Meteorologists forecast the weather, predicting temperatures, precipitation, humidity, highs, lows, etc., but rarely do they get it all right. And forecasting the weather is what people have been doing for thousands of years. In fact, Jesus said, “You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?” (Luke 12:56). With these words, Jesus was rebuking unbelievers for they didn’t believe He was the Christ, the Messiah and, therefore, didn’t understand His 1st coming. And sad to say, most people today, including many Christians, don’t understand the times we now live in, and that Christ’s 2nd coming is drawing near.
In these days, God wants Christians to know all about Christ’s 2nd coming and events preceding it, and be accurately forecasting it. But what does God say that enables us to forecast, to predict the future, and with 100% certainty? And why do we know that Christ will be coming back soon? Here is what God’s word says:
* Jesus Christ is coming again. Luke 21:27; Hebrews 10:37; Revelation 22:7, 12, 20 * Jesus Christ is returning soon, for we now live in the end-times, the last years of this church age, that time period during which the Jewish people are once again living in Israel. Ezekiel 36-37, Daniel 12:4, Matthew 24:15-27, Revelation 10-12 * In the coming years, there will be a seven-year period called Daniel’s 70th week, a God-ordained time during which many prophesied events will take place. Daniel 9:24-27 * In the years leading up to Daniel’s 70th week, there will be “birth pains” (earthquakes, wars, plagues, famines and poverty) occurring in various parts of the world, signaling Christ’s return is getting closer. Matthew 24:4-8, Hebrews 10:25, Revelation 6:1-8 * Lawlessness will be increasing in the world before Christ’s return. Matthew 24:12, 37 * There will be a growing persecution of both Christians and Jews before Christ’s 2nd coming. Matthew 24:9, Revelation 12:17; Zechariah 14:2, Matthew 24:15-22 * The Antichrist will be revealed at the 3½ year mark of Daniel’s 70th week. Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15 * People will be saved and disciples will be raised up, and Christ’s work in building the church will be completed at the end of this age. Matthew 16:18, 24:14, 28:19-20 * There will be great disturbances in the heavens and a great earthquake on the earth, signs indicating that this age has come to an end. Matthew 24:29, Revelation 6:12-14 * At a time unknown to us, after the Antichrist is revealed and at the end of this age, Christ will return to rapture the church. Matthew 24:15-36, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-9 * God will pour out His righteous wrath on a wicked world. Psalm 98:9; Revelation 8-9, 16 * God will redeem a large remnant of Jews at the end of Daniel’s 70th week. Ezekiel 27:23, Daniel 9:24-27, Romans 11:25-27 * Jesus Christ will begin His 1000-year reign over the earth. Psalm 67, Revelation 20
This is amazing! This is so encouraging that God tells us what will be taking place in the future! And because it’s God’s word, it’s guaranteed to happen. To emphasize this point, Jesus, in the middle of a great prophecy passage, says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Jesus wants us to be completely convinced that His prophetic word is an accurate forecast of the future. He gives us a perfect outline, not all the details, but just what He wants us to know.
Now how does God want you to live in these last, important years of this church age? * He wants you to study and believe His prophetic word so you can tell others what God wants them to know about Christ’s 2nd coming. Luke 24:25-26, 44-45; 2 Timothy 2:15 * He wants you to be a holy vessel who is useful to Himself, the Master. 2 Timothy 2:21 * He wants you to pray for Christ’s kingdom to be established on earth. Matthew 6:9-10 * He wants you to do His work, using the grace and gifts He gives you. 1 Peter 4:10-11 * He wants you to know that He is sovereign and faithful, and will fully accomplish His work in you and in the church. Romans 8:28-30, 1 Corinthians 1:8-9. Ephesians 1:9-12 * He does not want you to be asleep or worldly, but to be awake, alert, and aware of what God is doing in the world around you. Matthew 16:2-4, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 * He wants you to love Him, and love one another. Mark 12:30-31, John 15:7 * He wants you to have faith, to depend on Him and be trusting His word. Luke 18:8 * He wants you to have hope – that you will be glorified, in heaven, and with Jesus and other believers. John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 14:42-44, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 * He wants you to share the gospel with the lost, explaining to them the purpose of Christ’s 1st coming, and how they can be forgiven of their sins and receive eternal life. Luke 21:12-15 * He wants you to be in a church with a good pastor, and with people who love God, love His word, and love one another. Acts 2:42, Ephesians, Revelation 2-3 * He wants you to be excited about His Son’s return, to be looking forward to seeing Jesus, and being with Him. Job 19:25-27, 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, Revelation 22:20
What a time to be alive! This subject of prophecy shouldn’t be cloudy, but clear to us, for God has told us everything we need to know about Christ’s 2nd coming, the events preceding it, and how to live. Make it your goal this year to know the future He has planned for us. Be like the sons of Issachar, who “understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32), like Ezekiel who was a “watchman” (Ezekiel 3:17), and like John the Baptist who made “ready the way of the Lord.” Luke 3:4
P.S. Here is a post that gives a short but good explanation of prophecy – “Prophecy Is Predicting the Future.”This article is most appropriate and instructive as you think about time, your life, and the new year – “The Time of My Life.”
God wants you to see the end from the beginning, from that time when you were saved until that time when you see Jesus Christ and are glorified and in heaven. It’s so easy to get stuck in our own little world, in the here and now, and that’s why it’s imperative for you to see where you have come from and where you are going. A passage that explains this better than any I know is 1 Peter 1:3-13. What you see is that the future is spoken of in 8 of these 11 verses, using words like “living hope” (3), “inheritance” (4), “heaven” (4), “last time” (5), “revelation of Jesus Christ” (7, 13), “salvation” (5, 9, 10), “grace” (10, 13), and “glories to follow” (11). What God is telling you is clear and convincing, that the only way to live today is in view of the future that He has already planned out for you.
