Judgment Is Coming.

Writing to the believers in the "eternal city" of Rome, Paul makes this statement: "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." (14:12).

Centuries later, American statesman Benjamin Franklin wrote: "Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." However, there is only one thing that is absolutely certain, and it is neither death, nor taxes. It is that every single one of us will have to face Almighty God for an accounting of our individual lives!

 

So, we would be wise to take heed of the warning given to the Children of Israel, by the prophet Amos, some 500 years before Paul: "Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel" (4:12); and the words of the anonymous wrote of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus: "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." (9:27).

Of course, the disciple of Jesus has no need to fear, for "There is therefore now no condemnation (judgment) for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Rom.8:1). How can this be? It is so because the Lord Jesus has paid for our sins and purchased our redemption with His shed blood. He "was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification" (Rom.4:25).

Nevertheless, even as His disciples, we still "must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (II Cor. 5:10), where "the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." (I Cor. 3:13-15). In other words, we need have no fear when we appear before the Father, because the Son will be beside us saying "This one, Father, is mine"! However, we will then appear before the Saviour, Who will judge all that we did "in the body" (II Cor. 5:10). Now that could refer to our fleshly, mortal, bodies. However, the same Greek word is used to refer to the church, as the body of the Christ, and so I believe that this is how Paul is using it here. It is our Christian life that will be judged by the Lord Jesus, because all that went before our conversion was dealt with at our conversion.

Those who die in unbelief, however, not having trusted Christ as their Saviour, will face a different meeting with God. The apostle John describes the awesome scene as he saw it in the Revelation he was given of the Lord Jesus. "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done." (Rev. 20:12). But no one can ever be saved by his works (Eph. 2:9). Therefore, "if any one’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:15). 

I commented, at the beginning of this post, that not even death is certain! That may have raised a few eyebrows. However, God's Word teaches that there will be a rapture - a snatching up - of true disciples of Jesus before the final time of tribulation. Paul writes: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord." (I Thess.4:16-17).

So, those who are "raptured" will include both believers who have already tasted physical death, and those who are still physically alive at that moment. They are those who will never die! 

I am one of many who are utterly convinced that we are in the very last days, leading up to that rapture. Are you ready for it? If not, then I urge you to act, and to do so quickly. If I may be of any further help, please feel free to contact me using the e-mail address at the top of the blog.

Marriage confirmed!

Last Sunday, 65% of Croatians voted in favour of a referendum officially amending their constitution to define marriage as being only between a man and a woman.  This is probably the reason why David Cameron refused a referendum to the people of England and Wales, and why Alex Salmond continues to refuse a referendum to the people of Scotland!  They knew, and know, that a similar result would be likely to be produced.

A petition campaign has been created to thank the Croatian voters for their stand.  Please join in solidarity by signing this petition at:
 
http://www.citizengo.org/en/1051-thank-you-croatia

Soon after the historic vote a media assault began. News outlets around the world were headlining phrases calling them "anti-gay” and "homophobic,” Hollywood celebrities made statements against Croatians, and lobby groups began to mobilise.

Those of us who support marriage, as instituted by Almighty God, must stand in solidarity with the Croatians, thanking them for defending the family and protecting the definition of marriage. We must let them know that the voices of Hollywood celebrities, news media, and powerful rich lobby groups do not speak for the rest of the world.

It is surely the hope, and prayer, of many of us that this would be the beginning of a 'fight-back' in support of the moral standards that have underpinned our society since the beginning of time.    

Please take a moment to sign the petition, and thus encourage the people of Croatia at this time.

Egypt – Political developments, but continued persecution.

Political developments in Egypt have raised hopes for the future of the Christian community. The committee tasked with re-writing the Egyptian constitution has voted in favour of articles that would grant religious freedom to all citizens. It also adopted a transitional article cancelling the existing requirement that Christians must obtain a special presidential permit before building or renovating a church.

These positive moves come as Egypt’s Christians continue to suffer at the hands of Islamists. For example, on 1st November a group of Islamists marched on a church in Cairo, shouting anti-Christian slogans, immediately after leaving Friday prayers at a nearby mosque. The attackers tore down a banner in front of the building and daubed the façade with graffiti insulting Christians.

The Christian community has also been beset by a spike in kidnappings since demonstrations by Islamic hardliners were broken up on 14th August. One Christian man, Hany Sedhom, endured a horrific ordeal in late September. His captors dragged him out of his car, slashed his face with a knife, hit him on the head with a rifle butt and drove him into the desert. For 48 hours he was beaten, threatened and denied food and clean water. But Hany remained steadfast; he said, “… every step of the way, every moment of pain, I could feel God there with me, telling me, ‘I’m going to save you.’”

Let those of us who also claim to be disciples of Jesus give thanks for Hany’s faith under pressure, which is typical of the trusting and non-retaliatory response of Egypt’s Christians to their recent persecutions.

Give thanks too, for the planned moves towards full religious freedom. The draft of the new Egyptian constitution is due to be completed at the end of November and will then be put to a referendum.

Pray that the final version will guarantee true freedom to Egyptian believers, and relieve them of crippling restrictions on their ministry and mission.

An election is announced!

At last, the date of the General Election has been set. Having hung on by his fingernails, for as long as he could, Gordon Brown has been obliged to give the British people their say.

The political pundits are predicting a 'hung' parliament - with no one party able to command an overall majority. Personally, I have no idea as to how it will all turn out, and who will be 'in power' on May 7th. I do, however, recall the old saying: "Man proposes, but God disposes"! As one who believes, fervently, in the sovereignty of God, I have no doubt that His will and purposes are being worked out, as year succeeds year.

This, of course, does not absolve the disciple of Jesus from prayer. Especially in the light of the unprecedented number of members of the outgoing parliament who - for whatever reason - are not seeking re-election, it has been my own prayer, for many months, that the Lord would see fit to use this opportunity to raise up a veritable army of men and women of faith and integrity, who would work together, across Party lines, to His glory, and bring something of the fragrance of the Lord Jesus to the corridors of the Palace of Westminster.

Whatever the coming four weeks may bring, we may be certain that we will hear the usual plethora of promises - even from the party that promised us a referendum on the new European Constitution, and then reneged on that promise. But let those of us who claim to be disciples of Jesus, be faithful in our praying; use our vote, if we have one; and rejoice that, whatever the outcome:

"God is still on the throne; and He will remember His own.
'Though trials may press us, and burdens distress us,
He never will leave us alone.
God is still on the throne; He never forsaketh His own.
His promise is true - He will not forget you.
God is still on the throne."