Last Minute Salvation

Dear Mr. Froese,My Bible says in Luke 23:39 that one of the malefactors asked Jesus to save them. Verse 40 says that the other one rebuked him. In verse 41, he said that this man had done nothing amiss. In verse 42, he said, “Lord…” How did he know that Jesus was Lord? He asked Jesus to “remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” How did he know that Jesus was going to have a kingdom?The only way he knew these things was that he somehow previously heard about Jesus, probably from John the Baptist. He could have been baptized and fell away later. He didn’t have the Holy Ghost (Acts 2:38).In Acts 19:4-6, those baptized by John the Baptist were re-baptized in the name of Jesus, to receive the Holy Ghost.Deathbed sinners do not have Jesus beside them to forgive their sins. They need to come to Jesus earlier in their life.-B. Landman, OH


Arno's Answer:


Matthew 27:44 explains, “The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.” Note the plural; however, one repented and recognized that Jesus indeed was the Son of God.

Sinners can be saved at any time, anywhere; thus your statement, “Deathbed sinners do not have Jesus beside them to forgive their sins,” is unbiblical.

The act of baptism does not save a person; that custom is not confirmed in Scripture. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved” is referring to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the rebirth. Jesus scolded the disciples for not believing. Over and again we read in Scripture: “Whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life…whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life…He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God…He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:15-16, 18, 36). Believing is key; baptism is not.

Insisting that water baptism has regenerative powers would mean that my physical action contributes toward my salvation. That violates the clear message of the Bible; by faith alone, through grace alone, through Jesus alone.

As to the commandments, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37). Later, the apostle Paul confirms, “All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Galatians 5:14). Note the words, “all the law.”

Midnight Call - 04/2016

Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.

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