One day, one day soon, maybe even today, Jesus Christ is coming back again!

Here is God’s ultimate rebuke to this post-modern post-Christian world. The world which rebels against objective truth and morality. The politically correct world where the only rule is that there are no rules. The world which says that we can make and choose our own gods, or choose to have no god at all. One day the truth will come to light. One day Christ will return and on that day EVERY eye will see and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. I wish we’d all been ready!

Jesus Christ is going to return. People laugh at us when we say this. People think that it is crazy to look to the future instead of living for the present. But here is the one and only event in the future of the human race which is absolutely certain. Jesus is coming back! We still have 146 shopping days until Christmas but certain shops have already started selling their Christmas selections: we may celebrate Christmas this year – or we may not. We may worship together same time same place next week – we may not. We may go to work tomorrow – we may not. We may get home for lunch today – we may not! But Jesus Christ is returning and that is absolutely categorically 100% certain!

People who don’t believe in Jesus will mock Christians for that belief. They always have done.

2 Peter 3:3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.

Here are the false assumptions which underpin the whole of this post-modern world.
(1) Nothing has changed (2) Nothing does change (3) Nothing ever will change.
So people think they can live their lives as they like and there won’t be any consequences. No consequences in this life. No consequences into eternity.

Look at the way the world around and even many of our neighbours live their lives and you know this is the case. The single future event most people are pre-occupied about, the single future event most people spend their time worrying about and preparing for, is their retirement. How is their pension provision holding up in the economic crisis. Will they have to work longer to receive less? Will they ever be able to afford to retire? It seems to me that very many people give much more attention to their retirement than they do to he prospect of their death! Unless they are distracted by their houses or their cars or the start of the football season or the other varieties of mind-numbing so-called entertainment on offer.

(1) Nothing has changed (2) Nothing does change (3) Nothing ever will change. No consequences in this life. No consequences into eternity. That is how most people are living their lives.

But they are all wrong, says the apostle Peter! And there two events in history prove them wrong. Things do change. The events of creation prove it – once there was nothing and now there is something because God spoke into the darkness and created the light! Things DO change! And then during human history at one point in the past things did drastically change: The Flood! God acted in Judgment then and he will do so again. Things DO change! The world will not keep on going for ever and ever. Jesus Christ WILL return! Maybe not this week. Maybe not this year. Or maybe yes this week! Maybe even today!

2 Peter 3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

The Early Church expected Jesus to return in their lifetime. Every generation since could have expected Jesus to return in their lifetime! And we should be ready. It is only God’s mercy and patience which gives yet more time for human beings to return to their Maker. And we need to be ready – because the Son of Man will come at the hour we least expect Him!

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is that Jesus is coming back. And the bad news is that Jesus is coming back! Because the day of the Lord will be good news for some and bad news for others. It will all depend on whether you are ready!

Good news for some – the hope of heaven!

2 Peter 3:13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

We can’t really imagine what the new heaven and the new earth will be like but we know they will be more wonderful than we can possibly imagine!

Rev 7:13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” 14 I answered, “Sir, you know.”
And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 Therefore,
“they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.
16 Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat upon them nor any scorching heat.
17 For the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

What a glory it will be to be in the presence of the Lord forever! This has been the Christian hope for 2000 years. But it seems to me that our generation of Christians is looking forward to the return of Christ much less than earlier generations. With the exception of some who have completely misunderstood the Scriptures and become obsessed with the Rapture and what it would be like to be “Left Behind” most mainstream Christians have almost completely forgotten the expectation that Jesus will return soon and could even return today, at the hour we least expect him.

I think that the reason we think so rarely about heaven and the return of Christ is that our life on earth is relatively comfortable. Compared to the martyrs of old who gave up their lives for the sake of the gospel. Compared to brothers and sisters in other countries who have so little and whose daily lives are such hard work. Compared to those facing persecution for believing in Jesus. The hope of heaven must mean so much more to them than it does to us.

No more hunger. No more thirst. No more scorching heat. No more tears. In the presence of God Himself. Things to look forward to! We spend too much time thinking about this world and too little time looking forward to the next! But whatever this life throws at us we will always have the hope of heaven! Thanks be to God!!

