“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
Matthew 3:2
This was the message of John the Baptist, Jesus the Christ, the Apostles and the early church. This has been the message of God to His people from the beginning and continues to be today.
There is a lack of repentance in people’s hearts today because a great multitude of believers never speak of repentance. They preach love and acceptance, but not remission of sin and the wrath of God. They preach of the faith of some who ‘subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions’ but not others who ‘were tortured, had trials of mockings and scourgings, were stoned, sawn in two, slain with the sword’ 1. They seek the approval of men, unaware of the words of Christ “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets” 2. John the Baptist, Jesus, the apostles, and every true church today preach repentance.
The message has not changed, the messengers have. Hearts have grown cold because lawlessness abounds, men seek their own glory above the Lord’s and the riches of the world above the riches of eternity. The truth is that there is only one way into heaven, and a great multitude of people refuse the path that leads there because of the difficulty. If Christ came today, most of the population would find themselves left behind, including many who profess to be believers. They curse the church and the pastor that preaches truth because they love their sin and hate the one who confronts it. This is the reality of the last days that we live in.
‘From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more’ (John 6:66). If they treated God in the flesh in such a way, should we expect any different as His servants? The closer you get to the cross, the fewer people you will find. The closer we get to the end of days, the smaller the faithful remnant will be. How many thrones will be left vacant in eternity because the people He called were unwilling to finish the race? How many will barely enter heaven, even their garments being consumed?
#CalledtoBattle
1 Hebrews 11
2 Luke 6:26