In the preceding two chapters of this book we saw how the Harmony of Revelation appears to be consistent with most of the other prophecies of the Bible. Such consistency constitutes strong evidence that this theory of eschatology is correct. However, the only way to be absolutely certain that harmonism is true is to verify its predictions throughout the course of time. Unfortunately, if we wait until all of its predictions are fulfilled, the theory no longer will be of any practical value. So there really is no way to be absolutely certain that harmonism is true.
But we can grow more and more confident in its validity as more and more of its predictions actually come to pass. Furthermore, our understanding of the details of the picture will grow clearer as time progresses.
For example, we have already seen how the predictions associated with the Day of Salvation have already come to pass. We saw how the Church evolved historically as predicted in Revelation 2-3; how the nation of Israel was scattered, persecuted, preserved, and restored as predicted in Revelation 12; and how Christ ascended into heaven where he currently reigns with the resurrected saints in glory, power, and honor as predicted in Revelation 4, 5, 8, and 20. Therefore, we can say that the Harmony of Revelation has been confirmed historically up to the present time.
Indeed, it is the fact that all of these predictions have been fulfilled chronologically, with the latter predictions fulfilled only recently, that allows us to conclude that the Day of Salvation is rapidly coming to an end. Nevertheless, we make no attempt to specify exactly the day or hour that any of these latter-day events occur, for there still remains considerable uncertainty in the time frame associated with the events. However, this uncertainty is predicted to diminish dramatically as the future unfolds.
For example, today all we can say about an event like the return of Christ is that it is likely to occur sometime within the next 60 years, i.e. in approximately 30 years plus or minus 30 years. However, once the Jewish temple is rebuilt and animal sacrifices are reinstated, we can probably expect the end to come in less than 40 years.[1] And when the beast of communism miraculously recovers from its apparently fatal wound and begins again to devour the world, we will know that the Antichrist will soon arise and that the end of the world probably is less than 20 years away. When the Antichrist finally reveals himself openly in the process of establishing his United World Kingdom, we will know the Day of Sin is upon us and the end will occur in less than 10 years, probably in less than 7. When the United World economy collapses and the newly rebuilt Jewish temple is desecrated, we will know the Day of Death is upon us so that only about 3 1/2 years remain. When the two Jewish witnesses are killed and miraculously resurrected, we will know that only about 6 weeks remain. And, finally, when Jerusalem is surrounded by the armies of the Antichrist with Israel marked for total annihilation, we will know that only a few days remain until Christ returns to rapture his saints and destroy sinful mankind.
Clearly, as the end approaches the wise will understand the timing of these prophecies better and better (DAN 12:10, MAT 24:33). They will also understand the symbolism more thoroughly.
Through the advantage of hindsight, the discerning will know for certain whether the beast from the sea really represents communism or some other ideology, philosophy, or government; whether the number 666 really symbolizes humanism, some other religion, or a literal trademark stamped upon those who submit to the governing authority; whether the stars falling during the Day of Death represent incoming ballistic missiles or actual meteors impacting the earth from outer space; and whether the rest of the symbolism should be interpreted literally, figuratively, or a combination of both.
Clearly, as the end approaches, more and more of these mysteries will be revealed. However, we do not have to wait until we understand everything before acting upon what we already know. Even now the picture painted by harmonism is clear enough to motivate us to accomplish today what God would have us do today. Indeed, harmonistic eschatology already contains more details than any other theory of eschatology I know about. Therefore, the Harmony of Revelation contains plenty of information to guide us through the future if only we use the information for that purpose.
Of course, the way a person uses the information will depend to a large extent upon who that person is and whether or not that person is a Christian.
Actually, it is hard for me to imagine how any non-Christian could possibly believe in the Harmony of Revelation. After all, if one does not believe in Christ, how can he believe in the Bible; if he does not believe in the Bible, how can he believe in the prophecies of the Bible; and if he does not believe in the prophecies of the Bible, how can he believe in the harmonistic interpretation of those prophecies?
But more than once I have been amazed at what some people believe. Therefore, I fully expect to encounter people who are able to accept the truth of the Harmony without accepting the Truth of the Bible.[2] If you are one of these people, you may well be tempted to use human logic and the predictions of the Harmony to help plan your future through the difficult times ahead.
Indeed, Satan will probably encourage you to do this very thing. He will tell you:
"You can use your knowledge of the future to attain the best of both this world and the next. You can live like a king on Wednesday, avoid the plagues of Thursday, and then gain eternal salvation at the very last minute before Friday begins. All you have to do is plan everything carefully and then watch your timing.
