Tag: end times

Will God judge the righteous along with the wicked?

Have you ever thought about having lunch with Jesus? Your mind might immediately be going back to the gospels and how often His disciples and others ate a meal with Him or how often He fed people who had been with Him for days. But did you know that there was another man, thousands of years ago, who also had lunch with Jesus? His name was Abraham and we are told about that amazing meal in Genesis 18:

“Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant.”
They said, “Do as you have said.””(Genesis 18:1-5)

Now you might be wondering how Abraham knew it was Jesus, because we know that He is not called that in the Old Testament and He was not called that in this story either. Jesus actually tells us in John 8:56 while He was having a discussion with the Jewish leaders who were telling Him He had a demon and was out of His mind:

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”

Clearly, Abraham had a very special relationship with Jesus.

So why am I talking about this lunch? Two reasons. First of all, Jesus tells us in Luke 17:28-30 that during the end times and before the start of the great tribulation, the world will be like the days of Lot. So we need to pay attention to what happened in this whole story. 

Second, although this lunch and the promises given to Abraham and Sarah in this chapter were no doubt amazing, it was what came after that I want to talk about here. After the meal is over, the Lord and His two angels begin to walk away, and Abraham, obviously not wanting their time to be over yet, follows them. It is during this little walk, that the Lord says the following to Abraham:

“And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?” (Genesis 18:16-18)

What was it that the Lord was doing? He was looking at Sodom (verse 16) and then He looks at Abraham and says this:

“Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”(Genesis 18:20-21)

Did you notice the word “outcry”? It means cries of distress. God heard those cries of injustice, and suffering in heaven, so He was coming down to look around and see if it was true. That alone is astonishing! But before He looked at Sodom He spent time with His friend, Abraham. 

And then the Lord says something to Abraham that we often skip right over or fail to think about. He says to him, should I tell you what I’m about to do? Should I hide it from you? (Genesis 18:17) Why would He ask that? Because He knew that Abraham would intercede. And he did. In verse 23, Abraham draws near to the Lord and says to Him, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked?”

But that’s not all Abraham says to the Lord, and this is important. He asks Him the following: “Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:24-25)

And that last question is really the crux of this matter. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? Abraham goes on to barter with the Lord, asking Him if there are only 40 or 30 or 20 or heaven forbid, 10 righteous people in Sodom, would He still destroy it. And the Lord says no, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” But if we go on to read the rest of the story, it becomes clear that there are not even ten righteous people in Sodom! Only Lot, Abraham’s nephew, and his wife and two daughters are considered righteous. And therefore all the cities of the plain are destroyed with fire and brimstone from heaven. If you want to know why, go read the story. What happens next is disgusting to say the least, as the two angels, who look like men, come into the city and spend the evening with Lot. But there is something else that happens that is also really important to understand. 

When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.” And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”(Genesis 19:15-17)

Lot, who is clearly struggling with the whole situation, and truthfully, I don’t blame him, is lingering and trying to figure out what to bring with him. But then the angels say something else to him that I really want to emphasize here:

”Hurry, escape there. For I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”(Genesis 19:22) 

I want to really focus on this last sentence because it’s so important. They (the angels) cannot bring judgment until the righteous are removed! And that one phrase, when you add it to this whole story, brings me to something that has become such a bone of contention, even division in the body of Christ. I cannot believe how many people, many of them pastors, have mocked the concept, the very idea, that God would remove His bride from this earth before He brings judgment on the wicked. What is commonly called the rapture, has become a mockery in the church.

So I will ask you the same question that Abraham asked the Lord on that fateful day. “Would not the judge of all the earth, do right? Would He really punish the righteous with the wicked? Would He choose to beat the living daylights out of His bride, before He marries her? The answer, according to scripture, is no! He cannot, He will not, bring judgment until the righteous, the church, is removed from the earth!

Just as a small point of reference, in the 7 seal judgments in the book of Revelation, one quarter of the earth is killed. Could you survive that? That’s almost 2 billion people!

If you have been struggling with this whole idea, torn between right and wrong, wondering what is the truth, let me assure you that just as the Lord did not destroy Lot and his family with the wicked men of Sodom, He will not punish you and destroy you either, if you have placed your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have repented of your sins, been born again, and are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are the bride of Christ. He will not beat you up before He marries you. What husband would do that? Not a good one! And we know that God is good and there is only one who would persuade you otherwise, and that is satan. So don’t listen to the mockers and scoffers. Judgment is coming on the evil and wicked people of this earth. All the signs point to it. May I just remind you of all the rich and famous of the earth who visited Epstein’s Island, to mention just a little bit of wickedness.

But if you are His, you will meet Him in the clouds on that glorious day! Do not allow anyone to steal your blessed hope! (Titus 2:13) I will leave you with this word of comfort from Paul:

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”(1 Thessalonians 4:15-18)

Why keep watch, why be ready?

If you had to come up with one Bible verse or story that sticks out the most to you, one that you cannot forget or that unsettles you, what would it be? Maybe it convicts you, or maybe it confuses you because you wish you understood it better. I’ve had one for several years now, and it just keeps coming back to me. In Matthew 25:11-12, Jesus shares a parable about 10 virgins. Five are called wise, five are called foolish. The parable seems to be talking about the rapture of the church. The five foolish virgins have been left behind. These virgins are upset and they are calling out to Jesus, saying “Lord, Lord, open the door and let us in. His response to them is chilling. At least it is to me. “But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.”

