“…As it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Hebrews 9:27-28

Every man, woman, and child who has ever lived, is living, or ever shall live, will ultimately keep two appointments. The first is an appointment with death: your days are numbered. Before you were even formed in your mother’s womb, God saw you, and the days God had fashioned for you were written in His book. Psalms 139:16 You won’t stay here one minute longer then God has planned, and you won’t leave one minute before God is ready for you to go.

After death, comes the second appointment: judgment. To fix the time of this judgment is unnecessary; to fix the place of this judgment is unnecessary—fix it in your mind: it’s going to take place. This judgment will be for all whose names are not written in the Lambs book of life. They will all arise to stand in judgment.

Jesus warned the Jews about the judgment day:

“The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.” Luke 11:31-32

Revelation 20 describes what that judgment day will look like:

“I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15

Notice who the sea gave up; notice who Death and Hades gave up; notice who’s standing before the great white throne: the dead. Only the dead will be brought before the great white throne on that awful, fearful judgment day. On that day, there will only be two groups of people: those who died without Christ, and those who died in Christ. For those who die without Christ, a fiery, everlasting separation from the God and Christ they wanted nothing to do with here on earth: it was their choice.

Those who die in Christ are those who believe in Jesus Christ; who believe that He died once for all; that in His death, and by His blood, all our sins are washed away, and we are made to be righteous before God in Him. Christ has given two great and precious promises to all who believe in Him.

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though He may die, He shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” John 5:24

Here is the blessed appointment every believer in Christ will keep, because Jesus Christ has promised to get us there:

“…Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready,” Revelation 19:6-8

The marriage supper of the Lamb and His church: the appointment of the ages for all who believe in Jesus!

Brother Bill is a Bible teacher and can be contacted at bboldham@sbcglobal.net