BY
PASTOR MIKE TAYLOR
24 “For
Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are
the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of God for us:
25 Nor
yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth
into the holy place every year with blood of others;
26 For
then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world:
but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin
by the sacrifice of himself.
27 And
as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment:” (Hebrews 9:24-27)
There
is a central theme found throughout the Bible, and that is God's
judgment. It is a single pinpoint of truth that God gives man a
certain amount of time to come to repentance of his sinful nature and
turn to Him, for when each of us die, we are judged according to
whether we have turned to the only Way to receive forgiveness of our
sins through Christ Jesus for the propitiation of what we all
deserve, and that is death.
JUDGEMENT
STARTS AT CREATION
This
universe was born as a place of judgment, as the very creation of God
was a matter of judgment, and nothing in this universe will escape
the judgment of God. Mankind was God's greatest achievement in the
construction of our world, when He made him on the sixth day of God's
work to form the earth and the heavens that surround us. Even though
man is the supreme creation of God, he too, will be judged at the end
of time of this age.
Judgement
was born out of light. As God saw that light and pronounced it as
very good. :
3 “And
God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And
God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from
the darkness.
5 And
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the
evening and the morning were the first day.” (Genesis 1:3-5)
Throughout
scripture, God used light and darkness as metaphors of good and evil.
So it is fitting that He uses light and darkness as the beginning of
His judgment.
God,
having judged light as to be “very good” God exercised a
different kind of judgment to separate the light from darkness by
creating the sun, the moon and the stars. If not, then our world
would be nothing but shades of gray.
Mankind
likes to use these “shades of gray” to explain our moral
compromises, our depravity and to color our own failures at morality.
Men say that it isn't just “black and white, but the area is a
'gray area” But truth is either black or white, evil or good, there
is no such thing as a gray area. It's like there is no such thing as
cold, but the absence of heat. There is no such thing as darkness,
but the absence of light. And there is no such thing as evil, but the
absence of good. Without God, creation would fall into chaos.
As
men try to make up their own rules, apart from God's Word, there will
come a time when our actions will be judged by the Father of Lights,
who sees what is truth and what is a lie. He sees what is good and
what is evil. We can't hide anything from God, and when the time
appointed as the verse of the opening passage says “And it is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” each
man and woman will be judged either in light, or in darkness. Note
that each man and woman has an appointed time with something each of
us fear, and that is death.
All
men will eventually die, and if the Lord tarries, you reading this
will also die, just as I will. The time and the event are already
pre-determined, and there is no way that any of us can escape it,
should our human existence play out, this side of the rapture of the
Church.
YOU
MUST BE BORN AGAIN
Jesus
used another metaphor, as the Bible is full of them, but the one I
want to focus on now, is the term Jesus used of “Born Again” to
describe our salvation process. When the time comes, we are
transferred from this life, to the next life into the light of His
glorious presence. We will be surrounded by light and it is not
perceived as a pleasant experience by all. Why do I say that?
Think
of it like this. When we were conceived in our mother's womb, we grew
to a full term baby in a secure environment. We were surrounded with
everything we needed. Food from our mother through our umbilical cord
and warmth of her body surrounding us. Our world is peace and
tranquility, until our own comfortable existence is violently shaken.
Our world collapses around us and we are expelled out of our comfort
zone. We are grabbed with cold, hard steel forceps by our head and
yanked out of our world and placed in a cold metal tray, and discover
pain as somebody smacks us on our behind and we discover pain for the
first time. The blinding light hurts our eyes, only slightly less
than the silver nitrate they force into our eyes. We are in a moment
of terror, as we were not prepared for what is to follow.
Of
course, this in the perspective of the infant we used to be, but
having tasted life, the womb would become an unbearable prison if
left in that environment. So being “born again” is a perfect
metaphor of being transitioned from this life into the next life,
that will be eternal.
Each
human on this earth, dreads the concept of leaving this life, and to
some, not knowing what awaits on the other side of death, it should
be doubly disturbing. We, who have accepted Jesus as our personal
Savior, know that the life we will live in eternity is incomparable
to this life, as it was the life in the womb. But we all fear the end
of our mortal life, because this existence is all we know. But we
have faith and assurance, that even though we don't know how and what
will be shown to us in that eternal state of heavenly bliss, our
fleshly bodies of this life, still fights to live as long as it can.
But a soon to “born again” believer in Jesus Christ should
welcome the day, because we know it will be beyond anything our
finite minds can comprehend.
9 “But
as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for
them that love him.
