By Linda Vegh
"Saved from what?" Well, I'm glad you asked. How about outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth? How about the lake of fire?
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Rev. 20:14-15.
Cast into the lake of fire? Sounds pretty ridiculous, doesn't it? What kind of loving, all-merciful God would do that to somebody? Especially somebody who really tried to live a good life? That just doesn't seem fair, especially in this easy, "do whatever feels good" society we live in.
The answer: God doesn't do it....we do. We decide where we will end up. God has provided a way for us to live with Him forever, but a lot of folks are just too proud or stubborn to ask for it. Some people would actually rather rely on their own capabilities to accomplish the impossible, instead of receiving the free gift offered to them. There is NOTHING that you or I could do to earn salvation. Jesus already did it. He was led away like a lamb to the slaugher to pay the ultimate price for our sins. He didn't have to do it, but that's how much He loves us.
If you were to meet the Lord today, this moment, would you be ready? Would you have a reason why you should be allowed to enter into heaven? What would that reason be?
What about this Book of Life? If you think you would like to be sure that your name is there, ask the Lord Jesus Christ to come into your life, to be YOUR Lord, to be YOUR Savior. He won't come in unless you ask Him to. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Revelation 3:20.
Jesus won't come break down the door to your heart, and barge in. He'll wait to be invited. Do you hear Him knocking? Over time, our hearts tend to grow hard and calloused, our ears tend to get hard of hearing, and our eyes don't see so well anymore. Please, before your heart turns to solid rock, before you go deaf, and before you're completely blind [spiritually], open that door and let the Lord in.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
When we place our faith in Jesus Christ alone to save us, we cannot brag to others saying, "I was good enough to enter heaven, and to be with God," because it never has to do with our goodness. We can never be good enough, we can never be made righteous until we accept the finished work of Christ on the cross. When we do that, we are JUSTIFIED....that means JUST AS IF I'D never sinned. So when you draw your last breath, (or when Jesus comes back to rapture the church) you'll be ready. So that when you stand before God, you will stand before a loving Father. But if you're not ready, you will stand before a righteous Judge.
God has been patient long enough. If you look back in the Old Testament, God's wrath was fierce. He was always killing off those folks who were rebellious and disobedient. Sometimes He didn't even give them a chance to repent, it was just BAM and they were gone! Then, along came the Age of Grace - or the Church Age. That's where we are today, but this age is quickly coming to an end. And when it does, God will once again take a look around to see who's who.
This is not the time to be straddling the fence. You must choose your side. You've got two choices, serve the devil (yeah, he's real), or serve Jesus. Sorry, but there's no middle of the road. You can't wait to see how things will pan out...the Book has already been written, and we know the winner. Will you be on the winner's side or the loser's side? Hate to be so blunt, but I don't have time to be politically correct.
2 Peter 2:4-10 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) - then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority.
God is under no obligation to save anyone who doesn't want to be saved. It breaks His heart, but He'll let you have your way.
If the Lord has been knocking at the door of your heart, let Him in. Don't keep putting out the "Do not disturb" sign. How many more chances do you think He'll give you? He's asking you to repent, do you hear Him?
Here's a simple little prayer you can pray right now if the Lord's been tugging at your heart:
Dear Lord Jesus,
Now I finally understand why people who know You wanted me to know You too. Now I understand why You died on the cross; it was for me, for my sins, because You love me so much.
I ask You now to come into my heart, to be my Lord, and my Savior. I know there's nothing I can do to earn salvation, so I receive the gift of salvation that You offer me, which was paid for by Your precious blood.
And finally Jesus, I thank You for dying in my place, for taking upon Yourself all my sins. Thank You Jesus, that I will live with You forever, now that my name is written in the Book of Life.
In Your Name,
Amen.