Judgment Day and the Ark of Salvation
May 24, 2022
Who will Escape God’s Judgment?
Judgment Day is when God comes with fire to judge this world. It is a matter of life and death, therefore, to know how to escape the last day.
Whether people believe it or not, the end will come.
Malachi 4:1 “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace… Not a root or branch will be left to them”
Surely as the Almighty God said, that day will come when this world, as we know it, will burn like a furnace. Although the Bible prophesied about the Last Judgment Day from the Old Testament to the New Testament, most people, and even believers do not seek the way of the Lord to be saved. Instead, they find their own way to save themselves. But, will they be able to escape God’s judgment?
Amos 9:1-4 “Not one will get away, none will escape. Though they dig down to the depths below…Though they climb up to the heavens above… Though they hide themselves on the top of Carmel… Though they hide from my eyes at the bottom of the sea…”
As prophesied, now, some people who have the means, prepare underground bomb shelters or bunkers to prepare for a possible Third World War. People spend millions and billions of dollars to buy or make for themselves comfortable and luxurious bunkers that can survive even a nuclear attack .
Now, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk envisions humanity a multi-planet species, and has been working on SpaceX Mars Program, where Mars become a permanent habitat for people and confidently says that he will be able to send crewed missions to Mars by 2026.
Moreover, it is very possible that powerful nations like the US and Russia have subsea military bases and facilities all over the world. Countries with financial and technological means also own submarines.
The rich and the powerful have acquired the means to survive catastrophic events, while the rest of the world struggle to survive their everyday lives, probably oblivious of the signs of the end times and trusting their own thoughts that God might spare this world despite the prophecies written in the Bible. But God already declared his judgment upon the face of the earth and to those who feel complacent, and who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad’ (Zeph 1:2-12). And for those who trust in themselves and in their own wealth…
Zephaniah 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath
This teaches us to trust only God and walk the way of salvation established by God. Just as God gave many warnings about the impending judgment, God also gave us the good news of salvation and showed us the way to escape destruction.
Noah’s time and the Last Day: Will God Judge This Earth by Water?
Jesus said in Matthew 24:36-38, “Just as in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” And in 2 Peter 3:6-7,
“By these waters also the world at that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment..”
Here, the day of Judgment is likened to the days of Noah. It does not mean that the earth will be destroyed by water again, but it means that we can learn a lesson from what happened when God destroyed this earth by water.
In the last day, God comes with fire at an hour we least expect. At that time, people will be eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, just like in the time of Noah. But before the flood came, God commanded Noah to build an ark to save them. As only Noah and his family entered the ark and were saved, so in these last days, God will lead His people to the ark of salvation, and only those who enter it will be saved.
Then what is the ark of salvation in these last days?
Prepare for Judgment Day: Seek the Ark of Salvation
Jeremiah 4:5 “Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say: ‘Sound the trumpet throughout the land!’… ‘Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities. Raise the signal to go to Zion! Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction”
As prophesied, there is commotion in the north. Currently, powerful countries in the north are in high alert, ready for the day of battle. Before that day comes, God calls out to His people, to gather together in Zion without delay. It does not mean that peoples should go to the literal Mount Zion where Jerusalem Temple was built, but that we must seek the spiritual Zion—the city of God’s festivals, the dwelling place of God, where the blessing of eternal life is given (Isaiah 33:20; Psalms 132-133). It refers to the church which God established through the Feasts of the New Covenant.
Two thousand years ago, Jesus established the Church of God in Mark’s upper room on the day of the Passover. On the holy supper of the Passover, Jesus took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you’ (Luke 22:20). Thus, from that time on, the apostles preached the new covenant to all people and the early Church continued to keep the new covenant during the apostolic age.
But the Church became corrupt and secular, and in the end rejected the truth of the new covenant and accepted pagan traditions and ideas. The feasts of the New Covenant were trampled by falsehood and man-made teachings, and Zion was ruined.
Lamentations 1:4-10 ‘The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to her appointed festivals. All her gateways are desolate.. the enemy laid hands on all her treasures (truth of new covenant); she saw pagan nations enter her sanctuary…’
But after this, God will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent (Zion), and restore it, so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord. In the last days, peoples and nations will stream to Zion and will learn from God Himself. God’s people will appear and will keep God’s laws and the feasts of the New covenant and they will find refuge. So those who will be saved stand on Mount Zion with the Lamb. They are the redeemed who follow the Lamb wherever He goes, and who keep God’s commands and hold to the testimony of Christ (Acts 15:10, Micah 4:1-2, Rev. 14:1-12, Rev.12:17).
Where is Zion We Must Go to Before the Last Judgment?
Zion is the Church where the seven Feasts of the New Covenant are celebrated. Among the numerous churches around the world, it is only the World Mission Society Church of God (WMSCOG) that keeps all the laws and feasts of God according to the teachings of the Bible.
Today, Zion is in every corner of the world. That is why, people must seek and go to the spiritual Zion in these last days. Before disaster comes, before the fierce judgment of God comes upon all men, we must flee to Zion without delay and receive God’s protection, and more importantly, receive everlasting life.