"For example, during the next few years, as the Church Age (Tuesday) is coming to an end, the most important thing you need to remember is that the Antichrist is coming. Despite the way current events may look, the inevitable conclusion of the matter will be the establishment of the United World Government with the Antichrist in charge.
"Only those few people who are able to gain a position of favor within his Organization will experience a wonderful life during the troublesome time ahead. Others, who simply submit to the Government and support its policies, can expect to live a reasonably prosperous life. But all rebels will be punished severely and the righteous will be persecuted unto death.
"Therefore, as a non-Christian, you should immediately start planning to work your way as rapidly as possible upward through the emerging world socioeconomic/political ladder to as high a position as possible during the next few years. Be very careful along the way to make as many friends as possible among those holding a higher position than you. At all costs, avoid making any enemies among those who are likely to gain a position of authority over you at some later date. Always watch your back and do whatever is necessary to get ahead.
"If you do not have the personality or drive to work your way up the international ladder of worldly success, then perhaps you should recognize that fact right now, stop fighting the system, and start enjoying life while you can. Never let yourself be deluded into thinking that things are going to get much better than they are right now; because, for someone of your international status, or rather lack thereof, it just 'doesn't get any better than this!' So 'go for all the gusto you can get,' because 'hard times are ahead!' In short, 'live for today, because tomorrow there's going to be hell to pay!'[3]
"Of course, once Tuesday is over and the Day of Sin begins, you had better do your very best to stay out of the worldwide conflict that brings the Antichrist into power. Otherwise, you could well be one of the millions who are killed at that time.
"If you cannot avoid the conflict, then by all means make sure you join the battle on the side of the Antichrist. Although you may still be killed, your chances of survival are infinitely better than of those who oppose him.
"Be certain to submit to his authority as soon as he gains control and do everything exactly as you are told to do. Yes, you will be living the life of a slave, but at least you will be allowed to live. That's more than most Christians will be allowed to do.
"Of course, if you are one of the fortunate few who have been able to work your way up the worldly system near the top by the time the Antichrist reveals himself, then you should begin supporting his cause as soon as possible. In this way you will have the greatest chance of gaining his favor and assuming a position of authority in his United World Empire. If you are careful to play your cards right by supporting the persecution of the saints and performing other ungodly acts, then you will probably be able to enjoy three and a half years of worldly pleasure beyond anything you can imagine today.
"But whether you are one of the slaves or one of the masters during this reign of the Antichrist, there is one thing you had best never forget; namely, the fact that this reign will only last for THREE AND A HALF YEARS. Therefore, you must make very careful plans to flee from the cities before the fall of Babylon ushers in the Day of Death. In fact, you had better devise some method of completely divorcing yourself from the whole United World System before that day arrives. Otherwise, you most certainly will be drawn back into the fatal conflict.
"In order to escape the system completely, you probably will need to fake your own death and then disappear into some remote area of the countryside. Once there, you had best try to find yourself a Christian friend somewhere and attach yourself to him or her. Perhaps, just perhaps, the umbrella of God's grace bestowed upon that saint at that time will also shelter you enough to survive the terrible wrath of God vented upon sinful mankind.
"Undoubtedly, the most critical part of this survival plan is the timing of your desertion from the United World System. If you bolt too soon, you almost certainly will be caught and punished by the worldly authorities. If you flee too late, you probably will find it impossible to escape the devastation that comes upon the world.
"Actually, if you are one of those who helped persecute the saints during the reign of the Antichrist, you probably will find it impossible to escape God's wrath anyway. In that case, instead of deserting the United World System, your best bet may be to continue supporting the Antichrist and just hope beyond hope that you will be one of the lucky few that survive to the end of the Day of Death.
"Then, if by some miracle you do survive to the end and witness that one last opportunity to accept Christ before his return, you can take that opportunity, repent of your sins, accept Christ, and gain eternal salvation.
"Again, the timing will be critical. If you profess Christ before he appears visibly in the clouds, you will probably be killed by your comrades as a traitor. If you wait until Christ appears in the sky, it will be too late to be saved. Your eternal fate will already be cast in stone and there will be absolutely nothing you can do to escape the Judgment.
"But if you plan everything carefully, have a little luck, and execute perfect timing, you can live like a king on this earth and gain eternal salvation at the last minute."
