R1574 When it is Too Late

When is it too late? That's today's topic with the message from Dr. Don Wilton here on the Encouraging Word Broadcast. The Encouraging Word Broadcast. We heard that expression, timing is everything, and today we'll head to both Hebrews, Revelation, and 2 Peter to talk about this concept of when is it too late with Dr. Don Wilton. As we open the Word together, Dr. Don wants you to know we're open to you. We'd love to pray with you and for you on 866-899-WORD, that's our phone number, jot it down, 866-899-9673 or online at www.tewonline.org. As a matter of fact, right now on our website, www.tewonline.org, you'll see some splendid resources, one including Laura Storey, an amazing musician and a wonderful gifting writer. You'll see her book details again at www.tewonline.org.

Get your copy today. The Encouraging Word. Now today's message with Dr. Don Wilton. Number one, is death final? Is death final? Number two, is it too late to give your life to Christ, to be saved after Jesus comes in the clouds? And number three, how can God say He loves us and then judge us in the way the Bible says? So I want you to open your Bibles to three passages of Scripture today, and these are very, very important. First of all, we're going to be in Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 27. I want to read to you just one verse, Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 27, very important verse, very important verse. You're not scrapped with just one verse. I'm going to read three. I just made that decision now. Verse 26, 27 and 28.

I want you to see this. Listen carefully. This is what the Bible says, Hebrews chapter 9 verse 26. For then he would have had to have suffered repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, Jesus has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And just as it is appointed unto man, people, once to die, and then after that the judgment, so the Lord Jesus Christ, having been offered once to die, in order to bear the sins of many, will appear the second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who eagerly wait for Him. Now go to the book of Revelation all the way to the end, book of Revelation chapter 6 and verse 9. Revelation chapter 6 and verse 9. I'm just going to tell you Revelation chapter 6 and verse 9 is the beginning of the first of seven judgments, called the seal judgments. Revelation chapter 6 and verse 9. When Jesus opened the fifth seal, I, that is John, saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, O sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge your blood on those who dwell on the earth? Then they were each given a white robe.

They were told to rest a little longer until the number of their fellow servants, brothers and sisters, should be complete, who were to be killed, to be killed as they themselves had been. Now I want you to go to 2 Peter. It's just a book or two before Revelation, okay?

You don't need to turn too far back, otherwise you'll miss 1 and 2 Peter. I want you to see something in 2 Peter chapter 3, and I just want to read to you verse 9. 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 9. The Lord is not slow to fulfil His promise, as some of you count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any person would perish, but that all would repent and come to know Jesus. According to the Scriptures, Jesus at some time, no, no need to God, is going to suddenly appear in the clouds. It's not going to come to this earth. And 1 Thessalonians 4, Revelation chapter 4 confirms this. When Jesus comes in the clouds, all believers who are alive then, only those who are alive, that may be me, it may be you, because none of us know when that's going to happen, do we?

Only God knows. All those who are alive are going to suddenly be caught up. So as I'm speaking right now, and you're watching by way of television, if you know Jesus, and Jesus were to come in just a moment, you together with me and hundreds who are worshipping the Lord Jesus today all across the world, will just suddenly be taken out of this earth.

If you don't know Jesus, you're not going anywhere. Let me just share with you just 5 thoughts about death. Just very quickly, alright, death is unavoidable.

It's appointed by God. Number 2, death is unbiased. There's no prejudice in death.

Doesn't matter if you're male or female, rich, poor, black or white, Chinese or American. It's unbiased. Number 3, death is unrepeatable. There are one or two exceptions that are designed to illustrate the power of the resurrection, and Jesus determined that.

Lazarus would be one person designed by God to show us the power of Jesus and the resurrection. But death is unrepeatable. Number 4, death is undeniable.

Pointed on a man wants to die, to die, it's undeniable. Number 5, death is unending. Death, listen to this irony, death is eternal. It's unending. Do you know that according to the Bible, there is not one single person that has died that is dead?

Let me just run that by again. According to the scriptures, according to what God teaches us, not a single person who has ever died is dead. Death is unending, it's eternal, because we face eternity, we step into eternity. So, for the believer, the believer's death begins life with Christ. Believer's death begins life with Christ. An unbeliever's death begins life without Christ. Believers who die before Jesus comes in the clouds are in heaven. Believers who are alive when Jesus comes in the clouds are taken up into heaven. Unbelievers who die before Jesus comes in the clouds are in hell.

