“THERE WILL BE NO OPPORTUNITY FOR MAN TO REPENT AFTER CHRIST’S SECOND COMING.”
By RUFUS A. UNDERWOOD
The kingdoms and cities of the world will be utterly destroyed, the mountains removed, and the islands displaced, at the second coming of Christ, by the mightiest earthquake that has ever shaken the earth. “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Dan. 2: 44. “I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger.” Jer. 4: 26.
“And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Rev. 6: 14-17.
John the seer gives still another description of Christ’s coming: “And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.” Rev. 16: 17-20.
Meeting Immortals in the Sky
Christ is accompanied to this world the second time by all the mighty angels of heaven, and a vast number of resurrected immortal saints who arose from the dead at the time of His crucifixion. This mighty host returning with Him form a great white cloud of glorified beings, who will appear in the heavens just above the earth. “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.” 2 Thess. 1: 7.
“And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” Mark 13: 26, 27. Again, “when the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory.” Matt. 25: 31.
Christ’s coming is after six of the seven last plagues have been poured out upon the ungodly. See Dan. 12: 1; Rev. 16: 1-16. In the midst of the last plague, Christ appears in the heavens. “And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake. . . . And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.” Rev. 16: 17-21.
Furnished Homes for Saints
At the second coming of Christ, all the sleeping saints will be raised from death to immortality; and in the twinkling of an eye, the righteous living will be changed, and caught up with them, to meet the Lord in the air. Then together they will ascend to the mansions above, which Christ has prepared for His people, as He promised in John 14: 2, 3: “In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
We will now see that the wicked are all slain upon the earth, not a man or a woman being left to mourn or to bury them. “They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcasses shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth. For thus saith the Lord, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away My peace from this people, saith the Lord, even loving-kindness and mercies.” Jer. 16: 4, 5.
“The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter His voice from His holy habitation; He shall mightily roar upon His habitation; He shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, He will plead with all flesh; He will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.” Jer. 25: 30-33.
Ten Centuries of Silence
The earth will be emptied and left a desolate wilderness for a period of one thousand years, or during the millennium beginning at the second coming of Christ. There will be no one to inhabit the earth except Satan and his angels. “Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.” “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger.” Jer. 4: 20, 23-26.
“Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.” Isa. 24: 1-3.
From these scriptures, it will be readily seen that there will be no opportunity for man to repent after Christ’s second coming.
