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Biblical articles on
many subjects:
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Christians
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Faith
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Subject: Focus On Faith
BE A WITNESS BEFORE THE JUDGMENT
Crimes occur every day. Some
crimes are minor while others are major, with major cases sometimes resulting in
lawyers fighting for life or death. In such cases, the jury listens and
witnesses testify. Frequently, witnesses’ words carry much weight in a final
verdict. If only a witness could prevent a wrongdoing before it ever happened.
Truth is, every born-again believer can do exactly that! Oh, I’m not talking
about foiling present day offences, but being a witness to and for the unsaved,
telling others about the Gospel (Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection), and
sharing God’s plan of eternal salvation in fervent hope of saving people from a
judgment like no other, with a Judge like no other! This event, called the White
Throne Judgment, will occur after God’s plan for all mankind has been completed,
and EVERY person who, from the beginning of time, has chosen to deny Jesus
Christ as their savior will stand before Judge Jesus Christ (John 5:22, 27-29)!
This is what awaits. "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 words. And the sea gave up the
dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in
them; and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and
hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever
was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
(Revelation 20:11-15) This judgment is a terrifying and heart-wrenching
consequence of unbelief.
At this tragic and inescapable judgment there will
be no need for a lawyer or a jury, and it will be too late for a witness. At the
White Throne Judgment, the verdict will already be in; the unbeliever stands
condemned already! (John 8:24) Judge Jesus will have before Him the only
witnesses necessary, the opened books offering unchallengeable proof of guilt
against every unbeliever. (Re-read verses in above paragraph.) These
books will reveal the unbeliever’s every thought, every word, and every deed…the
damning ‘whys’ of a person’s rejection. Each unbeliever will stand before Jesus
Christ as the undeniable evidence of their guilt is exposed. Then… the Book of
Life will be opened to reveal that each unbeliever has had his or her name
blotted from that book, justifying their eternal punishment.
Imagine an incalculable number of people of every age past
the age of accountability, of every skin color, of every ethnicity, of fame,
rich or poor trembling before the very One they CHOSE to reject. Many of those
standing before the White Throne will have spent eons in Hell, but there will be
no opportunity for pardons or paroles because when one crosses death’s threshold
there is NO ‘time-out’ before entering Heaven or Hell. "And these (unsaved)
shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous (believers) into
life eternal." (Matthew 25:46)
Neither will the unbeliever have the option to
plead for leniency or offer excuses. Jesus doesn’t want to hear that one’s
religion deceived them; one performed many good works; one believed in some type
of higher being; one wrongly thought God’s Word was untrue, or that one had been
deceived by evolution. Remember the books? The Mighty Judge is fully aware of
the unbelievers’ huge arsenal of excuses, but ".....they are without excuse".
(Romans 1:20).
For those who say, "God is Love", thereby
dismissing thought of eternal punishment, indeed, God IS love (John 3:16/Romans
5:8), but consider the following verse. "For the wages (penalty) of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"
(Romans 6:23) Sin unmistakably requires a price to be paid, and that price is
death! Since ALL of us have sinned and come short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23)
and fallen short of His holiness, our sin debt MUST be paid, and ONLY Jesus
Christ being sinless could pay that debt, AND HE DID! He was viciously nailed to
a criminal’s cross, and died for us...!. (Romans 4:25) He paid our sin debt so
that no one would have to stand before Him to be cast into the second death -
the Lake of Fire – forever separated from God! (Revelation 21:8)
Tragically, many refuse to put their faith and
trust in Lord Jesus. This is rebellion against God, and this is sin. Thus,
unbelievers are in violation of God’s law because "Whosoever committeth sin
transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." (I John
3:4) They are guilty in the eyes of God.
Believers, let’s witness to the lost about our faith and
trust in Jesus, and how we were once unbelievers, guilty of sinning against God.
Let’s explain how Jesus’ shed blood washed away our guilt in the eyes of God,
thereby eliminating our appearance at the White Throne judgment. Let’s give
witness to God’s mercy and grace, and be dedicated to witnessing before it’s too
late, in an effort to keep another from trembling before the White Throne
Judgment!
Nancy Hamilton
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