives choosing between the two.

For the sake of analogy, let’s say that choosing the light is like living above ground in the full sun and daylight. Let’s say that choosing the dark is like living in a cave or below ground. As we spend time either above or below ground, we adjust to our surroundings. We become accustomed to the light or to the dark.

Like that really old Charlton Heston movie. There was a bomb or something and some of the people lived above ground and others below. The people who had lived below ground for generations could not tolerate the light of day. Even the light of a full moon caused them literal, physical pain.

So let’s say that all our lives we’ve chosen evil, or dark. To suddenly be thrust into the presence of God, or truth and light, would be unbearable.

If instead we’ve chosen truth and light, then over a lifetime we have gradually become accustomed to more and more light.

Sometimes I don’t think Judgment Day will be a review of our sins. I think God will just stand there in all His truth and light. If we’ve chosen the dark, God’s glory will be too much for us. We will be unable to open our eyes to face Him and look upon Him. The light will be so overwhelming to our unconditioned senses that we will be forced to turn away, perhaps to rush from His presence to get away from the pain and discomfort His light causes.

But if we’ve lived in a way that we’re accustomed to light, then we might blink or squint or need to shade our eyes with our hands, but His light will be bearable. Our eyes will adjust and we will not only see him in all His glory, but we will be able to abide in His presence.

Sometimes I think that’s the way Judgment Day will work.