In Matthew 7:21-23 we find the prediction of the most startling scene recorded in the Word of God. It is Christ Himself speaking of the great Day of Judgment. He implicates great numbers when He says, “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 wonderful works in your name?” As is very obvious these people are people who were very zealous in religious matters. They did everything their church required and all that the preacher asked them to do. They were very active in evangelism, soul winning, and community benevolence. They felt that surely if serving and working had any reward theirs was a sure thing. Yet the startling thing was the Lord’s response, “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who work iniquity’.” Why should people so zealous for religious matters meet with such disappointment? How did they miss it? They entered the wrong gate and went down the wrong way. Christ had clearly warned of a “wide gate and a broad way that leads to destruction.” He had directed them to the narrow gate and difficult way and said it alone was the way to life. But how did these poor people get in such a way and go through life thinking they were doing the right thing? A preacher led them that way. In verses 15 through 20 of Matthew 7 Jesus warned of “false prophets” deceiving the people. He said they wear a mask, “Who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.” He also said they were only interested in making converts, whom He compared to men gathering grapes from thorn bushes and figs from thistles. Do you ever wonder why all the competition in religion? Why all the boasting of numbers? Where does it come from? It doesn’t come from the teaching of scripture – God threatened to kill David for numbering Israel (II Samuel 24:10-17). Christ could have accumulated more numbers during His earthly ministry than any man who ever preached. When the great multitudes would follow Christ He would test their sincerity by the strictness of the Word. This strictness of the Word always proved very few true disciples of our Lord (see Matthew 8:19-22, Luke 14:25-33, John 6:60-66). It is easy to get in at the wide gate and you will find no difficulty going down the broad way. The world is full of false prophets; they come in all shapes, sizes and fashions. Every denomination has a full supply; they stand over by the wide gate and beckon, “come one, come all; bring bag and baggage.” Ah, my friend, they make the broad way of man’s religion very easy, but remember the words of the Lord, “The broad way leads to destruction.”
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