When Time Runs Out

“Therefore do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer on their behalf, for I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their trouble.” (Jeremiah 11:14, ESV)

Prior to my call to the full-time ministry, I worked in manufacturing and engineering management positions. Having many years of experience in this field, I began consulting business where I would advise people on how to improve the efficiency of their manufacturing operations. This included manufacturing management methods and technical modifications to manufacturing equipment.

On occasion I would find glaring problems and recommend solutions to the clients. However, the facilities still had the option to make the recommended changes or not. On occasion the managers would decide to reject the recommendations, especially if they involved production management systems. I would even guarantee them improvement on their bottom-line, a money back guarantee. Yet some still rejected the offer. Their problem was that they were too proud to realize that their own methods were substandard. To this I only had one choice. I would leave them to their own substandard methods and suffer the consequences.

You see there is a time when you come to the realization that no matter what you say or do, people will not listen. At that stage there is only one thing you can do. It is to leave them to their own devices.

The nation of Israel at the time of Jeremiah’s ministry was at that place. The Lord had sent many prophets to them. They had rejected the word of God and relied on their own flawed human reasoning rather than return to the Lord. Now the time had come when the Lord indicated that enough was enough. That generation was not going to listen. Thus, He told Jeremiah not to even pray for them, that He would not hear their cries for help.

For all humanity this is a solemn warning. While the Lord is patient towards people and not willing that any perish, there is a time coming when there is an end. It is a time when they will face the judgment, when there will no longer be a time for repentance. There are two aspects of this to understand.

The first is that of a person’s death. The writer of Hebrews wrote that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27, ESV) That judgment will come for every person. The judgment has to do with their works, which are filled with evil deeds, thoughts, words, their failure to respond to the Lord by true saving faith. The Scripture indicates, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, ESV) Their only hope of escaping eternal punishment is faith in Christ alone. However, at death there is no longer an opportunity for people to come to faith in Christ. Time for this has run out. Now there is only judgment.

The second aspect is closely connected. It is that time when God brings His great eschatological program to fulfillment. It is a time when evil will be totally eradicated and there will be new heavens and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1). Along with the fulfillment of God great eschatological program will be the judgment before the great white throne, the final judgment Revelation 20:11, ff. Here too, the time for experiencing saving faith has run out. There may be pleas for mercy, but they will be unheeded. Only those who names are written in the book of life, those who have received Christ in life will escape the judgment of the lake of fire.

So, a time is coming for all “When Time Runs Out.” It behooves us to be active in reaching others with the message of hope, the message of faith in Christ alone. We must take our roles as Ambassadors of a Heavenly Kingdom today. Paul wrote that “we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:20a, ESV) Let us be active in making this appeal to a lost and dying world.

Yet for those who have not responded to the grace of God in Christ, the verse goes on to speak to those who have not yet responded by faith, “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20b, ESV)