Still Guilty? (Leviticus 4-5 / Matthew 24)

Leviticus 4-5 has much to say regarding the Israelites unintentional sins. Even though the Israelites did not know that they were walking in sin, God still held them as guilty before Him (Lev. 4:13). When they became aware of their sin, they were to immediately seek forgiveness through the atoning sacrifice of an animal (goat, bull, lamb, turtledoves, or pigeons). Thankfully, we do not have to worry about sacrificing our animals today. Since Jesus came as our sacrifice on the cross, He is all we need! However, as we grow in our walk with the Lord, we also come to realize some of the things we do in our lives are sin (although it may be unintentional). It is at this point that God requires us to stop in our tracks, ask forgiveness for our unintentional sins, and sin no more. James 4:17 reads, "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." In other words, if we become aware of our unintentional sin and yet keep sinning, we will now be held guilty for our intentional sin.

I have heard many interesting interpretations for Matthew 24:29-51. Some of the literature is prophetic or apocalyptic in nature and need not be taken literally. There is even some dispute concerning whether the one taken or the one left behind is a Christ-follower (MT. 24:40). The main concern for us in this passage is that we need to be found ready when Christ does return to gather His own.