Revelation 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
This passage of scripture teaches us the solemn truth that there is a limit to God's forbearance, and that one day soon, it will come to an end. God is merciful, and takes no delight in the death of the sinner, and He extends grace for grace, so that all who will may find pardon and peace while it lingers. But there is a threshold beyond which there is no more grace granted, and our probationary time here on this planet will come to a halt, when Jesus lays of His priestly robes in exchange for garments of vengeance.
Individuals and nations are never left to carry sin to extremes without due penalties, and although these are often tempered with mercy, yet there comes a time when God's patience with our failings is withdrawn, and our probationary period, does come to an end. This is what took place with the stubborn pharaoh of old, who took God's grace for granted, and refused to turn and repent, when God had given him opportunity to. As plague after plague rested upon the land, bringing devastation and destruction to man and beast, The Lord was thus speaking by judgments to the rebellious king, but somehow he did not get the message, and he blatantly continued to defy The Living God.
Then it came time for the final final day of reckoning to be administered to pharaoh and his army, for they persisted in resisting the most undeniable evidences of God's displeasure. When they attempted to cross the Red sea in hot pursuit of the Hebrews, they had crossed not the Red sea, but the threshold between God's mercy and judgment, and by their own actions, they brought their probationary time to a final close, and the decisions thus made, will stand as a witness against them, when the day of final accounts is upon the land. Let's read:
Exodus 14:23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, 25 And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians. 27 And".. "the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.
In our day, we also are pushing the envelope of God's grace and mercy, for we are found to be gradually eliminating His laws and instructions to us, in favor of the ideas and opinions of men, and it seems as if we have not learned the vital lessons of the past, in those whose probation was closed after a stubborn refusal to turn and repent. Our probation as a nation will come to a final end, when we presume to change God's sacred day of rest, in favor of the spurious counterfeit introduced by Rome. When this action is taken by mortal man, it will be the equivalent of trying to evict God from His creation, and under no circumstances will He allow it to take root for any length of time.
Hence the reason why the last chapter of the book of Daniel starts with the close of human probation, for after all is said and done to save us from our sins, and yet as a nation we stubbornly refuse to listen as did pharaoh, then it will be our turn, and the last threshold will be crossed, never to be reversed. It then behooves us as individuals, and as a nation, to learn the lessons of the past, so that we may chart straight paths for our feet, because our probation is soon to close, and only those who have followed Christ all the way will be delivered in the time of trial and tribulation that is just upon the horizon.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which confirms the sacred truth that probation will one day end, and may we now turn to the living God that it may be well with our souls when that fateful day arrives. Let's read:
Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!