Like u you know the Pharisees talked about in Matthew 12:31
Dear Vincent,
The Pharisees will repent and be saved someday, just not in this age. At this time, Christ is ONLY saving His Elect, the First-Fruits of His harvest of mankind. The Pharisees will have to wait until the end of the final age before Christ comes to them and saves them. That is why He told them this:
Matt 21:31 Which of the two was obeying his father?" They replied, "The first, of course." Then Jesus explained his meaning: "I assure you, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do.
With Christ, ALL mankind's salvation is a 100% certainty. Why? Because Christ is the one who does the saving and
Christ cannot fail. Mankind is no match for Christ.
Dan 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he doeth according to his will in the army of the heavens, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
In our spiritually flawed created condition, mankind cannot save themselves or even seek after God. We need a Savior.
John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Rom 3:10-11 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Because of man's lost and sinful nature, Christ MUST come to us FIRST and give us His gifts of Faith and the Holy Spirit. Only then can a person accept Jesus as Lord.
1 Cor 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Spirit.
Mankind cannot make a "choice" to accept Jesus as Lord UNTIL they are given the Holy Spirit. It is a gift from Christ. He comes to us and gives us His gift
because of His GRACE and not because of anything we do or say. When He comes, He comes to us
uninvited just as He did to Paul on the Damascus Road. Paul's conversion is the "pattern" whereby all mankind will be saved.
But as I stated earlier, Christ is only coming to and saving those He has chosen from the foundation of the world. They are the Elect, the Heirs, the First-Fruits, the Saints, etc. No one else will be saved in this age.
However, Christ came to save the
whole world, not just His Elect:
1John 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
1 Tim 2:3-6 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
Christ most certainly will come individually to ALL mankind someday (in due time), if not in this age, then in the final age. When He comes, He will come "suddenly" to bring destruction to our flawed spiritual condition that produced our Old Man. But from this destruction, He will raise us up as a new child of God with a NEW spiritual condition (Holy Spirit). This event is called conversion and only happens when a person receives the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Latter Rain of the Spirit) from Christ.
Water baptism is a
symbol for conversion. The submersion in water represents the destruction of our old nature and the rising up out of the water represents our new birth.
The Pharisees will be in the last group to be saved. The Elect are saved now. In the final age, the Gentiles will be saved next, followed by the Nation of Israel (includes the Pharisees). Then God will be "all in all".
1 Cor 15:20-28 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the consummation, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
Joe