Time to get right.

So, we don’t like to think about it but judgment day is coming and when it does, it will be too late for us to “fix” anything or “repent real quick”. It’s done. So we need to live life with a holy fear of God. With the understanding that there will come a day when we will stand before God and give an account for our lives. Saved or unsaved.

That’s a bit of a strong start but we are going somewhere. We have talked about what judgement day will look like for us who believe in God. We even looked at what it would like for those who believe in God but do not obey God. There are a lot of unknowns but what we can do to prepare to encounter God our righteous Judge, is to take God’s Word (the Bible) at face value and apply it. It is in our best interests to believe that the Bible means what it says and says what it means. Jesus never minced His words when He was doing His earth journey, He is not going to do it in the Bible.

This portion of our series would be incomplete if I did not go through the scriptures that talk about what judgment looks like for unbelievers. We don’t like to talk about it because it is sad and hard to hear. But, we have to share the truth of God’s word, and for unbelievers, we don’t do them any justice by glossing over what God says about their future.

The Bible tells the truth about all matters past, present and future. Including what it says about God as our Judge and Judgment Day. I will say, there are definitely parts of the Bible that are easy to talk about. Oh, we love to hear about love and grace and the warm cuddly parts. But the same God who is love is also a Judge. So we must talk about it. Why? Because it is not love to withhold truth from those we care about. Love tells the truth. Love confronts us with truth even when it is hard to hear.

So, what does the Bible say about judgment day for unbelievers? Revelations 20:11-15 says, “Then I saw a great, dazzling-white throne and the One who sits on it. Heaven and earth fled from His Presence and they were no more. I saw the dead, the lowly and the famous alike, standing before the throne. Books were opened, and then another book was opened: the Book of Life. The dead were judged by what they had done as recorded in the books. And the sea gave up the dead souls that were in it. Then death and the underworld gave up their dead, and all were judged according to what they had done. Then death and the realm of the dead were cast into the lake of fire, for the lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not recorded in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

So what is the Book of Life? The Book of Life is where God writes down the names of those who will have eternal life because they have believed in Jesus. Long story short, you want your name in there. If there is one VIP list you want to be on, it’s the Book of Life. But it all starts with believing in Jesus.

John 3:16,18-21 says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

Are you going to be a person who goes towards the light or hides from it? Some people believe that once you are saved you are forever saved. Others believe it is possible to lose your salvation. That is, your name can be blotted out of the Book of life. I don’t know which position is true. But we will all find out at the same time on Judgment Day. I’ll say this though, don’t bank on “I was saved at a camp when I was 5” as your way to escape the lake of fire on Judgment Day. You are 45 years old now, get right with God and stay right. Be on the safe side, is what I am saying. Maybe we don’t lose our salvation, but what if we do? Stay close to Jesus.

Spending eternity in a lake of fire is not my idea of “eternal rest” or “resting in peace”. The time to make it right is now. The time to get right with God is now. Tomorrow is never promised. God does not “send” anyone to the eternal lake of fire or hell. People choose it by refusing to believe in Jesus and refusing to obey His Word, the Bible. Why not make the decision today to choose life? To choose Jesus?

I will leave you with this, Romans 10:8-11 which says, “But the faith-righteousness we receive speaks to us in these words of Moses: “God’s living message is very close to you, as close as your own heart beating in your chest and as near as the tongue in your mouth.” And what is God’s “living message”? It is the revelation of faith for salvation, which is the message that we preach. For if you publicly declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will experience salvation. The heart that believes in him receives the gift of the righteousness of God—and then the mouth confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scriptures encourage us with these words: “Everyone who believes in him will never be disappointed.”

Yes, it is that simple! God is good, so go ahead do what the Bible says above and get your name written in the Book of Life!

Love and blessings,

Melissa Tsingano.