When Jesus Returns — John R. Rice

The Son of God Who Is Coming Again

The greatest thing that ever happened in the universe was that God gave his son to come to earth and die for sinners. That's wonderful. But it's not over. He's coming back. Jesus is coming as in Jesus.

I've turned to first chapter one, and I'll read two or three verses, and then I'll speak on what will happen when Jesus comes. What will happen when Jesus comes in Acts chapter one, and verse ten, Jesus gave the great commission.

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as it came up, behold, two men stood before them in white apparel, which also said, You men of Galilee, what stands ye gazing up into heaven? And this same Jesus, note that, not some accident, not a war, not the rise of Comet, not the national council of churches, no, Jesus, this same Jesus, the one you saw and ate with and put your hands on and talked to for forty days, that same Jesus who ate before you, that same Jesus that said, Thomas, put your fingers in my nails, put your hand on the side and feel it.

That same Jesus is coming back. This same Jesus, which is taken up from the Indians, shall so come in like manner as you've seen, go into heaven. And they returned to Jerusalem and started out carrying out the great commission.

Jesus is coming again, this same Jesus. I mean Jesus with a physical body. I mean Jesus with scars. I mean the Lord Jesus who loved his own and at the last supper stopped and walked at his feet, for he loved them still.

That same Jesus coming back. Salvation still loves sinners. He still means love, kindness, and mercy. But for all of us who listen to him, he's saying, praise the Lord, praise the Lord. Jesus is coming again.

The Phases of Christ's Return

I want to talk about things that happen when Jesus comes. Now, I want to be so you won't understand me, I'll be very explicit. I'll be very detailed in the preaching of it. I don't want to be like a woman of manhood.

He complained to his pastor. Then my wife, she just talks and talks and talks. She talks all the time. And said, what she talk about? He said, she ain't never said. And so, some of you might not understand.

I pray God will make you understand. What will happen when Jesus comes, you'll understand. I'm talking about the first phase of his coming. There are good many aspects, good many details about his return.

First he's coming to receive his own resurrection. Then dead and living in chains to meet him. Caught up in the air to meet the Lord. And a wedding feast in heaven. And said, receive the Christ at once.

But then, down on the earth, great tribulation. And Jesus then is coming back to fight the battle of Armageddon. And break down all the governments of the world. And instead of his kingdom, we get all the Jews in the world.

And without the rebels. And then, Jerusalem will be reestablished and pass Palestine. And we'll have unconverted Jews going over the honor. What didn't belong to them by murder. Take other people's property and so on.

And them still unsaved, godless, Christ rejecting. That's not the restoration I was talking about. The restoration of Israel. It will happen. But that's a part of the second thing in turn. But remember, that series of events will take more than seven years.

Talking today about the first phase of return to the earth. He's come again. Now, what's going to happen to you some when he comes? First of all, it will be a glad surprise. He's coming. He's coming literally.

He's coming for us. He's going to come in the clouds of heaven. Suddenly in the twinkling of an eye. There has not been his time. So you'll know when he's coming. In such an hour as you think not, the Son of Man come.

No One Knows the Day or Hour

But Jesus, it will be a surprise. A glad surprise. But in such an hour as you think not. I'll read you Matthew chapter 24. Verse 36, the Lord speaks of this. He says, and I learned that day and hour. Of the whole matter of the second coming.

Of that day and hour knoweth no man. Not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. You mean the angels don't know it? No, they don't. Oh, you say, I'm a good deal smarter than angels. Prove it. No, I doubt it.

And in Mark chapter 13. It says a similar thing. Verse 32. He said, but of that day and hour knoweth no man. Not the angels which are in heaven. Neither the Son, but the Father. When Jesus was on earth.

He had given up many of the outward elements of deity. He's still God. But there's something he gave up. So that as a child. He said he learned obedience. And he grew in wisdom and stature and faith with God and man.

Jesus did not know when he was here on earth. He had deliberately clouded from his mind the time of the second. He knows now. No doubt he didn't know it. But he said, but I don't know more about than Jesus.

