Psalm 121; “I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out, and your coming in from this time forth, and forevermore.” (ESV – all emphasis mine)
Isaiah 40:8; “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:31); “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
In far too many instances today, people are looking for relief. Problem is, they’re not turning to the One who can give comfort and assurance and strength to carry on. As Psalm 121 above states, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” He also created each and every one of us and loves us beyond all human understanding.
John 3:16 is one verse in the Bible that nearly everyone has heard. It states in very plain language that the Father, Creator of everything and everyone on earth and in the heavens, loves each of us so much that He sent a part of Himself as a pathway to eternal life that we would otherwise never have. Then looking to 2 Peter 3:9, He tells us He doesn’t want anyone to fail and end up in Hell but allows all who will do so to repent and be with Him forever.
So many man-made religions have rituals and works that must be completed in order to please whatever deity they call “god.” Our Father made it very plain in Ephesians 2:8-9 that we are saved by grace through faith and not by any act of our own doing. Our requirement is to receive and accept the fact that Jesus paid all that is necessary for us to have an eternal Heavenly Home with Him, and He paid for it in full. We must be open and confess that we know we are sinners (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23) and cannot save ourselves. However, the Father states that all who call on His Son for forgiveness and to be their Savior will be saved (Romans 10:13).
That is our “gift” from the Father, and to imply that we can do anything to earn or buy our Salvation is a gross insult to His Son’s sacrifice. Jesus could have refused to suffer and die for us, but as John 10:18 states, He gave Himself willingly.
Therefore, is it any wonder that John 3:18 and 1 John 5:12 state that anyone who does not have the Son does not have the Father either? Nor do they have a place in eternity with Him.
What God asks is not hard by any stretch of the imagination, but humans make it difficult by believing there just has to be more to our having a place in Heaven.
God cannot lie (Titus 1:2), and He totally wants all to receive and accept His gift. The unforgivable sin is to take your last breath on this earth without having asked Jesus to be your Savior. Other than that, at the present time, there is no other sin that cannot be forgiven. During the Tribulation, taking the mark of the beast will be unforgivable (Revelation 14:9-11).
This world is turning more evil almost hourly. All the signs given by our Savior, Paul, John, Peter, and others, are in place right here and right now. People are “fainting with fear,” as given in Luke 21:26, because of disease, weather, wars and rumors of wars taking place just as Jesus said they would. For true believers, we don’t like what’s happening, but we have the Hope that our time here is limited. The moment is coming soon when the trumpet of the Lord will sound, and there will be a shout from an archangel. Then, in the “twinkling of an eye,” our human existence on this sin-filled planet will be over (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53). All who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit will be taken up to meet our Savior in the air to be with Him forever.
All who do not have Jesus as their Savior will face a 7-year period of time such as this earth has never seen. At the end of that time, Jesus will put down the “rebellion” and physically rule on this earth from Jerusalem for 1000 years. Whether or not we will be the “army” that comes with Him remains to be seen. If we are, we will no longer be under any influence of any sinful ways, nor be subject to pain, disease or death. We will have the mindset of our Lord and Savior and not be able to be tempted by Satan’s forces.
Romans 8:1 will have special meaning for us; “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Unbelievers are fearful today, but our Father is not surprised by anything that is taking place. In fact, He has never given up His control but is allowing all the events to take place. Satan arrogantly believes he is in charge, even though he knows what his future will be (Revelation 20:10). He’s filled with so much destructive pride that he will try to influence everyone to turn away from Jesus.
Does the fact that those who have Jesus in their hearts today are being called “haters” surprise anyone? That’s the satanic influence leading the false prophets and antichrists and demons to continue their service to the devil. Right is seen as wrong, and wrong as right, just as Isaiah said it would be in Isaiah 5:20. Some previously Bible-based evangelical churches are staying away from calling out sin, and some are even saying that what God called abominations are somehow acceptable today.
Sadly, just as Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14, more are accepting the garbage and are on that broad pathway leading to eternal destruction. There have been enough people to turn away from the Savior that it can be said “few” are on that straight and narrow path leading to eternal life.
People want to hear “ear-tickling” messages that do not mention sin nor any need to accept Jesus as Savior. It’s become a “feel-good” atmosphere that Satan is saying that all “good” people will have heaven, and Jesus isn’t necessary to get there. His lies have influenced people all the way from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3 to today’s culture.
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit will not force anyone to receive and accept the offer of eternal life. Neither will they turn anyone away who calls out to be saved.
The choice is plain, simple and easy to understand for anyone who has the will to believe. Romans 8:1 has already been referenced, and further reading to give the steps to Salvation is found in Romans 10:9-13.
To wait could be a mistake because we don’t know exactly when the Rapture will take place. It is very obvious by all the signs today that it is very close. Jesus said when the signs begin to take place, our redemption is near (Luke 21:28). The beginning started just within the past decade, and the end time events are accelerating.
Take the time right now to call out and trust that God is in control. Ask Jesus to forgive you and to be your Savior. Today would not be too early as the end of this age is imminent.
Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!