Who Will Be Taken to Meet the Lord, and Who Will Be Left? Part 2

 •  5 min. read  •  grade level: 5
 
Part 2.
But are there not many who even profess to be ministers or servants of the Lord Jesus who do not look for His return? There are, and we will now turn to the words of the Lord to such,
“If that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth His coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. 24:48-5148But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:48‑51)).
Thus, to say even in the heart, “My Lord delayeth His coming,” and not to look for the Lord Jesus, is given by the Lord as a mark of the evil servant – that he is not a Christian at all – and when Jesus comes in the air, he will not be taken, but left behind for judgment. This brings us to the striking parable of the ten virgins, which parable brings our subject to such an issue.
In the beginning all go out to meet the bridegroom, wise and foolish. Those who have oil, and those who have none; those who were saved, and those who were not. For the oil is the figure of the Spirit; and if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. Such was Christianity in the beginning. All took that profession, whether true or false, to look for, and wait for, the Bridegroom from heaven – not Christ as Judge to them, but as Bridegroom. We have seen this everywhere in the epistles. While Christ tarried, they all slumbered and slept. Now, in these days, the very midnight of forgetfulness of Him, the cry has gone forth,
“Behold the Bridegroom, go ye out to meet Him.”
These words are being fulfilled at this very moment. The Holy Spirit is presenting the person of Christ, the loving Bridegroom; and the Spirit is moving Christians to go out and meet Christ. Sad indeed that we should have to go out again from that world that crucified and still hates our Lord. Are you being thus moved to meet the Lord? or do you say, Nay, I am not sure that I have oil in the vessel? Take care how you delay. Mark how suddenly and unexpectedly to those who have no oil, He comes, and the door is shut.
“And they that were ready went in with Him... and the door was shut.” Then how sad the cry,
“Lord, Lord, open unto us.” And, O, those words from Him,
“Verily, I say unto you, I know you not.”
Do you notice that these very persons were not only professors, but those who got mixed up with the movement, they, in a half sleepy way, arose and trimmed their lamps.
Is this your condition? Are you ready to meet the Lord? Have you believed God? Have you come to Him, owning your sins in self-judgment? Have you the Holy Spirit dwelling in you? O, think of those mere professors being shut out at last!
Neither will it do to rest on religious activities; you may be doing great things according to human thoughts – greatly praised by your fellowmen; you may be said to have done great good in your day; and yet lost forever – left behind for judgment. O, how many will find themselves deceived when it is forever too late! Jesus says,
“Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy Name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me ye who work iniquity.” (Matt. 7:22-2322Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:22‑23)).
How few think of these words of Jesus! Yet it will surely be so. Not a few, but many, will thus be rejected. We are assured all will be left, and given over to strong delusion, who do not receive the truth of the person and work of Christ.
We will now, in conclusion, just point out those scriptures which prove this,
Thus all believers have been taken to be with the Lord; and when He appears in glory and for judgment, He shall be seen and admired in all them that believe. This is very blessed, and takes in every one on earth who has received the truth.
But in the next chapter, the doom of every soul who has heard the gospel, and rejected it, is equally certain.
“Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thess. 2:10-1210And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:10‑12)).
Thus it is most certain that all, without a single exception, who have been chosen to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth, will be caught up to meet the Lord; and that the “they” who say “peace and safety,” when sudden destruction cometh, will be all those who have not received the truth. How solemn this is; and we know not the moment when He shall come to take us to be with Himself.
Beloved reader, are you ready? Can you say,