"Lord, will there only be a few people saved?"  (Luke 13:23) -

Someone once asked the Savior, “Master, will there only be a few people saved” to which the Messiah answered “Strive to enter at the Narrow Gate, for many I tell you will seek to enter and will not be able to" (Luke 13:23-24).

Bear in mind that when the Messiah said that “many will seek to enter and not be able to” he WAS NOT talking about 2000 years ago. He's talking about a future date – Judgment Day. There are many people today seeking to enter that Narrow Gate that leads to Life but they're not going to make it. Actually, Yahoshua tells us that most people will never even 'find' that Narrow Gate that leads to life (Matt 7:14) let a lone enter through it. The question we should all be asking ourselves is “why are so many that tried to enter not be able to?”

Notice that we're told that we have to 'strive' to enter through that Narrow Gate. The word 'strive' is the Greek word “agōnizomai”# G75 in the Strong's Concordance. You'll notice it contains the root word 'agoniz'. What the Savior is telling us is that in order to inherit Eternal Life we have to strive, make an agonizing effort, to enter through that Narrow Gate. But how can that be you may ask, why do we have to 'strive' when my minister told me all that I have to do is bow my head and say a 'sinner's prayer' to be saved. Friend, as you'll see in a moment your minister is wrong!

The apostle Paul also warns us to "... work out your salvation with fear and trembling" Phil 2:12;  Why 'fear and trembling'? Because contrary to what you've been told about saying a sinners prayer in order to be saved, it will take more than a prayer to make it on Judgment Day.

Yahoshua gives a glimpse of what it will be like for many on Judgment Day. Friend, you will be there so notice carefully what  he says Matthew 7:21-23. Let us consider it carefully. 

Mat 7:21  "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Mat 7:22  "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'
Mat 7:23  "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

These many people "thought" they were saved only to find out when it was to late that not only were not saved but the Messiah NEVER even knew them. Why is it that the Messiah NEVER knew them? Because they were deceived from the beginning in thinking that all one had to do to be saved was bow thier head and say what's called a "sinner's prayer". 

The 'plan of Salvation' IS NOT bowing one’s head and saying a prayer. It's dying to ourselves and allowing the Messiah to live his life in us. We're told 6 different times in the 4 Gospels that in order to find life we have to first "lose our lives". Meaning we have to consider ourselves impaled with the Messiah and allow him to live his life in us. What you’re about to read aren't just sweet sounding words repeated in pulpits around the world every day, but they are words that we have to take to heart and live by. Notice in the passages below how the Messiah tells us that “we must” deny ourselves and follow him!

Mat 16:24 Then Yahoshua said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

Mat 16:25 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Mark 8:34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

Mark 8:35 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.

Luke  9:23 And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

Luke 9:24 "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.

By telling us that “losing our lives” is something that “we must” do should give us a little insight as to just why so many will “try” to enter the Narrow Gate but will not be able to.

What does it mean to deny ourselves and let the Messiah live his life in us? It means that we ought to be able to say along with the apostle Paul that “it is no longer I who lives but the Messiah Yahoshua who lives his life in me” Gal 2:20. which means that in all we say, do and think we have to put Yahoshua first..

• 1 Cor 11:1 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Messiah.

• 2 Cor 10:5 …..we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Messiah,

• 1 John 2:6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked

As I mentioned earlier those aren't just nice sounding words, those are things “we must” do in order to make it through that Narrow Gate.

When John tells us to “walk as the Messiah walked” (1 John 2:3-6) he's clearly talking about our being obedient to God's Commandments, that is His Law. As a matter of fact John goes as far as to tell us that if someone claims to know the Messiah and is not keeping the commandments that person is a LIAR, and the Truth is not in him. For an example of LIARS go back and re-read Matt 7:21-23. those people that “thought” they were saved were either lying, or they were, as so many today are, deceived into thinking that they no longer had to obey God's Law. In either case they missed out on Salvation.

1 John 2:3-6
3 By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

4 The one who says, “ I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:

6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

“... all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law...”  - Romans 2:12

The apostle Paul tells us in words that are hard to misunderstand that those who live without the Law, such as most of Christianity today, will perish without the Law. He goes on to say that it's not those who 'hear' the Law that will be justified but rather it's those who do the Law that will be justified. Rom 2:11-13 

Rom 2:11  For there is no partiality with Yahuweh.
Rom 2:12  For all who have sinned without the Law (the Christian) will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law (the non-believing Jew) will be judged by the Law;
Rom 2:13  for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before Yahuweh, but the doers of the Law (the one walking as the Messiah walked - 1 John 2:3-6) will be justified.