10 But
God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit
searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For
what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is
in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of
God.” (1st Corinthians 2:9-11)
To
the unbeliever, who does not know Christ Jesus, the idea of death
must be terrifying, as they have only this life in their own deceived
minds. Oh, I get the atheist who doesn't believe in heaven, hell, or
even a God in heaven, but in the back of their mind, that void they
have in their soul that only Jesus can fulfill is trying to find
something to fill that void, and in the end, they are left hopelessly
lost. So the transition of this life, to the eternal abode they will
inhabit in eternity is a transition to nowhere, but to eternal
torment. I read an article of a tombstone that was read in a cemetery
that stated “Here lies an atheist. All dressed up with no place to
go”...course, that is not exactly true, but if they got a glimpse
of their destination, they would do everything in their power to
avoid it and proclaim Jesus as their Savior. But their pride of
mankind finds it hard to submit to a Higher Power.
SIN
UNTO SALVATION
The
scripture says that judgment comes to all men by appointment.
Something they cannot escape. For a follower of Jesus Christ,
judgment comes in two parts. Hebrews 9:27 says “AS it is
appointed....” but the next verse completes the thought.
Let
us look at it in context:
“"And
as it is appointed unto men ONCE to die, but after this the
judgement, so Christ was ONCE offered to bear the sins of many; and
unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without
sin unto salvation."
Hmmm..
“sin unto salvation” that doesn't sound like the Second Advent of
Jesus Christ at the end of the Tribulation, as Jesus will come in
judgment with a sharp two-edged sword that proceeds out of His mouth,
encompassed by ten thousands of His saints, to judge the earth and
destroy the anti-christ, his army and all rebellion, now does
it?
Logically,
if you sit and meditate on that portion of scripture, it can only
refer to Jesus coming for His saints of the Church Age and removing
them from this planet in what is commonly referred to as the HARPAZO
translated from the Greek, as Rapture. That is the ONLY 'second
coming unto salvation' alluded to by Scripture. The dead in Christ
are raised from the dead, we are changed in the twinkling of an eye,
from mortal to immortal and we all go to meet the Lord in the
air.
AND
THEN WHAT??
Paul
outlines what will happen to all those who meet Jesus in the air, in
what is called the Beam Judgment Seat of Christ. As Paul said:
“For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one
may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath
done, whether it be good or bad." (2nd
Corinthians 5:10)
A
lot of people get hung up on Grace VS. Works in many
denominations....Catholic are very focused on works found in their
traditions, and Jehovah Witness, Seventh Day Adventist, and Mormons
to mention a few, are confused about Grace through Faith and cannot
distinguish what is required for salvation. As I've pointed out many
times, works are a by-product of our salvation. We do good for the
Kingdom of God, because we Love Jesus, love our ABBA Father....and
our works are a sign of our salvation, not the production of
salvation. Don't be misled by those who preach a works based
salvation, as there is NOTHING you and I can do to earn that gift,
that grace, that mercy given freely by God because of our repentance
and our faith in the finished work Jesus paid on the “old rugged
cross”.
“For
it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can
boast.
For
we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Note
one proceeds the other....mercy, faith through grace proceeds our
good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do...Grace
=works, not works= salvation. The latter is the cart before the
horse, so to speak.
But
getting back to our judgment standing before our Lord Jesus Christ.
Each of us will give an account of what we have done for Jesus. This
is where our works are relevant:
10 “According
to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder,
I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let
every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For
other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus
Christ.
12 Now
if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, stubble;
13 Every
man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it,
because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every
man's work of what sort it is.
14 If
any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive
a reward.
15 If
any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself
shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1st Corinthians
3:10-15)
This
is the Bema Judgment Seat of Christ, so called because this is not a
judgment of either being saved or damned, but a rewards ceremony of
works done in the Name of Jesus Christ and for His Kingdom. Whether
we are saved or not, is judged on this earth, as it takes place now.
As we are being judged now. The Church will be found in His
righteousness, because they have repented of their sins, embraced
Jesus as Savior and Lord of their lives, and have fought everyday to
live for Christ, even though imperfectly, they are being sanctified
for this moment. Note those who work for the Lord God will receive
rewards, but what of the man who is saved, but doesn't do anything to
receive a reward? The verse says “but HE himself, shall be saved;
yet so as by fire”....some translate it as “though through the
fire”....the only thing that saved the man (or woman) is Christ
Jesus who paid for their sins with His own blood...they received
salvation by faith, but that's all they did...but in itself, it is
enough for salvation, just being with Jesus is reward enough, but for
those who have worked for Him, He will make rulers of nations in the
Millennium.
As
a Christian believer that is being judged on earth now, you are
securely saved as if you were already in heaven standing before our
Savior. If you are lost, it is not the case that you WILL be lost.
Because you are LOST NOW.
The
point is, it has nothing to do with being “good or bad”. It has
to do with believing in one's own “righteousness and the ability to
save yourself” (Which you can't) or trusting in the righteousness
of Jesus Christ to clothe you with His righteousness and that not of
your own.
