“That awful day will surely come,

         The appointed hour makes haste,

                  When I must stand before my Judge,

                           And pass the solemn test!”

THE BIBLE TELLS US that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was for the purpose of Him being “Lord both of the dead and living” (Romans 14:9). The very next verse says, “...we shall ALL stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (v. 10). Not only this, but verse 11 declares, “...every knee shall bow to me (Jesus), and every tongue shall confess to God.” This latter verse is NOT speaking about Universalism which teaches “All will be saved,” but it tells us that ALL will finally confess Jesus’ Lordship sooner or later—some for salvation, and most to damnation!

     Verse 12 plainly says, “EVERY ONE of us shall give account of himself to God.” You and I, we, all of us will give an account of our lives to our Creator. NO ONE escapes this. Don’t you think it is better to give your life to God now? Why wait, my dear perishing sinner? It is appointed unto a man once to die, and then comes the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). It is a solemn, terrifying thing to die unsaved. To die in one’s sin is DREADFUL! Jesus died in our place—we can escape Hellfire through Him! If we but call upon His name, repent of (turn from) our sins, and by faith, enter into His glorious Kingdom of Life and Light, we can be eternally saved from Hell.

     I fear that in this generation of gross, widespread apostasy, even the Christians are facing the awful wrath of God, for they have forsaken their first love and have gone a whoring after the gods/goddesses of this perverse, dark age. “But, General Jim,” you reply, “look at all the bearutiful churches and great ministries men have built! Surely they can’t be that bad off!” I’m aware of all the beautiful buildings and great religious exercises and sacrifices being done in this hour, but I am also very aware of all the hypocrisy and sinfulness among the “religious.”

     The Lord got hold of this one man, a fund-raiser for a “beautiful church,” and re-saved him. This man said the following about his “giving”: “O, Lord, (12) years ago we built this house. We poured out our money freely and constructed this beautiful edifice. These fine pews have been sepulchres to the dead, and these fine cushions the habiliments of our graves. We have had good preaching, but we AWOKE NOT! O, Lord, you know how helpless and hopless was our deplorable state. But during these (revival) meetings, the voice of the Son of God has awakened the DEAD!, and they have come forth a great army, and are on the march for the conquest of souls for you. Now we are glad that we put our money into this beautiful building, and that at last you have accepted this our offering, and we will trust you henceforth to make this house of thine abode, for Christ’s sake. Amen!”

     Dear ones, we ought to pray for more real awakenings among the “religious DEAD”! It is a gross shame to see the churches, especially here in the West, go to the Devil! Being dead, the so-called Christians cannot enliven anyone. How can the “religious DEAD” raise the “non-religious DEAD”? People need to COME OUT of the DEAD CHURCH SYSTEMS OF MEN and get AGGRESSIVELY REVOLUTIONARY for Christ Jesus! I think a lot of these folks joining these great big beautiful churches today have never been born again—they are just “religious,” not righteous.

     Churches in this hour are full of unregenerates and backsliders, all thinking they will not give an account to God. So we have a “developed religion” whereby the spiritually DEAD unregenerate/apostate expects Heaven while living like HELL! To make things worse, today’s apostate backslides unashamedly and deliberately. Surely the flames of HELLFIRE will be justified in consuming such a one!

     The Lord is so merciful. God has declared, in the most intensely solemn, unequivocal manner, “As I live, saith the LORD God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11). Elsewhere in Ezekiel, the Lord again declares, “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?” (18:23). Verse 32 of chapter 18 says, “For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.” How much plainer can the Word of the Lord God be?

     Why does God plead with His backslidding people? Because He knows that their eternal end will be HELLFIRE, the dreadful second death. But we in this “dispensation of grace” are more guilty and in graver danger of Hellfire, for we have direct access to God’s Son who tasted death for all of us: “...by the grace of God, hath tasted death for every man.” What for? Did He make a “mock provision” for such as were really just reprobated (sealed) unto eternal death? NO, many are called, but few are chosen—because the many REFUSED His invitation to salvation!

     Does God call a few special “elite ones” and despise the multitudes? Not at all! God calls the many (ALL) and proclaims to them the good tidings of salvation—not deceitfully, but honestly; not to mock their refusal and “aggravate their bondage under chains of inexorable fate,” as it has been said. Men are the ones who REFUSE His loving call to BE SAVED FROM HELL!

     His call to the “dead” sinner is that the sinner will willingly receive eternal life. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19).