By Ambrose.J.Chakre
Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy. Revelation 22:11
Every scripture speaks of either heaven or hell and this is also a verse which speaks of choices and decisions. God breathed words are eternal and as it is sacred, the truths must be honored. None of us would have been saved had it not been because of the shed blood of Christ and the scripture so firmly urges everyone to make their calling and election sure. The prophet Jonah’s visit to Nineveh ( Which is now the present Iraq ) must have preached with such boldness and deep conviction that the whole city of it were led to repentance. And though the negative part of him was for them to be destroyed in their sins, the end result of his obedience led him to do God’s will. The sinners of Noah’s time had a preacher in their midst, while the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had none. This also indicates that the word of God is preached more in some nations , while it is preached less in the others. The scripture so firmly says, Christ did not die for the righteous but for the sinners and this comforts some. However, the other interpretation of it is that if anyone chooses to remain a sinner, their miseries will only increase but whoever shuns evil and pursues righteousness will be blessed. The prophet John the Baptist preached repentance and was beheaded, while the Apostle Paul preached salvation and was killed for his faith. So many instances we find in the scripture of how the men and women of God lived and how their enemies perished.
The last days depicts the period of grace and the day of the Lord will signal the end of it. There are now signs in the skies, signs in the churches, signs in the news and as the day comes closer, the realities of it will become clearer. The world speaks of peace but promotes immorality; it speaks of unity but creates hostility. This clearly paints a clear picture of the world’s hypocrisy and the deception within her. The wiser ones are seeking more of God’s wisdom while the others are not. In the scripture it is written many will be condemned and many will also be saved. To this it states “ Many will be purified made spotless and refined but the wicked will continue to be wicked, none of the wicked will understand , but those who are wise will understand. ( Daniel 12:10 ) The term wicked refers to sinners but the wise ones speaks of God’s own children which is what we are. And even as God’s word is the authority over everything, the living must make a firm decision of whom to follow and whom to serve. The word was preached in Christ ‘ own land but most of his people rejected what he preached and could share in what he promised. The rich, the poor, the good and the bad must have listened to all that he said, but only those destined for eternal life walked in the way of truth. Of all the scriptures the gospels contains Christ ‘ own words spoken in the course of his ministry. The way he taught was so different and all of his teachings became a threat to his enemies.
For as the Bible says to whom much is given much will also be asked, so it will also be to those whom the gospel has been preached much. In the first book of the gospel, the scripture states “ The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom and now one greater than Solomon is here.” ( Matthew 12:42 ) This is also concerning the present generation and the generations to come. Thus as it speaks of what it means, the world must look at Nineveh again and learn lessons from how they responded to God’s grace. It is written that everyone will not be saved and to save many we may also have to risk many, risking even our relationships and our lives. The beloved of God must cry for people to accept the truth. The above verse is all about the end times and as we live in the times of it, our cries must get louder still. Knowing that a war is a war we must be geared up to face the greater battles ahead. The elect must not cower like Saul and his army but they must take the challenge as David did. The evil ones will always speak terror, threaten terror but it will be their own schemes which will be their downfall. The truth is always supreme and whoever lives in God’s will will live in the powers bestowed upon the Church. ( Matthew 16:18,19 ) the core issue of this sermon is to know your stance and to know whom you are living for. Remember, the choice to either be like Judas or Peter is everyone’s choice. The messages of the last days must rise more as the day of the Lord nears. May the Lord our God speak to every church and bless every family as we prepare ourselves to meet Christ in his second coming. The end is near.
N:B: This article speaks only of the two types of persons, the righteous and the wicked. it also sheds light on those who God’s own and those who are not. Even as it has been heard it is every one’s choice to either honor it or to walk away from it. The times of the last days will only be for a while, and the elect of God must be strengthened in the word each new day. The ways of the word are a mystery.