Of course, the only problem with this satanic plan is that it won't work. Satan knows very well that if you do not become a Christian before the end of the Day of Salvation, your chances of ever going to heaven are slim to none. Without the Holy Spirit wooing you during the Days of Sin and Death, you won't even WANT to become a Christian.
So if you are not a Christian before the Antichrist ascends to power, then regardless of your planning and timing, you will probably never live to see that one last opportunity of accepting Christ. Or if you do witness that opportunity, you may no longer want to become a Christian. In either case, your eternal fate shall have been decided at the end of Tuesday rather than at the end of Thursday.
In fact, your fate may well be decided before Tuesday ends. It could even be decided today, for you have no guarantee you will even live to see tomorrow. Every time you reject Jesus as your Lord and Savior you may well be passing up your last opportunity to do so.
Therefore, in all seriousness, I do not advise anyone to follow the above plan of action. Anyone who does so is gambling with his eternal soul in a game of chance with all the odds stacked against him. If you ever hope to become a Christian, I strongly recommend you do so right now.
Take a serious, honest, personal look at your own life and where it is headed. If you recognize the fact that your life is not what it ought to be, then you also know that your relationship with God is not what it ought to be. In order to understand why this is so and what you can do about it, you need to take your Bible (the one you have been using in this study of the Harmony of Revelation) and start reading it seriously with an open heart, asking God to reveal to you those truths that can lead you to eternal salvation. Some of these basic truths are given below:
The first step in becoming a Christian is to recognize the fact that God is God (PSA 100:3). He is so high above you in every respect that, in comparison, you are nothing.[4]
You need to realize that you are not the ultimate manifestation of this physical universe evolving through chance toward a higher and higher form of self-awareness. On the contrary, God is the one who created both this physical universe and you individually, simply because he wanted to.
You had no choice as to when, where, why, how, or even if you were born. Nor did you decide how this world should operate in order for you to continue living. You cannot even say how long you will continue living. And you certainly are not the one to determine whether or not your soul is immortal -- whether or not your awareness will endure beyond this life into all eternity. God is the one who made and makes all of these decisions.
However, God did create you with the ability to make other choices. And he placed you in an environment where those choices would be meaningful. Specifically, he put you in this universe on this planet among other people like yourself.
Furthermore, he cares what choices you make and why you make them. He loves you, his special creation, and wants you to make the choices in this life that will lead to eternal fellowship with him in the next. He hopes you will choose to fulfill the purpose for which you were created.
God is good and wants you to have a full, and abundant life. He is wise and knows better than you what is best for you.
Therefore, he created within you a sense of morality, a conscience if you will, to help guide you in your choices between what is good and evil, what is right and wrong. He also gave you a mind to help you understand the difference between right and wrong, and emotions to help you feel the difference between what is good and bad.
It is his will that you always choose what is good and right so you can reach your full potential and become the best person you possibly can be. Unfortunately, there comes a point in everyone's life[5] where that person deliberately chooses to do wrong, even though he is fully aware of the difference between right and wrong.
Be honest with yourself. Haven't you knowingly gone against your conscience and done things that you knew in your heart were wrong? Haven't you lied to, stolen from, cheated, harmed, and/or hurt other people? Haven't you done the same to God? Haven't you done the same to yourself?
Even now, on a regular basis, don't you put your own selfish desires ahead of your desire to do what you know in your heart is good and right?
Ask yourself, "What is my greatest desire?"
Is your greatest passion to please God or to please yourself? Is it to do what is good or to do what you want? To be holy or to be happy? To give or to get? To do what is right or to do what is wrong?
If you have answered these questions honestly, without any rationalization or self-delusion, then you know for a fact that you are a sinner.[6] You have willfully rebelled against God, placed your own will above his will, and chosen to live your own life your own way making your own decisions according to your own desires.
But sin is not simply an alternate style of living - an optional way to enjoy this life. Sin always has its negative consequences. It always adheres to the principle, "Play now and pay later." It always incurs a debt that eventually must be paid. And, according to the Bible, that debt is death.[7]
Sometimes part of the payment for sin is exacted in this life: the death of innocence, the death of relationships, the death of joy, the death of health, or the death of life. But the ultimate consequence of sin will be recognized fully only on the Day of Judgment, when everyone will be rewarded according to the good and the bad he has done in this life.
At that time everyone will realize that the sins we have committed warrant our eternal separation from God. Because of the fact that we have all rebelled against God, chosen our own will above his, and surrendered to the temptations of Satan, it follows that we all deserve to spend the rest of eternity in a godless environment lamenting our folly -- to experience the second death -- to anguish in hell forever. We have all earned that fate.