(for
those who are scratching their head and wondering what this means,
let me make it simple for you. If you are trusting in being good to
get to heaven, you aren't going there) Work based religions, take
note.
That
is what the “second coming unto salvation refers to” . . . the
gathering of the saints to the Bema Seat for judgment.
This
is another reason why the Bible supports a pre-tribulation Rapture.
The Bema Seat judgment MUST take place AFTER the Rapture. We cannot
be judged for our lives when they end. The influence of a man's life
lives on after him.
How
could the lives of the Apostle John, John the Baptist, or even Paul
and the other apostles be adequately judged for their rewards in the
first century, when their lives ended? The influence of their lives
are still being calculated of how they affected the Church as a whole
to receive just rewards. That is also why the Great White Throne
Judgment is reserved until the final hours of time known to mankind,
before the new heavens and new earth.
THE
GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT & SECOND CHANCE?
But
let me touch on something that some, I believe teach erroneously at
this time. I have read and listened to ministers who promote the idea
of a “second chance” for salvation at the 2nd resurrection
of those who have died without Christ, or have never had a chance to
make a decision for Christ...that would include those in the Dark
Ages that didn't have a bible, or a hidden tribe of Africans, or
South Americans who are so backward in their life, they never heard
of the name “Jesus”....what is God to do with them? God is
sovereign, and I'm not going to speculate what God has plans for
those who did not hear of His Son, BUT the point is there is a belief
that God gives a second chance to these individuals...they base this
on TWO verses found in Revelation....
12“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.
13,
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. (Revelation 20:12-13)
The
belief goes something like this...those who are judged out of the
books at the Great White Throne are given time to know Christ, to
come to repentance, before sentencing is passed...that is what I call
a “second chance” at salvation . Does the Bible support such a
belief? No, I find nowhere the lost who reject Jesus Christ, and even
those who have never heard His Name, being given a “second
chance”...
Now
I'm not God and God is sovereign, but according to His Word and the
opening verses.... “men die ONCE, then after this the judgment”.
Reading the verses in Revelation gives me a picture of judgment and
those whose name are NOT found in the Book of Life are cast into the
Lake of Fire along with the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet who are
already there. Satan will be cast along with his demons at their
appointed time.... but from what I read, there is NO SECOND chance,
as anyone in their right mind, would believe in Jesus as the Son of
God, given the choice of a literal hell, or heaven...No, my friend,
if you are looking for a second chance, you play Russian Roulette
with your soul. Best to make a decision for Christ Jesus now, while
the invitation is open.
To
me, that gives those who don't witness to others, that those who are
saved are predetermined to be saved or lost and there is nothing
anybody can do about it.....That belief is on the same level as TULIP
of Calvinism, which is not scriptural. Men are being judged in this
life now...best to get on board of the ark of salvation, known as
Jesus Christ .
LET
US SUMMARIZE, THE
QUICK AND THE DEAD
There
are two distinct judgement of those who die, either in Christ Jesus
at the Bema Seat of Christ, or those who die without payment for
their sins to be found at the Great White Throne Judgment of God
Almighty.
Paul
writes to Timothy.
“I
charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who
shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;
2 Preach
the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.” (2nd Timothy
4:1-2)
Can
you see the two judgements here? One is for the “quick” the other
is for the “dead”. One takes place at His appearing and the other
takes place at “His Kingdom”. The Quick are the saved. The dead
are the lost. The Quick are judged at the Bema Seat, and the dead are
judged at the Great White Throne Judgment.
5” But
the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 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.” (Revelation
20:5-6).
This
is the end of the 1st Resurrection, as Jesus was the
beginning of that resurrection, and those raised to life now are part
of that resurrection....Those who are lost are left dead for a 1000
years, until final judgment which is the second resurrection of the
damned.. Those raised to receive final judgment will be changed to
immortal, but cast into the lake of Fire to be tormented for all
eternity.
Those
who are saved will have rewards handed out to them, in the form of
crowns. Those saved will receive a special crown of righteousness
reserved on that day:
8 “Henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but
unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2nd Timothy
4:8)
I've
mentioned there are numerous crowns of those who work for the Lord,
but we will not list each and every one here, as I've covered that in
past messages about those crowns for them that overcome this world,
through Jesus Christ.
Here's
two points I want you to see, in closing this message out. As reading
about the 24 elders, the second we remove the doctrine of the rapture
from the narrative, it becomes too complicated and doesn't make any
sense. The sequence falls apart and other scriptures don't support
that narrative, but conflicts with them.
Also,
absent from Eternal Security in Christ Jesus, what does
1st Corinthians
3:15 that we just got through referencing above (“yet he himself
shall be saved as through the fire”) mean? If you discount both
doctrines, then the Bible gets way too complicated for a non-believer
to figure out. Absent the pre-Trib Rapture, the judgment of the
"quick at His appearing" (2nd Timothy 4:8) doesn't make
much sense either.
