By David J. Stewart | February 2010 | Updated December 2015
Luke 13:23-24 and 28, “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able ... There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.”
These
are perhaps the most frightening Scriptures in the Bible. We are taught in the
Bible that in eternity, MANY people will seek to enter through the pearly
gates of Heaven, but will be stopped and turned into Hell instead. Most
religious people die with an expectation of God letting them into Heaven, but
it doesn't work that way. You have to enter into Heaven God's way, which is
through the door of Jesus Christ.
John 10:1, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. Did you understand that? Anyone who attempts to enter into Heaven by human effort (works, sacraments, goodness, religious devotion, et cetera) is a THIEF and a ROBBER (because you're trying to get into Heaven without going through the door. John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” Jesus was asked if few people are going to Heaven. Jesus replied that MANY will seek to enter into Heaven, but only a few will be allowed. This Scripture passage should frighten MANY people.
There is a literal burning Hell. If an omnibenevolent (all-loving) God allows inexplicable suffering in this earthly world, do you think He will not cast the wicked into Hell in eternity? Revelation 20:15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” All Christ-rejecter will spend eternity burning in Hell. Tragically, the Devil has fabricated many SUBSTITUTES to blind people from seeing the Gospel and being saved. Some substitutes are; namely, sacramental salvation, religious devotion, water baptism, humanism, Evolution, Kaballah (occultism), higher learning, false religion, a social gospel of love and unity which exploits Christianity as a means to furthering the ecumenical movement, et cetera. There is only ONE Gospel. So, if you want to go to Heaven, you'd better find the correct one.
Roman Catholics have corrupted the Gospel. Roman Catholics are required to keep manmade traditions (seven sacraments), and get water baptized into the Catholic Church, so they can go to Heaven. When they sin, Catholics must confess their sins to sinful Catholic priests. This is evil and false religion. Only God can forgive sin!!! No priest or minister can forgive your sins. Only Jesus, God's only begotten Son, has the nail-scared hands and feet. The Word of God plainly tells us how to be saved, how to go to Heaven.
Many people will seek to enter into Heaven in eternity, even blaming the Lord Jesus when they are turned away. We read in Matthew 7:22-23...
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
These religious people were lost and on their way to Hell. They were shocked and dumbfounded when the Lord rejected them. They had spent their lives teaching in Jesus' name and doing many charitable deeds in Jesus' name. How could this happen? What went wrong? They were so sincere and now they're are being told they cannot enter into Heaven. Despite trying to blame the Lord, they will be cast into the Lake of Fire forever.
Perhaps you ask, what groups of religious people today are doing wonderful things in Jesus' name, and are speaking in Jesus' name; but are lost and on their way to Hell? Namely: Lutherans, Catholics, Church of Christ, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Scientology, Muslims, Judaism, Christian Science, Greek Orthodox, United Church of Christ, Russian Orthodox, Unitarian Universalist, Moonies, New Agers, Episcopal, the Lordship Salvation crowd and many more.
Perhaps the most deadliest of all these groups are those who propagate the lie of “Lordship Salvation,” who go around saying, “Lord, Lord,” but have never rested completely in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Jesus plainly tells us why the religious group in Matthew 7:21-23 were not allowed into Heaven, and if you have ears to hear and eyes to see, then please listen to the holy Scriptures...
Matthew 7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
Every one of the religious groups I just mentioned have not done GOD'S WILL concerning salvation. What is God's will to enter into Heaven? Jesus gave us the plain and simple answer in the Scriptures...
John 6:40, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
The will of God the Father is to BELIEVE on Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
There is only one way to Heaven and that is through trusting Jesus Christ. Anyone who acknowledges their guilt of sin and comes to God the Father through God the Son for forgiveness will be saved...
Acts 10:43, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
All of the religions that I mentioned to you earlier ADD something to corrupt the Gospel. Demonic cults are very deceptive. For example: Seventh Day Adventists [SDA] profess to believe that faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. However, what they don't tell you is that they have a very different understanding of what the term “faith” means. To the Adventist, faith encompasses everything that the Christian life includes.
“To have faith means to find and accept the gospel treasure, with all the obligations which it imposes” (Christ's Object Lessons, p. 112).
SOURCE: SALVATION BY FAITH, Jan Paulsen;
http://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/documents/Salvation%20by%20Faith.htm
Thus, faith to an Adventist means that a person must be water baptized, go to church, faithfully live a righteous life, tithe, keep the SDA Sabbath, et cetera, to be saved in their religion. Of course, that is a damnable doctrine not taught in the Word of God. Seventh Day Adventism is a false religion based upon self-righteousness and a corrupt view of the Gospel.
Biblical faith is simply resting in Jesus Christ for salvation (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3-5; Romans 10:3-4; Ephesians 2:8-9). Biblical faith imposes no obligation upon the sinner to change in order to be saved. Faith in the Lord is all that is necessary. Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15;6:23), freely offered (Romans 10:13) and freely received (Revelation 22:17). Salvation is receiving, not giving. The sinner who believes on Jesus Christ, the Son of God, apart from all self-righteousness, will be saved and go to Heaven.
