THERE are three great meetings about to take place soon. I wonder at which of them you will find your place, my reader?
Countless Gospel meetings have been held these last eighteen hundred years; and millions of poor, perishing, guilty souls have repented of their sins, have been washed in the blood of Jesus, and enrolled amongst the redeemed, who shall join in the great hallelujah chorus in the glory of God.
In the Lord's days on earth, publicans and harlots entered into the kingdom of God, while the religious people shut themselves out by refusing the Saviour; and we find it still the same.
Drunkards, harlots, thieves, hypocrites, empty professors or infidels, any or all may come to Jesus now, and c. Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out," said the blessed Lord, and He is still the same (John 6:3737All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37)). Educated people who know the languages, or ignorant people who know not their letters, all alike need Jesus, and all alike may have aim; while all alike will be damned forever, if they refuse Him, for" God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:3434Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: (Acts 10:34)).
What madness for people to set up their own thoughts in opposition to God's Word! He hath said, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature; he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; and he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15, 1615And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:15‑16)). And remember, —" God is not a man that he should lie; neither the son of man that he should repent hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Num. 23:1919God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? (Numbers 23:19)).
There is one course open, and one only, for the Christless soul to escape the wrath of God, and that is, "Repent ye, and believe the Gospel.” Judge and condemn yourself for all your sinful and Christless life, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to save sinners, but who is now on the throne in glory, the proof His work is done. Any person may attend Gospel meetings now, and hear the good news of salvation by faith in Christ. But remember Gospel meetings will soon be past! Reader, take care, and trifle not with your soul, lest you miss salvation and perish forever.
The first of the three great coming meetings is an open-air one; but only certain persons will be there. If you would like to read the account of it, before it takes place, turn to 1 Thess. 4:13-1813But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13‑18).
Who will be at it? Every blood-bought, blood washed sinner, from Abel down to the last saint before the Lord comes; and no one else. No! none but the saints will be there.
The Lord Jesus has been here once, and offered Himself as a sacrifice for His people's sins; and by that sacrifice has put their sins away forever. Nov, as the result of that wonderful work, they have no more conscience of sins, and God has no more remembrance of their sins. How blessed to look up into those opened heavens and see Him seated, as the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us four times over! And why? Because He has perfectly glorified God about the whole question of sin, and permanently put away the believer's sins. Just read Heb. 1:1-3; 8:1; 10:12-18,1God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Hebrews 1:1‑3)
1Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; (Hebrews 8:1)
12But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 13From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. 14For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. 15Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, 16This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; 17And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. 18Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. (Hebrews 10:12‑18) and 12:1-3.
The moment He descends, all the saints will rise.
The cemeteries, graveyards, and sea shall yield up their bodies. The living saints, also, "shall be changed," and "caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Reader! will you be amongst that happy throng that shall rise to meet their Lord, and thus have part in that grand open-air meeting? or will you be left behind? It will be terrible to be left. All the Gospel-hearers who have been Gospel-rejecters will be damned (2 Thess. 2:11, 1211And 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 2:11‑12)).
Perhaps you reply, — "I don't believe it; and if it be true, I suppose I shall not be there." Well, then, let me tell you of a meeting you will be at— the prayer-meeting.
Probably you care little for prayer-meetings now, considering yourself too manly to pray. Ah! remember you will pray. If not before, you will when the door is shut, and the saints are inside with the Master of the house, and you are outside knocking for admittance. Then you will pray, and pray earnestly too. "Lord, Lord, open to us!” Alas! alas! the only answer for you then will be,— "I know you not" (Matt. 25;10-12). Too late! too late! too late!
There is another prayer-meeting spoken of in Rev, 6:15-17. Just look at the persons who will be there. "The kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the chief captains, the mighty men, the bondmen and the freemen!' These are the persons. Now notice what they do. “They hid themselves in dens, and in the rocks of the mountains." Now listen to their prayer. They say to the mountains and rocks, " Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand.”
If you look at Luke 16, you will read the prayer of a rich man in hell—one who possibly never prayed much on earth. “He lifted up his eyes in hell, and said, Father Abraham, send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame." Alas he was too late, and his prayer was not answered. Beware, sinner! lest you put off the salvation of your soul till some convenient season which may never come, and find yourself at last not at the grand open-air meeting, but at the awful prayer-meeting, where all your prayers will be in vain.
Thank God there is another meeting, and the heart of the saint longs for it. It is the worship meeting, when all the redeemed shall cluster round the Lamb, and ascribe “blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, unto him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb forever and ever," awl fall down and worship " (Rev. 5).
Ah: many of the Lord's dear people have given Him very little praise and worship here. How worldly they have been! How occupied with themselves and their own blessings-always seeking something for themselves, and having little or nothing to give to the Blesser. But there all will be changed, and the blessed Lord shall have full praise. All evil will be banished; the saints will be there in bodies of glory like Christ's, and there will be nothing to hinder the outflowings of full hearts throughout eternity.
Often here, when worshipping the Lord, we are recalled to the fact that this is earth still, and our various duties claim our attention. But, thank God, there will be no clock there, to tell us of time, and remind us we must part. No, it will be an eternity of blissful worship, as we bow before that One who alone is worthy of it all.
Now, my reader, which meeting will you be at? The open-air and the worship meting? or will you be at the prayer-meeting? Oh I beseech you, ere it be too late, throw aside your empty form of religion, and receive eternal life as the gilt of God (Rom. 6:2222But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (Romans 6:22)). Accept Christ as your own personal Saviour, then live for Him here in the power of an ungrieved Holy Spirit, as you will live with, Him there, and worship Him forever and ever.
W. E.