“There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known” (Luke 12:2).
Jesus warned the crowds against hypocrisy and then said there would come a day when the mask would be ripped from the face of the hypocrite. When we come before the judgment seat of God, there will be a division between the genuine and the counterfeit. Everything will be revealed.
Jesus went on to say, “What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs” (Luke 12:3). We in our culture speak of having skeletons in our closets. We don’t take these skeletons and prop them up in front of our houses. Each one of us is concerned to preserve his or her reputation, so we are very careful to keep our “dirty laundry” in our basements.
Exposure of our secret sins is one of the most devastating experiences we can undergo. To be stripped naked and have our weaknesses manifested publicly is terrifying to consider. I’m frightened to think of the Last Judgment when all my secrets will be made public. The only thing that keeps me from despair is that everyone else is going to be in the same boat. I imagine each of us will be too embarrassed to be concerned about the secrets of others!
What can make us able to stand in that Day of Judgment and exposure? It is that our nakedness is covered by the robes of Christ Himself. Thus, we are hidden in Christ on the day we are exposed. His righteousness covers our corruption. That is why we flee to Him without boasting about our own righteousness because those who are self-righteous will be exposed when the closet is opened.
Jesus goes on to warn about the Last Judgment and to tell us to fear God: “I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him” (v. 5). It is not Satan who has the power and authority to cast men into hell. It is God, and it is God we are to fear.
The Last Judgment is a fearful thing. It should make us uncomfortable and cause us to cling to Christ more tightly. Imagine again the dread associated with hell.