He said, no you don't. No, nobody knows. Nobody knows when. But of that day and hour knoweth no man. I read on here in Mark 13. And the scripture says. I take heed and watch and pray. For you know not when the time is.

Every Christian in those days was supposed to watch for the current. Yes. And every Christian in these days too. Bible Christianity means watching for these to come. I read on. For the Son of Man was a man taking a journey.

Who left his house and gave authority to his servants. And commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore for you know not when the master of the house is. You mean all the apostles were supposed to watch every day and expect Jesus to appear.

Yes. Yes. And you are too. That's right. Now, if you have some kind of raw theory. Oh, I can read so and so. And I read the newspaper. So I know where Jesus is coming. No, you didn't. You're commanded to watch.

Every Christian ought to watch day. That Jesus might have come in the lifetime of the apostles. Is that right, Brother Pastor? Yes. He said he was for it. He might have come then. I read on. And I watch there.

For you know not when the master of the house cometh. Either at midnight or in the morning. That's coming Sunday. He finds you sleeping. What I'm saying to you is that. Oh, watch. You mean God. So Jesus says to us also.

We're to watch for his coming. That's right. That's right. Now, Jesus is. It's going to be a surprise. Because you don't know when. And there's no way to tell when. And there's no signs of the approaching end of the age.

No matter what some smart-ass tells you. That's false. Harris said no, sir. The Bible plan is watch. And what I say to you is. Oh, watch. For you know not the days of the hour. I turn to Matthew chapter 25.

The love of the ten virgins. And verse 13 says. Watch therefore. For you know not the days of the hour. For in us shall a man come in. In chapter of Acts. Verse 6. The disciples said. Lord, will this time restore again the kingdom of Israel?

They're not talking about the rapture. But the later part of the second phase. Of his coming. As the king. And he answered them to say. It's not all the times or seasons. Which the father kept his own power.

But she shall receive power. After whom the ghost is given unto you. And so on. And they said. Oh, Jesus. We just don't on the second coming. But Jesus said. Quit that. Go to doting on soul winning. It's not.

You don't know the times or seasons. You're not supposed to know. Are you smarter? You want to know what God has deliberately hidden. Don't you? You'd like to prove. Oh, you're such a smart Bible teacher.

No. No. Come on. Watch. What I say to you. Say. Don't. Of that day and hour. No man is sad. All right. And then let's see. Here's an interesting thing. In Bible times. The Christians were taught. To look for Jesus.

Come any day. You mean. I was regular. Yes. First Thessalonians. After one. And verse nine. Ten. But they'll show us. What manner of entering. And who had it. Do you. How you turn from. From God. To go.

From idols. To serve the living. And true God. And to wait. For his son. From heaven. Raised from the dead. Even Jesus. Deliver us. From wrath. What really. Thessalonians doing. They were to wait. For his son.

From heaven. You mean. That was their regular business. Although. They're watching. Just like the Bible said. In Philippians. Chapter three. In verses. Twenty. Twenty one. Our conversation. Is in heaven.

And so. We look for the Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall change. Our vile body. May be fashioned. Like unto his glorious. Body. What are you doing here. Philippi. You're looking. For his son. From heaven.

What are they doing. Didn't know what he said to. They're watching. They're watching. All night comes. Over in the book of Titus. And he said. Look at teaching us. Denying ungodly. Us. Lusts. And. Worldly lusts.

We should. Soberly. Righteous. And godly. In this present world. Looking for. That blessed. Hope. And the glorious. Appearing. Of a great God. Our Savior. Jesus Christ. Oh. So. They were expecting. Jesus.

Some daily. They said. Well they're mistaken. No they're not. They're doing exactly. What Jesus said. Watch. He may come at any moment. He may come. So when Jesus comes. They're glad. Surprised. Did Paul expect.

Christ to come in his lifetime. Yes. You read. A little ago. First said. That's in chapter four. The Lord himself. Shall descend. With a shout. And the voice of the archangel. And the dead in Christ. Arise.