1 Peter 1:3-5 sums up your Christian life, the past, present and future, from when you were born again to your life today to that time when you will receive your heavenly inheritance. There’s direction and movement in these verses, for they are not just focused on being born again, but on the fact that you now have a living hope, that which is to excite you and point you to your future in heaven. Your life isn’t just sitting still, but is going someplace, and God Himself is moving you along and taking you to glory, to a “salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” And God’s power will keep protecting you until that time when you will be fully saved, when you will be glorified. Jude 24-25
1 Peter 1:6-9 talks about your present life, but again in light of the future. Right away you read about trials, and it tells you there are various kinds of them, they last only a little while, they are distressing, and they only happen if God says they are necessary. And these trials are for your faith, which is extremely valuable, for it is a means to know God, to experience His grace, and to spiritual growth. Most importantly, it results in “praise, glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” At the end of this age, there will be one grand celebration, for all believers will be gathered together to see Jesus, and will be excitedly and wholeheartedly worshiping Him. Revelation 7:9-12
These verses also instruct us how to live at this present time. First, we are to love God, and with all our heart. And we are to have faith in this One we cannot see, but soon will see, trusting Him, believing His word, knowing that He is fulfilling His plans for us. And we are to greatly rejoice, for we know what’s coming, “the salvation of our souls” and the glorification of our bodies. Do you see this, that your faith, hope, love and joy in the present are in light of the future, in view of that time when this age will come to an end, and Jesus Christ will be revealed for the entire world to see? 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8
1 Peter 1:10-12 is an encouraging and motivating parenthetical. It tells us about the Old Testament prophets, men writing about 2400-2900 years ago, and they wanted to know more about the Messiah to come. They knew He would suffer, and that His glory would be revealed to the whole world, but they didn’t know the specifics, they didn’t know when, and they really wanted to find out, and so they “made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time…” And these prophets did this for us – they were searching and seeking and writing for Christians, for those of us living in this church age. I must say, I get very excited, knowing that what the prophets wrote, along with the New Testament writers, is for us, especially since we now live in the end times.
Here we are, thousands of years later, and we can look back and see that part of what the prophets predicted has already taken place. We all know that Jesus Christ came to earth, and that He suffered, died, rose again, ascended into heaven, and that He will soon come back to fulfill the 2nd part of these predictions. But unlike the prophets, we now know there’s a 2nd coming, at which time Christ will return to earth with “great glory” (Luke 21:27), and then glorify us, and after that, the world will be full of His glory (Isaiah 6:3). Another amazing truth is that the angels long to look into these matters about Christ’s 1st and 2nd comings. Just think, if the prophets wrote this for us, and the angels are looking into these things, shouldn’t we be super-motivated to study and learn and tell others what God wants us to know about our glorious future? Mark 13:23
1 Peter 1:13 starts with “therefore,” which means it’s the conclusion to this prophetic passage for Christians. In view of Christ being revealed, in view of being glorified and being in heaven, in view of receiving an incredible inheritance, how should you live on earth? You are to prepare your mind for action. You are to be spiritually awake, aware of what God’s word says, alert to what He’s doing in the world, and actively working for Christ, helping to carry out His end-time plans for the church. And you are to “fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Don’t get distracted by worldly things, but be focused on the fact that Christ is coming soon, and be looking forward to seeing Him, knowing that He will then “transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory.” Philippians 3:21
You can’t miss the future in this present day, 1 Peter passage for Christians. Don’t skip over it, make light of it, or think it’s not relevant for your life, and especially at this time in history, with the return of Jesus Christ right around the corner. Might 1 Peter 1:3-13, this big-picture passage, help you to love Jesus all the more, and to live today in light of the fantastic future that God has “reserved in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:4
P.S. I love this subject, the big picture of our lives. Having this perspective is a must if we are to be able to rightly and wholeheartedly live for the Lord. Here are two previous posts that address this same subject: “God’s Time Frame for Your Life,” and “An Overview of Your Christian Life.”
I have a friend who is a food scientist, which means he understands nutrition, what’s good for the body – the proteins, carbs, fats, vitamins and minerals that we need to stay healthy. But how do we keep our soul healthy? We need the truth of God’s word, and one particular and important aspect of His truth are His promises. Let me share some thoughts about these promises, followed up by many of my personal favorites.
1. God’s promises are all true, for God tells the truth, and He does not lie. 2. God’s promises are based on His word and character and, therefore, will never fail. 3. God’s promises are essential, for you cannot truly and fully live for God without them. 4. God’s promises are about your future, your time here on earth, and / or in heaven. 5. God’s promises are forward looking, and keep you from living in the past. 6. God’s promises tell you what God will do for you, not what you will do for Him. 7. God’s promises motivate you to persevere, to press on to the end. 8. God’s promises spiritually energize you to keep going for God. 9. God’s promises, though spiritual in nature, can also physically energize you. 10. God’s promises give hope, not worldly hope, but a godly hope. 11. God’s promises speak of how you will be eternally rewarded for your earthly service. 12. God’s promises are all about experiencing His grace in the future. 13. God’s promises encourage you today because they give you hope for tomorrow. 14. God’s promises will help you understand His purpose for your life. 15. God’s promises are a means to living a holy and God-pleasing life. 16. God’s promises are activated by faith, by believing what God is saying. 17. God’s promises must be personalized, for they speak of what God wants for your life. 18. God’s promises are either conditional or unconditional. 19. God’s promises give you confidence and assurance about your future. 20. God’s promises help you to live rightly today for you know you have a God-blessed tomorrow. 21. God’s promises are needed during stormy times, for they are forecasting a sunny future. 22. God’s promises are often prophetic, predicting His plans for both the church and the world. 23. God’s promises are precious, magnificent, incredible and wonderful. 24. God’s promises speak of how God will show you His great love in the future. 25. God’s promises should be shared with other Christians.
