Title: Now is the Day of Salvation.....
2008·05·24
Almost all animals and plants on this planet have the wisdom to prepare for the future. All plants are ready for mistletoe before winter arrives. The same goes for animals. Some of them hibernate, while others survive the winter when food is scarce by storing as much nutrients as possible in their bodies.
This is also true of humans. We are living in anticipation of what is to come and preparing in advance. Preparing for marriage and preparing for childbirth. Prepare for entrance exams, get a job, and prepare for retirement. This preparation for the future is very important not only for individuals, but also for businesses and countries. Only companies that can predict and prepare for the future will survive, and countries that prepare for the future will rule the world in the future. So, there have never been so many books published that predict the future like these days. It is wisdom to prepare for the future like this. But what is the most important thing in the future that we need to prepare for? Many people prepare well in advance for the things of this world, but they don't seem to prepare well for the afterlife. A person must do well in this world to live 80-90 years. But in the afterlife you will live forever. Therefore, preparing for the afterlife is more important than anything else.
most important preparation
In fact, our life in this world is to prepare us for the future. If you live without preparing for the next life, your life in this world will be a complete failure. This is because in this world we live for 80-90 years at best, but in the afterlife we live forever. Our life hereafter is entirely determined by our present life. Therefore, it is very important to prepare for the next life in the given present life.
However, even those who believe in Jesus tend not to prepare well for the afterlife. It is because they mistakenly think that they will live forever in this world. However, a person's entire life is passing by. The ancients also said that how quickly a person's life passes is like a nightmare. Moses, a man of God, said this about our life. “All our days pass by in Your wrath, and our whole life is over in an instant. Our years are seventy, or eighty if we are strong, but their pride is only toil and sorrow; they go quickly, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:9). -10)
Our eighty lifetime is by no means a long time. It will pass in an instant, and we all have to stand before the judgment seat of God. All our ancestors lived and died and stood before God's judgment seat. No one is an exception to this. Is that all? No one can predict their future. Not everyone enjoys the heavenly world. We are beings who never know when or what will happen. Therefore, we must prepare for the afterlife from now on.
fate of this world
Let's consider a more serious and frightening problem. That is the fate of this planet. People think how long the world will last like this. But the Bible says that this world will one day be judged and disappear. “Now by the same word the heavens and the earth were kept for fire, reserved for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:7).
Christians always say that, but there will be many people who will say that the world is not as good as this. Looking at the Bible, it seems that God's judgment must come right now. But why hasn't the Last Judgment come yet? The Bible explains why this is so. “The Lord is not slow in His promise, as some consider slowness, but He is patient with you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). He will not, and the final judgment is coming soon. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and in that day the heavens will depart with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and all that is on it will be revealed” (2 Peter 3:10).
disasters in the past
We have seen great catastrophes in recent years. On May 12, there was a devastating earthquake in Sichuan, China. The earthquake has displaced more than 10 million people, and to date, the officially confirmed number of deaths and missing is 80,000. Let's take a look at some photos from the scene.
On May 4, a super cyclone (typhoon) swept through Myanmar. According to official figures by the 19th, the death toll is said to have reached 133,000. Aid organizations estimate the number to be over 200,000. See local Myanmar swept away by typhoons.
An even more devastating and devastating disaster was the tsunami in Southeast Asia on December 26, 2004. The disaster killed 165,000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and other countries, and it is said that the total number of missing people is more than 300,000. At that time, the local scenes that suffered damage are so horrific that it is impossible to see them.
What these catastrophes show is that you never know what the world will be like when. And these calamities give us an idea of what will happen when the Last Judgment comes upon this world. The Last Judgment cannot be compared to this. “The LORD of hosts will punish them with thunder and earthquakes and loud noises and tornadoes and storms and fierce flames” (Isaiah 29:6). It is said to be over 500 meters high. What could be left of such a catastrophe? Then the world will be utterly burned and nothing will be left. No one will be able to withstand this final judgment. “In that day the heavens will depart with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with scorching fire, and the earth and all that is on it will be revealed” (2 Peter 3:10).
impending judgment
So when will this great judgment come? The Bible does not give a date for that day. I'm just talking about the signs of what will happen to the world when the final judgment approaches. Through these signs, we can know that the time of the Last Judgment is now over. “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came quietly and said, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world? Beware that many will come in my name and say, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear wars and rumors of wars, but beware and fear not. And there will be famines and earthquakes in various places; all these are the beginning of calamities” (Matthew 24:3-8).
To summarize these verses, two major signs will occur as the last days of this world approach. The first is delusion, that is, heresy. And disasters such as riots, wars, famines, and earthquakes. And there's one more thing: moral and ethical corruption. “Know this that the times of suffering will come in the last days, when people will love themselves, love money, boast, be proud, slander, disobey their parents, be unthankful, unholy, callous, unrepentant, slander, uncontrolled, ferocious, and good. They do not like things, they are treacherous, impatient, arrogant, and love pleasures more than the love of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power of godliness. Turn away from such people” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
There has never been a time when there were so many heresies as today. It is difficult to count the number of heretics active in Korea these days. There were so many heresies that it is now impossible to know all about them (List of Heresy).
What about disaster? There has never been such a huge and catastrophic disaster as these days. These catastrophes are expected to become stronger and more frequent. In particular, environmental destruction and global warming are exacerbating these catastrophes.
There has never been a time when society was as corrupt and corrupt as it is today. Horrible, shameful, and terrifying things that were unthinkable in the past are happening every day. People's hearts are stronger and more exhausted than ever.
You must prepare now.
We are given one last chance. However, this opportunity will not last forever. I don't have time now. No one knows when or what will happen to us. No one knows when my life will end. Therefore, we must be saved quickly. How can I be saved? You must accept and believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior. “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31) “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Acts 16:31). John 3:16) If you accept Jesus Christ, you can be saved.
What should believers who have already been saved do? There is little time left to be loyal and devoted to the Lord. How long have you been living for the Lord? Now we have to stand firm in our faith and live. We must live for the mission God has given us. Now, when the Lord comes soon, the opportunity will be over. Then the things we were building up for ourselves and holding on to would be meaningless.
Now the last day of this world is at hand. The final judgment is imminent. Our Lord is coming soon. That day the world will be completely burned down. No sinner will escape judgment. What will we do then? A new heaven and a new earth will be opened to those who believe. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and God will be with them, and they will be God's people, and God will be with them and wipe every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more. There will be no more mourning or crying or pain, for the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4).
I hope that you will receive Jesus Christ now and be saved. From now on, I hope that you will not live according to the world and its lusts, but live by faith. I hope that you will live the rest of your life faithfully in a way that pleases God and become a saint who stands before the Lord.