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.

"I shall return"

The words that head this post are those referred to in the previous post. They were spoken by American General of the Army, Douglas MacArthur, to the people of the Philippines in 1942, as he left for Australia to command the Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Theatre in the Second World War.

Some 1900 years earlier, very similar words were spoken by Jesus of Nazareth to His closest disciples. One of those present has recorded the words for us: "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also." (John 14:1-3; emphasis added)

We know that Gen. MacArthur fulfilled his promise to the people of the Philippines. But what about Jesus? It's now heading towards 2,000 years since He made His promise - but it hasn't yet been fulfilled! 

Listen to another of those who were present when the Lord Jesus made that promise: "... do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up." (II Peter 3:8-10).

The event to which Peter refers - "... the day of the Lord ..." is, I would contend, the Second Advent when the Lord Jesus will return to deal with the forces of evil, once and for all. However, there is a prior event to which His words also apply. This is the event referred to by Paul when, in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, he writes: "... this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (I Thess 4:15-18; emphasis added).

This event is referred to as "the Rapture" of the true church. It is that event to which the Lord Jesus referred when He said: "But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch; for you do not know when the time will come." (Mark 13:32-33). There will be no warning. It will happen in an instant. Paul writes to the Corinthian believers: "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed." (I Cor 15:51-52; emphases added).

There are, in fact, three "stages" to the Rapture. The first of these is the sound that will be heard. That will be the voice of an archangel with "a cry of command" - the command to those who have already died in the Christ; true believers from all previous generations; to rise to meet with Him, “… in the air …”!  That will be followed by the sound of the shofar (not the man-made metal trumpet, but that which is created by Father God). Vance Havner, an American preacher of an earlier generation, used to say, "I'm not looking for signs; I'm listening for a sound"! – the sound of the voice of the archangel, and of the shofar.

The second stage concerns the ascent that we shall make. Paul writes: "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…" At the Rapture, there will be two kinds of believer. There will be those who have already died, in the Lord.

This, it would appear, was the big concern of the Thessalonian believers. “… we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.”  Sleep is used in the New Testament to describe death. So Lazarus was “asleep”; the centurion’s daughter was “asleep”.

The disciples of Jesus in Thessalonica knew that the Lord would return for His people. But they also knew that some of their number has already died. Had these brothers and sisters in Jesus missed out? Paul confirms that this is not so! Indeed, he states that those who have died in the Lord Jesus will rise first!   That is, they will actually rise before the second group - those who are alive, who are left.  “… then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds …”. The Greek word that is translated “caught up” is much stronger than that. It means to “snatch up”, “to seize”, “to pull forcibly”.  This, of course, is in line with Paul’s inspired words to the Corinthian believers: "... we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,". 

I learned, recently, of a period of time known as a “nanosecond”! I use the expression “period of time” because I cannot think of anything more suitable. But a nano-second is one one-billionth of a second! That is, quite honestly, beyond my comprehension. I believe that if Paul had been privy to such information, he might well have written “… we shall all be changed in a nano-second.”! 

But Paul mentions another aspect of the Rapture that we must consider. He writes “… the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality." The resurrection body is not going to be a body of flesh and blood as are the bodies that we now inhabit, for "... flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." (I Cor 15:50). At the Rapture, we shall receive our new, and perfect, bodies, designed for eternity in the close presence of Almighty God!

The change will be a metamorphosis – just like a caterpillar that, taking much longer, changes into a beautiful butterfly. I don’t know about you, but that makes me really excited – and eager for that Rapture to take place!

The third "stage" in the Rapture is the union we shall enjoy. That union is, of course, with the Saviour, the Lord Jesus. Paul continues in that passage to the Thessalonians with the words: “and so we shall always be with the Lord.” This stage is connected to the procedures in a Jewish wedding – which is somewhat different to a wedding in either France or Scotland! However, to go through it in detail would make an already longer-than-usual post much longer still! Perhaps I shall share that in a separate post. Suffice it, for now, to say that the Bridegroom will have come for His Bride and that, while she does not know the precise moment, she may have an indication of it.

The written Word of God provides us with so many signs of the coming of the Bridegroom, - our Lord Jesus. Arguably the greatest of these is Israel, the nation, being reformed on May 14^th, 1948 – the date on which, many are convinced, the prophetic clock started to tick!

As we look at the ‘signs of the times’, (yet another potential post!) there can surely be no doubt in any Bible-believing person’s mind, that we are in the very last days – that the Rapture is, to use an English-language idiom, “Just around the corner”!

This is the Rapture.

I want to leave you with just three questions;

1 Have you been washed – in the blood of the Lord Jesus?

2 Are you watching – for His ‘coming in the clouds’?

3 Are you waiting - ?

When that great shout is heard; when the sound of the shofar echoes throughout the world; may you and I be among those who are snatched up, in a nanosecond, to be forever with the Lord.

Note. I deal a little more fully with the Rapture in my first book, "Great Words of the Faith" - links at the top of the blog. ALL royalties sent directly to Release International. 