Here are a number of my favorite promises: * 2 Chronicles 15:7 – “As for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” * Job 23:10 – “God knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” * Psalm 23:6 – “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” * Psalm 27:1 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” * Psalm 32:8 – “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.” * Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” * Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations.” * Psalm 55:22 – “Cast your cares upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” * Psalm 84:11 – “The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” * Psalm 91:14-16 – “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation.”
* Psalm 119:1 – “How blessed is he whose way is blameless, who walks in the law of the Lord.” * Psalm 119:50 – “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” * Psalm 136 – “His lovingkindness is everlasting.” * Proverbs 2:3-5 – “If you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures, then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom…” * Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” * Proverbs 8:17 – “I love those who love me, and those who seek Me find Me.” * Isaiah 26:3 – “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.” * Isaiah 40:31 – “Those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” * Isaiah 41:10 – “Do not fear for I am with you; do not be anxious for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” * Lamentations 3:22-23 – “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
* Matthew 5:5 – “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” * Matthew 5:8 – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” * Matthew 5:11-12 – “Blessed are you when people insult and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great.” * Matthew 6:33 – “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” * Matthew 11:28-29 – “Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” * Matthew 24:31 – “He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to another.” * Matthew 28:19-20 – “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” * Mark 1:17 – “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” * Luke 12:32 – “Do not be afraid little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” * John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
* John 5:24 – “He who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” * John 8:12 – “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” * John 11:25-26 – “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if He dies; and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.” * John 14:3 – “I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” * John 14:13-14 – “I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in My name, and I will do it.” * John 15:5 – “He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit.” * Romans 8:28 – “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.” * Romans 8:32 – “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” * 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 – “He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful…” * 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation, will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
* 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 – “We will not all sleep, but we will 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 will be changed.” * 2 Corinthians 2:14 – “Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ Jesus, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him.” * 2 Corinthians 4:16-17 – “Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.” * 2 Corinthians 9:8 – “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, you will have an abundancefor every good deed.” * 2 Corinthians 12:9 – “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” * Galatians 5:16 – “Walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.” * Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” * Ephesians 2:10 – “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” * Ephesians 3:20-21 – “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” * Ephesians 6:2 – “Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.”
* Philippians 2:9-11 – “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” * Philippians 3:21 – “… the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” * Philippians 4:19 – “My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” * Colossians 3:23-24 – “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.” * 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 –“The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will 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.” * 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 – “May the God of peace sanctify you entirely; may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete without blame at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you and He will bring it to pass.” * 2 Timothy 4:18 – “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” * Titus 2:10-11 – “If we died with Him, we will also live with Him. If we endure, we will also reign with Him.” * James 4:10 – “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.” * Hebrews 10:37 – “For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.”
* Hebrews 13:5 – “I will never leave you, nor will I ever forsake you.” * 1 Peter 5:10 – “After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.” * 2 Peter 1:4 – “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” * 1 John 1:7 – “If we walk in the light, as God is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.” * Jude 24-25 – “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” * Revelation 3:5 – “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and His angels.” * Revelation 5:10 – “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” * Revelation 21:3-4 – “God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death, there will no longer be any mourning, or crying or pain; the first things have passed away.” * Revelation 21:7 – “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be His God and he will be My son.” * Revelation 22:7 – “Behold, I am coming soon.”
All these promises, and many more besides, are wonderful and needed gifts from God. Don’t miss out on the blessing, the grace, hope, peace, strength and encouragement they bring to your soul, your life, and your future. I want to remind you of what Elizabeth said to Mary for, in principle, it applies to us: “Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill His promises to her” (Luke 1:45). And remember these words that describe some of the saints of old: “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were exiles and strangers on earth” (Hebrews 11:13). Sometime in the future, as Joshua said to the Jews, you will be able to say to others, “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” Joshua 23:14
The closer we get to Christ’s coming, the more difficult it will be, and the more you will see that you need these promises, and cannot live without them. Through God’s promises, you will experience His amazing grace, and a special closeness with Him, until that time when, for the first time, you will see His face. “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!” Job 19:25-27
P.S. I love God’s promises, and I trust that you will learn to love them and see and experience their supreme and eternal worth. Here is a previous post that I believe will help you learn more about the value of these precious truths from God’s word – “Promises from a Loving Father to His Children.”
Do you see where you are going, where you are headed? Do you know the future God has planned for you? I am not just talking about going to heaven. If you are a Christian, it’s true that you are heading to heaven, but that’s too simplistic, for there’s much more than that. Here’s your future – you’ll be on earth until you die or are raptured, and then you will be in heaven, but only for a short while, for then you will come back to earth to reign with Jesus Christ during the millennial kingdom age. Let me explain this further:
We now live on this earth, but it’s not for long. That’s because we live in the end-times which means it won’t be that many years before the end of this age and the rapture of the church. We couldn’t say this 1000 years ago or even 200 years ago, but the fact that the Jews are back in their land gives us a whole new perspective on what God is now doing on this earth, where things are headed, and His timing in all this. No one knows exactly when Christ will come back, but with all that’s happening in the world, it’s not going to be centuries, but more like decades, whether that’s 10, 20, 30 or 50 years or so. That we live in the end-times means you may not have a normal life-span of 70-80-90 years. You may even suffer a martyr’s death or be one of the raptured saints.
