What Does The Bible Say About This Being The Only Day Of Salvation For You?

Christianity generally teaches there are only two types of people, LOST or SAVED.
But what about people who never heard the name of Jesus Christ and then die?
What does the Bible say about them?
Would God be loving and just to condemn them to Hell?
It is commonly believed among Christians that God is trying to save everyone now. Is He really?

If this is true, the numbers clearly show beyond refute that Satan is winning.  If God and Satan are in a giant battle, and if God is more powerful as the Bible plainly says, then why is most of the world not Christian today? And why have of millions of people died without ever having had an opportunity to be saved? Does that sound fair?

Most churches teach you are saved now, or you're really lost forever!  Many people cry over dead family members who never accepted Jesus, thinking they are now in Hell. The teaching that a person is either saved or lost now comes from the assumption that God is out to save the entire world today. They believe this is the ONLY day of salvation. They are 100% wrong!  Contrary to what churches teach, Jesus did not come the first time to call everyone to salvation. Surprised?  Read the scriptures carefully and you will see this is true.  He only came to deliver God’s message about salvation through Him, and the Kingdom Of god. Jesus did not try to get everyone to believe His message at that time! That’s a fact completely supported by numerous scriptures.

Many people throughout history never heard the Gospel, and those who did hear it may not have understood the true message, because Satan has deceived them.

Revelation 12:9. “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

Notice God says Satan deceives the WHOLE WORLD!  Not just a few. Not just people who don’t go to church. Not just people who never heard about Jesus, but the entire world! This even includes Christians who have been deceived by the false teachings Satan has infiltrated into almost all Christian churches. Most people never had the opportunity to understand the real TRUTH in the Bible.  So are they, through absolutely no fault of their own, "lost" forever?  No! The fact is, God does not intend for everyone to understand His truth about salvation at this time! Surprised again? Consider what Jesus Himself did when speaking to the masses.

Churches teach that Jesus spoke in parables to make His meaning more clear. The Bible plainly says this was NOT the reason.  The churches are wrong!  Jesus spoke in parables to HIDE the real meaning so most people listening would NOT understand, and not repent of their sins and be forgiven at that time.  Don’t believe me, believe what the Bible plainly says, Jesus own words!  After Jesus had spoken the parable of the Sower for example, He clearly told His chosen disciples, "It is not given" to the rest to understand the truth about salvation. Most  people were not allowed to understand!

Mark 4:10-12;  ”And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.  And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables. Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.”

And again in Matthew 13:10-13. “And His disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given….. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand."

Jesus explained the meaning of His parables ONLY to His specially chosen disciples who He said were given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. If you believe Jesus, He then said, but to others it has not been given to them. Jesus plainly said He speaks in parables so they wouldn’t understand at that time and have their sins forgiven! You will NOT hear this actual Biblical truth taught in your church because Satan does not want anyone to know, not even Christians, that Jesus was not trying to save everyone when He was here on the earth 2,000 years ago.

Jesus often told those whom He had healed not to tell anyone who healed them.  He repeated over and over again that He did not want His miracles known lest people would see who He really was and come to Him.

Matthew 8:4; “And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one”.

Matthew 9:30; “And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it”.

Matthew 12:16; “Yet He warned them not to make Him known.”

Mark 5: 41-43; “But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it.”,

Mark 7:35-36. “Then He commanded them that they should tell no one”

Matthew 16:20; "Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ."

Mark 3:11-12. And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.”

When something is really important the Bible repeats it at least twice in scripture. On this issue He repeats it multiple times. If Jesus' purpose was to get everyone to receive Him as their Savior at that time, why would He go to so much trouble to hide who He was?  That doesn’t make spiritual sense does it?  The simple fact is, the Father did not want everyone to know who Jesus really was.  He was not trying to save everyone then, (or now). That is a false teaching introduced by Satan! Jesus was just bringing His message of the Kingdom of God to the masses of people at that time, only calling a very few disciples to the knowledge of the truth of salvation through Him.

Why don’t churches teach this?  Jesus usually avoided publicity. It was not God's will for everyone to understand who He was at that time. Jesus was not here to save the world at that time or for the next 2,000 years! God has caused the vast majority of humanity to be blinded to the truth. He has let Satan deceive almost the whole world. Jesus acknowledged that Satan is the ruler of this world but Christians don’t believe what Jesus plainly says.

John 14:30. “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me.”
The Bible shows that God has allowed Satan to rule and influence this world ever since the Garden of Eden. Satan is the god of this world but again most Christians don’t believe what God says.

