Lord Herdsetk
What were they thinking?
Does Luke 13:24 say they shall not be able to enter ever? If Revelations is meant to be part of God's teachings, then the gates of heaven are never to be shut.
Luke 13
22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’
28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
Of course though, I realize there's yet another set of verses that seems to contradict Revelations 21:25 and Rev 21:5
Matthew 7
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.
So we have a gate that is open, but few ever find it. If someone has no knowledge of Christ, or has only had bad experiences with Christians and wants nothing to do with Christ through that, where does that leave those people?
But there's STILL MORE.
1 Corinthians 3
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
So will a person be saved eventually only after suffering loss? Will that person be maimed, not necessarily literally but spiritually or emotionally, but still enter heaven? What if a person decides not to suffer loss? But only a few find the narrow gates, right? Is that talking about as long as those gates will be open, or only a few finding those gates now in this age?
So ultimately, what's going on? Who ends up where and how? Is the official answer "I don't know"? If so, then why do we condemn so many others? Why do we have so many Christians shouting down others for not upholding certain beliefs about God and Christ? What does it mean we shall be tested with fire? Does it mean that our actions in this age will be judged in the age to come? If so, how terrible does a person's work have to be for them themselves to be burned up completely?
Luke 13
22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’
26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’
28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”
Of course though, I realize there's yet another set of verses that seems to contradict Revelations 21:25 and Rev 21:5
Matthew 7
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.
So we have a gate that is open, but few ever find it. If someone has no knowledge of Christ, or has only had bad experiences with Christians and wants nothing to do with Christ through that, where does that leave those people?
But there's STILL MORE.
1 Corinthians 3
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
So will a person be saved eventually only after suffering loss? Will that person be maimed, not necessarily literally but spiritually or emotionally, but still enter heaven? What if a person decides not to suffer loss? But only a few find the narrow gates, right? Is that talking about as long as those gates will be open, or only a few finding those gates now in this age?
So ultimately, what's going on? Who ends up where and how? Is the official answer "I don't know"? If so, then why do we condemn so many others? Why do we have so many Christians shouting down others for not upholding certain beliefs about God and Christ? What does it mean we shall be tested with fire? Does it mean that our actions in this age will be judged in the age to come? If so, how terrible does a person's work have to be for them themselves to be burned up completely?
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