I Timothy 2:3-4
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”
II Peter 3:9
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
I have been reading Isaiah and Jeremiah of late. The desire of God for Israel to turn from their way of life to Him struck my heart. He pleads with them for He desires that they experience good.
Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
Jeremiah 29:11-13
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search me with all your heart.”
He wanted them to turn to Him so that they would not have to endure judgment; so that they would not have to receive the curses He spoke of in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. He sent prophets to remind them of His ways, to tell them how they were to come to Him, to let them know of His love for them AND of His righteousness and judgments.
Jeremiah 13:15-16
“Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken. Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD’s flock is carried away captive.”
Can you see God’s heart? How He loved Israel? How He wanted them to repent before the judgment came?
But Israel rejected God.
Jeremiah 13:25,27
“This is thy lot, the portion of thy measures from me, saith the LORD; because thou hast forgotten me, and trusted in falsehood. . . . I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighing, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. . . .”
Jeremiah 19:15
“. . . because they have hardened their necks, that they might not hear my words.”
We see in the prophets the heart of God. We see how He wants to bless, not curse, but He is a righteous and holy God. At some point He will exact judgment. Indeed, the character of God is revealed through His dealings with Israel.
The time came when God needed to judge. Israel lost her opportunity to turn to Him.
Isaiah 29:10
“For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: . . .”
Read Romans 11.
There comes a time, and it may be several, in a person’s life when he is given the opportunity to call upon the Lord. This is what God wants. He revealed Himself for this purpose, to draw all men to Him (Romans 1:19-20). Consider Cornelius who cried out to God, and God sent him Peter (Acts 10); consider the Ethiopian eunuch who sought to know the truth and God sent him Philip (Acts 8). God desires that all men everywhere come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 3:9
“And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by all things in Jesus Christ:”
But, this opportunity to hear the Gospel, to call upon the Lord will not last forever. Judgment will come (see Revelation 20:11-15). In each person’s life there comes a time that, should the person reject Christ as his savior, God will reject him. Though, even on one's death bed, a person may turn to God, and God will forgive and save (see the thief Luke 23:39-43).
II Timothy 2:12
“. . . If we deny him, he also will deny us:”
And there is coming a time when those who rejected God will receive their judgment.
II Thessalonians 2:10-12
“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (emphasis put on by me).
We who have the Gospel message do not know the hearts of individuals. We do not know who will reject Christ, and who will receive Him (God, however, does). We therefore must do all we can to share the clear message of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ for the redemption from sin to every person with whom God gives us opportunity.
A Christian who silences someone who seeks to share the Gospel brings sorrow to God--those who lay a stumbling block for Christians who have a burden for lost soul--by saying things like “only those who are of the elect will be drawn to the irresistible grace of God,” or “You will offend them by telling them they are sinners, therefore just tell them they can get to Heaven by believing." My friend, God’s Word says He wishes none to perish; He calls ambassadors, such as the Apostle Paul, to make ALL men see.
We see in His dealings with Israel that He gives people opportunity to turn from their ways and follow Him, but the people chose not to, the people reject Him, and according to His holiness, His righteousness, His judgment must come.
On an individual basis, we don’t know when a person's life will end. For the world, we do not know when that opportunity to hear the Gospel will be removed. But we do know a person can be saved today.
II Corinthians 6:2
“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.”
Isaiah 49:8
“Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, . . .”
Clearly, God wants us to go and tell the people of the salvation He provides through faith in Jesus Christ for the salvation of our souls, before it is too late.
As a writer, I have a responsibility to ignore the naysayers of this world, who tell me I shouldn't boldly give the Gospel Message. I must press on and "do the work of an evangelist" using my computer's keyboard, the instrument God has given me to "Preach the Word;" and "be instant in season, out of season;". (II Timothy 3:2-5).
What about you? Are you listening to the naysayers of the world or to God's Holy Word?
"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the word, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15