Because there is another uncomfortable Bible truth which our comfortable generation of Western Christians generally ignore. That is the certainty that things are going to get worse before they get better! Health, wealth and prosperity churches have got things completely wrong. Even some large and successful mainstream churches have got the balance wrong. We rightly celebrate Christ’s victory on the cross and his triumphant resurrection from the dead and the hope of His glorious return. But these do not guarantee success and victory in our Christian lives and in our churches. The prophecies of scripture do not promise a golden age of blessing. Jesus Himself instead warns of times of great tribulation and persecution, in which the only glimmer of hope for true believers will be His return.

Matthew 24 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Jesus is coming back. But things are going to get worse and worse before that day!

Jesus is coming back – and there will be a new heaven and a new earth. That is our Christian hope! This is Good News – for us! But let us remember that it will be bad news for others!

Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, There are times when we might be tempted to complain to God about how few people come to church – the lack of attendance at churches services, or prayer meetings. But we know what God’s answer would be. The attendance in heaven is not what he would like it to be!

Bad news for others – the day of judgment!

By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Rev 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire

The Bible is jam packed full of God’s warning to human beings who spend their lives running away and hiding from Him. You can’t hide forever. You have to be ready to meet your Maker! Judgment day is coming!

The challenge to holy living!

Since the return of Jesus Christ is the one event in the future which is absolutely certain – we should be ready for it! We should be living in the light of eternity.

2 Peter 3:11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

Heaven should affect our activities and ambitions, our recreation and friendships, and the way we spend our money and time. If I believe I’ll spend eternity in a world of unending beauty and adventure, will I be content to spend all my spare time staring at reality TV, game shows, situation comedies and football matches? I won’t want to waste time on things which don’t matter!

Somebody once asked the great evangelist Moody the secret of his preaching. He replied that he did not believe he had ever preached a sermon without being conscious of the truth that Christ might return before he had finished preaching!

HOLY lives – set apart for God – spotless, blameless, sinless, at peace with God

GODLY lives – centred on God and on spiritual things

LOOKING FORWARD – expectation!!

When we look forward to a holiday we make plans for it. We spend days or weeks making sure we have everything prepared, tickets, accommodation, all the things we need to take with us, working out what we will do when we get there. When we are expecting guests we make plans for them – getting everything they will need, making sure we will be ready. How much more should we make sure we will be ready when Christ returns!

The Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, tells a parable of a theatre where a variety show is taking place. Each act is more fantastic than the last, and is applauded by the audience. Suddenly the manager comes forward. He apologizes for the interruption, but the theatre is on fire, and he begs his patrons to leave in an orderly fashion. The audience think this is the most amusing turn of the evening, and cheer thunderously. The manager again implores them to leave the burning building, and he is again applauded vigorously. At last he can do no more. The fire races through the whole building and takes the fun-loving audience with it.
“And so,” concluded Kierkegaard, “will our age, I sometimes think, go down in fiery destruction to the applause of a crowded house of cheering spectators.”

Jesus Christ is coming back. Good news for some – bad news for others. Like a thief in the night! The one absolutely certain future event! I wish we’d all being ready!

4. The Great Divide – Judgement

From beginning to end the Bible is concerned with one question above any other – how can sinful human beings escape from the righteous judgement of a Holy and Almighty God. There is no theme so prominent throughout the Bible. It is everywhere in the teachings of Jesus. Yet few themes are so neglected in the world today. Judgement.

What will the Judgement be like?
Jesus Christ will be the Judge when He returns as King.

JESUS SAID John 5:22 the Father judges no-one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honour the Son just as they honour the Father. He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him. 24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out- those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

All will be judged according to God’s perfect justice
2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

All will be found guilty because God’s standard is perfection

Rom 3:10 As it is written: “There is no-one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no-one who understands, no-one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one.”
20 Therefore no-one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. … 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Only some, only Christians, will receive God’s mercy and be acquitted because of God’s grace in Christ, received by faith.

Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:1 ¶ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

Judgement will be
(i) The righting of wrongs and rewarding of faithfulness

“It’s not fair!!” People cry out so often in the face of so many innocent people suffering so badly crying out for justice. But the good news is that the day is coming when we WILL all be held accountable for our actions. The terrorists. The murderers. The torturers and rapists. All wrongs will be put right!

So many of Jesus’s Parables e.g. of the Sheep and the Goats (Matt 25:31-46)

Matt 25:31 ¶ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 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. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

All are judged and there is a great divide, what C.S.Lewis calls the great Divorce, separated according to their actions in this life. This is not salvation by works. It is simply that the actions show up the underlying attitudes to Christ.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 40 “The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ 41 “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. 45 `I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

SO MUCH of Jesus’s teaching makes no sense if Judgement is not a reality.
Parable of the weeds (Matt 13:24-30, 36-43)

24 ¶ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed ears, then the weeds also appeared. 27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, `Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ 28 “`An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, `Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 “`No,’ he answered, `because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'”
36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Parable of the Net (Matt 13:47-50).
47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Not only Jesus but the whole New Testament. For example Paul
Rom 2:5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will give to each person according to what he has done”. 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.

Let’s make sure we don’t feel smug and self-satisfied! Remember what is is that brings God’s judgement. Not only murder, adultery, idol worship but also ignoring the needs of the poor and the oppressed, being obsessed with wealth and possessions (which is in itself idolatry) unwillingness to forgive others, causing little ones to stumble, self-righteousness and hypocrisy. All these things will bring down the righteous judgement of a Holy God!

Judgement will be righting of wrongs and rewarding of faithfulness. It will also be (ii) Confirming Relationships

Eternal life is a relationship with God as our heavenly Father which begins here and now. It’s not just pie in the sky when you die – but cake on your plate while you wait! The day of judgement will simply be God’s confirmation of the relationships which already exist.

See Matt 7:21-23;
21 ¶ “Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Just as a wedding day is the consummation of the relationship between bride and groom – so the marriage feast of the Lamb will take into eternity that engagement which has begun in this life between Christ and his Bride the church.

John 3:16-21 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

C.S.LEWIS (Introduction to “The Great Divorce”)
“Earth, I think, will not be found by anyone to be in the end a very distinct place. I think earth, if chosen instead of Heaven, will turn out to have been, all along, only a region in Hell: and earth, if put second to Heaven, to have been from the beginning a part of Heaven itself.”

False Hopes – “We’ll all be alright, won’t we?”
(i) A second chance?
We looked at this in our first sermon. The Bible does offer any hope of a second chance to repent after death, or a place of “purgatory” which will deal with our sins even though we did not repent. God has already offered people opportunities to get to know him in this life. There is no reason to suppose that people who have rejected God so often in this life will suddenly change their minds in the next. The final judgement is simply God putting a final seal on decisions people have made here and now.

(ii) Universalism
Some try to escape from the challenge of the impending judgement of God by an appeal to God’s Love. “God is too loving to punish sinners,” they say. “The threats of Judgement are only warnings to urge us to repent. God will forgive everybody in the end.” This view is called Universalism and it is seriously mistaken and dangerously misleading! It is also the chief reason why many churches lose their evangelistic drive.
A few verses of Scripture may be taken to imply that ultimately all men will be saved, because that is God’s desire for all men

1 Tim 2:4 (GOD) wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

1 Tim 4:10 the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, and especially of those who believe.

Rom 11:32, For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

Eph 1:9-10, 9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment- to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

In SHARP CONTRAST to these few Bible passages, so many other part of the Bible point to the reality of God’s condemnation and to the need for faith in Christ as Lord as a necessary condition for salvation. If humanity was not doomed to judgement and condemnation, God would not have become a man and Jesus Christ would not have died on the cross.

2 Thess 1:6-10;
8 (Christ) will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marvelled at among all those who have believed.
Eph 2:1-5; As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

BUT the blessings of salvation will not come to ALL people – but only to those who receive them by faith.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9 not by works, so that no-one can boast.