God-prophesied events will be taking place, and increasingly so, and this means the Day (of Christ) is drawing near (Hebrews 10:25), and with that, the rapture and the age to come. In the meantime, there’s work for you to do, God-ordained work, eternal work, which relates to the lost, the church, and Christ’s return. And remember, you will not die, or be raptured, until all the work God wants you to do is completely done. Acts 13:22, 36
Then we will be in heaven, which will be so wonderful, being with Jesus and all the saints who have gone on before us; but we won’t be there for long. If you’re raptured, you will be in heaven for less than four years. That’s because the rapture of the church occurs sometime during the 2nd half of Daniel’s 70th week, a 7-year period. One half of 7 years is 3½ years, and that plus the 75 days (Daniel 12:11-12), is less than four years. I couldn’t figure in the length of the great tribulation, for it’s duration is unknown to us, but it will make it much less than four years. (This tribulation time starts soon after the midpoint of this 70th week.) What I am saying is that raptured Christians will have a very short stay in heaven before they head back to earth for the start of Christ’s kingdom age.
The other possibility is that you will die and go to heaven before the rapture ever takes place. Because we live in the end times, you won’t be in heaven very long before this age comes to an end and the church is raptured. But you will come down to the skies above the earth for the rapture, and then immediately head back to heaven with Christ and the raptured believers, staying there for a few more years until the start of the kingdom age. But whether you die or are raptured, the fact that you live in the end-times forces you to conclude that you won’t be in heaven that long before you head back to earth to begin reigning with Christ. Think of it this way: you are not going to be in heaven that many years compared to Martin Luther (473 years as of now), Paul (~ 1950 years as of now), Abraham (~ 3900 years as of now), and billions of other believers.
Then we will be back on earth. Revelation 3:26-27, 5:10, 20:6 all tell us that we will be reigning and ruling with Christ on earth. This doesn’t mean you won’t ever head back to heaven for visits, for I believe you will. But your life during the millennial kingdom, that glorious 1000-year period, is focused on earth, worshiping Christ, and helping Him fulfill His purposes. It will be like nothing you have ever seen or imagined, having a brand-new body, enjoying fellowship with saints, perfectly doing the work God wants you to do, and seeing His plans for the Jewish people being carried out. What an amazing and incredible time that will be!
That’s your future, and a future, for many of you, that will come sooner than you think. That’s because the length of time between now and when you get to heaven, plus the length of time you will be in heaven before you head back to earth, is not as long as you may think. Let me say it this way: the time between now and the end of this age, plus the time between the end of this age and the start of the next age, is a relatively short period of time. Daniel 9:24-27 (Daniel’s 70th week) and the book of Revelation help us to understand when all this will take place. Revelation 6:1-11 tells us what happens in the years leading up to the end of the age; Revelation 6:12-17 describes the signs that will occur immediately before the end of the age; Revelation 7:9-14 is in reference to the rapture, which takes place immediately after the end of the age; Revelation 8-9, 16, 19 tells us about the interval between the ages; and Revelation 20 gives us some information about the next age, the millennial kingdom age.
In conclusion, you need to be thinking about Christ’s coming, and being in heaven, and being back on earth, and that it won’t be long before all this takes place. A whole lot needs to happen from now to the start of the next age – wars, famines, earthquakes, global gospel preaching, the Antichrist ruling, great persecution, apostasy, abomination of desolation, the rapture, the Day of the Lord, the salvation of the Jews – and it’s all going to take place in a short time-frame. But for now, God has important work He wants you to do before Jesus Christ returns, and begins His reign over this world. “Behold, I am coming soon.” Revelation 22:7, 12, 20
P.S. I don’t know if you have taken the opportunity to look at all the charts, but there’s much there that will help you better understand the timing of future prophetic events. I want to encourage you to go over them, for I am convinced they will give you more clarity about the future God has for you. The position of the person in each of the charts is to help you see that there isn’t much time left before the end of this age and the coming of Christ.
One of my favorite authors on Bible prophecy is J.C. Ryle, a well-known and well-respected Christian pastor, teacher and writer. Serving the Lord Jesus in England during the 19th century, his insight into this important area of prophecy is both amazing and instructive. The book that he wrote on prophecy, “Are You Ready for the End of Time?”, is a collection of eight of his sermons on this subject, and were given over 150 years ago. I have wondered what he would think today, with so many Bible-predicted events taking place, and particularly that the Jews are now back in their land. Knowing that Jesus Christ will soon come back to earth, I can’t help but think that he would be passionately and excitedly preaching and teaching on His glorious return. What is written below is J.C. Ryle’s prophetic creed (from his preface to his book). Might our Lord encourage and motivate you as you read it.
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From J.C.
Ryle’s book, “Are You Ready for the End
of Time?”
The
following, then, are the chief articles of my prophetical creed:
1. I believe
that the world will never be completely converted to Christianity by any
existing agency before the end comes. In spite of all that can be done by
ministers, churches, schools and missions, the wheat and tares will grow
together until the harvest; and when the end comes, it will find the earth in
much the same state that it was when the flood came in the days of Noah
(Matthew 13:24-30, 24:37-39).
2. I believe
that the widespread unbelief, indifference, formalism and wickedness, which are
to be seen throughout Christendom, are only what we are taught to expect in
God’s word. Troublous times, departures from the faith, evil men waxing worse
and worse, love waxing cold, are things distinctly predicted. So far from
making me doubt the truth of Christianity, they help to confirm my faith.
Melancholy and sorrowful as the sight is, if I did not see it I should think
the Bible was not true (Matthew 24:12; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1, 4, 13).
