Revelation 22:14-15
Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. ¹⁵ But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

These are the words of our Messiah, our Savior, Yeshua.
While all scripture is true and important, I try to pay particular attention to the things Yeshua said.  Direct quotes of our Messiah are vital, and especially when He is giving a warning.

Do we understand these warnings?
Do we slow down and evaluate them?
The consequences are typically horrific.
With much at stake, do we pass by these warnings, assuming they apply to someone else, but not us?

If we make this mistake, it will be a disaster of epic proportions.
And there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Yes, here I am again, writing about warnings.
Will I ever stop?
Not as long as the Ruach leads me to write. People need to know these things…
Nobody likes warnings.  People seem to like the warm, inviting, loving scriptures (and rightfully so — they are awesome!!).

But let’s dig into this one.
I get the fact that sorcerers and the immoral will not have the right to the tree of life, and will not be welcome into the city of New Jerusalem (heaven on earth – see Rev 21).
But what is this ambiguous statement about those who love and practice a lie??
What in the world? I used to be confused by this, and I’d just skip it.

We are warned throughout scripture of false teaching.
Deuteronomy 13 and 18 give us the criteria to test for a false prophet. And the warnings continue…
Ezekiel and Jeremiah warn us.
2Peter 3:15-16 is a HUGE warning.
“…as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, ¹⁶ as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;”

2Timothy 4:2-5 tells us where we end up:
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; ⁴ and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. ⁵ But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

If we are to believe scripture (and I do), the warning that Timothy gives is real.  We should be able to see this problem all around us, and we do.
If scripture is to be believed, the warning Peter gave is true and valid. It shows us that Paul’s writings (as well as the scriptures – Torah and Tanakh at that time) were already being twisted into false doctrine.
Men who were alive with Yeshua observed the twisting of scripture almost immediately.  How sad is that?

So, what is it to believe and practice a lie?
If we fall prey to the false teaching that is rampant in the world, then this warning applies to us.  We have the truth available to us.  We have scriptures available to us.  We carry the truth in and out of church, week after week, year after year, decade after decade, all while believing the lies of false teaching.

Yehova promises His understanding of scripture to us, if we just ask for it in faith.

James 1:5-8
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; ⁸ he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Falling prey to false teaching will not be a valid excuse on the day of judgement.
We will not be able to defend ourselves with “Well, my pastor said…”

Why not? Because we have the truth in our very hands.  And we have the promise of Yehova that we’ll be able to understand it.

1John 2:24-27
²⁴ Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.
²⁶ These things I have written to you concerning those who try to deceive you. ²⁷ But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

In Matthew 7 Yeshua (Jesus) tells people “Depart from me, I never knew you.”

How is it possible that billions of Christians can read this horrific warning and dismiss it without even thinking about it???
How can billions of Christians think, “Wow, that sucks for someone else, but not me…”?

Really??? Something as significant as the Messiah rejecting you, and saying He never knew you?
Why would He not know you? Because you are a worker of lawlessness.

Here is the full passage:
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 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 wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

But the law was done away with. We are no longer under the law.

SAYS WHO???
Not Yeshua (Jesus), our Messiah.
He says those who do not keep the law are not welcome in His kingdom.

BUT MY PASTOR, and many generations of pastors, have said so, that the law is done away with.

WHO WILL YOU BELIEVE????
Your Messiah, or your pastor?

Who has the authority to make these decisions?
Matthew 28:18
And Yeshua (Jesus) came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

Did you catch that? ALL authority. Not some of it… ALL OF IT.
If Yeshua has ALL authority, how much is left over for your pastor to have?

That’s right. NONE.
Your pastor has NO authority.
Pastors proclaim they have authority, based upon a paper hanging on the wall in their office.
A paper they paid many thousands of dollars for.
But does it give them any authority?
Not according to Messiah.

And yet, with absolutely no authority, pastors and priests and ministers and popes and bishops and deacons (and whatever else you want to call them) go out into the world, with NO AUTHORITY, and proclaim that the law is done away with.

Your Messiah, your Savior, the Son of the Living God, says that is a big load of dung (I’m paraphrasing, of course).
Direct quotes of your Messiah say otherwise, and He has ALL OF THE AUTHORITY.

Here is one of HIS quotes:
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

AND ANOTHER:
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.”

AND ANOTHER:
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”

AND ANOTHER (from the beginning of this study):
“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.”

I could go on and on…
And I have not even started quoting the Father yet.

Who will you believe?
Your Messiah, or your pastor?

Your pastor is selling death.
Your pastor is selling ‘gnashing of teeth’
Your pastor is claiming to have authority to defy what Messiah says over and over again.

Do you believe the lies of your pastor, whether intentional or accidental?
Does Messiah say anything about believing a lie?

AGAIN, A DIRECT QUOTE OF MESSIAH:
Revelation 22:15 describing those who are not welcome in the Kingdom:
But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Did you catch that last part?
ANYONE WHO LOVES AND PRACTICES A LIE

Are you loving and practicing a lie?
Are you in violation of the warning Peter gave us?
It is important to answer these questions using scripture.
My prayers go out to all who need wisdom and understanding (myself included!!).