Kent Bailey
A study of the Old Testament book of Amos reveals the undeniable fact that Israel had wander from God’s revealed truth. There was a need for repentance and restoration to fellowship with God. Amos sought to renew the divine principles that had made God’s people distinct and separate from the Gentile world.
Israel had reached a point where there was a deep-rooted need for a vigorous and a clear restatement of two foundational truths: (1) the true nature and character of God; and (2) the relation between God and the nations in addition to the proper basis of his relation to Israel.
Justice between humanity is one of the divine foundations of society. Privilege implies that of responsibility. Israel had enjoyed special privileges; therefore she had been given special responsibilities. Failure to recognize and accept these responsibilities is sure to bring punishment. Nations, all nations—and by analogy, individuals—are obligated to live up to God’s standard of truth. The most elaborate worship is but an insult to God when offered by those who have no intent to obey him:
I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made to stink of your camps to come up into your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord, I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. Therefore thus I will do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel (Amos 4:10-12).
The same is true today; humanity needs to be made aware of the importance of preparation to meet God: both in this life as well as in the Judgment.
Implications of the Text
With absolute certainty we conclude that God does exist. Humanity owes its ultimate origin either to special creation, or to evolution. Creation implies the existence of God; if creation is true, then God does exist. Evolution implies that humans were either born of some non-human, or were transformed from some non-human. It is false that humanity was born from any non-humans. It is also false that humanity was transformed from any non-humans. It is therefore false that humanity was ever born, or transformed from non-humans. It is therefore the case that the claims of evolution are false. It is therefore the case that the claims of special creation are true. Therefore God does exist (Psa. 14:1).
Because of the reality of the being of God we must come to the realization that not only must we meet him; we must also make proper preparation to meet him (Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10). Scriptural preparation necessitates not only acceptance of divine truth but also obedience to such. Outside compliance with the will and truth of God one remains in an unprepared condition (Eph. 2:11-12).
What it Means to Meet God
There are various examples in the scriptures that give clear indication regarding the true meaning of meeting God:
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Jacob stated, “Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not” (Gen. 28:10-16).
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The two disciples (Luke 24:13-35).
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Mary at the garden tomb (John 20:11-18).
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Thomas (John 20:24-28).
Unlike those when the scriptures were being revealed, we do not have direct and personal contact with Deity. Today, we meet God in his providence. God is omnipresent, i.e., he is not limited to space or time, dwelling in his own eternal dimension. God’s freedom from spatial limitations means that he is not contained in one location at any one time. He is omnipresent. The divine dimension intersects every point of space. This is not saying that God is present in all space, but rather he intersects all space with all space being present to him and before him. Because of the reality of such we must make ready to meet God in various situations.
Meeting God in Our Own Time
As we note the importance of meeting God we all meet in nature. Considering the fact that we have been born into humanity we have already had one providential meeting with him in our birth. We also in both being sustained in life and partaking of our existence meet God in other aspects of nature (Jer. 23:9-15; Psa. 19).
Not only do we meet God in nature, we also meet God in the divine revelation of his verbally plenary inspired word (Matt. 11:25-27; Heb. 1:1; Psa. 119:102-105; Rom. 1:16-17).
Having met God in his word one learns of his personal choice to sin against God. Even though accountable individuals sin God reveals in his word a scheme of Redemption through Christ. When one obeys the conditions of pardon one thus meets God the body of the saved, the New Testament church (Eph. 1:22-23; Acts 2:47; 1 Cor. 12:13).
Meeting God in Eternity
Our appointments with God do not end in our lives upon this earth. Unless we are alive when Christ returns we will meet God in death (Heb. 9:27; Job 14:1-6; 19:25-27). We also will meet God in the Judgment (Acts 17:30-31; 2 Cor. 5:10). Because of God’s scheme of Redemption God has given us the opportunity to make ready to meet him in eternal glory (Rev. 22:1-5).
May we thus recognize the great need of making preparation to meet God.