Which
means you have to come up with a whole new timeline for events, or
else make everything symbolic, and allegorize away the one that
already exist...Which gives rise to the question “Then why give
one?” Because the Scriptures most assurely do give a timeline of
events.
One
final point, if Jesus comes back to raise those in the light of Jesus
to life immortal and destroys all rebellion on earth, as there is no
in between, then who goes into the Millennium as mortals at the end
of the Tribulations??...as I've mentioned before, there is no one
left to be mortal to repopulate the earth...I've said it before and I
figured it was worth mentioning once again..
THE
FOCUS IS JUDGEMENT OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS
The
focus of this message is on judgment, which separates light from
darkness, separates the wheat from the tares, the saved from the
lost, and the Church from the judgment that is due upon those who
dwell upon the earth.
“Because
thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from
the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try
them that dwell upon the earth.
Behold,
I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy
crown.” (Revelation 3:10-11)
If
you read through the Bible, especially Revelation, there is a
sequence of events that the rest of the Bible supports. First comes
the “catching away of the Church” when Jesus steps out of
eternity into our time and causes all who believe in Him, will be
“born Again” into immortal bodies for all eternity. And Trumpets
with His voice “come up hither”. Swiftly, we are taken to a great
banquet, which is the Marriage supper of the Lamb and our joining
with our Savior into the family of God. It is what the saints will be
doing preceding and encompassing the Tribulation and the Great
Tribulation. That is the type of judgment that began the bible in
Genesis 1:4-- God creates the light, judges the light, separates the
light from darkeness...or in this case, good from evil.
ON
the earth, the four horse of the apocalypse ride to begin the wrath
of God whereas the men of earth cry for the rocks of the cliffs to
hide them.
“And
the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the
chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free
man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the
mountains;
And
said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the
face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the
Lamb:
For
the great day of His wrath has come, and who will be able to stand?”
(Revelation 6:15-17)
WE
are the light, clothed with the righteousness of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, but on the earth, judgment has come upon the darkness
and the sequence of events grow more and more destructive as you
read. Everything you read is nothing but heartache, misery, and death
in these chapters depicting this hour of God's fierce judgment where
He pours out His wrath from the cup of His indignation in its full
strength.
Then
we see the return of our Lord Jesus Christ in Chp. 19 of this
prophetic book and the saints riding upon horses, clothes with linen,
“white and clean”, as sign of the saints. Darkness is finally
judged in this hour and the destruction is complete. All rebellion on
this earth is extinguished. Men who survived the onslaught of the
Anti-Christ and escaped, most like as Chp. 12 of the book reveals, to
a place of safety to be nourished for 1260 days.
“ And
the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared
of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and
threescore days.” (Revelation 12:6)
...as
we have studied in the past, this woman is Israel, and those who
believe the prophesies and escape, most likely as in 70AD to the
Jordanian desert and the rock fortress of Petra.
Then
straight away, after judgment is passed on the darkness of this
world, the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ in the Millennium begins,
and the world is made as it was in the time of the Garden of
Eden...PERFECT.
To
be otherwise in the timeline, would require those who disbelieve to
twist the scriptures into a pretzel to make their preconceived
notions fit to some degree. If the timeline is any other translation
or interpretation, the true meaning of what Paul wrote in
1st Thessalonians
4:18 would have no meaning. “Wherefore comfort one another with
these words”..because there would be no comfort and ..it would come
from some other unfortunate mistranslation.
Do
not doubt, my friend, judgment is coming on this universe, this
planet, and mankind that inhabits the nations. The whole point of
this message is where will you be when judgment finally comes in wave
after wave? Will you be standing before Christ Jesus for rewards, or
standing before the Great White Throne to receive your death penalty?
Will you still be in darkness, or in the light of God? Will you
experience joy and happiness that no one can express till it happens,
or will you be in anguish, and in torment where the fire is never
quenched and the worm dieth not? My plea to those who read this
message ...LOOK TO JESUS...the Author and Finisher of our
faith....believe, and thou shalt be saved from darkness.
16 “For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.
17 For
God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that
the world through him might be saved.
18 He
that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18)
23 “For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being
justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus:
25 Whom
God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood,
to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through
the
forbearance of God;” (Romans 3:23-25
8 “But
what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy
heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved.
10 For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:8-10)
Make
that decision today for Jesus Christ and be numbered of those in the
light, and not in the darkness....because “judgment is coming”.
This
is pastor Mike Taylor, praying for the salvation of your soul. If you
have need for prayer, counseling, or just listening ear, email me at
“pastormiketaylor@yahoo.com, ...”
God bless you all..
TILL
WE MEET AT JESUS FEET
