It’s no longer a piece of breaking news that the life journey of every man on earth is a temporal one.

One way or another, we have lost loved ones to death, know someone who has lost a loved one or relation, or know someone who used to be alive but is now dead. One minute they are full of life, going about their business and daily activities, in a blink of an eye, the living being will lay lifeless, as cold as ice.

You call their names but no response, you push them but they lay still like a log of wood without life in them.

The spirit that gives life to that body has departed, and we are left staring into an empty space, wondering where they went to.

Some day in the future, it will also be your turn to sleep and not wake up

Surely, there must be an afterlife, right? The lifeless body can not be all there is to the whole existence of the departed.

In the Scripture, it is written that the things we see are temporal while that which we can not see, are eternal.

The Scripture tells us about the Genesis of the first man; Adam, how he and his wife by disobeying God’s instructions in the garden of Eden incurred the wrath of the LORD, and caused the fall of the whole mankind from the place of greatness to the place of Sin.

This affected their relationship with God, as well as the whole of mankind in general.

To restore mankind to Himself, the LORD God sent his Son Jesus Christ to die for the sin of all mankind, so as to restore “ Man” to Himself  John 3:16 that Man after he has lived temporarily on earth, can return back to Him in Heaven, God’s dwelling place.

Thus, every man and woman on earth is a pilgrim.

We are “Pilgrims” on a brief journey here on earth, journeying toward heaven our home and final destination.

To have the right of passage to Heaven, our home, and final destination, there is an access key all mankind must have, to access Heaven’s gate.

What’s this key I speak of?

This key is the belief of the one who seeks to go to heaven, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who died on the cross for the sin of all mankind and was buried and resurrected.  And Identify with His death and resurrection by being baptized by immersion into the water in the name of Jesus Christ.

This is the Only Access Key for every  Pilgrim on Earth to enter into Heaven the dwelling place of God.

• Salvation can not be  attained by acts of kindness,
• Salvation can not be attained  by  building a Church for God,
• Salvation is not attained by making huge monetary donations for the work of  God.
• Salvation can not be attained by feeding the poor or even fighting for God or killing nonbelievers of your religion in the name of God.
• Salvation can not be attained  by being an active Church worker or devotee
• Salvation can not be attained by going on a pilgrimage to historic religious sites.

The only way to attain Salvation and obtain the right to Passage to heaven for every pilgrim is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God and be Baptized in His name.

How do I know this?

In Mark 16:14-15 Jesus Christ after His resurrection from death appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

He said to them “ Go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved, but whoever does not believe shall be condemned .”

Over the years, in a bid to curry favour with God and get the right to passage to heaven after their demise, many individuals who lived in the time past and are living in our present timeline has in diverse ways been carrying out diverse acts of kindness both in the Society and the Church because they believe that these various acts of kindness will earn them the right of passage into heaven.

What these individuals fail to understand, is that the LORD God is a God of principles, and set standards which He will never break for anyone or reason at all.

He will only create an opportunity for you to know of His standard and principles, it’s left to you to act on them and get your desired result, or ignore it to your own condemnation.

Acts of Kindness have never both in the time past and in the present time qualified anyone to make it to heaven.

Every act of kindness the LORD God rewards with bountiful blessings. But when it comes to salvation,

Jesus Christ Shed Blood and Death And Resurrection is  The Key.

The two cases in point in the Scripture are that of; Rahab the Prostitute in Jericho, written in  Joshua 2:1- 23, 6:1-25 and the Roman Army Officer Cornelius in Acts 10: 1- 48

Acts 10: 1-48 Scripture shares the story of Cornelius, a Roman Army Officer, a captain of the Italian  Regiment. He was a devout and God-fearing man well respected by all the Jews being a Gentile.

He gave generously to the poor and prayed regularly.

Although Cornelius had all these beautiful attributes of being a devout and God-fearing man who gave generously to the poor, he was not qualified to make it to heaven if he died.

The LORD God who set this standard knew this, which is why, by His Spirit, He made plans and arranged circumstances so that Cornelius may be saved and obtain the passkey that makes him qualified to enter into heaven.

He sent an Angel to Cornelius to send for Peter and also spoke to Peter by a Vison and the Holy Spirit to go with the men sent by Cornelius.

When Peter arrived at his house, Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

Peter who was surprised that God will find a Gentile worthy to be saved said, “ I see clearly that God shows no favouritism. In every nation, He accepts those who fear Him and do what is right.” He shared with Cornelius and everyone gathered in the house, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

He also shared how they put him to death by hanging him on a cross, but God raised him to life on the third day.