So many portions of scripture make the same point. Salvation is by God’s grace alone – received by faith! It may seem “more loving” to offer hope than to threaten judgement, but that hope is empty and cruel if it is contrary to God’s revealed truth. The idea that everybody will ultimately be saved may seem more attractive than the idea of judgement. Very many Christians believe in the Biblical in theory but in universalism in practice. No wonder so many churches are apathetic towards a world which is lost without Christ and racing headlong into the black hole of judgement. But the threat of judgement is not an empty threat. The prospect of judgement is a grim reality!

Of course, in pastoral situations, no one can ever speak for certain about the spiritual state of another person. If there is doubt about whether someone died as a Christian or not, we will always err on the side of charity as we counsel those who mourn. But we must never soft-pedal unpleasant truths as we proclaim the gospel which commands repentance and faith as conditions for experiencing God’s love and forgiveness.

For us as Christians (i) the judgement holds no fears – Christ has died in our place! (ii) We rejoice that one day God’s righteousness and justice will be perfectly established. And (iii) We weep for family and friends who are not yet ready to face the judgement seat of God. For them, everything will NOT be alright in the end.

Acts 17:30-31 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”

We KNOW there is going to be a day of Judgement. And the proof lies in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! Are YOU ready to meet your Maker?

Our Victorian forefathers particularly gave “Hellfire preaching” a very bad name. Today many sincere Christians, partly through the influences of Universalism (see Unit 4) reject or play down the significance of Hell. They cannot reconcile hell with a God who is Love. But what does the Bible say?

Eternal Punishment – The traditional Christian view
Hell is the destiny of all who are under God’s judgement and subject to His righteous anger, not only sinful men and women but also Satan and his evil spirits.

WARNING – we must be very careful in interpreting poetic or metaphorical language. It might not be intended to be taken too literally (or on the other hand too symbolically)!

Punishment Matt 5:29; 10:28; 25:41,46; Mk 9:42-49
Darkness 2 Peter 2:4; Matt 22:13
Fire Isaiah 33:14; Rev 20:14-15
Exclusion Matthew 7:23; 2 Thess 1:6-10
No escape Luke 16:26; Rev 20:10
Other views – Conditional Immortality or Annihilation?
Some Christians wish to insist on the reality of hell as punishment yet avoid an over-literal interpretation of the nature of the punishment. They say that everlasting punishment with no hope of reforming the sinner, or endless suffering serving no useful purpose, is incompatible with a God of Love. They say that to punish a finite amount of sin with an infinite amount of suffering would be unfair. They agree that the heart of the punishment is exclusion from God. So if Heaven is where God is and knowing Him there, then Hell is where God isn’t and being without a relationship with Him who is the source of life. They suggest that the punishment could be eternal and irreversible in its consequences without necessarily being an everlasting conscious experience. They suggest that “fire”, “destruction” and “second death” imply ending of existence rather than continuing awareness of punishment. They also point to certain Bible passage which may be inconsistent with a continuing Hell, e.g. 1 Corinthians 15:28; Ephesians 2:9-10; Colossians 1:20.

This line of argument leads to two slightly different positions.
(i) “Conditional immortality” – only the righteous are granted immortality through sharing Christ’s resurrection. Those who resist Him simply go out of existence as they are separated forever from God who is the source of all life.
(ii) “Annihilationism” – those who oppose God suffer the punishment that their immortality is taken away by God and they cease to exist.
Conditional immortality assumes that man only lives on after death by the specific gift of God. Annihilationism assumes that the “soul” of man is of itself immortal and requires a specific act of God to end its existence. See the discussion on “Resurrection or Immortality” in Unit 2.

The idea of Conditional Immortality is very effective in answering the old question, “How can anyone be happy in Heaven if all their old friends are suffering in Hell?” Stephen Travis, John Stott and many others favour Conditional Immortality. They are not necessarily right! What do you think? What does the Bible really teach?

I need to make clear that for me the traditional Christian interpretation of the Bible is still convincing. Apocalyptic language has no force if it does not represent a reality but only a hypothetical warning. See Revelation 14:9-11; Revelation 20:10,12-15.

In particular the words of Jesus Himself in Mark 9:42-49 are very powerful.
42 “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.
43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. 44 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 46 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to ave two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where “`their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’
These warnings have no value if hell is not a reality!

