God usually warns before He judges. Scripture is full of instances: Sodom was visited by two heavenly messengers the day before the fire of God consumed it (Gen. 19).
Pharaoh had warnings in abundance long before his final doom. Even at the last moment, his chariot wheels came off before he “sank as lead in the mighty waters” (Ex. 15:10).
Belshazzar, the wicked Chaldean monarch, had his warning written before his eyes by the “fingers of a man’s hand” and from the lips of Daniel: “God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it,” hours before the enemy gained entrance to the city. Yet “in that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain” (Dan. 5:5, 26,30).
Judas got his warning when the Lord said, “One of you shall betray Me.” He ignored the message and went “to his own place” (John 13:21; Acts 1:25).
Pilate was well and wisely-warned when, even on the judgment seat, he received the message from his wife: “Have thou nothing to do with that just man” (Matt. 27:19). Disregarding it, he signed the Lord’s death warrant-and perhaps his own at the same moment of time.
How different might have been the end, for time and eternity, of all these men, had God’s warning been accepted, His message believed and His mercy sought-had repentance and self-judgment taken the place of unbelief and indifference.
The five words at the head of this article are quoted from Jer. 28:16 and were God’s warning to a man named Hananiah. He was a lying prophet. He was not sent by God, but he prophesied lies in His name.
The word of the Lord came to Hananiah: “Hear now, Hananiah; the Lord hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die because thou hast taught rebellion against the Lord. So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month” (Jer. 28:15-17).
It was in the fifth month of the year that Hananiah spoke his false prophecy and got his warning: “This year thou shalt die,” and “Hananiah the prophet died the same year, in the seventh month.” This is God’s record of what took place; His Word always comes true.
Have you ever thought that God may have spoken thus to you: “This year thou shalt die”? Are you ready to die? Are you prepared to meet God? Are your sins all washed away?
Probably you will say, “How do you know I shall die this year?”
I do not know it, nor suggest it, but God knows, and if your days on earth are numbered, where will you spend eternity? You will be in heaven or hell. There is no third place. The theory of annihilation is a lie of the devil to get men to go on in utter carelessness until it is too late.
For anyone to continue in his or her sins unrepentant, unforgiven, unsaved-when God is still calling everyone, is foolish beyond measure!
“O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!” Deut. 32:29