Behold, Now Is the Acceptable Time; Behold, Now Is the Day of Salvation

 

As the passage above says, we must not receive the grace of God in vain. The reason is that, as the passage below teaches, God always shows people a way of escape before He allows them to be tested.

 

1 Corinthians 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it.”

 

However, there are some people who, even when God shows them such a way of escape, do not walk in that way.

 

Jeremiah 6:16-19 “16Thus saith Jehovah, Stand ye in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way; and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls: but they said, We will not walk therein. 17And I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet; but they said, We will not hearken. 18Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them. 19Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words; and as for my law, they have rejected it.”

 

Therefore, just as it is written that for everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven, when God shows us the way of escape, we must not miss that time, but must humbly follow His word.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 “1For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: 2a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”

 

Therefore, since there is a time for everything in this world, when grace and salvation are given to us, we must receive grace and be saved. The Bible teaches us that Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal of pottage (Gen. 25:29-34), afterward found no place of repentance.

 

Hebrews 12:16-17 “16lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one mess of meat sold his own birthright. 17For ye know that even when he afterward desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for a change of mind in his father, though he sought it diligently with tears.”

 

Therefore, so that we also do not become like Esau, missing the appointed time and regretting it later, we must always rightly discern the time and season, and humbly obey the words of Jesus.

 

God has said that in these last days He will judge this world by fire. And because God has spoken it, no one can turn back His will.

 

2 Peter 3:7 “But the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”

Malachi 4:1 “For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith Jehovah of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.”

Ezekiel 24:14 “I, Jehovah, have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord Jehovah.”

 

And also, once anyone falls into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41, Mark 9:43), he can never turn back again.

 

Luke 16:22-26 “22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: and the rich man also died, and was buried. 23And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame. 25But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things: but now here he is comforted, and thou art in anguish. 26And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that they that would pass from hence to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from thence to us.”

 

As this passage says, a great gulf has been fixed between heaven and hell, so that no one may cross from one side to the other. Therefore, once a person goes to hell, that state can never be changed. Therefore, before this great and terrible day comes, we must fear the name of Jesus and receive salvation.

 

Malachi 4:1-2 “1For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith Jehovah of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 2But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings; and ye shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall.”

Joel 2:31-32 “31The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh. 32And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah hath said, and among the remnant those whom Jehovah doth call.”

 

These passages seem to proclaim the name of Jehovah, but in truth they are proclaiming the name of Jesus. See The Name of God, “Jesus”. In other words, before the great and terrible judgment of God begins, all of us must fear the name of Jesus and live by that name in order to be saved. But because people do not know this truth, unless someone tells them, they cannot know it, and therefore they cannot call upon, that is, rely upon, the name of Jesus.

 

Romans 10:12-15 “12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same Lord is Lord of all, and is rich unto all that call upon him: 13for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15and how shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things!”

1 Corinthians 1:21 “For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe.”

 

Therefore, before His fearful judgment begins, God gives people the words of Jesus, that is, the gospel, so that He may first grant them an opportunity to turn back.

 

Malachi 4:5-6 “5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come. 6And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

 

Because God first grants us the opportunity to turn back through the words of Jesus before the great and terrible day of God comes, He says to us today, “Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Therefore, now is truly the time of opportunity for us. Through the words of Jesus, God is now telling us, “Believe in the name of Jesus and live by that name.” At this time, then, we must believe in the name of Jesus and live by that name, because only the name of Jesus is our salvation.

 

Acts 4:7-12 “7And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, By what power, or in what name, have ye done this? 8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders, 9if we this day are examined concerning a good deed done to an impotent man, by what means this man is made whole; 10be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even in him doth this man stand here before you whole... 12And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.”

 

As this passage says, there is no other name. Only the name of Jesus is the one and only name that can give us salvation. Therefore, before judgment begins according to the word of God, we must all believe in the name of Jesus, live by the name of Jesus (Col. 3:17), and receive eternal life.

 

1 John 5:12-13 “12He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life. 13These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God.”

 

John 20:30-31 “30Many other signs therefore did Jesus in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book: 31but these are written, that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life in his name.”

 

Amen.