That's one crowd. And we. That are alive. And remain. Peter said. Paul said. That's my crowd. Didn't he? Yeah. He said. We'll be proud. To meet them. Did Paul expect to be alive. When Jesus comes. Jesus expected.

In the lifetime of Paul. Yes. Paul said. He said. Watch. So I'm watching every day. In first Corinthians. Chapter fifteen. Verse fifteen. Fifty one. The scripture said. We shall not all sleep. But we shall all be changed.

In a moment. In the blink of an eye. We shall all. In a moment. In the blink of an eye. I said. That's Trump. For the trumpet shall sound. The dead shall rise. And be raised. And be corruptible. And we shall be changed.

Paul said. I won't be with the dead. I'll be alive. And I hope. We'll be changed. Paul expected to be alive. When Jesus comes. Yes sir. So everybody here. When Jesus comes. Every day. And if he does come.

Praise the Lord. In the morning. In the sunrise. You said. Maybe today. And you go to. At night. You may say. Maybe. Maybe in the middle of the night. I'll hear the trumpet. And I'll get up to meet the Lord.

He's coming. And you'd expect him. It'd be a glad surprise. When Jesus comes. Now get that settled. The one thing Jesus said the most. About his second coming. Is. Of that day hour. And knoweth no man.

You don't know. So look for it. What. And you said. Oh. Watch. And what else. When Jesus comes. What'll happen when Jesus comes. There'll be a great resurrection. A great resurrection. The dead shall rise.

The Resurrection and Reunion of Believers

And there'll be one. Once I was in a revival meeting. Macomb. Mississippi. I'll go back to Wheaton. Illinois one day. Mrs. Ross was visiting. My secretary. And these two women. Got a little contest on.

Let's count up and see now. Which can. Which can reach the greatest number. Five horses or cattle. Animals. My side or your side. So they counted. Kept a count. But. They had a rule. Every time they passed.

A senate here. That. I'm. Bill had. Did everything out. Had to start over. And they never did get very high. Except past the cemeteries. The bible says about. People back in the old testament. And so and so lived.

And so and so begot. And so and so. And he died. And what. And he died. And the next one. And he lived so long. Begot so and so. And he died. He died. Oh there it comes. You better get acquainted with it all of us had.

I said to Miss Ross. The other day. God has been good to our family. I'm eighty four. Well, I'm a little older than she is, 11 days. And I said to her the other day, two of your brothers are gone, three of them are gone, one's left, way up in the 80s, one's left, that's all.

And my brother Jesse, and George, and Joe, and Dr. Bill are gone, and Gertrude, and Jimmy, and one sister remains. And I said, it won't be long until our crowd will be able to come out. But you better look for death coming.

It's the point when a man wants to die, the scripture said. Alright, death everywhere, cemeteries everywhere. I have prayed that as a preacher, God will give me some way to comfort people. I've stood by so many open graves, I've stood by so many dead, I've tried to comfort so many over husband or wife gone, or baby gone.

Well, listen, one of these days, thank God, there'll be a resurrection, there'll be no more sad buryings, and be goodbye to loved ones like that. A resurrection, would that be good? My mother died before I was six, and she was all ready to go.

She said, I can see Jesus in my baby now. And she had my cousin sing, How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord is left for your faith, and your name is excellent faith, and so on. And then, I remember a little bit about the cemetery.

This is strange. I remember that deathbed scene, and my mother's hands fell to her breast, and she was gone. And I was in bed with a boy, hardly six years old, and the next scene I can remember is out in the cemetery, and there's a big hole in the ground.

And they lift the casket down in that, and my father knelt on one side, one arm around two little boys, I was one of them, one arm around two little girls, left orphans, and began to sprinkle rain. And the kindly woman brought an umbrella and held it over his head.

Goodbye, mother. And I missed her through these years. And sometime Mother's Day, I always ran for Mother's Day, and yet someway, I always wanted to get home by myself. I'd wear a white flower. I didn't want to be around other people.