2 Corinthians 4:4;  “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ…”.
The Bible plainly says SATAN is the GOD OF THIS WORLD, and has blinded people to God's truth about Jesus and His soon coming Kingdom Of god. 

Ephesians 2:2; “in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience”.
The Bible also says Satan is "the prince of the power of the air".  He influences people by "spiritually broadcasting" his evil attitudes and thoughts through the air to the human spirit in our minds.  (Just like radio waves travel invisibly  through the air from the transmitter to our ears.)  Humans unwittingly accept and express these attitudes, never knowing where they came from, thinking they are their own.  Because people have been deceived, they don’t know this spiritual broadcasting is from the devil. They have no idea they have been deceived.  What we call "Human nature" is actually "Satan's nature", transmitted to us by him and expressed in our human thought and action. 

Spiritual truth on the other hand is revealed by the Holy Spirit, based on what the Bible actually says, not what churches interpret it to say!  This is why I preach so strongly to believe what our Creator plainly says in the Bible, as opposed to the "spin" our biased churches teach, or what we personally "think" it says.  No one can receive the actual truth of scripture though their ears or their eyes, except as the Holy Spirit opens their mind to understanding.  The Holy Spirit is the spirit of understanding, imparting to our physical brain spiritual comprehension, the ability to really understand spiritual knowledge, the truth of what is actually, plainly written in the Word of God.

God gave Satan 6,000 years to rule as god of this world to plainly show human beings that the devils way does not work. Look around you if you don’t believe me. Does this world look like Jesus is controlling everything?  When the devil's time expires, Jesus will return and establish the Kingdom (which is really the government) of God on earth as our KING, and show us the right way to live in peace, love and harmony under His leadership. The 6,000-year sentence on this world, with the majority being cut off from their Creator, is due to end any time now.  Do the math! The 6,000 years are over!  Jesus will rule the earth for the next 1,000 years with True Christians reigning along side of Him as Kings and Priests.

Revelation 1:6;  "and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."
Revelation 5:10; “And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

Those who are called prior to Christ's return must use the Holy Spirit to overcome the devil while he is still god of this world. This extremely difficult task helps qualify us for great positions of responsibility in the Kingdom of God right here on a new earth, as kings and priest. If you want to learn more about the truth of what our reward really is and where we will receive it, check out my study, "What Does The Bible Plainly Say About Going To Heaven When We Die?"

When this world has been freed from Satan's rule, finally freed from his lying deceptions and false influences, Jesus will THEN offer everyone salvation and bring them into His Kingdom! God will pour out His Spirit on all people.

Joel 2:28-29.  “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”
Afterward, not now, the Holy Spirit will open the hearts of ALL PEOPLE, not just a few like today, to understand God's way of life.  The people of this earth, who have never heard about Jesus and the way of life that leads to salvation, will finally learn God's ways. 

Micah 4:2; “Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
Satan's work is deceiving mankind, of turning God's truth upside down in all the churches, causing sincere Christians to accept a false doctrines as being genuine, thus deceiving Christians to sin.  Satan will not be allowed by God to deceive anyone during the 1,000 year reign of Christ on this earth as he does today.  Jesus will restrain the ruler of this world then, and bind Satan for 1,000 years!  Read my studies, “The Bible Says”, on this websites HOMEPAGE to see just a few of the false doctrines churches teach contrary to God’s truth in the Bible, now exposed for what they are. Perhaps God will open your eyes to the truth NOW!  It is God's plan that until Christ returns, only those whom He specially calls NOW can understand the truth. Everyone else will remain deceived!

John 6:44; “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.” 
John 6:65; "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”
Again this is repeated twice to be sure we understand this point. Only a few are now being called now, drawn by the Father, not for special favors, but for special responsibilities as they are educated and trained in the truth revealed by God, to teach all mankind when Jesus returns and sets up His Kingdom on earth in the future.

What about someone one who really wants salvation, who really wants to believe in Jesus, who strongly desires knowledge of the truth, and is willing to change and obey?  Obviously such a person is being called, drawn by the Holy Spirit today, otherwise they wouldn’t have such a desire. Unfortunately many who THINK they are in this group have believed a false message about Jesus and salvation and are deceived. They are called by the Holy Spirit but do not always believe what it says in the Bible, thus falling into error by believing false church doctrine instead of the plain truth from the Bible. Not everyone who is called follows through and believes and does what the Bible says.  If you are called now, if the Spirit has revealed His wonderful truth to your understanding, you are having your opportunity now to be one of His special disciples, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven". BUT, as we learned in the study about "Once Saved Always Saved", you can still fall away and lose your salvation.