Allow me to pause here for a moment and explain something that is critically important in our understanding of Paul’s writings.

Peter tells us that due to the lack of understanding in the Scriptures that many people have they are twisting some of the things the apostle Paul said concerning the Heavenly Father's Law. things that even the apostle Peter found hard to understand, and consequently so did many of the Jews in his day, as do almost all of Christianity today. And because of these "Hard Sayings of Paul" many Christians today are of the belief that they no longer have to obey the heavenly Father's Law, His Torah.  If you're one of those that think Paul spoke of the Law as not having to be obeyed please consider carefully Peter's warning.

2 Pet 3:15-17 "...our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, ...speaking in them of these things, in which are some things are hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of LAWLESS men and fall from your own steadfastness,

In verse 17 the word translated "lawless" is #113 in the Strong's Concordance. The KJV uses the word "wicked" and the NASV uses the word "unprincipled" but the literal meaning is "lawless". Who are these "Lawless" men that Peter is warning us about? It's the ministers who through their misunderstanding of some of the things the apostle Paul said, are misleading their congregations into thinking that the Heavenly Father's Law no longer has to be obeyed. And as Peter points out for us these "lawless" ministers and their congregations will be destroyed on Judgement Day   

The Messiah tells us that many on Judgement Day will find out when it's to late that because of their disobedience to the Law they will be cast out.

Mat 7:22  "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?'

Mat 7:23  "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

Will you be among those on Judgment Day that hear those dreadful words of the Savior "Depart from me you worker of LAWLESSNESS"?

Friend I'm afraid the answer to that question is "YES". If you've been decienved into thinking  that the Father's Law had been done away with, and you continue to violate iyou are "LAWLESS" and you're not saved.

For a list of the things Paul said that are hard to understand please see:

"The Hard Sayings of Paul" 

also for a better understanding of why it is that Only a Remnant will be Saved "click here"

The apostle Peter asks the question “If it is with difficulty that the Righteous are scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly man and the sinner  ? 1 Peter 4:18 . The answer is the sinners will not make it on Judgment Day.

The passages below make it clear that it was “sin” that the Messiah came to save us from, and no one who continues in sin will be saved. “Sin” is a violation of the Heavenly Father's Law, His Torah. Please consider carefully the following passages: 

When someone asked the Messiah "What must I do to inherit Eternal Life" unlike the Christian ministers of today who through their misunderstanding of the Scriptures tell their parishioners to bow their head and say a prayer, the Savior told the man to "keep the Commandments"

         Mat 19:16  "... what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?"
         Mat 19:17  "... if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."

The Savior came into the world to suffer and die because mankind violated/broke His LawThe Messiah died to save us from "sin". 

Mat 1:21  "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Yahoshua, for He will save His people from their sins."

John 5:14  Afterward Yahoshua found him in the temple and said to him, "Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you."

John 8:11  She said, "No one, Lord." And Yahoshua said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more."

1 John 3:5  You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.

•  Sin is a violation of the Heavenly Father Law, the Torah.

1 John 3:4  Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

• Can those in the Messiah continue to practice sin, that is can they continue to violate Yahuweh's Law?  Let's allow the apostle Paul to answer that question.

Rom 6:1-2  What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? God forbid!  How shall we who died to sin still live in it?      

Rom 2:13  "... not the hearers of the law are just before Yahuweh, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

1 Cor 6:9  "...do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of Yahuweh?

• "Righteousness" is obeying the commandments and "Sin" is violating the commandments (see 1 John 3:7-10 and Deut 6:25 below)
  

1 John 3:7- 8  Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;  the one who practices sin is of the devil; ..... 

1 John 3:9-10 No one who is born of Yahuweh practices sin.... By this the children of Yahuweh and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of Yahuweh....

Deut 6:25  "It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before Yahuweh our Elohim, just as He commanded us.

Clearly the Savior died to save us from our sins, and not from his Father's Law. The Law given to Israel at Mount Sinai will endure "forever". Now in this age and in the age to come.

Matt 5:18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.