3. I believe
that the grand purpose of the present dispensation is to gather out of the
world an elect people, and not to convert all mankind. It does not surprise me
at all to hear that the heathen are not all converted when missionaries preach,
and that believers are but a little flock in any congregation in my own land.
It is precisely the state of things which I expect to find. The gospel is to be
preached ‘as a witness’, and then shall the end come. This is the dispensation
of election, and not of universal conversion (Acts 15:14, Matthew 24:14).
4. I believe
the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is the great event which will wind
up the present dispensation, and for which we ought daily to long and pray.
‘Thy kingdom come’, ‘Come Lord Jesus’, should be our daily prayer. We look
backward, if we have faith, to Christ dying on the cross, and we ought to look
forward no less, if we have hope, to Christ coming again (John 14:3, 2 Timothy
4:8, 2 Peter 3:12).
5. I believe
the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ will be a real, literal, personal,
bodily coming; and that as He went away in the clouds of heaven with His body,
before the eyes of men, so in like manner He will return (Acts 1:11).
6. I believe
that after our Lord Jesus Christ comes again, the earth shall be renewed, and
the curse removed; the devil shall be bound, the godly shall be rewarded, the
wicked shall be punished; and that before He comes there shall be neither
resurrection, judgment, nor millennium, and that not till after He comes shall
the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord (Acts 3:21,
Isaiah 25:6-10, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, Revelation 20:1, etc.).
7. I believe that the Jews shall ultimately be gathered again as a separate nation, restored to their own land, and converted to the faith of Christ, after going through great tribulation (Jeremiah 30:10-11, Jeremiah 31:10, Romans 11:25-26, Daniel 12:1, Zechariah 13:8-9).
8. I believe
that the literal sense of the Old Testament prophecies has been far too much
neglected by the Churches, and is far too much neglected at the present day,
and that under the mistaken system of spiritualizing and accommodating Bible
language, Christians have too often completely missed its meaning (Luke
24:25-26).
9. I do not
believe that the preterist scheme of interpreting the Apocalypse, which regards
the book as almost entirely fulfilled,
or the futurist scheme, which regards it as almost entirely unfulfilled, are either of them to be
implicitly followed. The truth, I expect, will be found to lie between the two.
10. I
believe that the Roman Catholic church is the great predicted apostasy from the
faith, and is Babylon and antichrist, although I think it highly probable that
a more complete development of antichrist will yet be exhibited in the world (2
Thessalonians 2:3-11, 1 Timothy 4:1-3).
11. Finally, I believe that it is for the safety, happiness and comfort of all true Christians, to expect as little as possible from churches or governments under the present dispensation, to hold themselves ready for tremendous convulsions, and changes of all things established, and to expect their good things only from Christ’s second advent.
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Steve’s P.S. “What the Bible Says About the Future” lists 40 specific statements that describe our future and how we are to live in the time leading up to the return of our Lord, Savior and King. I encourage you to read this previous post so that you know what our Lord has in store for you.
I love Psalm 67, another promising passage that speaks about the future. As Christians, we can apply parts of this Psalm to our lives, but the main focus is on the Jewish people, and God affecting the world through them, especially during the millennial kingdom. But you ask, was this not applicable to the Jews during the Old Testament times? Of course, God’s desire for the Jews was to be a witness to the Gentiles so they too would worship Him, but that happened in a very limited way (2 Chronicles 9:8). This Psalm is primarily speaking of the coming kingdom age when Jesus Christ is King, and ruling and reigning over the world.
Psalm 47, which we looked at last week, was a command to the peoples of the world to praise God, but Psalm 67 is a prayer for the peoples of the world to praise God. Verse 1 starts out as a prayer for God’s mercy and grace, for His face to shine upon “us”, the Jewish people. “God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us.” God wanted to bless the Jews, to give them what they didn’t deserve. But why? Verse two gives an awesome, far-reaching answer. “That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations.” It’s so God’s way and purpose would be made known around the world, with the result that salvation, mercy and deliverance from sin, would be experienced by the Gentiles, by unbelievers in all the nations.
Psalm 96:3-4 amplifies on what will be taking place during this kingdom age: “Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among the peoples. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.” With Christ ruling the world, and a large number of Jews and glorified believers proclaiming His gospel message, I am convinced we will have the greatest evangelistic effort ever, with great multitudes turning to Christ and being saved.
What else is being prayed? Verse 3 says, “Let all the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.” This too will be answered, for the result of people repenting of their sins and receiving God’s mercy is that they will be praising Him. Isn’t that God’s primary purpose in life, for people to praise Him? Yes, yes, people are to love, worship and praise God with all their heart. “Sing praises to our King, sing praises” (Psalm 47:6). This will definitely take place during the millennial kingdom, for it will be a good and glorious age when “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” (Habakkuk 2:14), and people all over the world will be worshiping the Lord like never before.
The glory God receives from His people goes hand in hand with the blessing they receive, which is what verse 4 tells us: “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy.” This again is a prayer, a prayer that God will answer. All over the earth, people will be glad-hearted and singing for joy, joy springing from the fact that they know God’s mercy and soul-satisfying love. Not only that, but they are seeing and experiencing God’s righteous rule on earth, “For You will judge the world with uprightness.” Christ will be completely in charge, and through His servants, He will be leading and judging the nations. Lawlessness will not be the way of the world anymore, for Christ will be quickly executing true justice. Just think what it will be like to be serving our Savior and King during this time. “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah 6:3
The prayer continues with verse 5, which repeats verse 3, and for good reason, to emphasize God’s main purpose, that He be whole-heartedly praised by all the people. “Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.” With this verse, the prayer is completed, and during this millennial kingdom it will finally, and fully, be answered, and we will witness Christ’s wonderful and God-glorifying work.