My ornithologist friends will, undoubtedly, immediately recognise the birds in the picture as "Brown Boobies". The picture is courtesy of a regularly changing background that I receive when I go online! I now have quite a varied selection of shots - from the simply beautiful to the very interesting.

My reason for saving this particular picture is that I am currently reading through Paul's letters to the early believers in Thessalonica - generally accepted as being among his very earliest correspondence. I wonder if you can work out the connection!!

Paul's Thessalonian correspondence has a lot to say about the rapture - that unannounced event in which the true church (not CINOs - Christians in name only!) will meet with the Lord Jesus "in the air". By the way, it is interesting that Paul uses a specific word that refers to the lower reaches of the atmosphere of planet Earth. There is a different word for the higher, more refined, atmosphere. This, of course, is significant. It us the same word that he uses when, writing to the Ephesian believers, he refers to the adversary as "... the prince of the power of the air ..." (2:2). In other words, he is declaring to the Thessalonians that the Lord Jesus over-rules the satan - even in the domain in which he thinks that he has the power! Hallelujah!

The relevant words in I Thessalonians, are found in chapter 4: "... this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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." (vs. 15-17).

What a wonderful prospect for those who are truly, "... in Christ Jesus." (Rom.8:1). We shall meet the Saviour, and spend eternity in His presence. That word "meet" is also significant. The Greek word is only used three times in the pages of the New Testament. In each case it refers to an 'advance party' that has been sent to meet a visiting dignitary and escort him to the one who had sent them. It is used in Acts 28:15 where, we read: "And the brethren there [i.e. in Rome], when they heard of us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them Paul thanked God and took courage." The other reference is in Matt.25 where "... ten maidens ... took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom." (v.1). The five wise maidens, who had brought additional oil for their lamps, then "... went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut." (v.10).

The Matthew passage is, of course, also speaking of the return of the Lord Jesus, and the basic message is that 1. "... you know neither the day nor the hour." (v.13); and that 2. because of that, we should always be ready. That was my first thought when the picture of the Brown Boobies appeared on my screen. You see, they are "looking up"! I have no idea what it is that they see; or if they are all looking for something in particular. However, they are, to me, looking upward, expectantly.

That, of course, is how every disciple of Jesus ought to be. Looking upward (not always literally - I don't wish to walk into a lamp post!) in anticipation of that call of the archangel, and the sound of the trumpet (which, I suspect, may actually be the sound of the shofar!), "... awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for Himself a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds." (Titus 2:13-14).

A belated, but no less sincere, wish for a blessèd 2020 to all of my readers.

It was for you!

I have just downloaded an e-book, and read the most delightful, and challenging, story.

A number of years ago, there was an old German farmer by the name of Klein. He was an ungodly man. Although he lived across the street from the building used by an evangelical church, he never went in; and, of course, he did not believe the gospel. To his way of thinking the gospel was for other people, not for him.

One day, however, the Bible school of the church began to teach the Bible school children the chorus of the hymn which goes:
"Grace! ‘tis a charming sound, harmonious to the ear;
Heav’n with the echo shall resound, And all the earth shall hear.

Saved by grace alone! This is all my plea:
Jesus died for all mankind, And Jesus died for me."

From his listening post across the street Mr. Klein heard the children sing. He heard most of the words clearly. But when they came to the line “Jesus died for all mankind,” he thought they were singing “Jesus died for old man Klein, and Jesus died for me.” The thought that Jesus died for him personally finally sank into his heart. Klein crossed the street to the church, attended services, and eventually committed his life to the Lord Jesus Christ.

To the best of my understanding, that is a true story.  However, even if it were not, it contains a glorious truth.  That truth is that Jesus died for you, and invites you to come to Him.  What does that mean?  It means, quite simply, to place your trust in Him; to have faith in Him.

There are those who seem to think that this kind of faith is some sort of "leap in the dark".  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The great Baptist preacher of a former generation, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, wrote: "Faith is not a blind thing; for faith begins with knowledge. It is not a speculative thing; for faith believes facts of which it is sure. It is not an unpractical, dreamy thing; for faith trusts, and stakes its destiny upon the truth of revelation. . . . Faith is believing that Christ is what He is said to be, and that He will do what He has promised to do, and then to expect this of Him." (All of Grace, pps 46, 47).

Of course, you may consider that you are not good enough!  Join the club!  Not one of us is.  The truth of the matter is that it is because you are not good enough, that you need to come!  Jesus, Himself, said: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17).  However, He also said: "... him who comes to Me I will not cast out." (John 6:37).

Who, according to this text, may come to Jesus? The answer: anybody. How may they come? In any way. When may they come? The answer is: at any time. How can it be more universal? The first half of that verse is written in the abstract: "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me;"  This is the part of Christ’s sentence that deals with election. It is plural, designating a great number. It is abstract, for we do not know who those who are called by God are. The second half of the verse, however, is both singular in number and personal—"him." It is Jesus’ way of saying "you," whoever you may be, and however and whenever you may come.

The offer is there - for you!  However, it may not be there for long.  There is a Day coming - and many believe that it is coming very soon, when, "... 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."  (I Thess 4:16). After that, it will be too late!  Come to Him, today.  Your eternal destiny is at stake!