Part 15 – What It Means To Prepare for the 2nd Coming of Our Lord & Savior, Jesus
Before Jesus Christ ascended to sit at the right hand of Almighty Father in heaven (Mark 16:19), He appeared to disciples for 40 days from the time of the resurrection from the tomb. He continued to speak about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). In one of his meetings with 11 Apostles, He told them to make disciples of all nations, baptizing believers in the name of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, and “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:16-20).
If we try to situate ourselves way back in that past, it will be very clear that Jesus knew very few were aware of his teachings about God’s commandments. There were about 300,000,000 people worldwide during the time of Jesus Christ. From 11 Apostles and perhaps 5,000 other followers, He told followers to spread the Good News of salvation to hundreds of millions of people. We are now nearly 2,000 years since that was said. And there are 7 billion people to teach.
Would Jesus reject those who don’t know Him well enough if He continued to walk as a human being today ? Certainly not. The only time for judgement would be at the end. Thus, I see no valid reason to justify some people teaching condemnation against other people just because they belong to other religions. The Great Commission remains the same.
Matthew 28: 16-20
The Great Commission
“16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
However, those who have consistently violated laws — e.g. Human Rights Violations — are subjected to governance laws. Part of God’s Wisdom teaches:
Romans 2: 12-13
God’s Judgment and the Law
“12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.”
Let us thank God for the present because our Earth has International Laws, religious laws, and government laws which provide this world with the peace and order needed so that the Good News of Salvation can be continuously communicated to ALL who do not know Jesus Christ well enough to recognize Him as Son of God. We believe Jesus is One with Almighty Father and The Holy Spirit. We believe in the Blessed Trinity as God. In the course of sharing the Gospel of Truth, therefore, disciples should avoid condemning other religious people who do not yet believe in Jesus Christ or who know too little about Jesus. That is supposed to be a part of the basic assumptions why the gospels need spreading. Jesus knew the whole world needed a Savior and disciples who can talk to unbelievers about The Savior.