Psalm 67:6 gives another result of Christ’s amazing and perfect work, that “the earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us.” Now we’re talking about agriculture, for the blessings during this kingdom age are not just spiritual but also physical. Psalm 65:9-13 tells us, “You visit the earth and cause it to overflow… You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth… The meadows are clothed with flocks.” The creation, being freed from its slavery to corruption (Romans 8:19-22), will be both picturesque and productive, a beautiful display of God’s work, a glory to God and a blessing to us. “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all it contains; let the fields exult, and all that is in it.” Psalm 96:10-12
The last verse assures us that this prayer will be answered, for “God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth may fear Him.” God will bless both Jewish people and glorified saints, for their good, and so the world will fear Him and give Him glory. Can you imagine being with Jesus Christ and fellow believers for one thousand years? Wow! What a great, God-glorifying time this will be! “Every knee will bow… and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father.” Philippians 2:10-11
I
hope you aren’t sleeping. I pray you are wide awake, spiritually speaking, and
know that this present age will soon and suddenly end, that Jesus Christ will
rapture the Christians, pour out His wrath, redeem a remnant of Jews, and then
reign over this earth. In other words, Christ is coming back to take up the
saints, take out the enemy, and take over the world. In last week’s post, I
focused on the millennial kingdom, when Christ will be reigning over this world,
and you, being glorified, will be worshiping Him, serving Him and reigning with
Him. But much more needs to be said:
* You will be serving God on a renovated earth, one much better than this sin-cursed world. Romans 8:21 says, “The creation itself will be set free from its corruption into the freedom of the glory of God’s children.” Acts 3:21 talks about the “period of restoration of all things.” Psalm 98:8 says, “Let the mountains sing together for joy.” Isaiah 65:25 tells us, “The wolf and the lamb will feed together.” Not only that, but non-glorified people will live a lot longer on this restored earth, for Isaiah 65:20 says, “The one who does not reach the age of one hundred will be thought accursed.” This means there will still be sin and death. Nevertheless, how wonderful it will be during this magnificent kingdom age, for we will serve God in a more glorified place, witness peace on earth, and hear great multitudes of people praising our King (Psalm 67:3-4). Then it will get even better, far better, for after this 1000-year kingdom age (Revelation 20:1-6) comes the eternal kingdom, a perfect and most glorious age, when there will be “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away.” Revelation 21:1
* You will be with your loved ones who knew the Lord. The Thessalonian believers were sad, for they feared they would never see deceased fellow believers again. But Paul told them not to grieve like the world (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). Yes, you can be sad when a Christian friend or family member dies, but don’t be too sad. Whether by death or by rapture, you will soon see them again. You must understand that relationships continue from earth to heaven, from this age to the next age. Why would God place you with certain Christians on earth, but then never, or rarely ever, want you to see them in the coming ages? Your hope is that you will have heart-satisfying and God-glorifying fellowship with Christians you knew on earth, and a great number of others.
* You will have a home in your Father’s house. Jesus tells us that He will come again and receive us to Himself, and then take us to our heavenly home (John 14:1-3), one that will be infinitely better than any of our earthly homes. It will be perfect, immaculate, beautiful and relaxing, personally prepared for you, and ideally suited for worship and fellowship. You see, during the millennial kingdom age, we will be glorified and need no sleep. That being true, it may mean we will serve Christ on the earth during the daytime (being “in charge of many things” – Matthew 25:21), and then jet off to worship God and fellowship with saints in our heavenly home during the rest of that 24-hour day.
* You will be with newly saved Jewish believers during the millennial kingdom. With all that has been said about Christians being with Christ during the millennial kingdom, it must be remembered that a large remnant of Jewish people will be saved at the end of Daniel’s 70th week, and these believers, along with 144,000 more, will be with Christ in the city of Jerusalem, and in the nation of Israel (Romans 11:26-27, Revelation 7:4-8). Hundreds of Old Testament verses speak about the future of these Jewish people (Ezekiel 37:21-28). How all the glorified believers will interact and work with these Jewish believers during the millennial kingdom is not completely known. But it has to relate to the wonderful future God has for you, part of this described in Romans 15:10, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people (Jewish believers).”
The New Testament epistles are about the church, about our present and future lives. Ephesians 1:10-11 speaks about our future,“He made known to us the mystery of His will… with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and the earth. In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.” Do you see this, that God has revealed to us the mystery of His will, that all things will be summed up in Christ, and that we will receive a glorious inheritance? Our future will be very, very good, incredibly and perfectly good.
Ephesians 1:20-21 tells us about the authority of Christ “in this age but also in the one to come.” Now this age to come is the millennial kingdom age. Then Ephesians 2:7 sums up our future by saying, “so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”“The ages to come” is referring to the millennial and eternal ages. What God has planned out for us is unbelievable, beyond comprehension. I hope you see that you are a very rich kid, blessed way beyond anything you could ever imagine. Our heavenly Father is so loving, so kind, and so generous. Be praying that “the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18). And make sure you love Him and live for Him during this age, and be looking forward to worshiping and serving Him in the coming kingdom ages.
Life can be hard, very hard, sometimes seemingly impossible. There can be personal struggles, family conflicts, work difficulties, church problems, physical ailments, and even great persecution. What can encourage you and help keep you going is knowing and experiencing the love of God. In this post, my primary focus is how God will show you His love in the future, what we call hope. I’ve talked a lot about this hope, because far too many Christians don’t know much about it. Hope for your life is essential. It’s like flour for a cake, for if you don’t have flour, you are not going to have a cake. And if you don’t have hope, your Christian life will be flat, without the purpose, direction, drive and energy God wants you to have. Today I want to look at a major part of this hope, the millennial kingdom. What does God want you to know about it?