Then God allowed him to appear not to the general public but to his disciples whom God had chosen in advance to be his witnesses. Jesus is the one appointed by God to be the judge of all the living and the dead. He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.

While Peter was yet speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. Then Peter asked, “ Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit like we did ?” So he gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

Cornelius was a good devout God-fearing man, who gave to the poor and was respected by all, including the Jews, though a Gentile, all these did not qualify him for going to heaven.

• His belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and identifying with His death and resurrection through water Baptism by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ qualified him.
• His Kindness, being a devout God-fearing man, was not enough to qualify him to enter into heaven, despite the fact that  God acknowledged that indeed Cornelius was a kind generous giver who gave to the poor, and prayed regularly.

Rahab the Prostitute in Joshua 2:1- 23, 6:1-25 was a prostitute in Jericho, who was God-fearing and showed kindness to the spies, sent to Jericho by  Joshua to spy out the land, when the King of Jericho was searching for them.

She had knowledge of what God had done in the time past for the Israelites in various places and knew that God will give them victory in the land of Jericho.  Rahab said to the spies, swear to me by the LORD since I have shown you kindness and helped you, that you will also show kindness to my father’s house.  Give me some guarantee that when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father, mother, my brothers, sisters, and all their families.”

The men answered her,

“We offer our lives as a guarantee for your safety”.  If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the LORD gives us the land”.

Having reached that agreement, she let them down by the rope through the window, for her house was on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall.

Before they departed, the men said to her, “We will be bound by the oath we have taken only if you follow these instructions. When we come into the land, you must leave this scarlet rope hanging from the window through which you let us down. And all your family members; your father, mother, brothers, sisters and all your relatives must be in the house. If they go out into the street and are killed, it will not be our fault. But if anyone lays a hand on people inside this house, we will accept the responsibility for their death.

If you betray us, we are not bound by this oath which you made us swear”.

“I accept your terms,” she replied.

She sent them on their way, leaving the scarlet rope hanging on the window.

What Is The Significance Of A Scarlet Rope?

Rahab made a deal with the spies, she made them vow that since she has shown them kindness, they will also show her kindness.

These men agreed and told her to bring everyone she loved into her house on that day and to hang a scarlet rope out on her window. This Rahab did immediately.

The scarlet rope is the colour of blood.

The scarlet rope tied to her window was a sign of her faith and led to her salvation, as she and her family were not destroyed with the rest of Jericho.

The scarlet rope -the colour of blood worked for Rahab much as the blood of the Passover lamb smeared on the lintels and doorposts of Jewish homes in Goshen, the night that the LORD pass through the land of Egypt to strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast.

Every home marked with blood was spared death that night. (Exodus 12:1-30).

God’s mercy and forgiveness of Rahab the harlot was signified by a rope of thread, which becomes a symbol of the blood of Christ shed through His death on the cross.

  Rahab the prostitute got an open ticket to save herself, her parents, and her siblings from the death that killed every single soul in Jericho, including the king of Jericho, not just because showed kindness to the spies, but because she hung a Scarlet rope on her window immediately she was instructed to do so.

Her kindness to the Jewish spies did not save her and her family members, but her hanging a scarlet rope on her window, symbolic of the blood of Jesus Christ shed for all mankind did.

Scripture records that, She lives among the Israelites to this day.

Beloved Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the foundation of every Christian faith. Without Him shedding His blood to pay our debt of sin, we would have no hope of heaven.

        But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us,

        by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8(Amp)

So I ask Beloved reader, do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?

If your answer is yes,

I ask,  have you identified with  His death and resurrection by being baptized by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ like Cornelius, his relatives, and close friends?

Beloved, it is not enough to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, you have to identify with His death and resurrection, by being baptized by immersion into the water, in His name Jesus Christ, NOT in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Infant baptism by sprinkling water on the baby does not qualify one to have the right passage into heaven also.

Believing in the Son of God  Jesus Christ, baptism by immersion into the water in the name of Jesus Christ is the one and only access card.

Let no one tell you otherwise.

God will never break the Principles Of His Word for any One or Any reason.

In case you are reading now and you do not believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, neither have you been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, I plead with you, do not delay there is an afterlife do not postpone your decision to be saved.

There is no assurance of 10 Minutes from now or tomorrow.

Death can come calling at any time.

If Rahab had delayed obeying the instruction of the spies to hang the Scarlet rope on her window that day as she was told, she and all her family members would have died like the King and every other person in Jericho.

Delay is dangerous.

“For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,

‘ The stone that builders rejected

Has now become the cornerstone ’

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”    Acts 4: 11-12 (NLT)

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