Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
It wasn't this way long ago but now almost all Christian churches say they believe in the second coming of Christ, and many believe it is near. Even some supermarket tabloids scream at you about it. But there is one big question that still divides many Christians: do we need a special preparation to be ready for Christ's soon coming?
Many say, No; just live a good Christian life day by day so you can be ready if you have to die suddenly--keep your debts paid, keep your sins confessed every day, keep going to church, and trust the Lord. That's all that's necessary. If Jesus were to come today, you'd be ready; it's all the same as dying; if you're "ready" and you die in a plane crash, you're OK.
But a great big question comes up: when Jesus returns, He will come in person, with the glory of the Father. And Hebrews 12:29 says that "our God is a consuming fire." If anyone has sin buried in his or her heart, even sin that he is not aware of, to meet God face to face would be sudden death--which, according to 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10, is precisely what happens to the wicked when Jesus returns. Those "who do not know God, and those who do not obey the gospel ... shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes." He will come with "flaming fire." Jesus says that only "the pure in heart" will be able to "see God" without perishing (Matt. 5:8).
Isaiah asks, "Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who ... stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil ..." (33:14-16). The context of these questions is "the sinners in Zion," that is, the church members themselves.
Yes, there is a special preparation needed in order to meet Jesus when He returns, and to be happy in His presence! That special preparation is not a fear-induced frenzy of good works, but a clearer understanding of the gospel of His grace. By grace are we saved, and by grace will God's people experience translation--through faith.
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: April 22, 1998.
Copyright © 2014 by "Dial Daily Bread."
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