Christians today, take so much for granted, like their Salvation and being right with GOD. Grace is not a ticket to goof off. It has been proven time and again through scripture that you can never take your salvation for granted. The Bible continues to illustrate that you must work out your salvation with fear and trembling. You know the difference between a lukewarm Christian and the Bride of Christ is a distance of eternity, one in hell, one in heaven. In fact, we have an enemy who is a regular accuser of the brethren (as in part of the family of GOD). We’ve got to stay on our toes—and to be disciples derived from the word “disciplined” (aka set apart). Take for example that one third of the angels in heaven were cast down with Satan for following Satan and not GOD…Imagine angels who were right in heaven with GOD, and still they fell.
Revelation 12:4: His tail swept down la third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.
Then take Paul for example: he clearly met JESUS on the Road to Damascus, and was saved, then later in his writings he expresses concern that although he had preached to others he feared being cast away… 1 Corinthians 9:27: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
Then we have the example that many who were privy to the messages of CHRIST on earth and yet their day will not go well on their judgment day for rejecting the truth available to them:
Matthew 10:14-15 (KJV): And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Then we see that in Revelation at the end of a one-thousand reign of CHRIST on earth that after the devil is loosed again that the number who follow him is an uncountable number and GOD destroys them. These people are in the earth with CHRIST over them and yet they fall:
Revelation 20:7-9 (KJV): And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle:
((((the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.))))
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
This should serve as a warning to you that you need to be vigilant in your pursuit of GOD and to not be lax in your relationship with the LORD, and to not get too comfortable with the world while in the world. Don’t be like Lot’s wife….
See Parable of the Virgins, Matt. 25
