Dear Yehova,
Today is the day, December 25th, and another season of faulty worship will have come and gone.
I pray for all the people in the world who are unfamiliar with Your scriptures. I pray for all the people who accept the traditions of men over the Words You have spoken. I pray that in time they will learn Your Words and Your Ways, and choose to follow You.
But there seems to be another problem.
There are many among those walking in Your truth that seem to be triggered by these traditions. There seems to be much uneasiness, anxiety, lack of peace, and for some even anger or bitterness.
I pray for those who are disturbed that they will have Your peace and Your comfort. I pray they can let go of their hold on the feelings and emotions that bubble to the surface at Christmas.
Whether it is because they are angered by years of lies, or if they’ve been hurt by family because of their decision to no longer follow the traditions and false teachings of men, I pray for simple peace and relief.
Yeshua said this…

John 17:14-19
“I have given them Your Word, and the world hated them because they are not of the world, as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the wicked one. They are not of the world, as I am not of the world. Set them apart in Your truth – Your Word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world. And for them I set Myself apart, so that they too might be set apart in truth.”

We must remain in this world, while not being “of the world.”
We need to walk in Your Ways, while being exposed to the many traditions of men.
It is not necessary for any of us to be upset, uneasy, angry, or disturbed by the ways of the world and the people who carry them out, as we remain in their midst.
We are to walk in Your Ways and be a set apart example for those around us. We are to let our light shine, as we listen to Your Voice and live our lives accordingly. We are to exhibit good fruit with humble and submitted hearts, showing the fruits of the Spirit.
Anyone who sees and desires what we have will be drawn to it, and we can help them. For those who are not drawn to Your Ways, we cannot try to explain the truth to them. They will not “get it” and many will hate it.
I pray for the many who are in conflict over these traditions of men. I pray they will set that burden aside, and no longer carry that weight.
I pray for peace and shalom for Your people.
And I pray for the hope that comes from knowing Your truth, and being at ease knowing what it is we hope for.
I pray for these things in Yeshua’s Name.
Amen

There is a meme on social media showing a large mega-church with many thousands of people in attendance.  Another photo shows a very small gathering or assembly of people for bible study.
The caption indicates you will have a massive following if you teach what people want to hear, and a very small following if you teach the truth.
The concept is stated in scripture for us as well:
2Timothy 4:2-4
2 Proclaim the Word! Be urgent in season, out of season. Convict, warn, appeal, with all
patience and teaching. 3 For there shall be a time when they shall not bear sound teaching, but according to their own desires, they shall heap up for themselves teachers tickling the ear, 4 and they shall indeed turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to myths.

Yeshua Messiah [Jesus] made a statement that quantifies the idea for us:
Matthew 7:13-14
13 “Enter in through the narrow gate! Because the gate is wide – and the way is broad – that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter in through it.
14 “Because the gate is narrow and the way is hard pressed which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

We can go all the way back to the prophets for confirmation that these ideas are well entrenched in our religious culture today, just as they foretold would happen:
Jeremiah describes what has become of religion in end times:
Jeremiah 16:19-20
19 O יהוה, my strength and my stronghold and my refuge, in the day of distress the nations shall come to You from the ends of the earth and say, “Our fathers have inherited only falsehood, futility, and there is no value in them.”

20 Would a man make gods for himself, which are not gods?

Ezekiel, so very many years ago, accurately describes our modern church situation:
Ezekiel 22:25-28
25 “There is a conspiracy of her prophets [teachers] in her midst, like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured life, they have taken wealth and precious matters, they have made many widows in her midst.

26 “Her priests have done violence to My teaching and they profane My set-apart matters. They have not distinguished between the set-apart and profane, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean. And they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am profaned in their midst.

27 “Her leaders in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy lives, and to get greedy gain.

28 “And her prophets have coated them with whitewash, seeing a false vision, and divining a lie for them, saying, ‘Thus said the Master יהוה,’ when יהוה had not spoken.

As set-apart followers of Elohim, should our thoughts and ideas line up with scripture regarding the nature of religion today?
If I had to characterize my blog, I’d say this is one of the key components of the many articles I’ve written and shared here.
I try to tie my thoughts and ideas to the direct quotes of Yehova [God] and Yeshua Messiah [Jesus].  We are told in scripture that we need to know Their Voice.
What does that mean?
We need to study the scriptures and learn the things They have said.
As we learn what They said, we also learn Their Character.
We learn Their expectations.
We learn Their standards of behavior.
We learn Their instructions on how to live.
We learn about the promises They have made in scripture.
We learn about the warnings They have given in scripture.

