Just how hard is it to be saved?
John 3:16 "¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Heaven is only for "whosoever believeth in him," but just how hard is it to believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ? Consider this verse:
Luke 24:27 "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself."
The context of this verse is about two men, one of them whose name was Cleopas on their way to Emmaus, when they encountered the risen Christ. Later on, verse 31 says "And their eyes were opened, and they knew him..."
Why did Jesus expound unto them in ALL THE SCRIPTURES the things concerning himself?
The gospel is the culmination of every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. It is the strongest proof that every single thing written in holy Scripture is true, that every word of God, from Genesis to Revelation, is truth. A real believer will never at any point reject the words of the LORD in holy Scripture, not a single word, in all 66 books of the Holy Bible.
John 3:3 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Luke 24:31 "And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight."
Notice in John 3:3 that when a person was born again, his eyes were also opened to the kingdom of God? This is just like what happened to the two men on their way to Emmaus when they encountered Jesus, when their eyes were opened after Jesus expounded to them in all scriptures the things concerning himself. Contrast this with the Devil's gospel:
Genesis 3:1-5 "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?... Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." [Count: 46 words]
Notice: "... your eyes shall be opened." Isn't this what the world’s religions are all striving to achieve? They call it "enlightenment." Genesis 3:1-5 is man working his way to godhood. It is man working his way to enlightenment. It is man working to remove the possibilities that he will die one day.
Some time ago, I did a search on google what the "most sacred number" is, and it returned the number 108. What about the number 108 in the Bible? First and foremost, rosary beads, malas, and other forms of religious prayer beads come in the configurations of 18, 27, 54 and 108. Study the pattern in these numbers:
18 = 1 x (6 + 6 + 6)
27 = 1.5 x (6 + 6 + 6)
54 = 3 x (6 + 6 + 6)
108 = 6 x (6 + 6 + 6)
Notice the pattern of number “666” embedded in the configuration of those prayer beads? The Devil also has his version of "the truth," encapsulated in his gospel which promised that the eyes of his believers shall be opened, and they shall be gods, knowing good and evil. The Devil’s version of the truth is essentially “antichrist.” While God promised in Genesis 2:17 that man shall surely die if he takes from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the Devil promised that man shall not surely die, and if he were to take from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Notice what happened after Eve received the 46 words of the serpent (Satan) in the garden of Eden?
Genesis 3:6 tells us:
"And when the woman SAW [Note: her eyes were opened] that
the tree was good for food [Note: lust of the flesh], and that
it was pleasant to the eyes [Note: lust of the eyes], and
a tree to be desired to make one wise [Note: pride of life],
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
Have you noticed that Genesis 3:6 bears the pattern of the number 666? The chapter and verse number of Genesis 3:6 make 3 6s. Also, if we count from number 1 to 36: 1 + 2 + 3 + … 36 = 666.
What happened was Eve began to walk by sight (and not by faith) after she received the 46 words by the mouth of the Devil, and then she walked away from God's commandment to man in Genesis 2:17. Being enticed, she was drawn away of her own lusts, broke God's one and only commandment given to Adam, to take from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
James 1:14-15 "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
Ever since Genesis 3, every natural man walks by sight (and not by faith). His eyes are only opened to the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Moreover, being without faith, he is blind to the things of the Spirit of God so that he cannot know them, let alone receive them.
1 Corinthians 2:14 "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
To a natural man who walk by sight and not by faith, the things of the Spirit of God are foolishness. He cannot call upon the LORD, neither can he worship God in spirit and in truth, having his understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in him.
Ephesians 2:2 "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"
Essentially, the opposite has happened to man after he received the Devil’s antichrist gospel — Man became spiritually blind, and being spiritually blind, he can only be directed to walk accordingly to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in him.
All roads leads to Rome.
Proverbs 14:12 "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
Proverbs 16:25 "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
Acts 26:28 "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."
Man is heavily predisposed to believe in the Devil’s gospel, in the ways of this world, in every way which seemeth right unto him according as he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Except he be born again, except his eyes be opened to every word of God in the 66 books of the Holy Bible, a natural man cannot see what’s ahead of him, and being ignorant of the way, the truth and the life, his end would be to perish.