But God does not will that any should perish.[8] He created us to have fellowship with him, not to spend eternity in hell. And he loved us enough to provide a way for us to be saved, regardless of what it cost him. And it cost God the very best he had to offer. It cost him the life of his only begotten Son.
You see, Jesus, the Son of God, took on the form of man and lived a perfect life so that sin and death had no claim on him. Then he took upon himself our sins and voluntarily gave himself over to death. He paid the price of our sins so we would not have to pay the price ourselves. He was cut off from the Father and spent three days in Hades[9] so we would not have to be separated from God and spend all eternity in hell.
And because the Son was obedient to the Father, even unto the death of the cross, he was raised again and given a name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Because Jesus paid the debt of sin that we owe, we no longer have to pay the debt, and God can freely offer us salvation.
Therefore, salvation is a gift of God, freely bestowed upon everyone willing to accept it. Salvation is not something we earn through our good works. In fact, there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to earn, to merit, or deserve salvation.[10] And, come Judgment Day, this truth will be made manifest to all.
So salvation is a free gift of God. But it is not cheap. It cost God the best he had to offer -- his beloved Son. It cost Jesus his life, and the agony of being separated from his Father. And it costs you everything you have, everything you are, and everything you ever hope to be.
You see, even though salvation is offered to everyone, only a blessed few actually accept it.
Why? Because very few people are willing to surrender to God the total lordship of their life. They are not willing to cast aside their pride, their sense of justice, their human rights, their wealth, their family, their future -- their very lives -- and penitently kneel at the foot of the cross pleading, "God, be merciful to me a sinner. Take me, I'm yours to do with as you will from this time forever more." They are not willing to die to themselves daily, hourly, minutely, in order to live a life dedicated to God.
How about you? Are you willing to become God's eternal slave? If not, why not?
Are you still under the delusion that you know better than God what will really make you happy? Do you honestly believe you can be the master of your fate and the captain of your soul? Do you really think you can control your own destiny? Or do you even care how your life turns out as long as you are the one in the driver's seat?
Don't you realize that as long as you insist on making your own decisions, you remain a slave of your own passions -- a slave of sin -- automatically following the particular desire that happens to be strongest at the time you make a decision?
Don't you realize that you can never be your own master? You will either be a slave of sin or a slave of God. Those are your only two choices, there is no third. By trying to be your own master and following your own will instead of the will of God, you automatically become a slave of your own sinful desires and, therefore, of the one who instills those desires within you; namely, Satan.
Don't you realize that your eternal destiny does not depend upon what kind of life style you have chosen? It doesn't matter whether you have chosen to be a moral human being or an egocentric brute. In either case, you simply took the path that you, personally, found to be most appealing -- the path you found to be most desirable -- the path you found to be most tempting. In either case, you have chosen to follow your own will rather than God's will. In either case, you have chosen Satan to be your master rather than God. And in either case, your eternal destiny lies with the master you have chosen -- with Satan in hell.
You see, the decisions you make now between right and wrong do not determine whether you go to heaven or to hell. You already made that decision in your youth when you first decided to rebel against God and to do what you knew in your heart was wrong. Furthermore, you cannot reverse that decision simply by choosing to do what is right from here on until you die.
If you don't believe me, try it. See how long you can live a perfect life without sinning -- without going against any of the commandments of God. Read the Bible and learn what God demands. Then attempt to live up to that standard in your own strength. You will soon discover you cannot do it. No matter how hard you try, you eventually will fall back into sin. Why? Because, you really are in bondage to sin and cannot break free.
Only by becoming a slave of God can you be freed from the bondage of sin. And when Jesus sets you free, you are free indeed. For, no longer must you automatically follow your strongest desire, you can actually choose what that strongest desire will be.
You do this by repenting of your sin, renouncing your own self-will, and deliberately deciding to make the will of God your strongest desire. You confess your sins to God; admit your rebellion; plead for forgiveness;[11] ask God to take you as you are and make you into anything he wants you to become; and, finally, mean what you say.
Don't hold back anything. Pour out your honest, deepest feelings. Let go of your anger, resentment, guilt, frustration, and pride. Lower all the internal barriers you have erected in your heart to prevent the Holy Spirit of God from touching you. Empty yourself of yourself and ask God to fill you with his Presence as he becomes Lord, Master, and Savior of your life.
If you have never done this, I urge you to do so right now. Bow your head in prayer, confess your sins, and ask God to save you.
..
