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WON’T ALL PEOPLE ULTIMATELY GO TO HEAVEN 11-12-23
The majority of Americans (83%) believe there is an afterlife. Religions and philosophies may differ on how that afterlife is defined, but most (73%) believe in heaven. Another study shows that 40 %of Americans believe that everyone, regardless of what they believe or do, will be saved and accepted by God. This belief gives a false sense of comfort because it does not line up with what the Bible teaches. Another false belief that many in the world tend to believe is- that people in heaven can look down on and see people on earth. They will say something like “those in heaven are looking down to see the good happening to their friends and relatives.” I will address this in more detail later, but there is nothing in the Scriptures that specifically say or support that. As hard as it might be to face, not all people will end up in heaven and those in heaven apparently are not permitted indiscriminate views of earth. God’s kingdom is reserved for those who obediently follow Him and listen to His Will.
Read Matthew 7:13-14
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The important question that we all need to know, and follow is: How can we enter the kingdom of heaven? Many think that they already know the answer and fail to find God’s answer. However, there are so many who simply don’t care about the right answer.
Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught about the character of those in his kingdom, as seen in his list of Beatitudes. They are the poor in spirit, those who mourn over sin, they are the meek who submit to the Lord’s leadership, they hunger for righteousness, and so on. Ultimately, this leads them to be persecuted (Matt 5:3-10). They practice a higher standard of righteousness than so called spiritual leaders like the Pharisees and scribes (Matt 5:20). While hypocritical leaders are consumed with the outward appearances of religion, true kingdom citizens focus on the inward reality. Their disciplines are done to be honored by God and not by people. They continually confess and rid themselves of sin and seek to help others do the same (Matt 7:1-6).
Here at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Christ gives his conclusion—the application of the sermon. He calls all listening to choose which path they will take, which kingdom they will be a part of. No one is born into God’s kingdom, at least not by natural means. It matters not if one’s parents were Christians, if they were baptized or dedicated as infants, no one enters until they have made a decision to enter.
Christ’s command to enter does not deny the fact that salvation is by grace alone; it simply affirms the reality that those who choose God have been given grace to be saved. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so that no one can boast.” Even our faith—our ability to choose God—is a gift from him.
At the end of Christ’s sermon, he challenges his hearers because many would be tempted to simply stand in amazement (cf. Matt 7:28-29). They would say to themselves, “No one ever spoke like this. ‘Love your enemies. Bless and don’t curse them!’” Many have admired Christ’s words throughout history. Because of his words, Christ has been called a great teacher or prophet. However, few who have heard these words have truly felt the weight of them and been pressed to make a decision. Which kingdom will we be a part of? There are two rival gates with two different pathways, leading to two rival kingdoms—one is the kingdom of this world, and one is the kingdom of heaven.
As Christ calls us to choose one of the pathways, he gives us characteristics of each, so we can make an informed and wise decision. This is very similar to the description of two paths in Psalm 1. The Psalmist describes the pathway of the wicked which leads to destruction and the pathway of the righteous which leads to life. The righteous delight in God’s Word and meditate on it all day long. They become like trees which prosper in the various seasons of life. In the beginning of the worship hymnal of Israel, the Psalmist calls worshipers to choose. True worshipers follow the pathway of the righteous and so do true disciples of Christ.
There have always been but two systems of religion in the world. One is God’s system of divine accomplishment, and the other is man’s system of human achievement. One is the religion of God’s grace, the other the religion of men’s works. One is the religion of faith, the other the religion of the flesh. One is the religion of the sincere heart and the internal, the other the religion of hypocrisy and the external. Within man’s system are thousands of religious forms and names, but they are all built on the achievements of man and the inspiration of Satan. Christianity, on the other hand, is the religion of divine accomplishment, and it stands alone.1
There are only two possible consequences for each attitude and action. Any decision we make brings either destruction or life. If we decide as the world does and enter by its gate and follow its ways, we will live a self-centered life, following our appetites, and reap the reward of destruction. The destruction will apply to relationships. It will apply to the rewards associated with seeking His kingdom and His righteousness. It will apply to the fulfillment of life Jesus offers if we will “seek first His kingdom” (Matthew 6:33).The wide gate of the world promises life and happiness but delivers destruction. The way of Christ requires that we lay our lives down, but in that sacrifice, we find a reward of life.
