Are you ready?
By JOHN A. SMITH
Think on These Things
Well, this may or may not be good news. You see, there is a time coming when we will all have to stand before the judgment seat of Christ and be judged for what we have done in this life. On that day all secrets will be completely exposed. We need to be prepared for the Judgment Day. How you live your life and whether you are a child of God will determine whether it is a good day or not.
We do not know when death will come, and we do not know when the Lord will return.
As a very old man, Isaac declared, “I do not know the day of my death” (Genesis 27:2). No one of us is any different than Isaac. We do not know when we are going to die. It may happen many years from now; it might occur even today.
Isaac was an old man when he made that statement. He did not know the day of his death, but he felt it would be soon. You may be an older person and feel that death is imminent. In all likelihood, you are right, but who knows? He may return in our lifetime or not for another thousand years. We know neither the day nor the hour of the Lord’s return. In Mark 13:32, the Bible says, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Paul tells us that the Lord’s return will be like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2). One thing that makes a thief successful is that he strikes at a time when one least expects him. The Lord’s return will be somewhat like that – He will return at the time when we least expect Him. The tragic thing about all of this is that most of the world will not be prepared for either death or the Lord’s return.
Judgment Day is coming – none of us will escape it.
The Lord has “fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:31). “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
There is no escaping the Day of Judgment. It is an appointment that we all must attend. We will not be able to call up Jesus and give Him an excuse on why we cannot make it. We cannot call in sick. Our mothers cannot send a note excusing us. We must all attend. Some people will be excited on that day and others will be sad. But the Judgment Day is coming.
Jesus Christ is coming – that is certain. But most are unprepared. Oh, some will try to make last-minute preparations to no avail. Now is the time to get ready. In 2 Corinthians 6:2, Paul said, “… now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
Are you prepared for the Judgment Day? I must tell you the truth … If you die or the Lord comes back and you are not a faithful Christian, then the Bible teaches that you will spend eternity in Hell. If you have not put your faith in Jesus Christ or been willing to repent, or confess Him before others, and if you have not been baptized for the forgiveness of your sins, then you will NOT make it to Heaven!
May we help you make preparation for the coming of the Lord or the day of your death? If you have concerns about your standing before the Lord, please contact us at the Stony Creek Church of Christ. We will be happy to study God’s Word with you and help you find the “peace that passes understanding” (Philippians 4:7).