Exodus 12:21-24 NKJV
"21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Pick out and take lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the Passover lamb.
22 And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. 24 And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance for you and your sons forever."
There are so many different religions in the world. People are desperately searching for God in all the wrong places. I'm sure if one could name them all, it would be a very long list. Many people believe that all religions are equally good and can lead you to God and, ultimately (hopefully?) to heaven if you follow certain rules and disciplines. Sadly, everything is based on own your self-effort which means you stand to lose it all if you don't measure up.
The one CRITICAL assurance that none of these can give, however, is this: AN IRON-CLAD GUARANTEE OF SAFE PASSAGE OUT OF THIS WORLD. Only Jesus can offer that.
What do I mean by "safe passage?" Perfect assurance that you're going to heaven and not hell. Don't like to talk about hell? Neither do I. But believe me, it's an all-too-real place. I wouldn't wish that my worst enemy end up there.
How do we know it exists? Because Jesus, Who loves us so much, talked a lot about it. He did so because doesn't want us to go there, either. It was never designed for man. Only Lucifer and his band of fallen angels were meant to be sentenced there.
Can you really know for sure that you'll go to heaven when you die? YES! You'll find blessed assurance here in this story about the Children of Israel and the first Passover.
The Israelites were instructed to put the blood of a lamb on the doorposts and the lintel of their homes. When the Angel of Death passed through Egypt on that first, fateful Passover night, He saw the blood on their doorposts and "passed over" that household, sparing everyone who was behind the door.
None of the Egyptian households had blood on their doorposts and, as promised, EVERY first born of both human and animals died.
What I find fascinating is that the Children of Israel weren't the only ones who escaped death. You see, by the time this, the 10th, hit, many Egyptians had wised up. The scripture below bears this out:
"A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock. (Exodus 12:38 NKJV)
The word for "mixed" in Hebrew is the word, "ereb," which means "Arabia." Yep! There were many Gentiles were saved and traveled with the Israelites when they left Egypt!
You see, they realized that this God was the real deal, One not to be trifled with. So, wisely, they sought refuge with their Jewish neighbors. Just like the Jews, they were spared the fate of their countrymen. That tells you that the Israelites didn't escape death simply because they were Jewish; they escaped death because they were covered by the blood of the Lamb: JESUS!
Egypt is a typology of the world. The blood on the doorposts is a picture of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross. No one....NO ONE.....is getting out of "Egypt" alive without the blood on the doorpost of their heart; and once it is applied, it can NEVER be removed. IT'S AN IRON-CLAD GUARANTEE.
Why do we need a perfect sacrifice to offer God? Because there is a sin-debt that all of us owe to God as a result of Adam's sin; a debt we cannot pay. So Jesus paid it for us! It's a debt He didn't owe. Actually, He OVERpaid it and gives it to is as a free gift.
The issue is, without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins. Because all humans are tainted with sin, we can neither offer ourselves as our own sacrifice nor do enough good works as if we were off-setting some kind of heavenly scale in our favor. Since we are blemished, imperfect, no matter how hard we try, we can never measure up. The Bible says "our RIGHTEOUSNESS is as filthy rags." God has to reject our offering because there can be no spot or wrinkle...and off to hell you go.
Just like any gift, you are free to either accept or reject it. Salvation is not automatic.
If you reject the free gift He is offering, God is an awesome respecter of your free choice. He will never force salvation on you. Just understand that there are consequences that accompany your choice. If you accept it, you can NEVER die. Eternal life in heaven is assured. But if you refuse it, you are already dead and will suffer the eternal consequences.
Do any of the other founders of these various "religious traditions" claim to have created the heavens and the earth? NO. Looks like He's the real ALMIGHTY ONE!
Has any other founder of any other "religious tradition" died and rose again.?
No. They're ALL STILL DEAD.
Can any other founder of any other "religious tradition" can provide an offering acceptable to the God of the Universe--The One Who makes the rules--which can give you SAFE PASSAGE OUT OF THIS WORLD? NO, NO, NO!
THEREFORE:
No other "religious tradition" in the world can offer the ASSURANCE of heaven.
If you die, i.e. leave Egypt, without blood on the doorposts of your heart, you WILL be turned away at the gates to spend eternity in hell, from which there is NO REPRIEVE.
But fear not; Jesus' priceless gift is offered freely to ALL without reservation. Accepting His gift is so simple. Just "metanóia: change your mind" about whatever it is you thought God required of you.
Going to heaven was never about doing enough good to outweigh the bad so you can somehow end up with the scale tipped in your favor or about attaining some higher state of consciousness. IT HAS ALWAYS AND ONLY BEEN ABOUT PRESENTING THE RIGHT SACRIFICE. Jesus is THE ONLY sacrifice that is acceptable to God.
Please: Accept His free gift before the door is closed. Just say "Thank you," and your eternity is forever secure. The blood of The Perfect Sacrifice is now on your doorposts and can NEVER be removed.
THAT, Church, is why Christianity is not just a religion or a "Faith Tradition."