* The millennial kingdom will last exactly one thousand years, a fact which Revelation 20 repeats six times. Compared to the length of your present life on earth, this next age will last a very, very long time. To illustrate – if you live to the age of 80, your life during the millennial kingdom will be 12.5 times longer than your present life on earth. Or think about it this way – 80 years is only 8% of 1000 years. Revelation 20:1-7
* Jesus Christ will reign as King over the earth during the millennial kingdom. When you think about many of the bad leaders in today’s world, this is extremely good news, for we will soon have a perfect Ruler, one who is holy, powerful, loving and sovereign over all things and all people. Yes, Christ is King now, but He’s behind the scenes. But then, He will be King in a visible, personal, direct, and most glorious way. Zechariah 14:9, Psalm 2:7-9
* Satan, that most evil devil, will be gone from the earth, locked up for the entire 1000 years, which means he will have absolutely no influence on this earth. He won’t be prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. He won’t tempt anyone to sin. He won’t have his forces of darkness on earth, and therefore, won’t be able to unleash his demons with all their sinful schemes and false teaching. Revelation 20:1-3
* All believers from this present age will possess brand new bodies, like that of Jesus Christ, Himself. These will be powerful bodies, immortal bodies, glorified bodies, and spiritual bodies. Completely free from sin and all manners of corruption, these perfect and magnificent bodies will enable you to be and do all that God wants. 1 Corinthians 15:40-42, Philippians 3:20-21
* All glorified believers will be perfectly worshiping Jesus Christ. Can you imagine being able to always love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength? Think what it will be like to worship the Lord, to sing to Him and give Him all the honor, praise and glory that He deserves. Think about being part of a heavenly choir that is perfectly and harmoniously singing praises to our Lord, Savior and King. “Sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth.” Psalm 47:6-7, Revelation 5:13
* All glorified believers will be perfectly serving Jesus Christ. You will be able to serve Christ during this kingdom age in much greater and more productive ways than you are doing now. “You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things” (Matthew 25:21) “You will be in authority over ten cities” (Luke 19:17). “He who keeps my deeds to the end, to Him will I give authority over the nations” (Revelation 2:26). I am really looking forward to this time when we will, effortlessly and wholeheartedly, be working for Christ, fulfilling His purposes, and bringing Him glory. Ephesians 2:7-10
* This kingdom age will be a good age. Now we live in an evil age, which is the way it has been since Satan tempted Adam and Eve to sin. During this entire age, “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). But once Jesus Christ begins ruling, it will be a good age, for Satan will be gone, and the work, holiness, goodness and glory of Christ will be profoundly seen, dramatically affecting the whole world. Not only that, but you, I, and a great number of glorified believers will be assisting Christ, reigning with Him, serving Him, and fulfilling His purposes. Galatians 1:4, Revelation 5:10
* There’s this present age, the coming millennial kingdom age, and then the eternal kingdom age. Do you see that we are getting close to the end of this age, and will soon be living during the millennial kingdom age? Be encouraged and very thankful that God “has raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6-7). Let’s pray: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven… For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:10, 13
P.S. This post is for everyone, for we all need godly hope. But in particular, I am thinking of those who are hurting, who are ill, who have chronic ailments, who need present grace, but also, need the hope of future grace. Might we live for the Lord today, but be looking ahead to the glorious future that He has for all who believe in Him. There is more on this next week.
How you think about your future dramatically affects how you live your life in the present. Some people don’t think much at all, with the result that their minds are empty, or are filled with worthless things. (Psalm 119:36-37). Others think in sinful and worldly ways, in ways that aren’t pleasing to God (Ephesians 4:17-19). There are those who live in the past, proud about what they did, or mad about some real or supposed injustice, but we are to forget what lies behind (Philippians 3:13). There are those who are worried, fearful and anxious about what might lie ahead. They have the “what ifs”. (Matthew 6:34). Then there are some so focused on the future that they are not living in the present. Many of these are dreamers (Ecclesiastes 11:4), people who have not learned how to live today in light of the future, their life on earth and life in heaven.
That last sentence gives the key as to how we are to think about our lives, that we need hope, that we need to live today in view of the future God has for us. Thinking like this gives us the big picture with the right mindset. And only God’s word can give us this perspective, this overview of our life. There’s the soul-soothing, 2-part perspective of Psalm 23:6 – “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” There’s the eternal perspective of Romans 8:30 – “These whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Many other verses summarize our lives, and in particular, express the hope that God has for us: Philippians 1:6, 3:12-21; 1 Corinthians 1:30, 15:20-28
Then there’s Colossians 3:1-4, one of my favorites. It instructs you to set your mind on things above, on things of God, on things talked about in His Word. You are not to set your mind on things of this world, and be worldly. You are to live for Christ, and you are to think about the future, when Christ will be revealed, and you will be raptured. You are to also think about being revealed with Him in glory, when you will reign with Him during the millennial kingdom. This is the right perspective, a godly perspective, living for Christ today, and looking forward to living for Him in the future.
The reason I write about hope is because Christians need hope. As you know, all successful people have hope. A person working at a job looks forward to getting paid. A student studies hard and expects to get good grades. An athlete practices with a view of winning the next game. A Christian serves the Lord, knowing it will result in blessing in this age and in the ages to come. As a child of God, you have to have hope, which means you need to know and be convinced of what your Father tells you in His Word about your future.