I didn't say that, Jesus said that. Judgment follows death. It is appointed unto people once to die, and after that, the judgment.

It's very clear in the Bible. What judgment? There's a judgment for believers, and there is the judgment for unbelievers. There are two judgments in the scriptures.

So, let's talk first of all about believers. When you and I, as a believer, we know Jesus and we die after our death, we are to face judgment. The Bible calls it the judgment seat of Christ. The judgment seat of Christ. If you're a believer, when you die, or if Jesus were to come, you and I are going to appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Not to be judged for our salvation, but to be judged for the works of our salvation. For the life that we have lived.

And that brings so many questions. Does it really matter? We're all going to be in heaven. It matters because God matters it. Heaven is going to have an order that we can't get.

And you and I often can say, well, you know, it doesn't matter if I live 5,000 miles from Jerusalem, it doesn't matter as long as I'm in heaven. This is not judgment according to salvation, because the Bible says there is no condemnation. This is not a condemnation judgment, it's the rewards judgment. We're all in the same class, but some people are going to be rewarded for their faithfulness.

You say, who? I don't know. For the unbeliever, you are going to face not the judgment seat of Christ, but the great white throne judgment. Go to Revelation chapter 20. Revelation chapter 20. This is just before the announcement of the new heaven and the new earth. This is right on the precipice of eternal life with Christ forever.

Revelation chapter 20 and verse 11. Then I saw great white throne and him who was seated on it from his presence, the earth and the sky fed away, and there was found no place for them to hide. And I saw the dead. Did you see that?

Did you pick up on that word? I saw who? The dead. It is appointed unto man once to die. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before the throne. How do dead people stand before the throne? I saw the dead.

There's not one person who's ever died that is dead. I saw the dead standing before the throne, and a book was opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged by what is written in the books according to what they had done. The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, each one according to what they had done. And death and hell were thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the second death, the lake of fire, and if anyone's name was not found written in the Lamb's book of life, they too were thrown into the same place. Is death final? No, it's not. So here's the question then. Is it too late to be saved after Jesus comes in the clouds? I'm going to give you the simple answer. No, it's not too late.

However, you need to really pay attention because it actually might well be. Please forgive the interruption. You know, sometimes Dr. Wilton is preaching and teaching, and our hearts are stirred with maybe some questions that you'd like to have someone to pray with about. We stand ready to do that. Our phone number is 866-899-WORD, and maybe the very question about is it too late for you is a question we can answer for you. I can tell you already, the answer is it's never too late. God's love is great enough to pursue you right where you are, no matter how far you have run or turned away from God. We'd love to speak with you right now at 866-899-9673, or if you'd rather go keyboard to keyboard, meet us online at tewonline.org.

That's tewonline.org. Now back to today's message with Dr. Wilton. Why is it not too late? If Jesus comes in the clouds, is it too late if you're left behind?

Well, the first reason it's not too late is because those who are left behind have not yet died. You have to die in order to face the judgment. But secondly, it's not too late because the Bible does mention in four areas a group of people who come to know Christ after Jesus comes in the clouds and the three judgments come out on the earth, the time of the tribulation when Antichrist rules. And it is filled with more questions than answers because the book of Thessalonians tells us that when Jesus comes and takes all believers out of the earth, at the same time He withdraws His Spirit from the earth. And the Spirit of God is the only means by which you and I can be convicted of our sin and of righteousness and of judgment. So the very means by which people can come to know Christ after Jesus pulls the Holy Spirit out of the earth has been removed. And yet despite that, God's Word talks in four ways.

The first one was the passage I read to you in Revelation chapter 6 and verse 9 through 10. Some are described and in Revelation 6 there you and I read it together. The Bible very clearly says that there are souls under the altar, those who had been slain. The Bible very clearly says they cry out and say, how long are we going to wait here under the altar having been killed because we stood for the Word of God because we proclaimed you as sovereign Lord. And furthermore, Jesus says to them, He says, you need to wait until the judgment is fully complete so that those who are still to be killed in My name as you have been will be complete. So they are described. There are some people there after all believers are taken into heaven. This is during this time of the tribulation.

Who are they? Not only are some described, but some are identified. Is it too late to be saved after Jesus comes in the clouds?