Sadly, the gate that is wide and the way that is broad is the one most people travel. That way leads to destruction. But because people go by appearances rather than by faith, there are many who enter through it. Conversely, few people find the narrow gate that leads to life.
Read Matthew 7:15-20
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
We grow if we are well tended – in education, in family, in love. We grow when we mind and nourish ourselves with the food and drink that do not ruin the body. Then the fruit is seen, and others can enjoy and benefit from our lives. Additionally, some Christians interpret this passage as referring to not a single false prophet, but any false teachers within the Christian church who preach against the Gospel. The metaphor of ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing’ has become a common English expression. Jesus calls on His people, those who are on the narrow way, to watch out for those who would teach things contrary to the truth. This is a call and a responsibility that must be heard and obeyed for the sake of those who would be led astray. He describes God as a generous Father eager to give good things to His children when they ask. He commands His followers to enter the narrow gate and walk the hard road to life.
Jesus gives another warning: Beware of the false prophets. A prophet is someone who speaks on behalf of God. A false prophet is someone who claims to speak on God’s behalf when in reality he is lying. Jesus tells His disciples to Beware of them. Given what Jesus just said about entering through the narrow gate (v. 13), it is natural to assume that false prophets will encourage many to enter the wide gate leading to destruction. Be on the lookout for them and do not listen to what they have to say. Jesus warns that these false prophets will appear innocent and harmless, they will come to you in sheep’s clothing, but they are not harmless. Their appearance is deceptive, and their effect is deadly. Inwardly they are ravenous wolves. These false prophets are looking to take advantage of you. They will destroy and consume your soul to get what they want. Don’t let them.
Jesus tells His disciples how to recognize false prophets. Jesus uses a clear parable to teach how they can do this. To recognize false prophets, His disciples will know them by their fruits. Fruits are a metaphor for their works or what they produce. It refers to what comes out of their lives. False prophets can be recognized by their fruit, meaning their actions and choices.
Christ then further explains the metaphor. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? (The rhetorical answer is “No! Neither grapes nor figs come from thorn bushes or thistles. Grapes come from grape vines and figs come from fig trees.”) Assuming this response, Jesus continues with a straight-forward statement. So, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. The good and bad trees represent good and bad men, prophets and false prophets. Good men and good prophets produce good fruit (good works). Bad men and false prophets produce bad fruit (bad works). Jesus then states the inverse of this truth. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.
Even though false prophets appear like you, talk like you, pretend to be like you, they are not like you. How can you detect them? Pay attention to their work. You will know them by their fruits. If their works are bad, they do not represent God. Before ending, Jesus adds: every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. The remark informs His disciples that God will deal with false prophets. They will not get away with their lies. God will deal with them. He will not allow them to spoil His orchard. He won’t even let them continue to take up space within His gardens. He will cut them down and throw them into the fire of His judgment.
Jesus closes the parable by repeating its primary point (which He began with): So then, you will know them by their fruits.
This passage is sometimes used to justify judging whether or not a person is a believer in Jesus. “If they don’t have good fruits, then they are not a Christian.” But this is an incorrect interpretation and application of this scripture. This passage’s purpose is to equip disciples with how to recognize and avoid false prophets and false teachers. The fruit test is given only in this context. This passage does not apply to the general population. It applies to judging teachers, preachers and others who claim to represent or speak on behalf of God. Just a few verses earlier Jesus explicitly condemned judging others (Matthew 7:1-5). He is not reversing Himself here by saying, “Judge others.” He is only saying if someone claims to speak for God, then pay attention to what comes out of their lives before following what they say. Test their fruit to see if it is good. If it is rotten, then do not follow them into the fire of God’s judgement. It is also important to remember that God Himself is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). And His judgement fire will apply to the deeds of believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:12-15).
