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He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

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Furthermore, as God has kept every promise he made to Israel, we can be just as confident that he will keep his promise regarding the return of Jesus Christ to earth. God has assured us that “When the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father [God]; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world…. “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels…. “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”11

The sheep on the right that God is referring to are those who have confessed their sins to God, asked for his forgiveness, and have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. They will be given the gift of eternal life to live with God in Heaven forever. The goats are all who have failed to confess their sinfulness to God and have rejected (or have failed to accept) God’s forgiveness and his gift of salvation. They, because of their own choice, will bedamned for all eternity.

The wages of sin is death; but
the gift of God is eternal life.

In his goodness, fairness, and eternal love for every one of us, God gave his son, Jesus Christ, to pay the just penalty—eternal death—for all our sins. Jesus did this when he gave his life to die on the cross at Calvary 2,000 years ago. Through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice God has provided a full and free pardon, with the gift of eternal life in heaven to be with him forever, to all who believe in him, who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died in their place to pay the just penalty for all their sins, and have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

Like the nation of Israel, when they believed in God and followed his ways, they were protected from all enemies and greatly blessed. When they rejected God and went their own way, they divorced themselves from God’s protection and blessings and suffered the consequences. If we also reject or fail to follow God’s ways and fail to accept his full and free pardon, we divorce ourselves from God’s protection and will have to pay ourselves the just penalty for our sinfulness—and that is eternal death—which is not the cessation of life (but the cessation of life as we know it), but eternal separation from a holy and just God. As God’s Word says, “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life.”12

The critical issue for every individual is: Have you accepted God’s goodness, his fairness, his forgiveness, and his gift of eternal life? If not, for help be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at http://www.goodnewsfor.com/good/know_god01.php.

1. Genesis 17:8 (NIV).    2. Genesis 13:14-15 (NIV).   3. Joshua 1:7-9 (NIV).   4. Exodus 15:26 (NLT).   5. Leviticus 26:32-33.   6. Ezekiel 36:24 (NIV).   7. Isaiah 35:1.   8. Isaiah 11:12 (TLB).   9. Amos 9:14 (TLB/NLT).   10. Psalm 33:12, 16-19 (NIV).   11. Matthew 25:31-34; 41-46 (NIV).  12. Romans 6:23 (NKJV).

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All articles on this website are written by
Richard (Dick) Innes unless otherwise stated.