As the disciples stood and gazed as the Lord ascended into heaven, two men in white apparel stood by them and said, “…this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Numerous are the passages of scripture that teach the second coming and also the judgment that will take place then. Those who are in the proper relationship with God at that time will be able to look forward to an eternal rest in heaven. However, the scriptures teach, “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (II Thess. 1:7-9). Many scoff at such truths, but as we have shown many times before, what God says, is true whether we believe it or not. So, with such truths understood, our question is: where would you like to be found when that judgment day comes?

Just a brief word on one issue that might play a part in understanding the seriousness of our subject of consideration here is that of “the when”. When is that second coming going to take place? Though many have set dates for this grand event, most of which have come and gone, the answer to this question is; Neither we, nor any other person in this world knows. Jesus said of that day, “But of that day and that hour knowth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father” (Mark 13:32). Jesus concluded His parable of the ten virgins with the words, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 25:13). Let’s face it, if the Lord says no one knows, not even the angels nor Himself, why would we believe any date setter?

There are a number of physical applications that could be made to our question. Preachers have often asked the congregation as a whole or individual members if they would rather that Lord find them in a worship service if He returned at that time of day or to find them forsaking the assembly of the saints to enjoy some of the pleasures offered in life. I know of several preachers who have expressed they would love for the Lord to come while they stood in the pulpit, proclaiming His word. Many are the physical locations that one would not want to find them in such as bars, brothels and such, but we can see that there are physical applications to our question.

However, our focus here is to seek the answer for our question in the spiritual sense. It has been pointed out from time to time that often as we go through the Bible, we find certain places that one just had to be if they were going to survive. When the flood came in the days of Noah, the only place of salvation was on the ark that Noah had built. In the wilderness wondering, those bitten by serpents had to be of those gazing upon the brazen serpent. In this last age, the Christian age, the only place of salvation is “in Christ”. Ever notice just how many blessings are mentioned which are said to be “in Christ”? Paul told the Ephesian brethren that redemption and forgiveness of sins were to be found in Christ (Eph. 1:7). He also told them that they had an inheritance in Christ (Eph. 1:11). To the Roman brethren, Paul said that there was “no condemnation” in Christ (Rom. 8:1) and he told Timothy that salvation is in Christ (II Tim. 2:10). Paul told the Corinthian brethren that, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Cor. 5:17). To save time, let us go back to a statement of Paul to the Ephesians, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly place in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).

No doubt about it, we need to be found “in Christ” when He returns, but many fail to understand just how one gets “into” Christ. There is a difference between “in” and “into”. If I am “in” the house, at some point I had to come “into” it. This is the entering. Or in other words, what we are talking about is the conversion point, the point at which one becomes a child of God. Differences of the how to do this abound in what is called Christianity, but since we are looking at getting “into” Christ, let us note the only times “into” is used in the Bible in reference to one getting “into” Christ. Paul wrote, “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” (Rom. 6:3-4). And Paul wrote, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). These two passages both present baptism as being the very moment at which one makes the transition from being outside of Christ to being in Christ. This is where forgiveness of sins, redemption and no condemnation begins.

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By Robert Oliver

Contributing columnist

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