There are times in our daily lives when we get a sense of urgency. If I’m driving down the highway at 75 mph while the posted speed limit is 55, and I see blue lights behind me, I’ll get a sense of urgency. If I went through passport control and couldn’t find my passport right away, I’d feel a sense of urgency. If I woke up one morning and my wife says, “Happy anniversary,” and I forgot the date, I’d certainly have a sense of urgency!
As humorous and even frightening as those moments might seem now, they are just temporal, whereas the length of eternity is unfathomable. As we consider the stark reality of where people will go after they die, we need to have a biblical sense of urgency.
In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells a story about the deaths of an unnamed rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. I don’t want to focus on the hows and whys of how they got where they are, but on the fact that both men have been in eternity, either in paradise or in torment, for a long time now.
The reality is that there are people in heaven with Jesus or apart from Him in a place of torment right now. How do we know? Many verses tell us, but Luke 23:42 describes the immediate transition in the location of the human soul after death. Jesus said, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”
As we marvel at the Lord’s mercy to the thief on the other cross next to Him, I think it is often lost on us that the thief on the other cross, on the opposite side of Jesus, went to a place of torment right after he died. Ironically, it’s the same place the rich man went to, and they’ve been there for twenty centuries.
In Luke 16:23, we have a sobering conversation between the former rich man and Abraham. The takeaway is that the rich man is in torment and begs for mercy. He wants his tongue to be cooled by a fingertip amount of water. To me, the most frightening part of this exchange is that the man is conscious, has memories, and is aware that his brothers need to be warned, so they don’t end up where he is.
As humans, our thinking can be so compartmentalized. We throw around the words heaven and hell, but we must remind ourselves that there are real people in heaven or hell right now. Knowing this should stir every follower of Jesus to a sense of biblical urgency.
Paul epitomized a sense of biblical urgency when he said, “Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men!” 2 Corinthians 5:11. Unfortunately, we live in a day when many preachers aren’t persuading people; they’re pleasing them. Why is this? Because filling seats and bank accounts has usurped the great commission among those who value upward mobility more than human souls. Preaching about God’s wrath, judgment, hell, and eternal destiny might not be popular, but it is certainly biblical. Paul warns in Galatians 1:10 about would-be shepherds who soothe itching ears rather than warn them.
People pleasing and false teaching aren’t new. In Jeremiah 23:16-17 and Ezekiel 33:7-9, we are told what happens when messengers aren’t faithful to the word of God, and the eternally tragic results for the people they failed to warn. The Lord takes no pleasure in the destruction of the wicked. In fact, His heart is love, mercy, and forgiveness. In Luke 13:34, Jesus expresses His love toward the people of Jerusalem, but they didn’t receive it. That is the prevailing attitude of most people in the world today toward the forgiveness Jesus so readily offers. In effect, they say, we don’t want, need, or have to have Him.
Many faithful preachers and other Christians have gone out into a broken world that’s hostile to the gospel and brought the good news to friends, neighbors, and strangers, so that people have the opportunity to come to repentance and saving faith in Jesus. Unfortunately, it seems that many other believers hide their light under a bushel and won’t share the good news. This may be the result of apathy, embarrassment, or even distraction; either way, it doesn’t negate our holy responsibility to witness about Jesus and to a biblical sense of urgency.
Thinking about warning people, can you imagine somehow knowing the events of September 11th, 2001, or the Indian Ocean Tsunami, the day just before these events? If we knew what was about to happen, wouldn’t we do everything in our power to go to those places and warn the people about what’s coming and to stay away? Of course, we would, because anything less is a dereliction of human decency toward others.
As tragic as those days were, just imagine a fellow man or woman being in a place of torment for countless centuries and knowing it never ends. Our resolve should be that much greater to go out and compel people to come to Jesus, knowing we may be the last ones to share the gospel with them.
The cultists, including the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and others, go out and are incredibly bold while deceiving and being deceived into the lies that will ultimately lead people to an eternity in hell. We have the truth, and that should give us Spirit-led boldness to reach out to people that Jesus loves. It is a loving thing to warn people. Keith Green wrote a song, Asleep in the Light and he asked,
Do you see, do you see, the people sinking down? Don’t you care, don’t you care? Are you going to let them drown?” -Keith Green
I want us to consider the most sobering quote I’ve ever heard regarding the eternal tragedy of facing life after death without Jesus and what our response should be:
People on Earth hate to hear the word repent, while those in hell wish they could hear it just once more.” -A.W. Tozer
I’m sure many fellow Christians are salt & light and fired up for Jesus, as you compel people to come in. Others might be apathetic or worn down by the cares of this life or seemingly religious activity. Ask the Lord to give you a burden for lost souls or reignite it. By the Spirit, you can get it back.
You might be reading this article and didn’t have a sense of biblical urgency until this moment. Now you know that eternal danger is imminent, and this life is a brief moment to get out from under God’s coming wrath that will fall on all unrepentant people. Please take time now to repent and come to saving faith in Jesus today. God loves you, and if you make Jesus your Lord, you will no longer be His enemy, but an adopted son or daughter. Every blessing in Jesus as you walk with a renewed biblical sense of urgency.
All for Him,
Howard
Link to our YouTube channel and video of A Biblical Sense of Urgency: https://youtu.be/ghiCyTAi10k
Link to the Concerning The Times podcast for a deep dive episode into A Biblical Sense of Urgency :
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-biblical-sense-of-urgency/id1565453348?i=1000764522517