Every time I stand up to speak I like to keep in mind one sober thought. This might be the last sermon I ever preach! You may never hear me preach again. You and I may never see each other again.

Don’t think I am getting morbid here. I am not anticipating gloom and disaster. Quite the reverse. My sobering thoughts are actually exciting and thrilling. This could be my last ever sermon, because before we meet again, or even before I finish speaking this afternoon, the Lord Jesus Christ could return. The Second Coming could be closer than any of us expect!

But are any of us actually ready for the end of the world?

H.G. Wells “War of the worlds” invasion of the earth by Martians. Radio programme by Orson Wells 1938 was so realistic that there was mass panic!
One boy phoned his mother – “Turn your radio on – the end of the world is coming, and I’m not ready to meet God!”

Many people are understandably scared of the prospect of the end of world. I grew up in 1960s and 1970s in the long shadow of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Cuban missile crisis and the cold war, when many people were terrified that the world was about to end at any time in a nuclear Armageddon.
But when I became a Christian all the fears I had about the end of the world were taken away completely. As Christians we do not need to be afraid of the end of the world. In fact, we have every reason to LOOK FORWARD to the end of the world!

We KNOW what will happen at the end of the world! Jesus Christ will return!

1 Corinthians 15:22-28
22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has
put all his enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet”. Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so
that God may be all in all.

This is a thrilling passage. It reminds us that the end of the world is in the hands of an almighty and all-loving God. God has HIS plans for the end of the world and nothing that humans can do will change anything! God’s plan is that EVERY knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. ALL God’s enemies will be put under Christ’s feet, so that God will be all in all. And God has proved this to everybody by raising Christ from the dead.

So it doesn’t matter HOW the world ends – a bang or a whimper. We can be certain that when Christ returns we also will be raised from the dead by God’s almighty power.

It seems to me that even in my short life, the vast majority of Christians and churches in this country at least have completely lost their expectation that the Lord Jesus Christ might return at any time, even tonight! In my youth I remember churches that would introduce their notices for the week’s events with words like, “If the Lord should tarry”, we will do this, just as long as the Lord doesn’t return before then! Christians just don’t seem to think that way any more. Which seems to me to be a great pity. Because the day of Christ’s return is closer now than it has ever been!

And as Christians we have every reason to be really excited at Christ’s return. We should be eagerly awaiting it – as Paul writes:-

Philippians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Citizenship is in heaven! Wherever you go around the world, an English man stands out a mile. You can tell an Englishman by his accent, his haircut, the clothes he wears, the things he says and does and the things he wont say and do, by the food he eats and the way he drives.

Christians are citizens of heaven. More important even than being English, or Welsh, or Irish or American or African, we belong to heaven! And every single thing about us should reflect this.

Our citizenship is in heaven. “We are a colony of heaven”.
This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through.
My home awaits for me a way beyond the blue.
The Saviour beckons me from heavens open door
And I can’t feel at home in this world any more.

And so as Christians we should be looking forward to the return of Jesus Christ – because then, if not before, every one of us will be going home!

We HAVE BEEN saved – our sins have been forgiven, we have been born again to eternal life. We ARE being saved – we enjoy that life in all its fullness which comes from our relationship with God as our heavenly Father. But the best is yet to come. We WILL BE saved!! Christ WILL transform our lowly bodies so they will become like His heavenly body. Now we see as in a glass darkly, then we will see face to face. Now we know in part, then we shall know even as we ourselves are known. This is our hope!

1 Corinthians 15:49-54 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ¶ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

THIS is our Christian Hope – this is our Christian destiny!

D. Martin Lloyd-Jones wrote:
“We have a new citizenship, we are in Christ, and because we are in Christ, we are seated in the heavenly places with him. Certain things will happen to us before we finally arrive in heaven, but our citizenship is as definite now as it will be then. There will be a physical translation when we die, but spiritually we are there already, we belong there.”

Jim Packer: We know very little about heaven, but a theologian once described it as “an unknown region with a well-know inhabitant,”.

Puritan pastor Richard Baxter expresses the thought in these lines:
My knowledge of that life is small,
The eye of faith is dim,
But it’s enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with him.

