“I never knew you.”

The above is not the words that anyone would want to hear while standing before the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are going to take a look at that whole section of Scripture and examine it.

 

“Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many works of power in Your name?  And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who work out lawlessness!”  Matthew 7:21-23

 

Note that “many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast our demons in Your name, and done many works of power in Your name?”.  This is extraordinary serious.  While the last several articles have often mentioned or dealt with people who claim to be Christians, yet have never accepted Christ and are therefore lost, the above quotation from the Holy Scriptures states that these people not only claim to be Christian, but are also active in supposedly doing the work of Christ!

 

Not only are these people active but they also achieve things, for instance they prophesize in His name, cast out demons in His name and do works of power in His name.  To the world these people would have the appearance of being Christian, of being workers of God.  To men they would be religious, those who are righteous, on the right path, certain to take part of the hereafter in Heaven.  Yet MANY will say to Jesus that they thought they were doing His work and He will declare to them that He never knew them.  This is serious!

 

Just who are these people?

 

Think of the Catholic church and how many people follow them.  Just over a week ago the pope was in the United States and had huge crowds of people desiring to see him and listen to his words.  For the first time ever a pope addressed Congress and the UN. Many people are deceived by the Catholic church, over a billion proclaim being members.  How many endless workers does the Catholic church have?  They also have riches to no end, which even adds more to their deception that they have been blessed and must be the correct religion.  Note the term religion, because the verses quoted above are not going to be stated to any of the Church of Jesus Christ, the true Church, His Believers who are scattered here and there across the globe.  Jesus will tell those who are religious that He never knew them, not those who are Christians.  The problem is those who are religious often use the term Christian.

 

Aside from the pope, who is supposedly also the black pope, as he has a Jesuit past and according to many will be the pope who reigns during the Tribulation, think of the local priests in your cities. Do these men think themselves deceivers?  Do they know that they are the blind leading the blind to death?  Do they fully comprehend that the Holy Scriptures speaks volumes AGAINST the things that they teach, the practices that they do and the way of life that they proclaim?  Do they consider themselves to be workers alongside Satan to take and push as many men as they can into Hell before the end?  No, in general these men would consider themselves to be workers of God, just as the women who serve as nuns also do.

 

These men would debate with a true Believer and are certainly blind to the truth, most of them likely never being able to comprehend it through an unwilling heart that is satisfied with falsehood.  Just as those who examine the facts that creationist put out against evolution and still see no new evidence but insist on their fables as the reason for their existence.  Same for those who also have examine the evidence that shows government contemplation in the attacks on September 11th, yet they also only see the supposed facts as the media and government has laid out before them.  Yet there are many religious organizations out there that deceive and supposedly are Christian.

 

Take into consideration the Jehovah Witnesses or the Mormons.  Both of these groups of people have workers that go two by two from house to house, supposedly preaching the Gospel, so that men might be Saved.  Yet the Gospel that they preach is not what is taught in the Word of God, their gospel is one of great deceit and twisting of the Bible.  If a Believer engages one of these people they will quickly become convinced that they are of the blind leading the blind.  These people do not come to your door to purposely get you on the wrong path (without Christ you are on that path anyway) but they sell you that you can gain Salvation through their teachings.  They are sincere people, yet their message of false religion gives their believers a false sense of security.

 

Then there are those who are charismatic and have huge followings.  These people prophesize, they heal people, there are indeed miracles that are attributed to them.  In fact even the Catholic church has miracles attributed to them and indeed they, as Hollywood has portrayed, do often have their priests cast out demons.  Yet these are falsehoods connected to a false religion.

 

“And no wonder; for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.”  2nd Corinthians 11:14

 

Do not be led astray!  As we get closer and closer to the end, the deception will become worse and worse. In fact during the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7) there will be even more signs and wonders, deceiving many people who will ultimately reject Jesus Christ as their Savior and be cast into the Lake of Fire.  This is serious stuff!

 

True Believers, those who have truly repented and believed into Jesus Christ can rest assured that they will be with Him who is their Savior.  There is only one way to Heaven and that is through Jesus Christ, no other way.

 

“And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: The kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king who made a wedding feast for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast; and they were not willing to come.  Again, he sent out other servants, saying, Tell those being invited, Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready.  Come to the wedding feast.  But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.  And the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.  But when the king heard about it, he was angry.  And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.  Then he said to his servants, The wedding feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.  Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding feast.  So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both evil and good.  And the wedding hall was filled with guests.  But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.  So he said to him, Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?  And he was speechless.  And the king said to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 22:1-13

 

Understand dear reader that if you are caught up in any religion that has given you some sort of false security, it is not yet too late.  If you seek after Him who Created you, if your heart is truly willing to examine the facts, come to repentance and believe into Jesus, accepting Him as your Savior, you can have that true confidence in Jesus Christ.

 

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many entering in through it.  Because narrow is the gate and distressing is the way which leads unto life, and there are few who find it.  Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  You will know them from their fruits.  Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree produces excellent fruit, but a corrupt tree produces evil fruit.  A good tree is not able to produce evil fruit, nor is a corrupt tree able to produce excellent fruit.  Every tree that does not produce excellent fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore from their fruits you will know them.”  Matthew 7:13-20

 

“Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  John 14:6

 

“For many will come in My name, saying, I am the Christ, and will lead many astray.”  Matthew 24:5

 

“And He said: Take heed that you not be led astray. For many will come in My name, saying, I AM, and, The time is here.  Therefore do not go after them.”  Luke 21:8

 

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things are so.”  Acts 17:11

 

“And He spoke a parable to them: Is the blind able to lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?”  Luke 6:39

 

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own lusts, desiring to hear pleasant things, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to myths.”  2nd Timothy 4:3-4

 

“But evil men and pretenders will grow worse and worse, leading astray and being led astray.”  2nd Timothy 3:13

 

“For the fool will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity; to practice hypocrisy and to speak error against Jehovah, to empty the soul of the hungry, and to cause the drink of the thirsty to be lacking.”  Isaiah 32:6

 

“Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”  Acts 20:30

 

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”  Matthew 24:24

 

“And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”  Jeremiah 29:13

 

“Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe.  The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness concerning Me.  But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.  My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never ever perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one has the power to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.  I and the Father are One.”  John 10:25-30