Looking at the title of this message, many would immediately think of William Shakespeare and his famous writings. My knowledge of this line is that it’s from Hamlet, but beyond that, I couldn’t say much more about it. However, if applied to the word of the Lord, this line could sum up the meaning of the entire Bible. (ESV – all emphasis is mine.)
Starting with “To Be,” the Bible makes it clear that all who were in the will of the Father prior to Calvary, and all who will have received and accepted Jesus from Calvary to the end of this earth’s existence, will have a home in Heaven forever.
John 10:14-16; “I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own, and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd.”
The above passage verifies Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13, which states that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. The “To Be’s” are all those worldwide who will have called on Jesus to be their Savior.
John 14:6; “Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” Acts 4:12 complements this: “And there is Salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Just believing Jesus and God exist isn’t enough. James 2:19 tells us even the demons believe and tremble. The “To Be’s” will have called out to Jesus to forgive them of their sins, truly believe He is a part of the Triune Godhead, and ask Him to be their Savior forever. That’s from Romans 10:9-13.
After this, we are promised that the Holy Spirit will come to be within us until we leave this earth. There are over a dozen verses throughout the Bible that verify this. The true comfort of this is that when the Holy Spirit is removed as “Restrainer” of the evil antichrist (2 Thessalonians 2), all the “to Be’s” He indwells will be taken up to meet Jesus in the air and not go through the horrible tribulation/wrath.
And then there’s the “Not To Be’s” who follow 1 Corinthians 1:18: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.”
The “Not To Be’s” are all those who are on the broad path leading to destruction, as Jesus stated in Matthew 7:13-14. Satan has them totally tuned in to all the things of this world, and they just don’t take the time to think of their immortal souls and their final, eternal destination. Sadly, Satan knows his final destiny, which cannot be changed, and his goal is to take as many souls as possible with him into the lake of fire made for him (Matthew 24:41).
The “To Be’s” and “Not To Be’s” will each have a judgment to go through when they leave this earth. The difference between these judgments is like night and day.
For all who have accepted and received Jesus as their Savior, there is the Judgment Seat of Christ in 2 Corinthians 5:10. “For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
The final result of this Judgment is the gain or loss of rewards for what we have done during our life on Earth. No one here is condemned to the lake of fire, but all will spend eternity in Heaven with our Lord and Savior, Jesus, the Christ.
According to Hebrews 9:12, we’re assured that our Savior’s shed blood was for all time, past, present, and future. “He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves, but by means of His own blood, thus securing our eternal redemption.”
Then Hebrews 10:12-13; “But when Christ had offered for all a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for His feet.”
The Judgment for the “Not To Be’s” is totally different and is given completely in Revelation 20:11-15. It’s a long read, but worth knowing.
“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.”
Please note that no one at the Great White Throne will have any chance of forgiveness or be pardoned from the lake of fire. All who will be at that judgment will account for every sin they ever committed while on this earth, no matter how great or small the offense. They did not accept and receive the only Savior that could have covered all their sins through His pure, sinless blood shed at Calvary, and no one there is in the Book of Life.
At the present time, there is only one unforgivable sin, and that is to die without having called out to Jesus to be their eternal Savior. According to our Heavenly Father, if anyone truly calls out asking forgiveness, He will forgive, and their sins will be as far removed as east is from west. (Psalm 103:11-12).
We all will sin as long as we are in these human bodies, no matter what anyone may try to tell you (Romans 3:10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23). However, when we sin, our Father has given us the pathway to forgiveness in 1 John 1:8-10. Once we are taken up to be with our Savior and receive our forever immortal bodies and a mindset like our Savior’s, we will not ever again be subject to Satan’s temptations.
So the question is: are you a “To Be” or a “Not To Be”? According to all that is taking place on this earth today, the Bible has shown through prophecy that we are getting very close to the end of this age. It could happen any day, any hour, and even any second.
Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:52 that the Rapture will take place in “the twinkling of an eye.” No one will be able to call out to be saved in less than one second. The seven years following this event will be the worst time this earth has gone through yet. It would be so much better to already have called out for Jesus to be your Savior before this takes place.
The only hard part is believing there’s not more we have to do to have Salvation, but Ephesians 2:8-9 specifically clarifies this. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the Gift of God, not the result of works so that no one may boast.”
For all who have not yet received and accepted Jesus as Savior, this is another plea to please consider carefully your choice today. Our Heavenly Father will force no one to call out, but will accept all who truly do.
Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 all give signs of what will be happening near the end of this age. Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3 about the godless attitudes and actions that will be taking place here. Just looking at all current events being reported worldwide, we are definitely at that time. Becoming a “To Be” could be the most important decision you will ever make.
“To Be” is eternal life with our Savior in Heaven. “Not To Be” is eternal life in the lake of fire with Satan and his demons or fallen angels. Hope to see you at Home with our Savior and all the saints that will be there.
Shalom! Peace be with you!
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