Many or Few

 

Matthew 7:21-23 says, “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.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name 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.”

 

This is a serious rejection from the King!  Sincerity alone does not matter.  Passion does not matter. Only those that doeth the will of the Father will enter into heaven.  What is the will of the Father?  It is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind.  There is no doubt those pleading in these verses were sincere and passionate.  Perhaps they were even well-educated.  All that will not matter.

 

It says that “many” will say.  “Many” can be an adjective, and adverb, or a noun.  It does not change the context of the scripture.  They all mean “large numbers” or “indefinite numbers.”  Many will “saith” and be rejected which tells us that there are few who will enter into heaven.

 

Looking inside churches today we can see that many are doing good works.  Many are preaching sermons.  Many are attending Sunday school.  Many are going on short-term missions trips.  Many are supporting missionaries.  Many are missionaries.  Many are feeding the poor. Many are……

 

Jesus Christ is God. Omnipotent.  Omniscient. Omnipresent.  Jesus Christ is not saying that He never heard of you or you never lived or never was aware of your works.  He is not even saying that you look familiar but cannot remember you.  He is saying that He never knew you as a repentant sinner with saving faith that is only wrought by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ not only rejects their works but says that they are workers of iniquity.  The Psalmist David writes in Psalm 5:4-5, “For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.  The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.”  It is a rare preacher who will stand before his congregation and preach about righteous hatred.  This verse does not say that God hates iniquities—which HE does, but that He “hatest all workers of iniquity” which includes those not saved by Grace

 

Paul quotes the Old Testament by writing of God in Romans 9:13 that “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”  God can love or hate anyone He wants and for whatever reason He wants.

 

Earlier in Matthew 7, verses 13,14, Jesus Christ says, “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go abroad: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”  Again, we find the word “many” as it relates to the lost.  It relates to those who will not enter into the kingdom. Broad is the way so to accommodate the “many” who find destruction at the end of their lives.

 

Here we read of the “few” not just implied but written because it is spoken by the One who knows. It is spoken by the same One who will later say to the many, “Depart from me.”

 

Society and culture teaches us that it is always best to belong to the majority for favor or for victory.  The Bible shows us that the majority will face eternal damnation because of the route they travel.  It is only a few who will spend eternity with the King of Kings.