No, no. Because they've not yet died. Secondly, because the Bible mentions them, some are described, some are identified. Thirdly, some are witnessed to.

I want you to go to chapter 11 quickly and I can't read the whole of chapter 11. The Bible tells us in chapter 11 that two witnesses appear on the streets of Jerusalem, Moses and Elijah. This is the reenactment of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

And you can read it for yourself here very clearly stated. These two ambassadors, and to boot, if I might say to you, they've been dead a long time. And if anybody is very well acquainted with Moses and Elijah, the Jewish people are. But all of a sudden these two people who have been dead in a long time, their bodies are not even a consideration, suddenly make an appearance in person on the streets of Jerusalem. And they are witnesses. They are called the two witnesses. And the word witness in and of itself speaks to telling of, testifying to. And number four, some are preached to.

I want you to go to chapter 14. Now this is the difficult one. This is the one that's difficult to understand. Can some people get saved after Jesus comes in the clouds? Yes, because they've not yet died. Secondly, because the Bible mentions them in four places. Number one, they are described in chapter six. They are identified in chapter seven.

They are witnessed to in chapter 11. And some are even, all are preached to. Not some, all are preached to in chapter 14.

All right, let me read it to you. So I'm going to be in chapter 14, verse six. Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell. Where? Where?

On the earth. Let me just read that again in case anyone misses this. Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead with an eternal gospel proclaiming this gospel, preaching this gospel to all who dwell on the earth, to every nation, every tribe, every language, every people. And the angel said with a loud voice, fear God and give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him, the one who made heaven and earth and the sea and the springs of water. We call this one the flying angel.

This is serious. What is the Bible telling us here? The flying angel. This gospel preached from the highest place in the loudest voice to a maximum number of people.

Everyone. But the risk, I'm praying for you right now while you and I try to figure out how to make sense of all of this. Some figure it out by shifting the timelines, saying, well, you know, Jesus is going to come all at the same time in the clouds and he's going to come to the earth simultaneously. And some people say, well, then it's just not going to happen here to make room for this. Let's have a wonderful discussion together. I don't have a corner on this, but I do know this is what the Bible says.

But I wouldn't take that risk if I was you. Why didn't Jesus come a thousand years ago? Was there not enough sin in the world?

Was his heart not grieving a thousand years ago? Are we worse today? Is sin worse today than it was in the 1920s?

For those of you that think it is. Do our people behave more sinful today than they did in the 50s? How about the 60s? What about the condition of America during the Nixon era? What about disturbances, demonstrations? What about political conventions?

What about divisions? It's never happened until now. Surely God, if he's a God of love, he should have come decades ago. I don't even know why let me be born into this world. But God is long suffering. He loves us so much.

I can't explain it outside of the fact that God in his infinite long suffering, he's a God rich in mercy, full of grace. This is the God I know. This is the Jesus I love. He loves me so much that he, the lamb of God, would have gone to a cross to die on a cross for me. It really is hard to comprehend that wonderful, great love God has for you. But God's using this broadcast to let you know how much he loves you. I pray you'd open your heart, not just to what you've heard as Dr. Wilton has been teaching and preaching, but now as he just shares from his heart.

This is Dr. Don. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now? Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner, and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today I repent of my sin, and by faith I receive you into my heart. In Jesus' name. My friend, I welcome you today into the family of God.

This is exciting news. If you just prayed to give your life to Jesus Christ, or perhaps prayed to rededicate your life to Jesus, oh my goodness, we're so excited. You need to tell somebody, and why not tell Dr. Don? He would love to hear about it. You can email him Don at T-E-W online dot O-R-G. Let us know.

Let us know how we can pray with you. That's Don, D-O-N, at T-E-W online dot O-R-G. That's his email, or you can call us right now. He'd love to have one of our teams speak with you and pray with you at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673. Or if you'd like to connect online, here's some great details from Liz about our brand new website. We are excited to announce that we have a new updated website. On our new website, you can find current and past broadcasts, order the current monthly offer, post prayer requests or praise reports, sign up for the daily encouraging word, see our current broadcast schedule, and donate to the encouraging word. You can find us at T-E-W online dot O-R-G. Our time's gone for today, but tomorrow Dr. Wilton has another great message. It's called, What is the Rapture? I hope you'll join us and perhaps bring a friend as we open God's encouraging word together. Between now and then, let's stay connected on our website at TEW online dot O-R-G.