What?! He doesn’t know them? Then why are they called virgins? Why do they know He’s coming? Why are they finally awake and aware, just like the 5 wise virgins? It is a puzzling parable to say the least. I’m no scholar, but I don’t think it takes a scholar to realize that there are people who think they are Christians, who go to church, but who will be left behind when the rapture finally happens. Can I explain what is really going on here? No. I’m not sure anyone totally understands, although I’ve heard a couple of pastors who have tried. Most don’t even bother. When was the last time you heard a sermon on this parable? I bet never! But even if I don’t fully understand, that doesn’t mean I cannot take this parable as a warning. And what would that warning be? Make sure that He knows me. Let me repeat that. Does Jesus know me? 

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard the phrase from some Christian leader, “Do you know Jesus?” Every time I hear it, I cringe. Maybe the better question would be, “Does Jesus know YOU?” Realistically, even the devil knows Jesus.

With that phrase in mind, allow me to share some of the thoughts that I’ve had, as I have pondered this strange parable. Let’s address the elephant in the room first. It’s obviously a prophetic parable, dealing with what can only, in my opinion, be about the rapture of the church. After all, why would some be “left behind”?

I am saddened by the number of people I know who do not want to talk about Bible prophecy. Did you know that almost 30% of the Bible is about prophecy. Much of that prophecy is about Jesus’ first coming 2000 years ago. However, the majority of it is about His second coming, the tribulation, the rapture and the millennium. So why do so few want to hear about it or even talk about it? 

I would venture to guess that it might be because of fear. They are not really sure about their relationship with Jesus and the thought of eternity, dying, or being raptured, is frightening. The majority of churches do not touch the topic, so there is much ignorance in the church. The message of course is that if my pastor doesn’t talk about it, it must not be important. After all, doesn’t the pastor have my best interests at heart? 

I would guess that there is also a lot of false teaching about end time prophecy and therefore there is a lot of confusion in the church. Who does one believe? One pastor says this, another one, says that! And with that confusion is also the idea that prophecy doesn’t really matter. Let’s talk about important things, like the Gospel. We are told from the pulpit, if the topic even comes up, that prophecy is confusing and hard to understand and therefore, not important. But is that really true?

So what does the Bible say about this? 

I became a Christian in the 70’s. I was taught the idea that Jesus was coming back soon. But then I fell asleep like most Christians, and I lived my life. I got married, raised kids, went to church, read my Bible when I had time and didn’t think much about it. Why would I? Life was fairly easy. In the 90’s The Left Behind series of books came out and were very popular. But I think most of us read them like they were fiction, or entertainment, certainly not a warning. If you read them, did you consider them a warning? I bet not.

So what changed? The world! I think many of us woke up after our lockdowns and fear of dying of covid. Too many pastors and friends, family and neighbors died. Everyone knew at least one person who died unexpectedly. Suddenly, we didn’t trust things anymore. Suspicions grew about what we were being told by the media. Some of us woke up. The world began to wake up for sure. There are more unbelievers than you can count, who know something is wrong with the world. They know something big is happening and they don’t understand it. But it frightens them. The church, not so much. We love our naps, don’t we. Coming home from Sunday service and falling asleep in front of the TV is greatly loved. Some of us are too scared to look at what is happening in the world. Some of us just believe that it doesn’t matter, it will happen the way it’s supposed to. Whatever. Don’t talk to me about scary stuff. I’m a Christian and that’s all that matters. 

But if it doesn’t really matter, then why does Jesus tell us repeatedly in the gospels, to “keep watch”? What are we supposed to watch for? And why are 5 foolish virgins left behind? Yes, that verse again. Why are they called foolish? Why does He not know them? Let me share a scripture with you that gives some insight, I think:

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:36-44

I want to point out some things that Jesus tells us in this passage.  Life will be normal, business as usual when he comes to rapture His church. Eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage are normal activities. Two people will be together. One will be taken, one will be left. There’s that 50% again. (5 wise, 5 foolish virgins)

We must keep watch, so we can be ready. He is coming at an hour we do not expect and if we are not ready, if we are not keeping watch, we will be left behind. 

Let me leave you with a final thought to ponder on. If you were engaged to be married, and your bride or bridegroom didn’t care, would you want to marry that person? If they never talked about the upcoming wedding, never helped make any wedding plans, scoffed at the idea of setting a wedding date, and spent as little time with you as possible, would you still marry that person? Why not? Because it would become  more and more obvious, if you are wise, that this person doesn’t love you. They don’t care about spending their life with you. Actually, you would realize you hardly know them. They might have looked good at first, but in the end, they were shallow and uncaring. They wanted to be married because of what it could do for them, but they didn’t love you. 

Now, are we not called the bride of Christ? How do you feel about the wedding day? Are you looking forward to it, searching the scriptures to understand it more, talking to Him about it? Are you, as Paul says in 2 Tim 4:8, loving his appearing? If not, then you might want to examine your heart and see if you really love Jesus. Because if you don’t, then He probably doesn’t know you. And that would be a shocking and terrible thing to find out after it’s too late. Wake up my friends. Be a wise virgin! He’s coming soon. Be ready.