2 Sep 2011
II Timothy 4:1
II Timothy 4:1: “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom;”
This is a very clear warning. The first time Christ came into the world He brought “good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” We are told that “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” The First Coming was about salvation, forgiveness, and mercy.
The Second Coming, however, is very different. When Jesus Christ returns He will not be bringing salvation, forgiveness, or mercy. He will not be returning to save the world, but to judge it. He will not return as a helpless baby in a manger but as the conquering King of Kings, accompanied by the armies of Heaven. We are told that “every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.” His return cause the nations to scream in horror.
The time to make peace with God is now, before Jesus returns in wrath and great power. Those who wait until He comes back will find that it is much too late. People say that God is love, and that is a true statement; however, God is also holy and just. He has promised to forgive all those who accept His mercy, and to damn all those who reject it. All those who accept Him will be given forgiveness and everlasting life. However, those who refuse Him will meet a very different fate. When Jesus returns, His orders concerning those who rejected Him are clear and direct: “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.”