A Sixty-Day Offer

 •  2 min. read  •  grade level: 7
 
Some countries have many secret visitors who do not want to return to their homelands. So they remain sometimes for years without any real legal right. They are afraid to go to the authorities for permission to stay, because they are afraid they will be refused, arrested, and sent back. Such people are known as aliens, which means "belonging elsewhere." Many of them are wanted at home—by the police, or not wanted —by their relatives.
In Canada it was believed there were well over fifty thousand illegal aliens. Recently the government decided to pardon all such offenders. Over one million dollars was spent to frankly invite one and all to come forward and apply for legal permission to remain in the country. It was a sixty-day, last chance, "all-is-forgiven" offer, and about fifty thousand came forward to accept it. Around four thousand applied at the 11th hour.
One man came just 15 minutes before the deadline. "Now I'm free, I'm happy. I don't have to hide!" he exclaimed.
Years ago when there had been a rebellion in northern Scotland, King William III made a proclamation that all who came and took the oath of allegiance by the 31st of December should be pardoned. Maclan, the proud chief of one rebellious clan, decided to return with the rest of the rebels, but resolved that he would be the very last one to take the oath. So he delayed his journey until December the 29th just two days before the offer expired.
Alas, a snowstorm hindered his journey and before he arrived to take the oath and receive the pardon from the king the time was up and past. While others were set free, Maclan was miserably put to death.
He started too late and arrived too late. In like manner many are in danger of losing forever the amnesty of the gospel. Many are going to be forever too late.
Unsaved reader, remember the fatal mistake that Maclan made! Come to Christ now.
"Behold, now is the accepted time:
Behold, now is the day of salvation."
2 Cor. 6:2