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You may not have even thought about it (most people would assume they are on God’s side). The lake of fire is the eternal destiny of God’s enemy, Satan. God will eventually throw him into the lake of fire forever. Although this horrible place of torment was prepared for the devil and his angels, according to the Scriptures whoever follows Satan, even unknowingly, will share in his destiny. Satan, the enemy of God, wants to take as many people with him as possible. If a person sides with him, they will share in this destiny. You do not want that.
Unfortunately, sin entered into us because Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God had charged them to avoid. Look at the world today, at all the violence and conflict. Why is this happening? It is because sin entered into mankind. Because of this, we all are born in sin. That is what King David said: “In sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalms 51:5). Thus, we are all born on Satan’s side.
Once a person dies, his or her eternity is sealed and cannot be changed. So we must be clear that between the time of our birth and our death, we must change sides. You might think that, because you are a “good,” educated, or religious person, you don’t have anything to worry about….Really? If you had a son, daughter, sister, or brother who was drowning and needed to be saved, would you not dive in to help?
God has done this very thing and more with mankind. In order to save us, God took some profound steps. His first step was to “dive” into humanity, putting on flesh and blood to reach us, to be with us and among us. This also allowed us to draw close to Him and to get to know Him. This man was mysterious yet so attractive. He expressed the very God who dwelled within Him. All the attributes of love, light, righteousness, holiness, and compassion were expressed in this saving man. One day a group of religious men picked up stones to throw at a woman who was caught in adultery. They all wanted to stone and kill her. Before they threw the stones, they asked this man what He thought. Then this God-filled man said, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” When they heard this word, all the accusers there began to drop their stones, realizing they all had sinned!
Whether or not other people know that we have sinned is not important. We all know in our heart that we have a problem with sin. Some people try to be “religious,” in an attempt to cover the fact that they have sinned and to convince themselves that they are not a “bad person.” Then, there is another type of person, one who just cares to eat, drink, and be merry, that is, to seek enjoyment and pleasure as much as possible. Whichever kind of person you are, the following conversation is true and applies to all of us.
One day a teacher came to speak to this God-man who saves. The teacher was a notable rabbi, a good person, one known and respected in the Jewish community. Yet the help he received that day was unforgettable and eye-opening. He came to this God-man, this Savior, and was seeking more knowledge to improve himself. The heavenly response was, “Unless you are born anew (born from above), you cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” To be born anew is to open one’s heart to receive a life that we were not born with, that is, the divine, eternal life of God.
We know the plant life, the animal life, and the human life. Yet God wonderfully made us with the capability to receive the divine, eternal life, so that the two (the human life and the divine life) could marvelously blend together. Animals were born with only a body and a soul, but we were made by God with a part that is very special. We were made not only with a body and a soul, but also with a spirit! It is this “organ” that allows us to receive God, and to have God- consciousness.
The goal of this God-man in His journey was to make the eternal life available to us. This man took upon Himself all the negative things that separated God from man, namely sin and sins. This man took all our sin upon Himself. God did not want us to bear the penalty for our sins, which is to share in Satan’s destiny. He put that penalty of sin on this man Jesus as He was suffering a torturous death over 2,000 years ago. This death was not an ordinary death under Roman rule. This was a redemptive death that is able to reach you and me today….even right now. You might ask, “How is it possible that a death 2,000 years ago can reach me today?” Because this man was sinless, His blood could be shed for the forgiveness of sins. This is in accordance with the way God satisfies His righteous requirement throughout the scriptures: that is, unless blood is shed, there cannot be the forgiveness of sins. Because this man has a divine source, (Micah 5:2; Isaiah 9:6; 7:14), this divine work is timeless, and its eternal effectiveness remains true to this minute.
Because He is God, He did not remain in the grave. Rather, He broke out of death and entered into resurrection (breaking all the devil’s power). Now, He is available to bring to you forgiveness of sins and the eternal life of God, so that you also could be born anew, born of the Spirit of God, born from above. I ask you today to decide which side you want to be on and which kingdom you wish to share. The decision you make right now determines this matter.
This man of whom we are speaking was a Jew who lived 2,000 years ago in Israel. He was and is the God-man, Jesus, the One who saves.There is no other name given among men in whom we must be saved—this one’s name is Jesus Christ. He is the One who came, put on flesh and blood to save all mankind. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but He wants to be your God.
Please open your heart today to receive this God-man. Allow Him to rescue you from Satan’s destiny, to transfer you so that you have God as your destiny, kingdom, and life. The way is provided for you below.
In order to receive the eternal life of God, please say aloud, “Jesus Lord, remember me. I open my heart to receive You right now into my spirit, to receive another life, the eternal life of God. Amen.”
God or Satan (Which Side Are You Really On?)
This was the first Bible verse I memorized that I was conceived, born in sin. I am so glad I switched sides and received His Life.