If you sincerely prayed that simple sinners prayer, then you are saved.
How can you know you really are saved? Because Jesus said so! He promised never to reject anyone who comes to him in faith.
So why don't you begin your new life in Christ by expressing a prayer of gratitude? Just let go of your inhibitions, and praise the Lord. If you feel like it, shout for joy. Or you may prefer to weep in silence. In either case, savor the moment -- for you will experience few moments like this on this side of eternity.
..
As you live the Christian life and grow from your current spiritual infancy toward Christian maturity, there are three facts you should never forget:
When you surrendered everything to God, you relinquished all rights to rule your own life. Your life is no longer your own to do with as you wish. You have been bought with a price and belong to God.[12] You have become a child of the King, to be nurtured and disciplined according to his will and purpose.
If he chooses to glorify his name by blessing you with wonderful responsibilities, so be it. If he chooses to have you suffer for his name's sake, so be it. In either case, you can lay up treasures in heaven by remaining faithful in your service no matter what he calls you to do.
Never again do you have to worry about your eternal salvation, for it is securely anchored in Jesus Christ. The responsibility is his to keep you in his care, not yours to keep yourself there.
Remember, salvation is a mutual choice. You choose to offer yourself as a living sacrifice to God, and he chooses whether or not to accept your offering. Since he looks upon the heart, he will never accept your sacrifice unless you really mean it. If you hold something back or continue harboring sin in your heart, you can be sure you are not a Christian. You are only deluding yourself if you think you are saved.[13] But if your confession is genuine, he will accept your offering, and your eternal salvation is secure in his hands.
Just as Jesus was tried and tempted, so, too, will you face trials and temptations.[14] But no longer must you face such trials alone, for God has sent his Holy Spirit to dwell within your heart, to strengthen you, and to guide you through such temptations.
This does not mean that you no longer can sin. You can. You will.
But even when you fall, God will lift you up. If you confess your sins and repent in your heart, he has promised to forgive your sins and restore you to a right relationship with himself.[15] So there is no reason for you to live a defeated life. God himself, through his Holy Spirit, will supply whatever power is needed to lift you victoriously over any failures you might encounter along the way.
And finally, as a Christian, you should always remember that you have two and only two obligations:
Do not trust your feelings. There will be times when you, like Job, will not be able to "feel" the presence of God. During those times when you feel like God has abandoned you and the joy of your salvation is gone, just remember your life belongs to Jesus and trust him to lead you through the difficult times.
Do not trust in your own strength or works. There will be times when you become weak and fail. So learn to rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish in your own life what you can never do on your own.
Do not trust in other people. There will be times when they will disappoint you. In fact, as soon as you begin looking upon someone as your model, you are opening the door for Satan to attack that person. Satan knows that if he can get that person to stumble, your faith will be shattered. And God allows Satan to attack that person because you are worshiping the wrong god.
Do not trust human logic. There will be times when it will deceive you. Philosophy, mathematics, science, theology, eschatology, and other forms of rational speculation frequently lead people away from God. Satan is a master of deceit and often blinds a person to the fallacy of an argument that initially appears to be logically irrefutable. So always check the validity of a logical argument by comparing its conclusion with the truth revealed in God's holy Word, the Bible.
In all things, trust God and God alone, believe what he says, and live your life according to faith.
But faith without works is dead.[16] So study the Bible until you really understand the commandments of God and then obey those commandments.
Do not allow yourself to grow legalistic in your attitude, but diligently seek to discover the principles of God's laws and prayerfully apply those principles specifically to your life. Discover what God would have you do. Then, through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit, DO IT!
Now that you are a Christian, let us reconsider how the Harmony of Revelation might be used to help you plan your future.
Obviously, the plan developed previously for non-Christians is absolutely worthless because any Christian who attempts to work his way up through the worldly system to avoid persecution during the Day of Sin eventually will be forced to make a choice. Either he will cling to the world and deny Christ or he will relinquish the world and hold to Christ. If he does the former, Christ will deny him on the Day of Judgment[17] -- if the latter, then all of his efforts to gain worldly security will have been in vain.
Therefore, we Christians really have no choice but to take the long-range view of the situation and, knowing that we eventually will be delivered, prepare ourselves now to weather the storm that lies ahead. Whether delivered through death during the storm or through the rapture at the end, we can look forward to the glorious New World we are certain to inherit in only a short time.
However, we must not become so concerned about the long-range view of things that we lose sight of the immediate future. We need to remember that the Day of Salvation rapidly is coming to a close. And once that day closes, very few people will ever have another opportunity to attain salvation. We Christians have little time remaining to reach out to the billions of people who are going to die without Christ in the near future.
