Each and every day, and sometimes more than once a day, I ask our Heavenly Father to bless all of our loved ones. He knows the “condition” of each and every heart, and knows who has truly accepted Jesus as their Savior and who has not. For those who haven’t, my prayer is for Him to place someone or something in their path that would cause them to consider seeking His Son. Further, I ask that, if possible, a dream or vision be given to them to show they need to turn from what this world offers and call on Jesus. (any emphasis mine)
Something I am fully aware of is Our Father will never force anyone to receive the free gift offered; however, to plant a seed is well within the proper bounds. This still gives the receiver the opportunity to freely accept or reject this offer of their own free will. Satan goes much further in trying to turn souls away from God, and will use any means possible to accomplish this. His demons are operating in “overdrive” in today’s world.
We need to understand, this all started even before the creation of this earth, and one day it will come to an end. In the meantime, believers need to become “prayer warriors” to ask “blessings” for our loved ones. By the way, when I say “loved ones,” it includes any and all persons we have known throughout our lifetime that may still be alive. Satan is fully aware his time is getting short, and is desperate to do anything he can to overcome Jesus. He failed at Calvary, and ultimately will be thrown into the Lake of Fire that was created specifically for him and his demons (Matthew 25:41).
For all who are believers, I pray that the Father gives us strength and courage to fight against all the evil “darts” being thrown at us. To go even further, I pray for anyone who has sinned against me in any way, to be forgiven. Jesus commanded we do this in Matthew 5:43-44:
“You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbors and hate your enemy. But, I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.”
This sounds almost impossible, but I ask myself if any permanent damage has been done to me through the actions of others who may spite me; and that answer is “No.” Feelings get hurt, but we move on. Besides, Heaven is all about love, and if we can get past any animosity here, all will be forgotten there. And no, it isn’t easy but, with the help of the Holy Spirit, all is possible.
Revelation 21:3-5, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people [not just the Jews, but every believer]; and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And He who was seated on the Throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. Also He said, write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
In 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
This would seem to say that should a loved one not be there, for whatever reason, God will ensure that we will not suffer extreme sorrow for their absence. Right now, this may seem heartless and very impersonal; however, Heaven is a place of joy, celebration and eternal worship. In whatever way the Father accomplishes this, it will be pure and absolutely righteous.
For those who have not, or will not receive Jesus as their Savior, they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire with Satan and all his demons (Revelation 20:11-15). The difference here is they will most likely be shown for all eternity that they did not have to be there. Many opportunities were most likely given them while on this earth, but they chose to accept Satan’s lies and temptations over the free gift of Salvation that Jesus paid for in full on that Cross at Golgotha.
All who accept the false prophet and antichrist messages that distort God’s word over what the Father Himself has provided, will commit the unforgiveable sin. That is to dispute the Holy Spirit and say Jesus is not God’s Son, and there’s many ways to heaven without Him, which is blasphemy (Mark 3:28-30).
John 14:6, “Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by Me.”
Acts 4:12, “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved.”
Does this mean we don’t put any effort into providing the true word to our loved ones? Absolutely not! However, if they reject us and won’t accept our attempt to give them the true word, we must remember Luke 10:16:
“The one who hears you, hears Me (are saved); and the one who rejects you, rejects Me, and the one who rejects Me, rejects Him who sent Me.”
Still, it’s hard while we are here to even think of a loved one not being with us forever in Paradise. Just imagine how Jesus must have felt when He knew that one that was with Him night and day all through His ministry (Judas) would not only betray Him, but would not seek forgiveness afterwards. With Jesus being fully God, imagine how He must feel about all who will be sent to the Hell fires when all they had to do was call on Him for their Salvation (Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13).
There’s a song that was written by Roy Dale Golden, Sr., and is featured on the album “The Last Word.” It’s performed by Dale and Cheryl Golden, and asks a question all believers have thought of. Ultimately, we put our faith and trust in God to provide us a way that we might successfully share the Gospel, and hopefully keep a soul from the Hell fires. It’s titled, “Will Heaven Be Heaven Without You?”
(1) Soon I know I will stand in God’s long promised land, where protection is on me from the start. But for your sake, my friend, before time’s at an end, there’s a question I must ask from my heart.
(ch.) Will Heaven be Heaven without you? If your race was fully run, would you make it through? When you stand at God’s throne, will He say you’re one I know; or will Heaven be Heaven without you?
(2) Oh, how I long to see what’s prepared there for me when God’s angels come to call me away. But what you, friend, must do is promise you’ll be there too; please don’t miss our great Homecoming Day. (ch)
(3) There will be no second chances when that great trumpet sounds; can you say without doubt, friend, that you’re Heaven bound? (ch)
The last stanza says there will be “no second chances when the great trumpet sounds.” All sin, except the rejection of Jesus, can be forgiven if we repent and call on Him before our last breath is taken here. After the trumpet sounds, and all believers rise up to meet Jesus in the air (Rapture), those left behind who had heard the word but turned away from Him will have lost their chance.
Hebrews 6:4-6, “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying, once again, the Son of God to their own harm, and holding Him up to contempt.”
This is a very long sentence that says if we had the opportunity to accept Jesus, but never formed a relationship with Him, there won’t be more chances after the believers are removed from this earth. The tribulation will be a terrible nightmare for all who have to endure it. They will be made to understand this was their choice.
For all our loved ones, we pray you have truly accepted Jesus; and if not, please do so now. Heaven will be the most wonderful eternity we can ever imagine, and it will be just that much better if you’re there to share it with us.
Heavenly Father, please share this message with all our Loved Ones. We are hoping for a most glorious reunion that will last forever. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Ahavah Olin – Love Everlasting!