House of Faith Ministries

concept of His return to the earth evokes fear and judgment, for they see Him as a vengeful God.

 

To understand this duality, we need to understand the concept of justice.

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Psalm 96:13 “For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth.”

 

If you read the entire chapter, you will notice that there is a lot of singing and blessings and praise and offerings and worship, offered to the Lord throughout the entire Psalm 96, before it reaches the last verse which we just quoted, in regards to the judgment of the world.

 

If you have been victimized by someone, when the legal authorities show up to intervene, you are happy, for the authorities come to assist those who have been victimize and to arrest those who were doing the victimizing.

 

However, if you are the law breaker and are the one who is victimizing others, when you see the police show up, you just want to get away as soon as possible, for if they arrest you, you will have to go before the magistrate that will sentence you with the punishment that your crime deserves.

 

So it is that the return of our Lord will always be awaited and celebrated by those who are the oppressed, and it is dreaded by those who are the oppressors.

 

Psalm 97:2 “Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.”

 

Simply put, the Lord will judge the peoples with His truth.

 

But the truth is that we are all sinners, and we all fall short of the grace of God.

 

Psalm 14:1 “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.”

 

So then why were all those folks in Psalm 96 rejoicing so much about the return of the Lord to judge all the peoples with His truth?

 

Psalm 96:2 “Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.”

 

Those who greatly rejoice about the return of our Lord to the earth, do so, because they have heard and accepted the good news of His salvation. For they know that when He returns, He is coming to deliver those who called upon His name and who have accepted God’s free offer of salvation.

 

Psalm 97:10 “You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.”

 

The good news is this: God loves us even though we fall short of His grace, He demonstrated His love for us by sending Jesus to die for all our sins. His unconditional love for us compels us to receive His offer of forgiveness and to love Him and trust Him in return.

 

So that when we hear about His soon return, we dot not fret, but rather rejoice in the fact that He is coming to deliver us from this world of sin, and from the hand of the wicked one that continuously oppress us.

 

But to those who have rejected His good news, and have chosen the pleasures of sin for a season, His return can only mean one thing, swift and complete judgment is at hand.

 

Isaiah 63:3 “I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger, and trampled them in My fury; their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes.”

 

The day of His vengeance and the year of His redeemed have to do with those who are His enemies and with those who are His saints.

 

For He has caused His good news to travel all around the world, He has anointed His Word and revealed His love for us. Those who love Him and hate evil, He will come for and deliver them out of this world.

 

Those who have resisted and rejected the anointed good news, will be judged as enemies who deserve to be destroyed.

 

Isaiah 63:10 “But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; so He turned Himself against them as an enemy, and He fought against them.”

 

This may very well be the year of His redeemed, are you ready?

 

Here is a checklist of things that may help us identify whether we are ready for His return if it were to happen this year.

 

Are you inwardly being restrained in your faith and the profession of it?

 

Are you afraid or ashamed to openly declare your faith in Jesus?

 

Matthew 10:32-33 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”

 

You be surprised to know how many people struggle with publicly professing their faith in Jesus, normally in the maturity process we eventually grow bold and overcome those fears.

 

But if this is the year of His redeemed, you may not have that luxury.

 

So, you better begin to make up your mind right now to declare His name openly and without fear. For as His return nears, we have no time for timidity, since we are commanded in:

 

Psalm 96:2 “...Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.”

 

Today, right now, would be a good time to start proclaiming His good news from day to day.

 

Do you acknowledge Him as the Creator of heaven and earth?

 

Do you acknowledge Him as your heavenly Father, and Jesus His only begotten Son as your redeemer?

 

The world’s aim is to bring doubt into our hearts and minds.

 

The so-called knowledge of the sciences is the vehicle that the devil uses to enter into our minds with his load of doubts.

 

We need to know what the Word of God teaches about the sciences.

 

Colossian 2:8-10 “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”

 

Science teaches about the things that exist from the point of view of man’s limited understanding. We on the other hand, know the Creator, we believe in the creative power of His uncompromising Word.

 

Do you call on His holy name?

 

Did you know that salvation cannot be attained under any name or anything that is named, except in the name of Jesus?

 

Acts 4:12 “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

 

It is all about Jesus my friends, and if this turns out to be the year when He returns to redeem His saints, let us, we the saints, never cease to profess, to acknowledge, and to proclaim His wonderful name boldly!

 

Psalm 107:2 “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”