So what is the truth about Jesus' message when He was here 2,000 years ago? What does the Bible say about this being the only day of salvation?

Matthew 24:14;  “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
The Gospel Jesus proclaimed to all the world was only for a witness at that time, not to save them!

2 Corinthians 5:20; “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God."
II Corinthians 6:2;  “For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation."
Salvation for who?  Who is he speaking to?  Who is He helping to receive salvation that day? Everyone in the world, or just the saints in the church of God standing before him? 

2 Corinthians 1:1;  “Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:”
This plainly shows that day as the day of salvation for saints in "the church of God which is at Corinth", the right time that God was helping "all the saints" in His church there to "be reconciled to God".  These are the saints in this church Paul is specifically speaking to, not the masses of lost mankind.  A better translation of the Greek of 2 Corinthians 6:2 would be, "now is "A" day of salvation.", for those God had predestined to be called to Jesus and the path to eternal life NOW.

If it were true that this is the ONLY day of salvation for everyone in the world, Jesus would not be fair.  He has only been calling a relatively few saints in His church during the last 2,000 years!  Everyone else would now be lost and headed to Hell.  Millions around the world during this time have never even heard of Jesus, never even got a chance to know about salvation, and they would be lost forever if today is the only day of salvation.  Millions of Christians have also been deceived and don’t know the truth through no fault of their own. Should they all burn in Hell?  The Supreme Being I know is not so unjust and unloving to do this! 

This TIME we live in is "the" day of salvation for the few being called now. But all others will have their day, “A” day of salvation, when Jesus returns! The Holy Spirit is calling some people in this age, but most are spiritually blinded. God has allowed them to be deceived by the devil right now, so it wouldn't be fair to send them to Hell for something He did.  Remember the Holy Spirit has to CALL a person for them to be saved by Jesus.  If He didn't call the billions of people who have walked this earth how can He condemn them to Hell?  Most people have not had a first chance to know the truth about salvation. They have not yet had a first chance to know Jesus!

God reveals in the Holy Bible, that those He has not called during THIS LIFE are not lost forever. God is not trying to save everyone now.  After Jesus returns He will then begin to teach the way of salvation to everyone who is alive on the earth DURING the Millennium.   Many will have their calling and opportunity to understand God's truth and be saved during the 1,000 year reign of Christ on the earth.

Here is a wonderful and special blessing of knowledge for those who will receive it from God!  Billions of other people, including deceived Christians, who died in their lifetime, will be resurrected to mortal life AFTER the 1,000 years.  This will include the billions of people who never head His message in their life on the earth.  They will THEN be given their opportunity to understand God's truth. God is no respecter of persons. The day of salvation will come for them at that time!

Acts 10:34; “Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.”
God will give EVERYONE who ever lived a chance for salvation! God wants to eventually call and save everyone.

II Peter 3:9; The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

I Timothy 2:3-4; "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

I Corinthians 15:22-24;  "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.

God wants EVERYONE to be saved and no one to perish, but there is a definite time order or sequence here. Even as all men die, the same "all shall be made alive" (verse 22). Every person who has ever died will be made alive, resurrected. Jesus was resurrected first, then in the future, Christians who died today will be resurrected to eternal life at His return. But what about the billions of other people? Verse 24 includes them all in "the end". This happens after the Millennium, at the Great White Throne.

Revelation 20:11-13; "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works."
The Greek word translated "books" in verse 12 is biblia. In English, "bible". The books that are opened are the books of the Bible! They will be opened to the millions of people who had not known God's plan for them during their previous life on earth. God will judge them by showing them what they did wrong based on the books of the Bible. Judge does not mean condemn! 

In this period of salvation and judgment, not just the truth of the Bible is opened to them, but the Book of Life too. These people, including the millions of deceived Christians from the last 2,000 years, see what they did wrong and are given an opportunity to understand the truth of the Scriptures as the books are opened to their understanding. They can receive eternal life with their name written in the Book of Life if they chose to walk with God! God will give them the opportunity for salvation they didn't get in this life today.  With the Holy Spirit freely available, and no negative spiritual influence from the devil, they will receive their first opportunity for salvation during a second mortal life.  God’s plan is perfect! Everyone who ever lived gets a chance to be saved if they didn’t have it in this life and willfully rejected it, not enduring to the end as we saw is required. You can learn more in my study, Eternal Security: Once Saved Always Saved?