What is this hope? Well it’s not just thinking about the rapture, and the events leading up to it. That thinking is incomplete, and sadly, many Christians have this short-sighted mindset. It’s also knowing you will see Jesus for the first time, and be with Him forever. It’s knowing you will be glorified, and receive a brand new body. It’s knowing you will never be sinful, sad, sick, tired, or in pain again. It’s knowing you will be with believers, especially with loved ones you knew on earth. It’s knowing you will be in heaven, in a perfect place, and in a perfect home. It’s knowing you will be perfectly serving Christ during the kingdom age. It’s knowing that you will love God like never before, praising Him and singing to Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
I think about these things. Now I don’t think about them all the
time, but they are on my mind every day. I have to say, I really look forward
to this wonderful future; I get excited about what God has in store for me; and
I long for that time when my hope will become reality, when I will leave this
earth and this evil age, and be in heaven with Jesus.
I want to say a few more things about the future, specifically the time between now, 2019, and the age to come, that magnificent millennial kingdom age. * I think about how we now live in the end-times, which means it won’t be long before the return of Christ and the rapture of the church. In my opinion, it’s not a few years from now, and not centuries from now, but decades from now. Matthew 24:33 * I think about the upward call, meaning I will either die and be with Jesus in heaven, or be raptured and then be with Jesus in heaven. Philippians 3:14 * Throughout history, believers have been dying and going to heaven, and a great many have already been there hundreds and even thousands of years, but that won’t be true for us. The fact that we live in the end-times means we won’t be staying in heaven very long before we come back to earth with Jesus Christ and the other believers, and begin our 1000-year reign with Him. Reigning with Him will be glorious! Isaiah 6:3
We should be thrilled and thankful that now is our time to live. Might we be thinking and living like Paul, “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead… toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14). “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
Death isn’t a popular subject. Who likes to think or talk about it? But it’s a reality that most people have to grapple with, and eventually face. I was 7 years old when my father died, and in the next 18 years, three grandparents and three uncles also passed away. Those were difficult times, both mentally and emotionally, having an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach, and wondering where they had gone. When I was a freshman at college, God enabled me to see what life, and death, are all about. I realized that sin is the root problem and that death is the result. “The soul who sins will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). I saw that death is physical in nature, but first and foremost, is spiritual in nature, in that people are spiritually cut off from God, and can’t experience and enjoy His life and love.
What is the answer to this problem of sin and death? God made it clear to me that either I pay for my own sins by being punished forever in hell, or that I believe His Son, Jesus Christ, died to pay for my sins, and then was raised from the dead. “Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). I understood that Christ’s death and resurrection was the only answer, the only way I could get victory over my greatest problem, over sin and death. By God’s grace, I repented of my sins, and put my trust in Christ, believing that He died for me, that He personally paid the penalty for my all sins. Romans 5:8, Mark 1:15, Ephesians 2:8-9
Now if Jesus Christ hadn’t died, there’d be no forgiveness; and if Jesus hadn’t risen from the dead, there’d be no hope for the future, no life after death. But Jesus did die and rise again from the dead, and that was the best news I had ever heard. I knew I was no longer guilty, but was forgiven and holy in the sight of God, for my problem of sin had been forever dealt with by Christ. My problem of death was also solved, for Christ, by rising from the dead, had defeated and obliterated death. Not only were my sins taken away, but I didn’t have to worry about dying and what came after it. Amazingly, I had been given eternal life, a personal and permanent relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. I had a brand new life on earth, I had hope for the future, and soon enough, I’d be in heaven with Jesus and all the other believers. God “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3-4
During my early years as a Christian, I knew I was forgiven and going to heaven. As time went on, I realized there was much more than just going to heaven after I died. God was increasing my hope, and I could say: I can’t wait to be with Jesus; I really want to be with loved ones who have already gone through death’s door and are in heaven; I’m excited about seeing Christ reign perfectly over this earth and reigning with Him; and now that I am older, and am feeling more aches and pains, I am looking forward to getting that brand new, perfect, immortal body! 1 Corinthians 15:42-44
But if the future is so good, and God loves us so much, then why are we still here? Philippians 1:21-27 tells us why. We are to live on earth for the Lord, which means we are not to live for ourselves, but for others. In particular, we are to reach out to those who aren’t saved. Think about the lost, about all those who live for sin, self and Satan, who love worldly things, who have no hope, and are without God in the world. Oh, they have food, a job, a home, a car, pets, games, sports, movies, video games, and a few friends. But they are in a sad and sorry state if this is all they are living for, if they have nothing more than this to look forward to. People and things may give a little happiness and satisfaction, but they do nothing to save a person’s soul, make him right with God, and enable him to escape death and get to heaven. “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). People need the Lord!
Might you see that the lost are harassed and helpless, distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd. Might you pray for them, love them, and share the good news with them. Tell them about Christ’s 1st coming, that He died to pay for people’s sins and rose again, defeating both sin and death. Encourage them to repent of their sins, to trust in Christ alone for forgiveness and a future in heaven. “Deliver those who are being taken away to death” (Proverbs 24:11). Tell them that only Jesus can give them real love, joy and peace, in this life and in the ages to come. Warn them, that if they don’t trust in Christ to pay for their sins, they themselves will have to pay for them by being punished forever in hell. “These will go into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life (Matthew 25:41, 45). Tell them it won’t be long before Christ’s 2nd coming, and if they don’t repent, they will miss the rapture of the church, and greatly suffer when God’s righteous wrath is being poured out upon this earth.
What a needed and wonderful message is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you don’t know the Lord, if you are not saved and on your way to heaven, then turn from your sin, and trust in Jesus to forgive you of your sins and give you eternal life. If you do know Jesus, then thank Him, love Him, live for Him, and look forward to seeing Him. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). I pray you do!
