I have included a Special message at the end of this article. I hope you will read it and take it to heart as the ancient prophecies of God rapidly unfold in this world.
How do we, as finite and fallible humans, define or understand mercy?
Add to that, how can we possibly grasp the Mercy that originates in the heart of God?
Can we even begin to comprehend it as it has been extended to us by Him and as it is extended to us by Him?
Well, I don’t think we can, or at least, I don’t think I can, but I joyfully bet my life on God’s never-failing Word and look forward to experiencing this promise among so many others:
“Rather, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him’” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
I can see His Mercy in the record of the written Word of God and the actions of the Living Word of God, Jesus, the Sacrificial Lamb, and yes, even in the actions that prophecy reveals will be executed by Him when He returns as the Lion of Judah, The Alpha and the Omega. The Beginning and the End, The First and The Last.
In that second coming as Judge and Executioner, He will put an end to evil.
As it always is with the Scriptures, God’s actions reflect the reality of His Word.
Even as far back as Genesis 3:15, His intended Mercy was made clear: He would provide opposition to evil as He told Satan directly, and in doing so He declared His Sovereignty over ALL of His creation:
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15).
Satan’s seed: The seed of sin, evil and rebellion: The harbingers of death.
The one-time Seed of the woman: The sinless son of God, Jesus Christ.
To His chosen patriarch and shepherd of His people, Abraham (then Abram), and in turn all the people of the world, He declared the Gospel in advance (Genesis 12:3):
“I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Emphasis added.
ALL the families of the earth shall be blessed – The promise of Yeshua Hamashiach.
In the book of Isaiah, He declares the end from the beginning:
“Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10). Emphasis added.
The Lord makes His Sovereign Will clear in that He “declares” the end from the beginning.
He does not report the end from the beginning; He declares it: Clearly meaning He reveals that the end is what He has determined it will be by His own Authority.
And that He will bring it about in the fullness of the time that He has established.
Perhaps the greatest mercy of all is revealed in His patience and perseverance, enduring man’s hubris, sin and rebellion as He patiently grows His forever family – leaving none behind who will repent:
“Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38).
“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). Emphasis added^.
Jesus declared the absolute necessity of repentance and that it was not optional:
“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).
And then He reiterated it:
“I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:5).
The Lord’s use of the word “unless” clearly implies that each individual must choose whether they will follow His clear command…or choose not to.
This in itself is Mercy.
And the Lord calls out to anyone who has ears to hear and eyes to see:
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44).
And that repentance is what enables the Holy Spirit to lead us to spiritual rebirth:
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Emphasis added.
And once received, this Salvation is declared to be forever by the Lord Jesus Himself:
“And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:28). Emphasis added.
And so, as much as we are vexed, distressed and saddened by the state of the world and want to be taken Home to be with Jesus, freed from sin and sin-free, we owe it to our God (and to those He has yet to redeem) to be patient and “occupy” (witness and testify*) until He comes for those who have received Him as Lord and Savior. *In actions and as a living example if not by words.
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). Emphasis added^.
The Case for Free Will, given by God by His own Authority:
“What more could I have done for My vineyard than I already did for it?” (Isaiah 5:4a).
God has made every effort to provide proof of His existence and His Love (as it is defined by Him), not by the battered, altered and warped definitions of man, but by its actual execution, recorded in His Word: The Sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on a cross to pay the penalty for sins He never committed on behalf of we who have.
And, who is “we?”
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
And, God has made it clear that every human must choose to receive or reject His Mercy:
“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Emphasis added.
The life the Lord had intended for His created order has never, for one second, been surrendered or thwarted by evil and sin.
Despite the best efforts of Satan and those who have, and those who will join with him, the Sovereign God continues to build His forever family just as He makes clear:
“I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish” (Isaiah 46:10). Emphasis added.
God has provided prophetic insight to anyone who has ears to hear and eyes to see concerning the future He has planned for those who choose to repent of their sin and rebellion and, instead, embrace His Love revealed in His Son, Jesus. It can be found in the Book of Revelation Ch 21:1- 22:5.
To my sisters and brothers in Christ:
I’m not going to say, “Do not be dismayed or discouraged” by what we see in this perishing world, because these things will happen to us. We are, as the saying goes, “Only human,” but we have the indwelling Holy Spirit to remind us that:
“God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 23:19). Emphasis added.
But I am going to say, “don’t be overwhelmed” by them. Instead:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
To those who have not yet received the Grace of God in Jesus Christ by repentance and spiritual rebirth:
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
I hope and pray that you will choose life.
The special message I promised you:
For anyone who may read this article and has not trusted in Jesus Christ and therefore has no real hope or peace in your life.
You can have hope. You can have the peace that Jesus has promised to all who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The peace that passes understanding.
It requires that you come before God on His terms and that you do so in your living years.
And what are His terms according to His Word?
- Genuine repentance (turning to God instead of continuing to reject or ignore Him).
- Confession of sins (that you are a sinner and acknowledge that to God).
- That you understand that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
- To acknowledge to God that you are unable to pay that debt.
- Belief that Jesus Christ paid your death sentence for you on the cross and rose from the grave three days later, conquering death, just as He promised.
- To believe that Jesus is the Way, the only Way, that God has established by which humans may be saved from the consequences of their sin and rebellion.
This is what leads one to the Spiritual Rebirth that Jesus requires (John 3:3).
God has made it absolutely clear that there is no one who comes before Him, under His terms, that will be refused.
- No one: no race, no color, no country of origin, regardless of any previous belief system: no one.
- No matter what your past sins have been, God can and WILL forgive you because He says He will.
- Salvation is available to everyone without any exceptions.
If you put all your trust for salvation in Jesus, and Him only, you can follow that prayer up by simply saying, “Thank you, Father God, for hearing my prayer and saving me,” because we can trust Him to keep His Word. He always has. He always will.
“Truly, Truly, I say to you that he who hears My words and believes the One who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed from death to life” (John 5:24).
There are no answers and there is no hope in the world by governments, organizations, politics or politicians. They are incapable of it. There are only lies and deception. But you can have the Truth and the peace you seek.
The answers are in the Word of God—The Bible. If you ask God, with all your heart, He will hear you.
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Pro Salvator Vigilans
To contact me: [email protected]
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