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| No 2nd Chance!
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 Recently,
while in a Christian bookshop, a flyer caught my attention. I quickly
scanned the name and topic. What grabbed my attention was the titles of
the books he had written. One was called, What to do if you’re left
behind.
Whether you think it will rain today or be sunny is unlikely to be a
long term tragedy. But there are some mistakes that are pretty serious.
The subject of how this world will end and how it will affect you is too
serious to get wrong.
Shortly after, I made a comment to another Christian about the idea of a
rapture.
“I don’t know anyone who doesn’t believe in it,” he told me.
What about you, reader,? Do you believe it? If so, do you know why you
believe in it?
What are the words you would use to describe the rapture? How about
secret and silent? Now lets make sure we are Biblically on target.
Jesus Comes with Power & Glory!
Jesus spoke of His return in Luke 21:27. “And then shall they see the
Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”
Jesus will Descend from Heaven as he Ascended to Heaven
As the disciples watched Jesus ascend into heaven, angels came to them
to comfort them. They said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up
into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Acts
1:11
Every Eye Will See Him
John, the last of the original disciples to die, wrote “Behold, He
cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him.” Revelation 1:7 So, you
see, everyone will see Him!
Everyone will Hear Him, even the dead will rise in obedience to His
voice.
The Christian that had spoken to me about a rapture, referred to the
verse where Paul says that we will be “caught up.” This is from
1Thessalonians 4 :16 and 17. “For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet
the Lord in the air.”
It does say we will be “caught up” but did you notice it also makes it
plain that it is not a secret, silent happening. Jesus Himself shouts
and has a trumpet. Another description of the 2nd coming is found in
Psalms 50:3. “Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire
shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about
him.”
No “Second Chance”
But what about those that aren’t caught up? The ones that are left
behind. What will happen to them?
Jesus warned that even Christians could miss out in Matthew 7:21-23.
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I
never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Iniquity is sin, and sin is defined as “transgression of the law.” 1
John 3:4. So, “workers of iniquity” are commandment breakers.
Jesus doesn’t want anyone to die, so He tells us clearly how to be
saved.
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I
will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat
upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And
every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall
be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and
the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat
upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” Matthew
7:24-27
Jesus is not contrasting building styles here but two types of
Christians. Those who do His will, and those who hear only.
Paul does not speak of a second chance either, but warns about
neglecting salvation. “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great
salvation?” Hebrews 2:3
“Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy,
who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood
of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath
done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said,
Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And
again, The Lord shall judge his people.” Hebrews 10:29,30.
Jesus told a parable of the wheat and the tares found in Matthew 13
:24-30, and here is His own interpretation of it.
“He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son
of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the
kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy
that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and
the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and
burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of
man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his
kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall
cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of
teeth.” Matthew 13:37-42
The tares are those that offend and do iniquity. What will happen to
them? They will be burned. There is no mention of a second chance.
Revelation 20 also describes the final end of the wicked. It speaks of a
thousand year period during which the unsaved are dead, and the saved
are judging the rest, (to remove any possibility for a doubt to arise,
concerning the justice of God’s judgment of the unsaved).
It tells of those who have died in Christ, living again. “...they lived
and reigned with Christ a thousand years” verse 4. But concerning the
rest, it says, “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” It
continues, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be
priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand
years.”
The only ones that are delivered from the second death (from which there
is no resurrection) are those saved at the second coming, before the
thousand years. Those left behind when Jesus comes are dead, slain “...destroy(ed)
with the brightness of his coming:” (2Th 2:8) These receive the sentence
of their judgment. “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is
the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up
the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead
which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their
works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the
second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15
The final end of the wicked is described in Malachi 4:1,3.
“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that
cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave
them neither root nor branch. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for
they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall
do this, saith the LORD of hosts.”
Ashes beneath the feet of God's people is all that will remain of the
ones that are left behind.
God will make all things new. There will be no more pain or suffering of
death. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat
upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new... He that
overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall
be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all
liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone: which is the second death.” Revelation 21:4-8
Those that are left behind have no second chance. The ones that enjoy
the beautiful things of heaven are described in Revelation 22:14.
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to
the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.”
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his
commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring
every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good,
or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13,14
Where does faith fit in? We are saved by faith, but “faith without works
is dead also.” James 2:26
Faith, is trust, and trust in God will lead us to obey him. What is in
the heart, is seen by the outward actions.
Now is the time to prepare for the second coming! It won't be a secret
or silent event. You won't have a second chance. |
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