To those who have learned to love and trust Jesus, the prospect of meeting him face to face and being with him forever is the hope that keeps us going, no matter what life may throw at us.

Jesus is coming SOON! We need to be ready!

Remember Jesus’s parable of the wise and foolish virgins:
Matthew 25:1-13 ¶ “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who
took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and
five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.
The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: `Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ “`No,’ they replied, `there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. `Sir! Sir!’ they said. `Open the door for us!’
“But he replied, `I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because
you do not know the day or the hour.

These were ALL people who were waiting for the bridegroom to arrive – ALL people who knew enough to be expecting the bridegroom – all people who knew they had been invited to the wedding!

The virgins who were locked outside because they weren’t ready were not people who hadn’t heard about the wedding – they were the people who HAD heard but STILL weren’t ready!!!

What does the oil represent? Faith? Holy Spirit? Christian Character?

Be ready:-
1. Ready to receive the Word & search the Scriptures? (Acts 17:11)
2. Ready to give the gospel? Rom 1:15
3. Ready for every good work? Titus 3:1
4. Ready to give an answer? 1 Pet 3:15
5. Ready to go where God leads? Luke 22:33
6. Ready to feed the flock? 1 Pet 5:2
7. Ready to die for Christ? Acts 21:13
8. Ready to be offered as a living sacrifice? 2 Tim 4:6
9. Ready for His coming? Matt 24:44; 25:10)

We Christians must be ready. We should live by the Boy Scouts motto – “Be prepared!”

Be ready – and STAY ready –

I love the story of a certain couple’s first date?
SHE was actually ready by the set time, dressed up and waiting patiently for HIM to turn up. However, by the time HE was an hour late, she reckoned that she had been stood up. So, she took off her makeup, and her posh clothes, cooked herself a dinner and sat down to watch the television with the dog. As her favorite show was just coming on, the doorbell rang. It was her date. He stared at her in amazement: “Here I am, two hours late, and you’re STILL not ready?”

Be ready! STAY ready! Game of “Hide and seek” – “Ready or not, here I come!”

Jesus said “The son of man will come as a thief in the night at the hour you least expect Him. Don’t let my return sneak up on you!!!”

COME TOGETHER – Is he coming for you???

He is coming for the ones who are watching and waiting! We should live every day today as we would if we knew for certain that Jesus was going to return tomorrow.

Put your hand up if you are looking forward to going to heaven.
Keep you hand up if you are ready to go to heaven tonight!

Philippians 1:21 ¶ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;

Life is too easy for us if we do not agree with Paul that going to heaven to be with Christ will be better by far. Heaven will be more wonderful than we can begin to imagine!

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Pictures of Heaven
“Where God is” – heaven is being WITH the Lord!

1 Corinthians 13:8-13
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

We know very little about heaven, somebody once described it as “an unknown region with a well-know inhabitant,” Richard Baxter expresses the thought in these lines:
Come, Lord, when grace has made me meet, Thy blessed face to see;
For if thy work on earth be sweet, What will thy glory be!
My knowledge of that life is small, The eye of faith is dim;
But ’tis enough that Christ knows all, And I shall be with him.

John 14:1-6
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.

I don’t know what it is about heaven that YOU are most looking forward to. But it should be the fact that we will be WITH Jesus in his glory.

Heaven is a Community – the celestial city

Revelation 21:1-6
1 ¶ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

We will be with God, God will be with us, AND we will be with each other.

“Heaven is the perfectly ordered and harmonious enjoyment of God and of one another in God”. Saint Augustine of Hippo (354–430)

Revelation 22:1-5
1 ¶ Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great
street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the
Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They
will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

A Celebration – a great banquet

Luke 14:15ff
15 ¶ When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

Wedding feast of the Lamb in Revelation 19:9 – the best party you’ve ever been to!

Isaiah 25:6-8
6 ¶ On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine- the best of meats and the finest of wines. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death for ever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.

