The Great Escape

"Those who oppose him he (God's servant) must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." (II Timothy 2: 25, 26 NIV)

When a person becomes a Christian, through a "conversion" experience, he is "set free" and "let loose" from the place of his spiritual confinement, or imprisonment, from being trapped and ensnared by sin and Satan.

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (II Peter 1: 4 KJV)

"clean escaped from them who live in error" (II Peter 2: 18 KJV).

"escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (II Peter 2: 20 KJV)

To "escape" means to "get away" or to "break away" or to "avoid a threatening evil." Throughout history there have been several famous "great escapes." Some of these "great escapes" occurred during war and were miraculous and incredible. Some "great escapes" were performed by the great magician, Harry Houdini.

There is no greater escape, however, than for a sinner to escape the trap of the devil, to be let loose from being held tightly by the grip of sin. To "escape" the "corruption" of the world is no little escape, but a great one.

There is a least one "great escape" in the Book of Acts, where Peter is in prison, and the church is praying for his release, and an angel of the Lord comes and miraculously removes the shackles and opens the iron bars of the prison, and leads them out safely. What a "great escape"! (See Acts 12: 1-18) Peter was able, by divine aid, to evade and elude the evil authorities.

Not only does one truly "escape" many things, when he is converted to Christ, but he is promised future aid and even greater escapes.

The Christian will escape many traps and harms throughout the remainder of his life, and finally escape the Judgment and Hell fire itself.

On the other hand, those who remain unconverted, and impenitent and unbelieving, will find escape from Hell and Judgment absolutely impossible.

"Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matthew 23: 33)

"And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?" (Romans 2: 3)

Oh how many people falsely imagine that they shall "escape" when they absolutely shall not! Yes, thank God, there is "escape," but not escape by our own means, but only by the Lord Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice for sin.

Paul asked a most important question - "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" (Hebrews 2: 3) Such is still the question that is being put to the unconverted, to all spiritually trapped souls, yea, even to Christians by way of encouraging carefulness.

"He, that being often reproved (and) hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." (Proverbs 29: 1 KJV)

Those who have refused repentance and faith in Christ will truly come to the destiny described. They will not escape the "damnation of Hell."

"For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." (I Thessalonians 5: 3)

"See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven." (Hebrews 12: 25)

People who think they are safe and secure, who think they are so because they have provided themselves with their own means of escaping dangers, will find that they are actually unsafe, and insecure, and in a danger from which they cannot escape. Those who have refused the word of the Lord, his oracles, his voice that has spoken from heaven, and have turned their hearts and ears away from the Lord, will truly not escape eternal judgment.

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." (I Corinthians 10: 13)

"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21: 36)

Friend, have you "fled for refuge" to the Lord Jesus Christ? Do you realize that there is no escaping the coming judgment without Christ being your Advocate and Savior?