My son loves football, so NFL Draft Day is a big deal in our house. Who’s going first? Who was supposed to go early but fell to the third round? Who is average but will end up being a superstar? And what about the guys whose names aren’t called; what about their futures? 

For Christians, judgment day is a big deal too, except it has zero of the questions like those surrounding the NFL draft. We are told exactly what’s going to happen. “For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:52,53). 

Everyone is called at just the right time. No one questions the “Owner’s” decisions because God has been clear about it for thousands and thousands of years. This is exciting news for people who believe in Jesus, because they will hear their names called and get to wear the Team Jesus jersey. But there’s some hard news about paradise too: “Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). Those who do not believe in Jesus will not hear their names called for eternal joy. Instead, they will be eternally separated from the Father. 

If you are already on Team Jesus, this means you and I have work to do. Time is short—and eternal futures are at stake.