You can throw away the appointment card. You can ignore it. You can set it aside to look at it another day. But no matter what, it’s an appointment you won’t be able to avoid. You will have no choice but to show up on that last day for the judgment and be condemned – unless you do the one thing necessary to cancel this appointment.
The book of Revelation tells us of the future, when all of those who have not trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation from sin will be judged by God, who is described as sitting on a great white throne. There, the Book of Life is opened. “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).
The Bible says that judgment by God cannot be avoided: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Will your name be written in the Book of Life on judgment day? The only way to get it there is by trusting in Jesus Christ – the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6).
We are all born into this world with a nature marred by sin: “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). Sin is all that is opposite of righteousness and life found in God. Therefore, sin results in the opposite of life – death. Death is the natural result, or “wage” of sin (see Romans 6:23a).
But Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth also as the Son of Man, taking on human form to receive this wage of death for us and to set us free to receive his gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23b). To accept this free gift, we need only to recognize our need to turn from sin and believe in Jesus Christ to save us from its consequences.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Jesus Christ came so that we wouldn’t have to receive condemnation when our time comes to stand before the judgment seat of God.
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17).
Your salvation depends on your own decision to believe and trust in Him.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:18-20).
A person will only remain condemned if they reject the word of life that Jesus came to bring – that by believing in Him for forgiveness of sin would set them free from spiritual death and eternity in Hell and instead give them eternal life in Heaven with Him.
“He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).
God wants to give you an appointment to enjoy life forever with Him. A life in Heaven that will be free from sin and all its byproducts – pain, tears, and death. All that’s necessary to cancel the appointment for death and judgment is to trust in Jesus Christ to rescue you. He is only a call away.
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved … For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:9,13).