“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him …”
Isaiah 55:6–7
Daily Verse Isaiah 55:6–7 | Daily verse by logos.com | Faithlife
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“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him …”
Isaiah 55:6–7
Isaiah 55:1 Revelation 21:6 , Revelation 22:17 , Isaiah 12:3. , Zechariah 1:3 James 4:8 Job 22:23 There are many other scriptures that say the same thing. The question is to who and when do these verses apply ? Seek while HE “may” be found . Today our hope of salvation has not been up to us, but to Yahweh. Ephesians 2:8,9 salvation is a gift not of your own doing. You do not find Yahweh, Yahweh finds you, HE adds to the church, HE Elects the saints, HE calls and chooses. Jesus agrees with Yahweh, John 6:44 The above scripture is for a future time after Jesus returns.
That is why my prayers to our Father than He call my family members to see His Son and to turn to Him. I know that Yahweh needs to call them, so I petition Him to do so. Then again, I reflect on the instruction to "seek Him while He may be found." I hope that God uses me for the "call."
Acts 2:39 2 Peter 2:21 2 Peter 3:9 I too have family and friends who are unconverted and I too like you greatly desired that Yahweh would grant them repentance and lead them to conversion to receive the Holy Spirit and begin a new life in Christ. Then I began to understand the three verses above. When you read Revelation 19:20 You see that at the return of Jesus that only two humans are cast into the lake of fire, the second death. In order for the beast and false prophet to be cast into the fire they had to have committed the unpardonable sin of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, they had to have had the Holy Spirit. Now we know it is Yahweh alone who determines who will be converted and added into the church, to receive the Holy Spirit. We also know that Yahweh knows people better than they know themselves and that Yahweh knows all things, the end from the beginning. Yahweh is not willing that any should perish but rather that people genuinely repent. Yahweh takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Ezekiel 33:11 , Acts 3:19 . This does not infer universal salvation because we already know the beast and false prophet suffer everlasting death. This leads us to 2 Peter 2:21 , it is better for people to not understand then to come to understand and turn from it, the examples being the beast and false prophet. Yahweh calls and chooses those who HE knows will be responsive and yield to the working of HIS spirit in them. Psalm 85:8 , Philippians 1:6 , 1 Corinthians 1:8 , Philippians 2:13 . Yahweh does not take your free will from you when converted but knows in advance that you will give yourself to HIM willingly with great desire. These are the types of people Yahweh adds to the church and of all of them, since righteous Able to the last to be called and chosen before the return of Christ, only two are lost, the beast and false prophet. Yahweh is extremely fastidious in choosing HIS elect saints at this time. After Jesus returns Yahweh will provide an opportunity for all others. Yahweh knows the best time for each person to be converted, this is a display of HIS love and mercy for all. The thoughts of Yahweh are higher than ours and with a far greater purpose, we need to trust HIS judgment in all things. You and I will in the future, after Jesus returns , teach our family , friends and others that we had in our previous existence . Paul had these same feelings that you and I have but his willingness to be accursed would never have happened, it was just an expression of his love for his own people. Romans 9:3 Paul also knew, Romans 9:16
I would like it if I could believe that none of my family would perish, but there is so much more scripture that must be considered along with the ones you cite, brother.
Matthew 7:21 ESV “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:22 ESV And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Matthew 24:13 ESV But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Mark 13:13 ESV And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
John 3:36 ESV Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
John 15:6 ESV If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
I can see that there will be those who do not receive immortality. Note that Revelations 20 claims that there will be more than just the two cast into the Lake of Fire. While Yahweh desires that all come to repentance, not all will.
If people think that they do not need to believe and accept God's New Covenant now because they will be able to choose to sometime in the future, I know of family that will malinger and wait for the second door. I have not reached the point in my understanding yet that this opportunity will happen.
Rev 20:14–15 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
It is my understanding that before Christ returns Yahweh has been in the process of calling and choosing HIS elect . I see this first elect in Hebrews 11:4 , it is Able , I do not know who the last of this elect group will be. Over all of history these elect have been the only humans called and chosen. This is how extremely rare it is to be an elect of Yahweh and proves how Yahweh only elects those HE knows will be successful in this time before the second advent. Saul had absolutely no idea that he was going to be called and chosen while on the road to Damascus. My point is that the only way a person can be cast into the lake of fire is to have Yahwehs spirit then blaspheme HIS spirit. It is Yahwehs love and mercy to not call and choose people now that HE knows would fail, Philippians 1:6 1 Corinthians 1:8 Revelation 20 happens after Christ returns and involves the people of that future time. You and I have no control, Yahweh has all control, we must accept HIS will and judgement on all things. I have a sister who is greatly deceived and involved in things that are antichrist but I know she does not have the Holy Spirit and I trust Yahweh to do with her as only HE knows what is best for her. I do not worry about my sister. I also believe that the vast majority of humanity will be saved and the number cast into the fire very small.