Heaven will be filled with Worship

Revelation 7:9-12
9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm
branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 All the angels were standing round the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, 12 saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honour and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

Revelation 19:1-9
1 ¶ After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for true and just are his judgments. … 4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen, Hallelujah!” 5 ¶ Then a voice came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!” 6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

Becoming like Christ – In our Resurrection Life we will become like Christ

1 Corinthians 15:35-57
45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

Philippians 3:20-21
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

This is our glorious Christian hope

1 Peter 1:3-5
3 ¶ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade- kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

but this hope is only for Christians

Revelation 21:6 (and Paul says the same in Galatians 5:19f;)
7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practise magic arts, the idolaters and all liars- their place will be in
the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death.”

Revelation 21:26 The glory and honour of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Matthew 7:21f
21 “Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out
demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
A few questions people have asked about heaven:-
What happens before we get there?
Resurrection or Immortality? The Intermediate State?
Is the soul of man naturally and of itself immortal, or is there life after death only through resurrection which depends on a specific act by God? Our bodies will be raised to life when Christ returns (1 Cor 15). But do our spirits live on with God until then? The idea of an immortal soul as a “something” separate from our mortal bodies is not necessarily a Hebrew idea. The emphasis in the Bible is on resurrection of the whole person, not souls waiting around for resurrection bodies. This leads to another question.

Do believers go straight to heaven when they die, or must they wait for the resurrection of the dead at the Return of Christ? We must remember that life “after” death is not simply some chronological continuation of this life. Heaven is life in the presence of God and in His eternal Kingdom. Like God Himself, “eternal” life is not only everlasting but also more importantly outside all time as we know it. From the perspective of people who are still alive, it might appear that the body of a dead person is “asleep” and awaiting Christ’s Return (John 11:11; 1 Thess 4:18). But Jesus promised the repentant thief on the next cross “Today you will be with me in Paradise”. So the believer can be said to enter the presence of Christ immediately at death (Luke 23:43). We will not need to wait around “in limbo”. Christians who have died are already with Him.
What about families?
We will recognise each other in heaven, and family identity may continue, but the exclusive (and sexual) aspect of marriage will be a thing of the past in God’s new world where all relationships will be much deeper and more satisfying. (See Mark 12:24-27, “The dead will rise like angels”.) Those who long for heaven simply in order to be reunited with a loved one are really missing the point. Heaven will be the fulfilment of our relationship with Christ, not with other men and women.
What about children?
As Baptists we believe that baptism is only meaningful for believers who personally repent of their sins and put their trust in Christ as Saviour. We reject any idea of “baptismal regeneration”, that a tiny baby can move from death to life and become a member of the church just through infant baptism. But what then happens to babies and little children who die before they are old enough to believe for themselves?
The Bible teaches us that God knows us completely from the womb (Psalm 139:14-16). Jesus unconditionally welcomed little children (Mark 10:13-16). These passages give us great hope that God in his mercy will accept little ones until they are old enough to know Christ as Saviour personally.

So how should we live? “Set your hearts on things above …” (Colossians 3:1-4)
1 ¶ Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above,
not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Richard Baxter (1615-1691) wrote:
“Why are not our hearts continually set on heaven? Why dwell we not there in constant contemplation?…Bend thy soul to study eternity, busy thyself about the life to come, habituate thyself to such contemplations, and let not those thoughts be seldom and cursory, but bathe thyself in heaven’s delights.”
A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.
C. S. Lewis (1898–1963)

Aim at heaven and you get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither. CSLewis

The French author Moliere wrote, “We only die once, and for such a long time.”
Bertrand Russell said, “There is no splendour, no vastness anywhere. Only triviality for a moment, and then nothing.
Woody Allen said, “I’m not afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens!”

Jesus Christ said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” John 11:25f.

Is There Life after Death?
Death is the ultimate statistic – one out of one die! Death is the most democratic experience of life – we all participate in it. Death is the one reality all men face, until Jesus Christ returns. For some, death is the end of all hope. But for Christians, the idea that life continues after physical death is not merely wishful thinking, but a happy certainty based on Scriptural evidence.

The resurrection of Jesus means victory over death, and we share in it!

1 Corinthians 15:17-23 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

36-38 What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.

