THE GREAT
SEPARATION
JESUS TAUGHT THAT THERE WILL BE
A GREAT SEPARATION
Jesus clearly definitely and repeated
declared that a time is coming when "before Him shall be
gathered the nations of the world and He shall separate them
as a shepherd divideth the sheep from the goats." Their
destiny? "These shall go into everlasting punishment but the
righteous into Life Eternal" (Matt 25).
Beyond all questions, two classes shall
go in opposite directions when God's eternal justice is
melted out. The great question is not when or how this will
take place, but which side am I on now, and which side will
I be on when this great separation comes?
Let us look at how often the Lord Jesus
repeated the fact of this separation.
He said, "The hour is coming when all
that are in the graves shall hear His Voice and shall come
forth; They that have done good unto the resurrection of
Life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of
damnation" (John 5:28-29)
Hear His Words, "Woe unto thee Chorazin
and, woe to thee Bethsaida, for if the mighty works which
were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would
have repented long ago in sack-cloth and ashes. But I say
unto you it shall before tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the
Day of judgment than for you." "And thou Capernaum, it shall
be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of
Judgment than for thee." Jesus said. "The men of Ninevah
shall rise in Judgment--The queen of the South shall rise up
in the judgment (Matt 11 and 12).
Also "Every idle word that men shall
speak they shall give account thereof in the Day of
Judgment" (Matt. 12:36)
In interpreting "the parable of the
tares," Jesus said, "In the end of this world, the Son of
Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out
of His Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do
iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There
shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the
righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their
Father" (Matt. 13:41-43).
Note again how Christ explains the
parable of the net and fishes. "At the end of the world, the
angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the
just; and shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt
13:49-50).
From the words of the Son of God, we know
there will be a separation of the "just" and the
"wicked"--the--"righteous" and the "unrighteous"-the "good"
and the "bad" and that separation will effect every mortal
who ever traveled the short road from birth to death on this
earth.
FROM THE STATEMENTS OF CHRIST. IT IS ALSO
ESTABLISHED THAT THE WICKED WILL GO INTO HELL, AND THE
RIGHTEOUS INTO HEAVEN.
Now since the scriptures declare that all
have sinned and since this is also proven by universal human
experience, the question which follows logically is, "How
can the wicked person become righteous?" or "How can the
sinner become a saint?" "How can the bad be made good,
before it is too late? The answer to these questions is
found in true and genuine repentance and in faith in
Christ.
Jesus said it is by faith, i.e.,
"Whosoever believeth on Him hath everlasting life." But with
equal emphasis, Jesus taught that repentance is essential to
genuine, saving faith. For the every first words of Christ's
own preaching were, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at
hand" (Matthew 4:17).
Likewise He instructed all His disciples,
for we read that the disciples "went out and preached that
men should repent" (Mark 6:12).
Jesus repeatedly emphasized, "Except ye
repent ye shall perish," and "there is joy in the presence
of the angels over one sinner that repenteth."
In the presence of most church members
there is joy when a man or woman joins the church, but the
angels rejoice only when he or she repents of sin. Are the
angels blind? Or are the pastors and church members blind
who do not require genuine repentance?
Jesus closed His ministry with a final
emphasis on repentance in the words, "It behooved Christ to
suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, that
repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His
Name, among all nations" (Luke 24:46).
Anyone who loves Christ, and who really
knows what He taught about repentance, cannot help feeling
horrified by the modern spectacle of multitudes being
exhorted to "believe on Christ" without any clear
instructions concerning repentance.
Of course the "father of lies" is
delighted by this procedure which in Heaven's sight is
merely turning sinners into hypocrites!
Certainly those who have joined the
churches without repentance are not on their way to Heaven,
for Jesus said, "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord
shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven but He that doeth the will
of My Father which is in Heaven." (Matt 7:21).
When Jesus was "in the days of His flesh"
He constantly instructed His disciples as they followed Him.
Then on the night of His crucifixion He gathered them around
Him in the upper room. There, He not only established the
Lord's supper for our observance, but emphasized again the
spiritual cleansing which Heaven requires of all the
Redeemed.
In deepest humility He girded Himself
with a towel and began to wash the disciples' feet. Peter
drew back in amazement, exclaiming, "Lord, doest Thou wash
my feet? (John 13:6). Christ, in replying made a statement
which is Eternally vital to every believer. If I wash thee
not thou hast no part with Me" (John 13:8).
Lest they should think He was merely
concerned with the Judean dust on their sandaled feet. He
hastened to explain, "He that is washed needeth not but to
was his feet, but is clean every whit. And ye are clean, but
not all. For He knew who should betray Him. Therefore He
said, "Ye are not all clean" (John 13:11).
Thus Jesus explained that He was not
talking about the dust from the road, but was stressing the
need for being cleansed from the domination of demons such
as swarmed around Judas, and such as direct the actions of
everyone who sins, For let us remember, "Every one that
sinneth is a slave (John 8:34---Century
Translation).
When Jesus said, "If I wash thee not thou
hast no part with Me. He was placing a final emphasis on the
fact that true repentance from all sin, or saying "No!" to
the devil is essential to the salvation of our immortal
souls.
This same thought is re-emphasized again
in the prayer of Christ (John 17:16). "They are not of the
world even as I am not of the world." (In verse 20, Christ
explains that this applies to all believers).
What could He mean but that real
Christians are not dominated by evil forces--they are not
slaves to the Satanic power which impels to sin. "My sheep
follow Me", said Christ, "and a stranger will they not
follow" (John 10:5).
If like Peter under terrific pressure
they swerve and deny their Lord: like Peter, they will also
hasten to repent in bitter tears and they follow him as
Peter did until they see His face; for history tells us that
through Peter's determined loyalty to Christ, He was finally
crucified with his head downward.
The true sheep of Christ are ever
encouraged by their Shepherd's words, "To him that
overcometh will I give to sit with me upon my throne". And
above all, they cherish to hear the Master say, "Well done
thou good and faithful servant;... enter thou into the joy
of thy Lord" (Matt 25:21).
The true servants of Christ seek a city
that is made without hands, "whose builder and maker is God"
where there is no need of the sun to shine by day, for the
Lamb of God is the Light thereof; nor the moon by night, for
there is no night: and where God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain,
for the former things are passed away; and where ages on
ages they will serve the Father, and delight in the glories
of His creation. There they will rejoice in knowing Him as
our Savior knew Him, while He walked on earth. They now
eagerly look forward to the Eternal Day of divine joy in
which to worship and love and exalt the Savior Who hath
redeemed us, by His own blood, from the clutches of all the
infernal powers of Hell! Praise be to Him through endless
ages!!!
"THE UNPARDONABLE SIN"
Because confusing interpretations are
given about "the unpardonable sin" or "blaspheming against
the Holy Ghost", we pause to remark that wherever Christ
speaks of an unforgivable sin, in the context of that same
passage, a definite case illustrates exactly what he means.
In each case false religious leaders had accused the Son of
God of casting out demons by Satan's power. Therefore,
unless he has done exactly this, no one has scriptural
grounds for believing he has committed the unpardonable sin
of which Christ spoke.
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