In 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.” (ESV – all emphasis is mine.)
Then 1 Corinthians 1:18: “For the word of the Cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.”
Reading 1 Timothy 4:1: “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times, some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.” Then 2 Corinthians 11:14-15: “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”
Isaiah 5:20: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
Just recently, a female pastor in Europe performed a wedding ceremony for four men. While this totally goes against God’s rules about His design of one man and one woman joined together as one flesh (Genesis 2:24), she stated it was religiously sound as they all loved one another.
Jesus stated in Matthew 19:4-6: “He answered, have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Not only did the female go completely against God’s will, but the church she is a part of totally went along with this mockery of true marriage. They even stated they would bring legal actions against anyone who would criticize their policies. They may be able to win their case in man’s court, but if they don’t repent and seek forgiveness, their eternal outcome will be in the lake of fire with Satan and his demons, who are fallen angels (Matthew 25:41).
From the very beginning, Satan has done everything in his power to deceive as many souls as he can and draw them away from the Triune Godhead. He and his demons have no path to forgiveness, as they had already been in the presence of the Heavenly Father. Their choice to be evil is open blasphemy of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and their destiny is clear.
Satan’s pride was the cause of his downfall. Isaiah 14:12-14: “How you have fallen from Heaven, oh daystar, son of dawn. How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low. You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” This is absolute and totally destructive pride.
Our Heavenly Father allows us the free will to choose which eternity we will go into. For all humans, we have right up to our last breath here to repent and ask forgiveness. The steps as found in Romans 10:9-13, and the final statement is “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
To the Heavenly Father, all sin is condemnation, no matter how great or small. He knew from the beginning that humans would never be able to provide a perfect, sinless blood sacrifice that He could accept. The only way we could ever be saved would have to be by “human sinless blood” shed to cover all sin once and for all.
After the first sin that was committed in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), all humans up to the birth of Jesus had inherited imperfect blood that the Father could not accept as a pure sacrifice. He allowed the blood of animals and birds as a temporary measure that had to be made on a regular basis.
All humans from Calvary to the end of this earth will still carry the sin-nature, but a perfect sacrifice was made once for all. When Jesus “died” on the cross, all the blood He shed was pure and sinless. His blood reached back for all who were in God’s will prior to Calvary, and forward to all who would receive and accept Him from Calvary to the end of this earth.
We cannot earn or buy our forgiveness, as given in Ephesians 2:8-9. We must receive and accept the free gift of our Heavenly Father that was provided by our Jesus on that awful cross. Once we truly call out to be saved, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit would live within us as long as we’re on this earth (John 14:26).
The day is coming when Satan’s ultimate antichrist and false prophet will come out, and this earth will experience the worst seven years ever.
As Paul Harvey used to say, “And now for the rest of the story.” Before the evil ones can come out for the tribulation/wrath, our Heavenly Father guaranteed that all true believers will not go through those years. This is found in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10.
In 2 Thessalonians 2, we’re told that there is a “Restrainer” holding back the lawless one until that Restrainer is taken out of the way. That would be the Holy Spirit who is holding the evil one back, and when He is taken out of the way, all whom He indwells will have to be removed as well. We will be taken up to meet our Jesus in the air in the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
Jesus told us in Matthew 24:36 that we would not know the day or hour that He will come for us. Due to the fact that it will be over in an instant (1 Corinthians 15:52), we need to be prepared beforehand so as not to be left behind.
Once the Rapture takes place, the living believers will follow those who died who had Jesus in their hearts. All will receive new, forever, and immortal bodies and have the mindset our Savior has. We will be with Him forever.
Likewise, all who refuse to have Jesus as their Savior will go into the wrath, and after they take their last breath, they will go through the White Throne Judgment and be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). It will be too late to call out for forgiveness, and there will be no pardons there.
Today would not be too soon to become part of the Shepherd’s flock. Romans 3:10, 3:23, and 6:23 state that we’re all sinners in need of a Savior. As given earlier, Romans 10:9-13 gives the steps of Salvation. The hard part of this is believing there’s not more to being saved.
Our Faith and trust are in the Heavenly Father’s word, and knowing He never lies (Titus 1:2). He would love for everyone to call out to His Son and be saved, but He will force no one to do so (2 Peter 3:9).
Hope that the Trumpet of God sounds, and there’s a shout from an archangel soon. Also, hope to see you at Home when that happens.
Shalom! (Peace in the Name of Jesus)