42-44 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

53-55 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

The words of the Risen Jesus Christ to the apostle John in Revelation 1:17-18:
“Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Christians enjoy a relationship with God which even death cannot destroy.

Psalm 16:9-11 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will
rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your
Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor
demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 6:35-40, Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.
39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 14:1-6 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Christian Attitude to Death
So the Christian attitude to death is very different to that of others. Paul wrote, “We do not want you to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.” (1 Thess 4:13). For Christians, death is not a hopeless end, but and endless hope!

There is still of course a place for sorrow at death. At the grave of Lazarus Jesus wept and the people said, “See how much he loved him!” (John 11:35-36) Yet Christian grieving will be different, for in Christ we have a hope which looks beyond bodily death to eternity. Death no longer produces fear (Hebrews 2:14-15) because death poses no threat to our relationship with Christ. Rather, death is the doorway through which we must pass to enter into the immediate presence of the Lord we love and Who loves us, and into our eternal home.

2 Corinthians 4:18-5:5 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us
the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

So we have the Holy Spirit living inside us as the first instalment of heaven, guaranteeing our inheritance.

Our death day will actually be a BIRTH day. We have those encouraging words of D.L.Moody. “Some day you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody is dead. Don’t you believe it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I’ve ever been!”

In Knowing God Jim Packer wrote, “Death is truly a door to more instead of less, a plus instead of a minus, an increase instead of a decrease, a filling instead of an emptying.”

Is there any contact between the dead and this world?
Out of grief or curiosity, men throughout the ages have tried to make contact with those who have already died, using many ways including spiritualism (spiritism), mediums, séances, ouija boards, magic, witchcraft, clairvoyance, fortune-telling and automatic writing. ALL SUCH attempts to communicate with the dead (like all occult practices) are explicitly forbidden and condemned by God in Scripture

Deuteronomy 18:9-12; When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no-one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practises divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.

Attempts to contact the dead carried the death penalty in Israel, and cost Saul his life (1 Samuel 28 and 1 Chronicles 10:13). Contact with “the other side” is highly unlikely to be genuine. All attempts involve a real danger of contact with the demonic. Anyone who has dabbled in such things or has experiences of spiritism is strongly advised to seek the help of a Minister. Spiritualism is a lie and the false hopes it gives its followers are cruel lies.

But what about “them up there”? Are our late lamented loved ones looking down on us cheering us on? Does the communion of the saints mean that the saints in heaven can see and hear us and occasionally slip us words of encouragement and comfort.

Some people understand Hebrews 12:1 that way. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
But the word “witnesses” here does not mean the saints watching from on high witnessing what we are doing. It means those believers throughout history whose lives of faith are a witness to us of God’s faithfulness.

There is NO contact between this world and the next, in either direction. That’s the way God has said it should be. And God knows best!
But won’t we get a “Second Chance”??
Some people like to hope that God is so loving that He will offer a “second chance” to repent after death for any who reject Him in this life. This hope is unbiblical – it is a false hope!

Three passages in 1 and 2 Peter and Jude seem to hint at a second chance. To understand them properly you also have to look at their background in the apocryphal book of 1 Enoch. The passage about Christ preaching to “spirits in prison” in 1 Peter 3 offers no hope of a “second chance” for men since it clearly refers to Christ proclaming the victory of His cross amongst imprisoned evil spirits awaiting judgement, not to people at all. These passages do not teach either “the harrowing of hell” or the idea of purgatory as a “celestial waiting room.”

Our eternal destiny is fixed in this life only. Death is followed by irrevocable judgement

Hebrews 9:27 tells us that “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”

The whole point of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 is to warn us that our eternal destiny determined by our actions in this life.
“But Abraham replied, `Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in
agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

The Bible offers us no grounds for a second chance. For each man and woman and child, the moment of death seals our eternal destiny.
For Christians death holds no terrors. “Jesus lives, henceforth is death but the gate to life immortal.” So be comforted!
But remember too friends who don’t know Jesus, who aren’t saved yet. If we really love them we will do all that we can t help them to make sure that they are ready for eternity. Because each of us have this life and this life only to make sure we are ready to meet our Maker.