From 2 Timothy 4:3-4; “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions; and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” It can reasonably be said that the above time is right now. (ESV, all emphasis is mine.)
Lamentations 3:22-24; “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul; therefore, I will hope in Him.”
Titus 3:5-7; “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of, regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace, we might become heirs to the hope of eternal life.”
Proverbs 28:13; “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses them will obtain mercy.” Next, Romans 10:9, 12-13; “because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
And then 1 John 1:8-9; “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
This is a lot of information to try and absorb all at once, but the message given to us by the Father makes the pathway to eternal life very clear.
First of all, we cannot love this world and what’s in it over and above our love for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (1 John 2:15-17). Even during the first century, there were antichrists and false prophets that were here doing all they could to pull souls away from the Savior. In 1 John 2: 22-23, the disciple states, “Who is the liar, but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ [Messiah]? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.”
As long as we are in these human bodies, we will fall short and sin. This is made clear in Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, and Romans 6:23. If we confess our sins, the Father is faithful to forgive us. Habitual and unrepentant sin is what drives a wedge between us and our eternal life with our Savior. God knows we are weak and that we will sin, but He is ready to forgive us when we truly ask Him to.
In Matthew 18:21-22, Peter asked Jesus if he should forgive someone up to seven times. In those days, anything over three was considered excess. Jesus replied that not seven times, but seventy times seven. This does not mean that God keeps a scoreboard, and when we hit the magic 490, there is no more room to be forgiven.
Jesus was teaching that the Father will forgive us each time if we truly ask Him to. At the same time, this does not give us license to just keep on committing habitual sin without trying to turn away from it. Please note that right now, there is only one unforgivable sin, and that is to take your last breath here on this earth without having Jesus as your Savior.
We hear of Grace of the Savior and Mercy from the Father. Paul gives us a message in Ephesians 2:4-9 that puts this in perspective. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus; so that in the coming age, He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God; not a result of works so that no one may boast.” And, Yes, God really loves us that much.
Please note, in Romans 10:9-10, Paul says to “confess with your mouth.” Our Heavenly Father is not disqualifying anyone from Salvation who is physically unable to speak. The key parts of those verses are “in your heart” and “with the heart.” God hears our thoughts as if we were speaking out loud to Him. Therefore, it would be safe to say, if a person “speaks” to the Father from the heart and with their mind, this confession would be acceptable.
The increasing evil around us, and all the worldwide events that are leading to a one-world government, are telling us the end of this age, as given in God’s word, is right here at this very time. About the only prophecy that still is to be fulfilled is the antichrist making his appearance to lead this world in the worst 7-year period of time that has ever been. However, before that can happen, Jesus will be calling all true believers to meet Him in the air to fulfill God’s promise to keep us from the coming wrath. The world believes this is foolishness, which Paul covers in 1 Corinthians 1:18.
As for the Savior’s followers, we need to be in the “Footsteps of Jesus” right now. Mary Bridge Canady Slade wrote a song about this in 1871. Consider her words.
1.) Sweetly, Lord, have we heard thee calling, “Come, Follow Me.” And we see where Thy footprints falling lead us to Thee.
Ref) Footprints of Jesus, that make the pathway glow; We will follow the steps of Jesus where’re they go.
2.) Though they lead o’er the cold, dark mountains, seeking His sheep; Or along Siloam’s fountains, helping the weak. (ref)
3.) If they lead through the temple holy, preaching the Word; Or in homes of the poor and lonely, serving the Lord. (ref)
4.) Then at last when on high He sees us, our journey done, We will rest where the steps of Jesus end at His throne.
Please understand, I know I am an imperfect human whose main desire is to leave this sin-filled world, get my forever immortal new body, and have a renewed “Christ-like” mindset that will be unable to sin. I am definitely nowhere near perfect, and I talk to the Father regularly. I ask Him to guide and lead me and to forgive my sins. One point here: this does not relieve me of any possible discipline that may come from the Father because of my actions. Just as an earthly father would discipline his children when they do wrong, our Heavenly Father sometimes disciplines us out of love to be a better servant for Him.
For anyone who has not called out to the Savior for forgiveness and to prepare a place for us in Heaven (John 14:1-30), right now would be a perfect time to do so. It is definitely not too soon. Being prepared will definitely be to your advantage because the Rapture will take place in considerably less than one second.
The Father will force no one to accept His Son but will accept all who do. John 10:16 and Romans 10:12 tell us that Jesus died for everyone, not just the Jews. All who reject the Savior, including His chosen Jewish people, will receive their eternal punishment at the Great White Throne of Revelation 20:11-15.
It is completely each and every person’s choice to make. As a member of the Precious Shepherd’s flock, I will follow the “Footsteps of Jesus” and invite you to do the same. We could be “Home” very soon.
Thank You, Jesus! Maranatha!