The four tips of my fingers on my left hand are calloused and hardened from playing guitar for so many years. In the beginning, pressing those tender fingertips against the steel strings onto a hard fingerboard was very painful until they calloused and hardened and now I could press them against a razor blade until they bled and I would barely feel it. Our hearts are no different. I heard it said once from a pastor that it usually takes a catastrophic event to open most peoples hearts once they reach a certain age. But with God all things are possible. This is a very good point. I would say that anyone who enters the Tribation will have rejected the free gift of salvation multiple, multiple times. They, by their own choice, will enter the most awful period of humanity in Earth's history. So, while I will leave the button pushing to God the Father, I can also appreciate the desire to push it, as well. :good: Yes, all things are possible. It's just the conversation I will no longer have with my Aunt or sister. I put them in the Lord's hands for the outcome. I do wonder what our loved one's will say to us in Heaven, if they make it through the Tribulation. Not as an I told you so - none of that in Heaven - but just a desire to know what their thought might be when they realize what they never believed, was true. Kolleen, this is true. I used to think that as people got older, they would realize that their time left on earth was short and they would accept Jesus as their savior. Now, I know that their hearts get hardened. I have a friend who always thought religion was a take-it or leave-it option. She is very nice, a "good person." I have spoken to her about this several times, and once she replied, "Well, maybe when I get very, very old." Now she is 97, not healthy, and living in memory care far away. I had given her a Bible, but she doesn't know where it is. I phone her every week, but she has no interest in spiritual things and just wants happy talk. It's sad. Arthur, I agree that people in the U.S. and Canada have probably had many chances to accept Christ's gift of salvation. But, folks in other countries, I'm not so sure. I agree salvation is in the Lord’s hands to preserve those who are going to be saved. My dad was next to the youngest of 11 kids. Back in 2002 we made a trip to Missouri so he could visit some of his siblings/their off spring and to attend his high school reunion party. I was amazed the majority of his high school class were still alive since I knew a few in my high school and in college that died in their 20’s and early 30’s. So at his reunion dinner party they each were given a chance to share testimony of their life … the popular speeches were who they married, how many kid, grandkids, great grandkids, where they ended up living, what jobs they had, but he was able to also share his faith and testimony. Afterwards one told him his aunt (just turned 100 yrs old) and was still alive … he got the address and went to visit her that night. She answered the door and she wanted Jesus! Then not to long after that visit we heard she died. So Jesus kept her alive all those years to hear. What is cool is she was also the midwife to birth him. We westerners definitely have absolutely no excuse, I agree. We can go to practically any bookstore and buy a Bible and read it, free from persecution. We have all been raised in at least a nominal Judeo Christian heritage. As for other countries, God is working powerfully there. Through dreams, visions and overt miracles, at times. Ultimately, no one will stand before God and say they got a raw deal. God is perfectly Just. I read a book that I really enjoyed called Eternity in their Hearts by Don Richardson. It deals with that topic very well, IMHO. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/904375.Eternity_in_Their_Hearts Back in the 1970's there was a Christian musician named Keith Green who was very outspoken for Christ yet he would not evangelize in the United States because he felt we were already too spoiled. The Gospel was everywhere and no one had an excuse. So he evangelized overseas. I heard the story of a couple that lived in South East Asia that had been married for probably close to 100 years. They were both around 116. They watched the Jesus Film together and accepted the free gift of Salvation. Almighty God preserved them for that long just so they could hear the Gospel message in their language and come to faith. :good: I also believe our prayers mean a lot for the unsaved. They seem to get more chances to hear the Gospel whether by their blood relatives or believers who are strangers that cross their pathway. When we visited California in 1980 my dad saw a few of his older sisters at their homes. One was Kathryn. I was so impressed by her display of 3 tier variety of chocolate candies and nuts. A kids dream was sitting in front of me on her My dad also wrote his siblings at Christmas and shared his faith and included a Bible Tract. He prayed her whole family would get saved. That Christmas Kathryn’s only daughter Kathy … left her abusive Mormon husband and was hiding out at her home. Kathy saw the Christmas card and letter and read the Bible tract and became a believer that day! Then back in 2012(?) I was opening up a can of Planters variety nuts and I immediately thought of my dad’s sister Kathryn and felt compelled to pray for her salvation. Then a few days later I received a letter from Kathy informing us her mom had passed away. I got in touch with Kathy to asked when that day was she died? She told me and it was the same day I prayed in the kitchen while opening up the nuts. So we are hoping her mom did accept Jesus before her last breath.
coffee tea table and she said “help yourself” so I did! :whistle:
