Monthly Archives: April 2025

BIBLE QUESTIONS, SALVATION

IF GOD FORGIVES SIN, WHY IS THERE A JUDGMENT DAY? — BOB PRICHARD

One of the most arresting thoughts that any of us will ever have is that someday we must all stand before the judgment seat of God. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Jesus warned the city of Capernaum “If the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.  But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee” (Matthew 11:23-24). Truly it will be an awful experience to stand unprepared before the throne of God on the day of judgment.

The key to preparation for the day of judgment is to obey the gospel of Christ and receive the forgiveness of sins. Peter told the multitude gathered in Jerusalem for Pentecost, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission [forgiveness] of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41).

For those who have received the forgiveness of sins, there is no fear of standing before the judgment seat of God. Matthew 25 depicts the great judgment scene, with all nations gathered before the throne, with the sheep separated from the goats. The sheep, those who have done God’s will, receive the Lord’s commendation, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). The goats, those who have not done God’s will, hear the sad words, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

John also saw the judgment scene. “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works” (Revelation 20:12-13). Each one is judged as to whether his name is in the book of life, and according to what the other books (probably the books of scripture) say about their obedience to the will of God.

When we picture judgment day in our minds, we frequently think of it as a trial, where our good works are balanced against our bad. A more accurate picture of judgment day, however, is that it is a day of final sentencing for those who in life decided their own eternal destiny. Those who obey the gospel of Christ and receive the forgiveness of sin will one day hear the wonderful words, “Come, ye blessed of my Father” (Matthew 25:34), while those who do not obey God will receive the sentence, “Depart from me” (Matthew 25:41).

ACTS, BIBLE QUESTIONS, CHRISTIAN LIVING, SALVATION

WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN? — BOB PRICHARD

The prophet Isaiah looked to the coming Messianic age and said, “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name” (Isaiah 62:1-2). “Christian” is that new name God promised to his people. After the gospel had spread from the Jewish world to the Gentile world as well, the church in Antioch took a lead in mission efforts. Because of this “the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).  

The name of “Christian,” found only three times in the New Testament, is a descriptive name that conveys the idea of association and ownership, that the Christian belongs to and associates with Christ. Peter said, “if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf” (1 Peter 4:16). “Christian” is a name to be treasured, even if it means suffering and death. The Christian belongs to Christ and wants to serve  Him.

As Paul pleaded for Agrippa to follow Christ, Agrippa replied, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian” (Acts 26:28). If Agrippa had been altogether persuaded “to be a Christian,” he would have become a child of God, a member of the Lord’s church, and one born again of the water and the Spirit (John 3:3-5).

Several names, including “the church” described the disciples or followers of Christ before they were called Christians. Luke writes of the believers in Jerusalem that “the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47). Thus those who had obeyed Peter’s command of Acts 2:38, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,” were the saved, and members of the church. Paul reminded the Romans what they had done to become Christians. “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Romans 6:3-6).

As he described his conversion, Paul said of the church, “I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women” (Acts 22:4). Paul was persecuting people who knew that being a Christian was a way of life. As he told the Romans, “our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Romans 6:6). The Christian, who has become a “new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17) no longer serves sin, but serves Christ. A Christian has obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ, and lives for Him daily.

BIBLE QUESTIONS

WERE CHRIST AND THE APOSTLES MISTAKEN ABOUT HIS RETURN? — BOB PRICHARD

The Lord’s second coming is one of the most often discussed subjects in the New Testament, teaching Christians to eagerly anticipate that return. In the very last section of scripture, the Lord says, “Surely I come quickly” (Revelation 22:20). Paul exhorted, “Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand” (Romans 13:11-12). James adds, “Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:8). Hearing these words, no doubt many Christians of the first century probably expected the Lord to return immediately. 

Balanced with these and similar passages, however, is the Lord’s assertion that “of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:36-39). No one knows when He will return, and thus all should be prepared. Paul gave this warning: “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3). How could Paul and Christ so clearly state that no one will know the time of the second coming, if they thought it would be “soon”?

The scriptures thus present the second coming as always imminent [about to happen], but also distant. People have always had difficulty understanding this. Luke tells us that Jesus told a parable of a nobleman giving ten pounds to ten servants, even as he went into a far country “to receive a kingdom,” because “he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear” (Luke 19:11-13). The Christian must always “watch and be sober” because the Lord may return any time (1 Thessalonians 5:6), but He may also delay His coming.

While “quickly,” or “at hand” may imply something is to occur in a brief period of time, these terms do not always mean this. When Jesus said “Surely I come quickly” (Revelation 22:20), He was emphasizing that His coming would be sudden. In the same way, indications of something being “at hand” often meant that it was sure to happen, not necessarily immediately. Speaking for the Lord, Moses warned about the fate of Israel: “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste” (Deuteronomy 32:35). This prophecy was not fulfilled for hundreds of years, because God’s standards of time are not the same as man’s. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). Christ and the inspired writers were not mistaken. They were preparing the unprepared for His return. We also must be prepared.

BIBLE, CHRISTIAN LIVING

NEWS JUNKIE — BOB PRICHARD

I have always followed the news, so much that you might call me a “news junkie.” I like to know what is going on in the world. I like to hear the news on radio and TV, and I subscribe to news magazines. Going through a news magazine to tear out articles for my files, it struck me that there is much information in those news magazines that is timely and helpful, but much of it gets outdated very quickly. 

It is interesting to go back and look at an article on something such as the chances of a presidential candidate winning an election, after he or she has already dropped out. It is surprising to go back just a couple of months and find how little importance there is in some articles that were a “must read” then. 

The Bible, on the other hand, is always relevant. If we read the Bible with “first century glasses,” we not only find how the original readers saw the message, but we can also see how to apply it to our lives today. 

Current events are a reflection of man’s triumphs and tragedies, originating from man’s basic nature. Despite centuries of technological progress, little has changed. It caused Solomon to be pessimistic: “What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. … The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:3-4, 9). 

But we don’t have to be pessimistic. “I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved. … Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them” (Psalm 119:47,165). The world makes cosmetic changes, “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever” (1 Peter 1:25).