Do you believe that the Day is on the way? What Day? THE Day–the day when this limited reality in which we currently exist gives way to all that God has in store for us. Do you believe it is real and that it will actually occur? Peter writes about it in today’s Scripture passage.
What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven–and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all–life healed and whole. (1 Pet 1:3-5 MSG)
God says it will. Either it will be so or God is not who He says He is. I choose to believe that the Day IS coming. Now, assuming you believe Him, let me ask you: Have you ever thought about how it will happen? Let’s go there for a few minutes.
Some people (but not many) have some sort of prior warning, perhaps an extended illness, injury, or an inexplicable “knowing” (a premonition). Though those have time to prepare, some choose to live their remaining days in denial of God.
In another possibility, you are living your life one moment, and then … you are not: Something unexpected happens and your life ends in an instant. There is no time to get things in order or to make preparations.
If you recall my story, I faced this moment in January this year. I can tell you that the moment is nothing like you think it will be. It was a sobering experience–one for which I am grateful. I will tell you this: It so profoundly affected me that I will NEVER be the same as before.
In yet another possibility, you are living your life and … ZAP: Everything changes with no warning, alarm, or rooster crowing to say, “The Day is here!” like the one in the image above. Paul says it will be in a flash, a moment, like the blink of an eye.
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Cor 15:51-52 NIV)
Have you ever attempted to make a decision DURING a camera flash? Consider this:
- An average camera flash is 5-20 milliseconds.
- Brain reaction time is about 13-70 milliseconds.
- Processing into conscious awareness takes about 75–150 milliseconds.
- To translate this into conscious experience takes another 500 milliseconds.
This is just to comprehend what happened. At the time of comprehension, the event would have ended about 700 milliseconds before (almost a full second). For those who put off a decision for God, 20 milliseconds give or take is their window of opportunity to prepare for eternity. (And if anyone cares to dispute this time, use the average human eye blink instead, about 100 milliseconds [1/10 of a second].)
The reasoning required to form a thought takes much longer. Uttering a sentence takes multiple seconds. Therefore, there would effectively be no time to prepare. The result is that in whatever spiritual state someone is in when it occurs, in that state they will remain–forevermore.
If they are in relationship with God, they stay in relationship with God. If they are not in relationship with Him, they have an unimaginably bad forever ahead of them.
The Day is coming. And in whatever spiritual state it finds you, there you will be. Best to make that decision now, don’t you think?
From ministry friend Randall Vaughn
(c) 2024 Randall Vaughn • All Rights Reserved • http://www.e-min.org