In 1964, the so-called “British Invasion” was in full swing in the rock music industry. Numerous groups became instant superstars, such as the “Beatles,” “The Rolling Stones,” and many others. One duo was Chad and Jeremy, who had a hit song called “Yesterday’s Gone.” Several other groups and individuals recorded this song, including Brenda Lee. While the song itself is not a religious hymn by any stretch of the imagination, one line is quite significant; “But that was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone.” (ESV – all emphasis mine)
How would our Heavenly Father replace that line to fit all of us today? How about Psalm 103:11-13; “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him.”
The fear spoken of toward our Heavenly Father does not mean the type of fear that is sheer terror to us. For some, it will end up this way, but for believing Christians, fear would be a respect for anything bigger, stronger, and mightier than we are.
Proverbs 9:10; “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Having a “healthy respect” for our Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – should produce in us a desire to do what we would hope would please our Godhead.
Everyone has memories of occasions where we wish the outcome would have been better. The two words “if only” are words that sometimes cause more anxiety than is necessary. Even if we were able to go into the past and correct mistakes we made, remember that every deed, good or evil, has led us to this point in our lives where we are right now. Whatever took place is over, and we cannot go backward in time as our Heavenly Father can. If whatever took place provided a learning experience that would prevent repetition of such activities, then the lesson learned is invaluable.
Our Heavenly Father knows exactly every fiber of our being, and He knows we will sin in some manner, shape, or form right up to our last moment on earth. He is willing to forgive us all of our sins except for one; any and all who take their last breath here without having Jesus as their Savior will be condemned. This will be where the sheer terror will enter in.
The White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. From His presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it; Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
In Luke 16, we have the story of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man had died and was in Hades, or a place where those who died out of the will of God would be held before the white throne judgment. Lazarus was in the bosom of Abraham, or in a place of peace and serenity before going before the Judgment Seat of Christ in 2 Corinthians 5:10. The rich man was already in torment and realized he was too late for any relief from the punishment that would never end.
Jesus gave a wonderful example of where a soul would be at the moment of death who followed the will of God before Calvary and received and accepted Jesus from Calvary to the end of the Millennium. Luke 23: 39-43 gives the example of the penitent thief who called out to Jesus to “remember” him. Jesus told him that on that very day, the thief would be with Him in Paradise.
Paul carries this further in Philippians 1:21-23, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”
Jesus made it clear that He would be the Shepherd of all who would call on Him to be their Savior, no matter what race, creed, or anything else. His blood was shed for anyone who would receive and accept Him.
Someone would say, so this is only for the righteous who never sin, right? Romans 3:10; “as it is written, None is righteous; no not one.” Romans 3:23; “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23; “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Our Heavenly Father knows our weaknesses and has made provision for those who would receive the free gift of eternal life (Romans 10:9-13). There will come a time called the Rapture, where the dead in Christ will rise first, and then those who are alive will follow. Where? Up to meet Jesus in the air. All will receive imperishable, immortal, forever bodies and a new mindset, such as Jesus has, that will not be subject to temptation or sin ever again (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
While we are still human, there is no way we will be sinless. Therefore, God provided 1 John 1:8-10 as our confession to receive forgiveness blessing. We will still be subject to discipline for what we do; however, not as punishment, but rather for learning.
Also, no works are qualified to save us, but only through the grace of our Savior and the mercy of the Father for our accepting the gift that Jesus gave us at Calvary (Ephesians 2:8-9).
With all the evil activity and all the signs that we were given about what would be happening at the end of this age that are here right now and for the first time ever all at once, today would not be too soon to ask Jesus to forgive and save you. When the trumpet of God sounds and the archangel calls, you won’t have time to call out to be saved and to be taken up in the Rapture to avoid the 7-year tribulation period. Being prepared only means that you know that yesterday’s gone, and tomorrow we could all be Home.
The seven-year tribulation will be horrible, worse than anything this earth has ever experienced before. Yes, there have been some terrible times in the past, but nothing to compare with Satan being given control of the earth for that time.
The best place will be at the feet of Jesus and being loved more than we’ve ever known on this earth. That will be because we’ll actually be in the presence of the One who shed His pure, sinless blood for us – for Me! Don’t be left behind. Hope to see you there when “Yesterday’s Gone”!
Shalom! Maranatha!