One of the days of judgment took place eight hundred years after Amos when Jesus Christ was on earth. If you know the Gospel accounts of his life, you will remember that when he died on the cross, there was a supernatural darkness (Mark 15:33). For three hours from midday, the sun went down at noon, broad daylight became the black of night. His execution also took place in a time of feasting—the Passover celebrations were huge. There were lots of people in Jerusalem, it was crowded and meant to be a joyous occasion remembering deliverance from Egypt—yet it became a day of mourning. Luke 23:48 tells us that the crowd who saw Jesus dying on the cross beat their chests and left—a traditional Jewish sign of mourning.

And what exactly happened on that day? The Son of God was being judged. The Son who had done nothing wrong was paying the penalty for the sins of all God’s people. Our sin of greed, our sin of pride, our misuse of power and our neglect of the poor—Jesus faced all the wrath that God had stored up against us (Romans 3:25). God the Son took the judgment so that we do not have to and that means, if you trust in Jesus Christ, your day of judgment has already come. Your sins have not been forgotten, they have been paid by another.