Philippians 2:5-11; “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (ESV – all emphasis mine)
The depth of the above verses goes way beyond any “normal” human understanding. We have one-third of the Holy Trinity, who created the heavens and the earth, and along with the other two-thirds of the Godhead, loved us so much that He allowed Himself to become one of us for a short time. While that in itself is amazing, He went further and allowed Himself to be crucified so that His creation could have a pure pathway to eternal life with Him in paradise. No other sacrifice would have been pure enough for the Father to consider it acceptable and Holy.
In John 10:11, Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” Those “sheep” are you and I and every living soul on this earth. Going to John 10:17-18, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.”
Backing up to verse 16, Jesus Himself clarifies who His sheep are; “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd.” The sheep of this fold are all of God’s chosen people, the Jews. When He says other sheep, that includes everyone else worldwide.
This does not mean the Jewish people have a free ride and are saved whether or not they have received and accepted Jesus as their Savior. Romans 10:9-13 gives the pathway to eternal Salvation. Verse 12 is very specific; “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.” When Paul states “Greek,” he is referring to anyone who is not Jewish, regardless of their nationality.
Jesus knew there would be evil changes that would take place toward the end of this age. Matthew 24:24; “For false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” That would be those who claim to be believers. Luke 21:17 states, “You will be hated by all for My name’s sake.”
In some countries today, people are being martyred just for being Christian. In America, more and more privilege is being granted to all the alphabet groups, groups that openly worship Satan, and so-called man-made evangelical groups. None of these follow God’s true word, but the scriptures are being “tweaked” to fit whatever perversion they choose. False prophets have taken over pulpits in some previously Biblical churches and are influencing the membership with “earthly” messages that do not mention sin or eternal punishment. There are fewer and fewer true Biblical churches left, and it’s only going to get worse.
We have groups that support freedom from religion rather than freedom of religion. Again, none of this is a surprise to our Heavenly Father as He tells us about it through the prophets of the Bible. The further away we get from the Lord, the closer the Rapture will be taking place.
There will be a lawless one to come on the scene, as given in Daniel, Revelation, and 2 Thessalonians 2. He will be the “ultimate antichrist” and will have a false prophet that will serve him. For them to be able to appear, the “Restrainer” must be removed, which is the Holy Spirit, which will also mean that all He indwells must be removed as well. Then, the 7-year tribulation can get started with all the horror and evil that will take place during that time.
For anyone who may have considered asking Jesus to be their Savior but is putting it off for whatever reason, time is obviously getting short. Just watching world events unfold is like reading the end-time prophecies. He could return to gather His flock to rise up to meet Him in the air at any moment. Before anyone tries to convince you that there will be time to call out to Jesus at the beginning of the Rapture, that will be absolutely impossible.
When I state “any moment,” please understand that in 1 Corinthians 15:52, Paul states, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.” First, the trumpet is not associated with the Trumpet Judgments of the tribulation. Second, experts far more intelligent than I have calculated that the “twinkling of an eye” is much less than one second. No one can possibly respond in that short of a period of time.
While we may still have a bit of time, right now would be good to call out and ask Jesus to forgive you, save you, and prepare a place in Heaven for you, just as He said He would in John 14:1-3. The Bible says we don’t know when that day or hour is, but God always keeps His word. When the time that is called the “fullness of the Gentiles” takes place (Romans 11:25), God will send His Son for all true believers to meet Him in the air just as He said He would.
To wait could very well put you in the Revelation 20:11-15 White Throne Judgment line, and there is no forgiveness or pardons given there.
Our Savior is the “Light of the World,” and He’s waiting for your call. In 2001, Tim Hughes released a song by that title, which covers this message very well. Please consider the words.
1.) Light of the world, You stepped down into darkness, opened my eyes, let me see beauty that made this heart adore you, Hope of a life spent with you.
Ref.) And here I am to worship; here I am to bow down; here I am to say that You’re my God. You’re altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me.
2.) King of all days, oh, so highly exalted, glorious in Heaven above, humbly You came to the earth You created, all for love’s sake became poor. (ref)
3.) I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross. I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross. I’ll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that cross; no, I’ll never know how much it cost. (refx2)
Altogether wonderful, wonderful, wonderful; yes, You are God!
There is a Hope that is gaining ground among all believers that our “Homecoming” will be soon, and very soon. With that in mind, we also hope that all our loved ones have received and accepted Jesus as their Savior and will be leaving with us.
Please know it’s your choice as to which eternity you will go to. It will either be with Jesus in paradise forever or in hell with Satan and all his demons forever. It is absolutely time to choose whom you will serve (Joshua 24:15). There are no third options that are being given by false prophets. Satan is working overtime as he knows his time here is getting shorter, and he wants to pull as many souls away from the Savior as possible.
Jesus loved you and me all the way to the cross. He loves us so much right now that He is willing not to force anyone to call out to Him. All who do will receive an eternal Home with Him and will have brand new forever bodies with a mindset like His. No more sickness, pain, or death forever. He’s waiting now. Are you ready?
Even So – Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!