Happy or cursed New Year?
Are you going to heaven or hell? Please think about it carefully before it is too late.
They are not saved
About two thousand six hundred years ago, the prophet Jeremiah lamented that his people were not saved, saying, “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved.” (Jeremiah 8:20) Now we have entered the new year of 2025. But most people are not saved. No matter how many years have passed, people are not saved. How do you feel about that? Is it a Happy New Year to you? What are people rejoicing about this new year?
The prophet Jeremiah wrote of his experience, “Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me.” (Jeremiah 8:21). Now, like Jeremiah, I cannot rejoice because my loved ones are still unsaved and are only interested in worldly things. I grieve for them.
The prophet also says, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician in the land? Why does the daughter of my people not recover from her wound?” (Jeremiah 8:22) Is there no balm in Gilead, Jeremiah was frustrated. The prophet said the balm of Gilead could heal wounds, even though he did not reveal what kind of wounds it could heal. The prophet lamented that there was the balm, but the wounds of the Jews could not be healed. Is there no physician!, he added.
Like the prophet, I would like to ask these questions: Is there no salvation of God? Does God not allow people to get to heaven? Has the right to get there been hidden from us? Is salvation only for good people? Is the salvation only for those who strive for God and do good deeds? Is it not for everyone? If it is, why doesn’t everyone know about it? Why would we needlessly have to enter the great tribulation to endure all kinds of suffering, just to go down into the lake of fire in the end ? Why do people who know the good news of salvation keep silent? And why do people not want to hear it?
Man is like grass
Man is proud because he does not know about himself. He is greedy, ferocious, and ignorant. The Bible says, A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:6-8)
As God says, people are like grass. Grass does not last a year; it only lives a season. In the same way, human life does not last a hundred years. In adolescence, man wants to be an adult quickly. When he becomes an adult, he spends his time in greed and pleasure as though he will never die. Although he sees death taking away all ages, he does not think that it will come to him also.
God compares the glory of man, such as success, wealth, and fame, to withering away like a flower before his death. Even dictators, because they are old, do not realize that they will rule for only a few short years, so they are cruel and oppressive. Are you drunk on your achievements and do not see anything past today? You should not spend all your time, money, and energy on things that will last for a short time.
The Word that will last
Why does God say, “The word of the Lord endures forever” and compare it to the glory of man? It is because He wants to remind people not to spend all their time, money, and energy on the glory that will last for a moment, but to focus on His Word that will last forever. The things of the world were created by the word of God (Genesis 1; John 1). God will destroy them with fire (2 Peter 3:10). We should not be attached to the things of the world that will pass away. We should only hold on to the Word that will last forever. Christ said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Isaiah said, “All the host of heaven will melt away, and the heavens will be rolled up like a scroll. As a leaf falls from the vine, and as a fig tree casts its fruit, so shall all the host of heaven be dissolved.” All the host of heaven shall fall. (Isaiah 34:4)
Again, "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail." (Isaiah 51:6) The prophet Micah also said, “Like wax before the fire, like waters gushing down a deep, the mountains shall melt, and the valleys shall be split open at his presence” (Micah 1:4). Peter said, “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). Therefore, he gave an advice, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:11-13)
Do you, as Peter said, look for new heavens and a new earth? If you do, you will strive to live a holy life and take pleasure in godliness. Otherwise, you will be a hypocrite. You will face sorrow and grief.
