When the Lord says His mercy endures forever, it does NOT mean His mercy will forever be available. If that were the case, there would be no reason to fear judgment, would there? The most lawless of beings could do as they please in life, then repent before the Judge of creation to receive mercy & pardon for his crimes. So much for justice! Even the Devil would get off scot-free. On this Earth, it is said that justice is blind; but scripture plainly depicts that God is not.
When He sits & the books are opened that record the content of our lives, it will be too late to seek mercy. Those who have received mercy in Christ Jesus will find that it carries them beyond the proceedings. Having been acquitted, their pardon will never expire; THIS is how the mercy of God they have received endures forever. MERCY ENDURES FOREVER, BUT THE TIME IT IS AVAILABLE DOES NOT!
The Word says that God is not reluctant to fulfill His promise, but is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all would receive His gift of eternal life. If the will of God was always satisfied on the Earth, there would be no sin, & therefore Christ would not have been crucified. Sadly, His will is not always done in this world. He is never surprised when that happens — He knows the outcome before every beginning — but He kindly provides every meaningful opportunity for men to repent. Once the response to those opportunities dries up, there is no point in offering more.
For those who receive Him & the hope of salvation, waiting for the fulfillment of His promise takes a toll. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12) We stand by faith on His promise, but faith has limits. Jesus was always amazed by how little faith His own hand-picked disciples displayed! Nevertheless, His prayer in John chapter 17 stated that of all the Father had given Him, He had lost none, except for the son of perdition (Judas), that the scripture might be fulfilled.
My point is, do you think the Father will delay sending Him for us until some of us slip through His fingers? Will Jesus have to amend His statement, because the delay was too much & the faith of some in His hand was inadequate to cope with it? When and if we die physically, He will resurrect us; we know that is in His power. But if our faith in His word fails and passes away, a second spiritual redemption would be meaningless, since He was unable to maintain the life He provided the first time around. I know there are those who will say that man’s failure is his own, it does not reflect on Christ. But if our trust truly IS in Christ, I don’t believe HE would agree with that. To take that stand, He would cast aside His responsibility as our Shepherd, which HE WILL NOT DO!
He who spared not His own Son does not spare us from pain & difficulty, either, but He will not take us so far down that road that He nullifies the good He has accomplished by losing us! One of the last things Jesus cried out on the cross was “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?” The agony in that cry is heartrending, but because He endured that moment, we’ll never have to! Which of us COULD? What if Jesus had said, ‘Because You have forsaken Me, You are no longer my God!’ That would have rendered His crucifixion POINTLESS, & we would have no hope of salvation at all. If Jesus could not have endured the cross faithfully, the Father’s act of mercy on our behalf would have been nullified. He DIDN’T put more on His Son than He could endure, so rest assured He won’t do that to us, either.
Job once stated, “Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him.” Jesus didn’t say that, but He did it, and now His name is exalted higher than any other in heaven or on earth. We always have the choice to turn from faith in Him, but if we hold to it, He’ll sustain it, even if it’s less than perfect. When we see Him, it will be revived, for HE IS OUR TREE OF LIFE!