Prepare to Meet Thy God

Amos 4:12 “Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you,
Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!”

 There is only one thing that everyone can know for sure. Not even death and taxes are certain, for some will never die. But “every one of us shall give account of himself to God” Romans 14:12 says, “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.” Even those who don’t believe in God, those who ridicule His Word, those who disobey His laws, those who worship false gods—everyone must someday meet God. There is no better advice than: “Prepare to meet thy God!”

I read that if anyone should ask what God, the answer is the true Almighty God, the Creator. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Not the false gods of pagan pantheism, not the natural systems and processes of evolutionism, not the mystical power or force of the Cosmos or nature, but the One and only God of creation. John 1:3 “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” He is the one who knows the thoughts of man and “makes the morning darkness” (Amos 4:13) for all who reject or ignore Him. The word here for “darkness” is used only one other time in Scripture and is synonymous with hell—“a land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness” – Job 10:22. Darkness is the absence of Light. John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Darkness is the absence of God. Deeds of darkness are sins of ungodly thoughts, words or actions, while the light of life is righteousness in faithful and godly obedience through love.

 Revelation 20:11-15 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

In the coming “Great White Throne Judgment, “the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” – Psalm 8:17. The message of Amos needs to be heard in every generation: “Prepare to meet thy God!” For “the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment” – Psalm 1:5, and the judgment is sure: “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment,” and for those who die unprepared, “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” – Hebrews 8:27; 10:31). John 3:36 tells us, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” Romans 6:23 explains, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

In Matthew 10:28 Jesus said, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

 The only way to come into His presence prepared, of course, is through Jesus Christ, who is Himself the Lord of all the hosts of Heaven. Prepare to meet thy God.