Page 374 - In Heavenly Places (1967)

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Would You Be Ready?, December 15
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the
Son of man cometh.
Matthew 24:44
.
Suppose that today Christ should appear in the clouds of heaven, who
... would be ready to meet Him? Suppose we should be translated into the
kingdom of heaven just as we are. Would we be prepared to unite with the
saints of God, to live in harmony with the royal family, the children of the
heavenly King? What preparation have you made for the judgment? Have
you made your peace with God? ... Are you seeking to help those around
you, those in your home, those in your neighborhood, those with whom
you come in contact that are not keeping the commandments of God?
... Remember that profession is worthless without a practice that enters
into the daily life. God knows whether we are keeping His law in truth.
He knows just what we are doing, just what we are thinking and saying.
Are we getting ready to meet the King? When He comes in the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory, will you be able to say, “Lo, this is
our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us” (
Isaiah 25:9
)? To
those who can say this Christ will say, “Come up higher. Upon this earth
you have loved Me. You have loved to do My will. You can now enter the
Holy City and receive the crown of everlasting life.”
If it were possible for us to be admitted into heaven as we are, how
many of us would be able to look upon God? How many of us have on
the wedding garment? How many of us are without spot or wrinkle or any
such thing? ...
This is our washing and ironing time—the time when we are to cleanse
our robes of character in the blood of the Lamb. John says, “Behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (
John 1:29
)....
Shall we not let our sins go? ...
I entreat you, brethren and sisters, to labor earnestly to secure the
crown of everlasting life. The reward will be worth the conflict, worth the
effort.... In the race in which we are running, everyone may receive the
reward offered—a crown of everlasting life. I want this crown; I mean by
God’s help to have it. I mean to hold fast to the truth, that I may see the
King in His beauty.
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