I missed my mother. Years ago, I stood down in Cook County, Texas, that little sandy land cemetery by the grave of my mother, and I said, Mama, one of these days, something will sound, and then Christ will rise, and we'll be saved.

I'll miss you again, Mother. I don't know if we're going to have a resurrection day. My father had a stroke, and then he learned to walk a little better, and finally got to drive a car, and slipped off from Tequila Texas and drove up to Duke, Oklahoma, where I was in a revival campaign.

One poor man had his family to Christ in two days, and he came in sick and died soon, and we buried him. We took him to the cater, and we sang, We'll say goodnight here and good morning up there. And I know my father's grave, one of these days, it'll come open.

I'll say that again. Strange thing about that, we raised fine horses in West Texas, and lots of riding, and so sometimes Dad and I would ride together. And maybe he'd start a song, and I'd sing tenor.

Or maybe I'd start a song, and he'd sing tenor. I was going to have a horse in heaven. Yeah, geez, we'll ride a white horse when it comes back. And I expect I'll have a better horse than my car. I'm a Tennessee walker.

But Dad and I may ride around heaven and sing together again. It'll be a great resurrection. Great resurrection. I was down at the funeral of Dr. Bob Jones, Sr., and at a place there on the campus of the university.

They'd made a nice, in the midst of a great loon, a nice island there. They had the wedding, the burial, and so on. I was with Dr. Bob. I was there in November. One of the last November, he died in January.

He didn't know everybody, but he knew me. And he used to always get together with him in services. He'd say, Brother John, won't you sing that Amazing Grace? Sing it with that old-time whang, he said.

And I'd sing it for him. So there in his bedroom, the deathbed, we sang together, he and I. And we had a prayer together. I said, Dr. Bob, let's see, last month, October 12th, you were 84 years old. He said, yes.

I said, you're getting about old enough to vote, aren't you? He said, yes, and about old enough to get married. He said, well, Dr. Bob's buried away. That grave will break open one day. All the pretty ornaments won't matter.

A resurrection day is coming. A resurrection, that means our loved ones will rise again. A resurrection, that means our loved ones are gone. We'll not prevent them. We'll not go ahead of them. They'll be back here, caught up together, and be good ones.

Caught up to meet Him together, together. Caught up with Jesus and never depart. Changed in a moment to be with my Savior. Caught up with Jesus and never depart. And then, there's going to be a great, big, grand reunion that time.

I like reunions at our house. We have one twice a year in the summer, if we can. The kids all get there. And at Christmas time, that's Christmas misery, I said. I don't know what I'm going to do. We're going to have 55 people.

I've only got beds for 52. But there are some more. I've got some more. Dr. Roger Martin, who teaches in Tennessee Temple. Of course, he's married to Joy. I have the six boys and so on. But Mr. Martin's father lives on my place and keeps it for me.

And so, they're there. And Miss Mary Shepard's got a house there. And so, Holiday Inn gives her a room. She goes down to the room. And a couple of families, they go over to her house. And somebody sleeps in the woodworking shop.

And somebody sleeps on the couch. And they fill all the bedrooms and so on. We had 55 there in a lot of time we had. And we testified and sang Christmas carols. Praise the Lord. And loved one another a lot.

And that reunion will be good enough for you in one of these days. I want to say Dr. Bill. My brother and I were very close. I greatly admired him and loved him. He's gone. I've seen many others. My, you know, I get a little old.

You know the great men of God I've known with whom I've worked and whom I love. Dr. Ironside. Dr. W .B. Riley. Harry Rimmer. Dr. Walter Wilson. I was in his home a little before he died. Oh, my. Boy, I'm going to have a little handshake in time.

I'll give him a hand. When I see Dr. Walter Wilson, I know what he'll say. I know what he always said. He puts his arms around my shoulder and he'll say, You did sweet man. That's what he always said.

That's it. Oh, good times. I still love him again then, you know. My, I told you about those some 22 ,000 that were saved through my printed sermons. Boy, won't I have a time shaking hands and hugging people?

