When a person comes out of Babylonish Christianity and refuses to attend one of Mystery Babylon’s many churches someone will inevitably say to him, “Do not forsake the meeting together of the saints.” They say this, of course, to try to convince the poor “fallen away” brother to come back into the fold, to come back to “church.”

This phrase which well-meaning Christians use to compel us poor deceived souls back into “fellowship” comes from Hebrews 10:25. I showed in a previous post entitled Forsake Not the Episunagoge that Bible translators have for centuries wrongly interpreted this verse. The Greek word translated “the assembling together” in Hebrews 10:25 is episunagoge which is used twice in this passage.  This  word occurs only one other time in all Scripture, in one of the very most important verses concerning Christ’s second coming, 2 Thessalonians 2:1.  That verse says, “Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him …,” This verse deals with the παρουσια parousia, the second coming of Jesus Christ, and the episunagoge here concerns being gathered together to him at his second coming. This is what many Christians call “the rapture.” Since this word episunagoge only occurs in one other verse in all of Scripture it makes sense to me that the “gathering together” referred to in  Hebrews 10:25 also concerns the time of Christ’s second coming. When we examine the entire passage in Hebrews 10 we wills see that it does in fact relate to this time.

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers,^[c] since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

²⁶ For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again,“The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³² But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, ³³ sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. ³⁴ For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. ³⁵ Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. ³⁷ For,

³⁹ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. (Hebrews 10:19-39 ESV)

Notice that verse 25, the verse in which the word episunagoge occurs also mentions “the Day.” What day is the writer referring to? The Day of the LORD, of course. He is talking about the second coming of our LORD Jesus Christ. Rather than warning us to faithfully attend a church in some sect of Christianity Hebrews warns us to be prepared to meet the LORD face to face on the day upon which he comes for his people. And he tells us how to do that.

1. First, we continue to draw near to God by faith.
2. We can draw near because Christ’s atonement for our sins has effected a baptism of our hearts, has cleansed our hearts of an evil conscience. Prior to believing in Christ our hearts condemned us as sinners who would always remain separate from a holy God.
3. We then wash our bodies in pure water. This means that we apply the water of God’s word to our lives, that we learn his ways. This is how we learn to say no to sin and yes to righteousness.
4. Now we must hold fast to our confession of hope. Hope in what? Hope in the salvation, in the glory, which will be revealed to us at the time of Christ’s second coming.
5. Then we consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. Each of us does this in the way which God leads us. From time to time the LORD leads me to write something which may be helpful to those of the body which happen to read my blog. In my business and family life I endeavor to apply Godly principles and to help others walk in God’s way. I continue to read the Bible to grow in understanding of his way.
6. We do not neglect the doctrine of meeting together with Christ at the time of his coming. We help prepare others to be ready to meet him. We urge our brothers and sisters to reach for their high calling, to become overcomers of God. Over sixteen years ago the LORD convicted me of not watching for his coming. If Jesus had come then, in the spring of 1997, he would have come as a thief in the night with respect to  me and I would have missed his coming. Since then I have not neglected this doctrine of his soon return to gather his people. I speak of it whenever I believe there may be an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying.
7. Jesus wants us to remember these things because he is coming for a holy people. Thus the remaining verses in Hebrews 10 deal with walking in the truth and refusing to walk in deliberate sin. Yes, we still dwell in bodies of flesh. Yes, we will still sin from time to time. But, let us not be given to sin. If a certain sin holds you its grasp, repent of it and ask for God’s deliverance from it, “for if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.” (Hebrews 10:26-27)
8. Finally, this passage warns us to do these things in order to effect the salvation of our souls (not our spirits).  The writer says, “We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” (Hebrews 10:39)

Whoever wrote the Book of Hebrews wrote the book to Christian believers, not unbelievers. He was not concerned about their initial “born again” experience. He was concerned about their continuing to walk in their faith in Jesus Christ. Let us now examine ourselves and judge ourselves as to whether we walk according to this revelation given by God or not, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” (1 Corinthians 11:31)