Is There A Second Chance After The Lord Has Come?

Table of Contents

1. Is There a Second Chance After the Lord Has Come?

Is There a Second Chance After the Lord Has Come?

Will those who have rejected or neglected God's great salvation offered in the gospel of the grace of God, have the opportunity to be saved after the Lord has come and taken all the saved ones to heaven? In order to answer this question we will begin by quoting some verses from the Bible.
"And they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying. Lord, Lord, open to us. But He answered and said. Verily I say unto you. I know you not." Matt. 25:10-12.
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. 2:11,12.
"For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of My supper." Luke 14:24.
"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" Heb. 2:3.
When the Lord Jesus died on the cross bearing our sins in His own body on the tree ( 1 Peter 2:24) the work of redemption was gloriously completed, "For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." Heb. 10.14. He told His disciples that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His Name among all nations (Luke 24:47). The disciples went out with that glorious message and many believed and were saved. This message of salvation and pardon is still going out to "Whosoever will." In the Bible it is called "the gospel of the grace of God" which Paul preached (Acts 20:25) and with it the truth of the church of God. Paul also preached the kingdom of God, for one must be born again to enter it (John 3:3,5) but this is not the -gospel of the kingdom." The gospel of the kingdom is the announcement of a future time when His kingdom will be established on earth in power (see Matt. 24:14).
When the Lord Jesus comes for His own, as we are told in 1 Thess. 4:16,17, He will then take all the saved ones to heaven. He will descend from heaven with a shout and all those who have died in faith will come forth from their graves and all living believers will rise together to meet the Lord in the air to be forever with Him in heaven. The gospel of the grace of God will then no longer be preached, and the door will be shut for all those who have refused or neglected this wonderful offer of salvation (Matt. 25:10-12). They will ALL come under the strong delusion spoken of in 2 Thess. 2:11,12 and will be eternally lost.
The "gospel of the kingdom" (Matt. 25:10-12) will then be preached among all nations, announcing that the Lord Jesus is going to set up His kingdom on earth and that the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ: and He shall reign forever and ever" (Rev. 11:15). This message will be preached by those from the nation of Israel, God's earthly people, raised up as from the dead (spiritually dead, see Ezek. 37:11-14, Rom. 11:15) and they are spoken of as the godly remnant." (Rom. 9:27). This remnant, who have never rejected the gospel of the grace of God, will be used of God to preach the gospel of the kingdom in all the world (Matt. 24:14)during the seven year period spoke of as "the tribulation" (Matt. 24:21) telling of how the Lord Jesus will come out of heaven with those who have been previously caught up in the air to their heavenly home (1 Thess. 4:16,17), for then He will come down to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31) and set up His earthly kingdom in Jerusalem (Zech. 14:1-9, Isa. 32:1). A great number of people from all the nation of Israel (the twelve tribes) and also a great company of Gentiles who have not heard and refused the gospel of the grace of God will believe this gospel of the kingdom and will be given a place in this earthly kingdom. This is clearly brought out before us in Rev. 7 which tells us who will be blessed in the earthly kingdom.
The Bible makes it very clear that there are two places of glory and blessing in a coming day, heavenly and earthly, as we read in Eph. 1:10, which is sometimes called the key verse to understanding the purposes and ways of God. "That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him".
The real purpose of this little paper is to show that if anyone who is still refusing God's offer of salvation presented to "whosoever will" in the gospel of the grace of God, such persons will not be given the opportunity of receiving the gospel of the kingdom after the Lord has come and taken all the saved ones to heaven. The Bible uses very clear and emphatic warnings telling us that "the door was shut," that "none of those men which were bidden shall taste of My supper," that all those who believed not the truth of the gospel would come under "a strong delusion" and "believe a lie that they all might be damned who believed not the truth". We also read that "none of those men which were bidden shall taste of My supper," and last of all there is no escape for those who may not have rejected God's gracious offer of salvation, but have neglected until it was too late.
Perhaps it would be helpful here to speak about what the Bible calls "the everlasting gospel". The gospel of the grace of God tells us of God's provision for our salvation and the solemn consequences of refusing His gracious provision—His great salvation.
The "everlasting gospel" mentioned in Rev. 14:6 is God's testimony at all times of His greatness, power and goodness to man, and man's responsibility to His Creator (see Psalm19:1-6, Prov. 8:22-31, Acts 14:15-17, also 17:25-27, Rom. 1:19,20). It is not a message of salvation like the gospel of the grace of God, but it should cause men and women to acknowledge their Creator to whom we must give an account.
We would say to anyone reading this paper that you are responsible to your Creator. "Remember now thy Creator in the days of they youth." (Eccl. 12:1). If you have heard and are refusing God's gracious plan for your salvation now, it will be too late when the door is shut at the Lord's coming.
We would press this verse upon you, "Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart" Heb. 3:15. Do not be deceived by those who may tell you that if you refuse or neglect God's gracious offer now, you can accept the gospel of the kingdom after the Lord has taken all the saved ones to heaven. This is a lie and a delusion, for the door of salvation will be closed when the Lord calls His own to heaven to all those who have heard and neglected or rejected the gospel of the grace of God which is now being preached to all.
"Come for angel hosts are musing
O'er this sight so strangely sad
God beseeching, man refusing
To be made forever glad. "
Back to top