Yes, sir. Praise the Lord. I had a revival meeting in Englewood, Colorado, and amongst the revival, Harry, my band leader back then, or Harb Springer, had many people saved. I remember one man went and left.

He came to the front and hugged my neck, and yet I broke my neck, just held on to him, held on to him, and said, You kept me out of hell. You kept me out of hell. Well, all right. I'm going to be glad to reunion a lot of people I've missed a long time.

I'll see them again then. That'll be good, won't it? Yes, sir. I went to a revival campaign in Texas. And we built a big tabernacle and started a new church. And a dear man who'd wanted me to come and wanted to go to Fundamental Baptist Church there so much, at Bridgeport, Texas, and one day he was taken sick.

And I got down to the tabernacle that night, and they said, So-and-so's calling for you. He's sick. And when the meeting was over, and every now and then he'd ask you in the service, Has the meeting broke up yet?

Has Brother Hines come? No. And the service closed. Wonderful service. And they said, Too late now. He's unconscious. Too late now. But I went on down to the home, to his bed, and took up his limp hand and mine.

I said, Hello, Brother. He opened his eyes and looked at me, and he said, I knew you'd come and see him. He said, Must be all right. Everything all right. I trusted Jesus a long time ago. And he closed his eyes, and he was gone.

We're going to have a good time, meeting some of these days. Praise the Lord. Yes, sir. That's the way Christians... You've got something to look forward to, haven't you? When Christians are dead, we'll meet them again.

It'll be a grand reunion time. That'll be a good moment. Praise the Lord. I think of people that went out of their way to have me for a Bible, and who suffered for me, and worked for me, and with me to get out the Gospel.

Praise the Lord. A grand reunion. Well, let's see, then, what else we're going to have. When Jesus comes, we'll have a great resurrection. We'll have a grand reunion. We'll have a grievous separation.

The Grievous Separation at Christ's Coming

A great, sad separation. And the Scripture says, in Luke chapter 17, He said, Two men will be working the field. One will be taken, and the other left. He said, Two people sleeping in one bed. One taken, and the other left.

At that time, it says, Two women grinding in the mill. It's the early morning. They're getting a meal ground to bake the bread for the day. And one will be taken, and the other left. Two sleeping in bed.

So, some place on earth it'll be night when Jesus comes. One taken, and the other left. Some place on earth it'll be midday when Jesus comes. And two men working the field. One taken, and the other left.

Separation. Just get ready for separation. If you're not saved, you're going to sure lose out. All those who are saved, you know that? And if you're saved and loved ones are not, you're going to say goodbye for the last time when it's too late to do any good.

You know that? A grievous separation that time. I remember years ago, I went off to Cater College. I had a burden for my county, Arthur County, Texas. That rough, wild, cowboy country. I had a burden for it.

My church was a little half-time church where I attended. And I preached with him, preached twice a month. But I had a burden for revival. I wrote to the old Baptist deacon, Brother Williams, and I said, Brother Williams, you see some of the brethren over in the county, and let's have a county-wide revival campaign, will you?

I figured we must have, so I got ready. And they walked back and said, we've arranged for revival at the old settlers' reunion in Brown, Holiday, Texas, a certain time. And we went. It was back in summer.

I went to that revival. Oh, we went in a covered wagon, camped up there. Many people did. Every day we'd spread out some meals and eat together. Then we'd go to service in the morning, service in the afternoon, service at night.

I remember what a good time I had. One day the preacher, a dear, good man, he preached on the second coming of Christ. And he said, some will be taken, some will be left. And he said, let's illustrate it here, that great platform and that outdoor auditorium seated hundreds on hundreds.

Here's the platform, take care of 300, I guess. And he said, let's just illustrate it here. He said, everybody here, let's imagine Jesus coming right now. And everybody say, come on, get on the platform, because when I say people here, they're going to be separated and the others are going to be left.