Nevertheless, the situation is not hopeless. For example, if every Christian today simply would win one soul to Christ per year and disciple that person to do likewise, then within 15 to 20 years the whole world would have heard the Gospel of Christ. Even if many (or most) people reject the Truth, at least they all would have had an opportunity to believe.
But 15 to 20 years is close to the maximum time that remains before the world becomes so disillusioned with its unfulfilled expectations of democracy that it returns with renewed commitment to hyper-socialism (i.e. communism). And when this happens, it will be too late to try to evangelize the world -- the doors of opportunity will be closed once again.
So, what can you as an individual Christian do about this situation?
Well, the first thing you can do is some serious praying. Pray that God will reveal to you specifically what he would have you do to help win the world to Christ. Then, whatever he says, do it. Regardless of the cost, DO IT!
If he calls you to leave your family and friends to become a missionary in some foreign country, then GO. If you need special training, then get it quickly and GO.
If he calls you to stay, then give sacrificially that others may go.
If you do not belong to a congregation that supports worldwide evangelism, either join one that does or become more active in your own local church, doing all you can to help reach, teach, and send workers into the field while there yet is time for a harvest.
But whether you are called to go or called to stay, one thing is certain: you are called to witness wherever you are. This does not mean that you should try to cram your religion down everybody's throat, but it does mean that you should show others that you care enough to give them an opportunity to hear about Jesus.
If people don't want to hear, then shut up. Respect their God-given right to reject the truth. After all, everybody has a right to go to hell if they want to.
But if they do want to hear, tell them personally what Jesus means to you, what he has done for you, and how you became a Christian. Then ask them if they want to become a Christian. If they don't, then continue loving them, praying for them, and ministering to them. But if they do, then lead them to Christ and help them to grow toward spiritual maturity.
You have just given them the greatest gift they ever will receive and have found yourself a new brother or sister for all eternity.
Praise the Lord!
Amen!
[1]This is the amount of time God allowed animal sacrafices to continue after Christ made his own perfect sacrifice for sin. Animal sacrifices were discontinued when the Jewish Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, approximately 40 years after the death and resurrection of Christ. It seems reasonable to assume that God would not allow this practice to continue for more than another 40 years after it is reintroduced in the latter days.
[2]Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (JOH 14:6).
[3]Does any of this satanic advice sound familiar?
[4]You are like a blade of grass which grows for a season and dies. And God is like someone who picks you up and decides whether you are fit to be burned in the fire or woven into a beautiful wicker basket.
[5]This point is often called the age of accountability, the age in a child's life where he or she acquires the knowledge of good and evil.
[6]The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (ROM 3:23).
[7] The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. (ROM 6:23)
[8] God wants everyone to be saved. (2PE 3:9)
[9]Hades is the greek word for the place of the dead.
[10]Even the act of accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior does not earn you salvation -- it does not obligate God to save you. No one can say to God, "I did what you said, now you owe me salvation." Why? Because, if you really did what God said, you fully submitted to his will and gave him the right to do anything he wants to do with you, including sending you to hell. So salvation is based entirely on God's love and grace, not upon your choice or your actions.
[11]You must also forgive everyone who has sinned against you (MAT 6:15).
[12] 1CO 6:19-20.
[13]Accepting Christ as your Savior is not a fire insurance policy that allows you to continue deleberately sinning in this life and still go to heaven in the next. In order for Christ to be your Savior, he must be your Lord. This means you must renounce your sins and resolve, with God's help, never to commit them again.
[14]In fact, most Christians experience more trials and temptations during their early Christian growth that at any other time in their life. They are often surprised to find that life gets worse after becoming a Christian than it was before. This is because Satan has just lost your eternal soul and is desperate to rob you of your joy in Christ. He knows that if he can tempt you to sin and then pour on the guilt (or else get you to tolerate a certain amount of sin in your life), he can prevent you from ever living a victorious life in Christ. And Christ allows Satan to sift you like wheat in order to get rid of the chaff in your life. So, in general, the sooner you learn what God is trying to teach you through your trials, the sooner those trials are likely end. Unless, of course, he is teaching you things like patience and endurence. In that case, just praise the Lord that he considers you worthy of intensive and prolonged suffering for his names sake, for great is your reward in heaven. (MAT 5:11-12)
[15] 1JO 1:9
[16] JAM 2:26
[17] MAT 10:33