Revelation 20:4-6 "And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years."
These verses tell us when these things will occur.  The Bible speaks of a first resurrection, and a second resurrection AFTER the 1,000 year reign of Christ with His saints.  The first resurrection of true Christians occurs at Christ's return, just before the 1,000-year Kingdom period begins.  Notice the first sentence in verse 5. "But the rest of the dead (those who never knew or accepted Jesus and obeyed God's commandments) lived not AGAIN (would not come up in a physical resurrection) until the thousand years were finished." Did you catch that? AGAIN!  They will live again, AFTER the Millennium, after the 1,000 year reign of Christ with the resurrected true Christian saints. The dead who stand before God couldn't include true Christians today, because they are already with Jesus in His Kingdom at that time. Those in this second resurrection are those who died without knowing Jesus and having an opportunity for salvation in their physical life when they were here on earth. Their day of salvation occurs at the second resurrection!  It is a resurrection to mortal life! They are not spirit beings like the true Christians who rise to meet Jesus in spiritual bodies.  They are still flesh and blood, capable of being burned in the Lake Of Fire, the "second death" mentioned in Revelation 20:14-15!

This is a wonderful truth that gives us hope for all who we thought were condemned to Hell in this life. They are not lost!  Those who have not heard about Jesus will not have been consigned to Hell. They never had a chance to know the way of Salvation! Our loved ones who have died never knowing the truth about salvation, in most cases did not die lost. They were not called to salvation in this life, but their call by God is coming later, at the second resurrection before God’s throne. They will be resurrected to mortal life and given spiritual understanding and the opportunity to be saved for all eternity by Jesus. 

Now imagine the reaction of resurrected Christians to another mortal life.  At first, most will simply be totally confused. Nothing they were taught by their church about the afterlife will turn out to be true.  No going immediately to heaven. No living in purgatory. No going right to Hell.  They will be mortal human beings right here on the earth just like they were before.

Faced with irrefutable evidence that their old beliefs were false, surrounded by True Christians they knew in this life who are now standing with Jesus as Kings and Priests, they will certainly be more than willing to be taught the truth. Millions of other non-Christians who never had any religious teaching whatsoever, will start learning from scratch. They will be taught God's Law. They will learn they are guilty of sin and deserving of the death in Hell. They will learn that Jesus paid the penalty for them, if they will accept Him. The majority will no doubt repent and be saved. God is not willing that any should perish.

God wants every person who has ever existed to come to the knowledge of the truth, but He knows it is best not to do this for most people in this present evil world. That is why He will raise them up in the second resurrection, into a world free of Satan's deceptions. The billions of people who ever lived will learn the truth in the second resurrection, because they had not been called by God and learned the truth during their first lifetime.  What a wonderful plan by a loving God!

This is important! Will those whom God called today and became true Christians, be given a "second chance" if they fall away and sin willfully?  Hebrews 10:26-29; and 6:4-6 says absolutely Not! We are not talking about a second chance for those Christians in this life who fell away and did not endure to the end. These relatively few individuals who already had their opportunity to receive eternal life, but deliberately rejected it, having sinned willfully, will also be resurrected as mortal human beings in the third and final resurrection to be cast into the lake of fire and burned to death permanently.  "For the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), NOT eternal life in Hell!  No one gets a second chance!

In the second resurrection we are talking about the billions of people who never got a first chance to know Jesus and obey God in this life. This includes many Christians who did not sin willfully, but who were deceived by false doctrines taught by their church and sinned because of them. Not keeping the 7th day Sabbath rest as God commanded in the 4th commandment would probably top this list. You can learn more about the truth of the day of rest here. What Does The Bible Say About Resting On The Sabbath?

Everyone will ultimately be called and given a first opportunity to know Jesus and receive salvation and eternal life in the Kingdom of God!  If they reject salvation through Jesus, their end is the Lake of Fire!  These are human beings, not with spiritual bodies that can't burn, but with physical bodies that will burn to death in the fires of Hell.

Some few people will be called now, others later. This is one of the most wonderful truths God has given us in the Bible, but so few know it because of the deception of Satan. God is absolutely just and merciful, not wanting any to perish! If God wants it, you better believe He has made a way possible for it to happen! Today He has gifted you with the knowledge of this way! Are you willing to rejoice in this great news and accept it, or will you reject this knowledge and remain under the veil of darkness and deception of the devil?  It’s your choice!