And so we crowded up here to get on the platform. And close by me, there's a man and a woman. And he started up the platform and came back and said, well, he said, honey, you must go. I don't go without you.

Well, she said, but he said, just Christians on the platform and I'm not a Christian. Well, he said, I don't want to go without you. And she said, I can't go. He said, just Christians. And this sounds funny now.

She weighed, I guess, 200. He probably weighed 135. He tried to pick her up and carry her to the platform. And he couldn't do that. And she said, I don't have a right to go. I'm not a Christian. And I remember from the platform, a good preacher said, well, all right, why don't you stay right now and trust Jesus as my Savior and I can come to the crowd then.

Oh, she said, I will. And she came with her husband there. I was never so impressed. Oh, what a separation. And the moment comes and you say goodbye forever. Those about you. What a grievous separation.

Then, I was a pastor in Dallas, Texas for Australia Galilean Baptist Church. And I was a dear old man. I drove a Model T. The only Model T still left in Dallas, I guess. And Dad Hickman, he had cancer of the liver.

They sent him for me one night. At one o 'clock, I went to his home. He was dying of this cancer of the liver. And he said to me, well, the pastor said, I've had such a burden from my boys. I'm going to have to leave them on your hands.

I'm going away. Oh, what a burden. Something down on me. And I thought, oh God, how have I got to get those boys saved? But Mrs. Hickman, she didn't wait. She went after one of the boys. Said, Bill, your dad wants to see you.

And he came down to his dad's bed and put his face on the pillow by his dad's. And Mrs. Hickman said, Bill? Said, I want you to ask me a question. Are you going to meet me in heaven or not? He said, I have no time to argue about it.

You wouldn't lie to Dad on his death bed, would you? You've got to tell me. And Bill sobbed and sobbed. He said, yes, come on, Bill. You've got to tell me if you're going to meet me in heaven or not. You can't lie to your dad on his death bed.

What do you say? And Bill said, yes, I will, Dad. Yes, I will. And I took the barber's shirt and how to be saved. And from that moment on, I got another son and brought him. And he knelt down on his bed and he got up and settled.

And Dad Hickman sang, This is my last chance. I'll tell you goodbye forever. You don't get to settle now. And they did. And then came older son, John Hickman and his wife. And they were already saved.

And Dad Hickman said, John, you and your wife have been pushing some habits in court. You haven't thought about divorce? Yes. He said, you'll have to cut that out. I'm leaving. You're going to have to tell me.

You get settled. You'll love each other and be happy. All right. He said, I'm going home. He said, you've got a boy. That's up there. Your son wants to tell him. And the wife said, yes, he's 16 years old now.

And you tell him we love him and miss him so much. And we're going to meet him. All right, Dad said. Hickman said, I sure will. Someone said to Miss Hickman, Why don't you let the old man die in peace?

Oh, she said, he's doing the best job I ever did in his life. And of course, you're getting ready for a separation. It'll be forever if you're not saved. You know that? Separation interferes. And separation's cemetery.

And John has a cemetery. And John has a great gravestone. And it says, Mary Jones. On this sign, Mary Jones. On this sign, Bill Jones. There's a husband and wife buried side by side. She's a Christian.

He's not. With a great eruption, that Christian body will come out. She's the glorified. And that man will be left there in the dust for another thousand years. Troubled underfoot. Because separation is cemetery, too.

You know? One taken, another left. You're going to have a lot of goodbyes, aren't we? All right. And so, grievous separation. She's saved and lost. One more word. What'll happen when Jesus comes? There'll be a grave accounting.

Judgment at the Judgment Seat of Christ

And first of all, in chapter 3, Paul says, I came to Corinth. I had a rather quick revival. I laid the foundation, he said. Other foundation can no man lay that is laid with Jesus Christ. But he said, take heed how you build on that foundation after you've got saved.

Whether you build wood, hay, stubble, that kind of stuff will burn. Or gold, silver, precious stones, that won't. He said, take heed how you build on that foundation for the fire will try for man's work of what sort it is.