One way or another, each of the aforementioned religious groups SUBSTITUTE something else in place of the Gospel; or have altered the Gospel, adding extra requirements (human effort) to God's plan of salvation for man. In some cases, things have been subtracted from the Gospel (like the Resurrection or the Cross). To be saved, you must BELIEVE that Jesus is the Christ, Who died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and bodily resurrected three days later. This is the “Gospel” as defined in the Holy Bible:
1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
Church of Christ deny many vital doctrines of the Christian faith, including: A literal Hell, a literal Heaven, the Rapture, the Millennial reign of Christ, et cetera. Church of Christ teaches a works based type of salvation, requiring water baptism and amending one's ways for salvation.
Lutherans have corrupted the Gospel by teaching that the act of water baptism is the means by which a person is saved. Martin Luther clearly taught Baptismal Regeneration was mandatory for salvation. The Bible disagrees with Mr. Luther. There are many solid Biblical arguments against the teaching that water baptism is required for salvation. Here are a few:
- First, no one in the Old Testament was
ever recorded as being water baptized to be saved. To claim that water
baptism is mandatory today for salvation is to errantly teach that there
are multiple gospels. Genesis 15:6 plainly tells us that Abraham's faith
in the Lord was counted for righteousness. According to Acts 10:43,
people in the Old Testament were saved the same way we are today, by
faith in the Messiah.
- Second, the thief on the cross was never
baptized.
- Third, the Epistle of 1st John was written
to assure believers of their salvation (1st John 5:13); yet water
baptism is not mentioned even once.
- Fourth, Paul plainly stated that Jesus did
not send him to water baptize. 1st Corinthians 1:17, “For Christ sent
me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.” If water baptism were
required for salvation, then the Apostle Paul never would have made such
a statement.
- Fifth, water baptism is a human work, which is not allowed in the imputed righteousness of God.
Water baptism is the believer's public profession of faith, identifying him with a rejected Savior. Jesus was water baptized to identify Himself with a rejected people, the Jews. Water baptism is an act of Christian obedience to the Lord, and not a part of saving-faith.
So few people are going to enter into Heaven, because most religious people today have never been born-again by the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). We read in John 3:1-7 that Nicodemus, a religious leader of the Jews, was lost in his sins without Christ. Thankfully, Nicodemus became a believer and was one of the disciples who later prepared the body of Jesus and buried him in the tomb.
Oh listen friend, salvation is very simple: you and I are SINNERS, and Jesus is the SAVIOR! Don't follow some false prophet who is going to rob you of eternal happiness. I don't enjoy exposing men like Ray Comfort, Kirk Cameroon, Paul Washer and others; but they are all followers of John MacArthur's damnable Lordship Salvation heresy, which requires that a sinner amend his ways to be saved. That is not the Biblical meaning of repentance.
Pastor Lester Roloff said, “Real repentance is putting your trust in Jesus Christ so you will not live like that anymore.” In other words, we give up our sins because we ARE SAVED, not to GET SAVED. Brother Roloff didn't mean that you have to stop committing sin to be saved, he meant that the indwelling Holy Spirit brings forth a changed life. Although a person doesn't have to stop committing sin to be saved, God does expect each believer to obey the Bible because they are believers... “Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1st Peter 1:16). A changed life is the FRUIT of the Holy Spirit, and not a part of the ROOT of saving faith (Romans 3:31).
Jesus plainly taught that many people will try to enter into Heaven, but only a few will be allowed to enter. Keep that in mind. Why would MANY people seek to enter Heaven, but not be granted entrance? Clearly, most people think WRONGLY concerning the way to get to Heaven. Most people have been deceived. Satan has succeeded in blinding most people, especially religious people (2nd Corinthians 4:4). What irony that most people think they're going to Heaven, but they are blinded fools. They are going about to establish their own righteousness, instead of resting in the righteousness of Christ Jesus (Romans 10:3-4; Genesis 15:6). Note that all Scriptures are quoted only from the trustworthy inspired King James Bible.
Matthew 7:21 clearly tells us why few will enter Heaven—it's because most people fail to do God's will concerning salvation, which is to BELIEVE on Jesus Christ (John 6:40). I tell you, churchianity is not the way to Heaven. Religion is not the way to Heaven. Charity is not the way to Heaven. Doing wonderful works in Jesus' name is not the way to Heaven. Brotherly love is not the way to Heaven. Committing one's life to God is not the way to Heaven.
Jesus proclaimed in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus is the ONLY way to Heaven! Please don't let your religion go to your head. Most people have baptism on the brain, but that is not the way to Heaven. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and is the ONLY way to Heaven! Jesus DIED, was BURIED and ROSE again three days later from the dead for our justification. This is the gospel according to 1st Corinthians 15:1-4. Jesus sacrificed His literal blood to pay for our sins (1st Peter 1:18-19). If you come as a helpless sinner to the precious Savior to be forgiven, you will be saved (Romans 10:13).
Sadly, most people have churchianity without Christianity. False religion is everywhere these days. Most people who think they will be in Heaven when they die, will go straight to Hell instead. You'd better get born-again!!! 1st John 4:1 teaches for believers to try (test) the spirits, to see whether they are of God or not. Salvation is NOT found in any religion; but rather, in a Person—The Lord Jesus Christ!