Read Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Of the three verses in this passage this is the most commonly quoted and often debated. Some have taken Matthew 7:21 to mean that you must do good works to earn salvation. But that’s misapplying Jesus’ words. The Bible, and Jesus in the next verse, are clear that good deeds don’t earn salvation. Jesus isn’t saying that we need to do good works to enter heaven. In fact, when someone believes that they’ve actually put their faith in something other than God. Rather Jesus is saying that to do the will of God means to do more than just action; it means to have genuine faith and trust in him.
Jesus says that those who do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom. This means we place our faith Jesus, in return he grants us salvation, and our salvation is shown by our submission to God. The problem in Jesus’ day, and today, was that many false teachers would be good at putting on a show. They looked at the part and they said the right things. We will see this more in the next verse. But the problem was they never placed their faith in Christ. Mere words are not enough; we must be doers of the Word not just hearers. This starts with a sincere faith placed in Christ.
Jesus gives a picture of people trying to enter the kingdom. We saw in the previous verse that entrance into the kingdom is based on doing the will of God, however these people are trying to enter in on their own merit. Jesus is revealing in verse 22 that many have fooled themselves into thinking that they are good to go based off what they’ve done for God. “Because people are so enamored with the spectacular rather than the spiritual, many are fooled by plastic fruit. By plastic fruit I mean the imitation of the miraculous. Since miracles are relatively easy to manipulate or fake, they are a poor test of God’s approval.
Some of these miracle mongers are simply charlatans. Others are self-deluded individuals who replaced obedience to God with wooing and wowing the crowds.” Here and in other places we are told no sin or sinners enter the kingdom of heaven. So, if people in heaven were able to see people on earth indiscriminately and their actions, that would bring their sin into heaven. That seems to be the reason that if people in heaven can see people on earth it can only be when God permits it and directs their vision to sinless events, In Revelations 6:9 we can read that people in heaven are rejoicing when people on earth are saved, but these people in heaven learn that when angels tell them- not when they see it themselves.
The point Jesus is making is that the heart matters more than the actions. It’s possible to do the right things for the wrong reasons. Our call as Christians is to put Jesus first, to trust in him, and to listen to what he says. Our works will flow from that, not the other way around. The other application from this is a warning to be on the lookout for false teachers. Just because someone is saying the right things doesn’t mean they are righteous. Jesus is warning his followers to pay attention to the fruit they produce, not just the words they say.
The words -not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven-sound harsh, but they are words we should not ignore. The reality is these people never bothered to get to know Jesus; they weren’t interested in him. Rather they were only interested in their own gain and satisfaction. Really Jesus is giving them what they want. They spent their lives chasing their own desires; they don’t want life with him, so he gives them life without him. The overarching point that Jesus is making is that it’s not our performance that earns us salvation. It’s relying on the saving work of Jesus. Alone. Period. Everything else flows out from what Jesus has done for us. And while many might say the right things and look the part, it’s our heart that matters. We might be able to fool others and even ourselves, but we cannot fool God. One day our true motivations will be revealed.
Matthew 7:21-23 is a warning to not deceive ourselves or to be deceived by others. It’s a calling to place our complete trust in Jesus so that we can produce fruit that will last. So, how does Matthew 7:21-23 apply to our lives today? Let’s go back to the beginning of this verse. Jesus states that the kingdom belongs to those who do the will of his Father. If you want to enter into God’s Kingdom this is what you do.
What is God’s will? Jesus tells us that in Matthew 22:38-40, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Jesus masterfully sums up the entire Bible: love God and love those around you. That’s what it means to do the will of the Father.
Loving God means that we listen to, and follow, what he says. When Jesus says to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind, he’s talking how loving God with every single aspect of who we are. No part of our life should be left out. Our love for God should not stop with God; it should flow to those around us. You cannot love God while neglecting those around you. We are to take the love that God has shown us and bring it to the world around us.
This is the will of the Father. He has saved us from our sin and in response we are to love God and love those around us. We will all struggle and fail at this, and when we do we take God’s grace and forgiveness and continue on striving toward the calling God has placed on our lives. And if we do that not only, will we experience the blessings God has for us in this life, but we will spend eternity with him.