And if a man's work be burned up, his stuff will be lost. But if man's work survive, he'll receive reward. Oh, we're counting. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5, Paul says, you know when I labor, so I'll give up my little home and family and everything.

You know what Paul said? He said, oh, he said, when I see Jesus, I want Him to be pleased with me. He said, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive the things done in the body, whether they be good or whether they be evil.

Judgment time for Christians, yes. Well, he said, Brother Royce, I thought Christians already, Jesus died for you, and sin is all forgiven. Yes, all forgiven, but the results of the sin still go on from time to time.

Let me tell you a story. I used to go every year to the Evansville rescue mission with Pappy Reveal. I went there 17 years. There used to be a man there at the rescue mission. Oh, he's a wicked old sinner, means the devil, and he got saved.

Oh, at first he wouldn't pay anything. He'd come down for a cup of coffee, but they wouldn't, he wouldn't talk to him about the Lord, but one day he got saved. His name, they called him Old Bill. I don't know his other name.

I've heard it, but I've forgotten it. I don't even think of it. But he said, Now listen, you got to quit calling me Old Bill. I'm not Old Bill anymore. I'm New Bill. And so they dressed him up, and he went around the church to tell what was going on at the rescue mission.

New Bill, I don't know his other name. I know one thing about him. When it was Old Bill, a lost runner, he and his buddy, they got a bottle of whiskey one time, went out on the creek for a days of drinking and so on, and he got in a fist fight, and his buddy knocked his eye out.

So Old Bill had just one eye. That's what he said in those, you know. Then when he got saved, there's New Bill. Now let me ask you this. How many eyes did New Bill have? Old Bill just had one. What do you think?

Huh? Yeah, he just had one eye. He had one eye. You see, a past is forgiven, but there are certain things where to receive the things done in the body, whether they be good or bad. When you go to heaven, if you let your family go to hell, they're still going to hell, aren't they?

Oh, you say, I'm so sorry. Yeah, I know. But they don't change the fact. You see that? You have an opportunity to go by, you'll never have it again. Some things we're going to receive at a judgment seat of Christ for Christians then.

Oh my. The Bible says God's going to wipe away all tears then. I guess one of the reasons we'll have tears are our sins and failures over lost ones then. But if you're going to do anything for God, you better do it now.

Hadn't you? So little time, the harvest will be over. Our reaping done, we reapers taken home. Report our work to Jesus, Lord of harvest, and hope He'll smile and that He'll say, Well done. Today we reap or miss our golden harvest.

Today is given us lost souls to win. Oh then, to save some dear one from the burning. Today we'll go to bring some sinner in. Let me ask you seriously, how many have a lost brother or sister? Let's see your hands.

A lost brother or sister? Some have. How many have a lost father or mother? Does anybody? Yes, somebody does. You'd better get busy, hadn't you? Ah, what a separation in the Greek when it's too late to help it.

It'll be good now. I'm going to have some very dear friend unsaved that you love, schoolmate, or they work for your work, or they live next door. Some dear friend unsaved, some friend. Have you? Let's see your hands.

All right. You'd better work, I tell you. Now dear lost sinner, aren't you glad Jesus has come? And He's coming one day to redeem these bodies, to save the soul of those who trust Him now. But one of these days, resurrection, caught up to meet Him in the air to ever be with the Lord.

Don't you want to be with the crowd? Let's bow for just a moment. How many say, I thank God, I know I'm saved. If Jesus came to me, I'd be ready to go. Lift your hand. Then all of them say, hold your hand.

Well, just a moment. Thank you. Hands down. Then how many say, Brother Rice, I know somebody in this audience I think is not saved. Do you know somebody here in this audience you're praying for? Let's have a prayer for them now.

Lift your hand. I pray that you know somebody you know is not saved. Do you?

One, two. Others? You know somebody who's not saved? Dear Lord, help people that trust You now be saved. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. You've been listening to an important Bible message made available through the ministry of soul-winning evangelist, Ron Zywotko.