Knowing the Voice of Elohim is incredibly important.
Here are two of many direct quotes advising us to do so:

Words of Yehova, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob:
Deuteronomy 13:3-4
“…for יהוה your Elohim is testing you to know whether you love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being. Walk after יהוה your Elohim and fear Him, and guard His commands and obey His Voice, and serve Him and cling to Him.

Words of Yeshua Messiah, our Savior:
John 10:27-28
27“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

28 And I give them everlasting life, and they shall by no means ever perish, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.”

I have found that if we know the Voice of Elohim, we learn some very discouraging things about religion in the world, including Christianity.  Much of my blog is dedicated to this idea.
Some people get angry and frustrated with me because of it.  But I don’t think they understand my motivation.  I’ve been accused of being judgmental, critical, arrogant, and exclusive.  I’ve been called a dangerous heretic.  I’ve been accused of trying to decide for myself who is in the Kingdom and who is not in the Kingdom.
But that is not the case.
I do not study and share these articles to “exclude people from the Kingdom.”
In fact, I do so hoping to INCLUDE people in the Kingdom.

I do not have that authority or responsibility to exclude anyone, nor would I want it.
I share these articles to help people learn the Voice of Yehova and the Voice of Yeshua.
People need to know the warnings They’ve given, along with the harsh consequences of not heeding these warnings.
I study and share these warnings out of love for others, especially for people who may be in line to receive the consequences of warnings instead of the promises of scripture.
Truth is not often well received, especially by those in need of it.
I once shared nothing but the direct quotes of Yeshua Messiah (Jesus).
It was a list of approximately ten warnings He has given in scripture.
I did not add my thoughts or commentary.
I simply quoted Messiah.
A person told me to, “Stop it!”
They said I had no love in me, and the words I had shared felt like they were being beat on with a hammer. This was their response to the very words of Messiah.
They did not know His warnings, and they especially did not like His warnings once they were presented.
Knowing His warnings is just as important as knowing His promises.
Maybe even more so…
Remember what Messiah said?
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

We must hear His Voice.
All of His Voice, not just the parts we like.
And sadly, this person was a self-proclaimed leader in a Torah fellowship.
A Torah leader who does not know the Voice of Yeshua Messiah.
In other words, there are problems within the community of Torah as well…

I’ve come to realize that scripture is not always pleasant.
There are many people in the world who are only interested in warm and fuzzy verses.
Refer to the mega-church photo above.
Yes, there are many places that will tell you about promises and blessings, and ONLY promises and blessings.

Everyone must decide what it is they want.
Only promises and blessings?
Or whole truth?
Even if the whole truth might cause some self-reflection and life changes?

Recently a friend sincerely asked me if maybe I’m getting things wrong…
Maybe I’m missing some information that might change things for the non-Torah mainstream Christians.
Instead of rejecting her questions, thoughts, and ideas I tried to answer her honestly and to the best of my ability. The following is my response, and I’m sharing it here to help people understand why I do this blog.

Really great question, and not an easy one to answer…
But I’ll explain where I’m coming from.

#1
I am not trying to decide who gets to be in the kingdom and who does not get to be in the kingdom.
Only Yeshua Messiah has the authority to make such a decision for anyone.
Matthew 28:18
18 And יהושע came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth”

We know from scripture that Yeshua will separate the sheep from the goats. But we also learn that His standard is not subjective. In fact, Yeshua even tells us He did not come to judge the world, but to save it. He says that we do have a judge, and it is the word that was spoken. He goes on to say His command is the Father’s command, and the Father’s command brings everlasting life.
It is good for us to know that the criteria for being in the kingdom, or not, is based on the Word and is not subjective.
It is a level playing field, and the same standard exists for all.

John 12
47“And if anyone hears My Words but does not watch over them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.
48He who rejects Me, and does not receive My Words, has one who judges him: the Word that I have spoken shall judge him in the last day.
49“Because I spoke not from Myself, but the Father who sent Me has given Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak.
50“And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, as the Father has said to Me, so I speak.”

People often criticize me, saying I am being exclusive.
They say I’m trying to decide who is in the kingdom and who is not in the kingdom via my studies and blog articles.

I do not try to accomplish this. I don’t have the authority to do so, nor would I want to.
But Yeshua is very clear…
We will all be judged by the Word that was spoken.

Yeshua makes it clear that we must know the things He said, and that we must heed His words, and we must obey His words.

Again, John 12…
48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My Words, has one who judges him: the Word that I have spoken shall judge him in the last day.

My goal is not to include/exclude people by my studies.
My goal is to know the Voice of Elohim and to share what Yehova and Yeshua say with others.
Yehova and Yeshua speak of who will be in the Kingdom and who will not be in the Kingdom.
I’m just trying to be the messenger.

#2
Along the same theme, I do not try to classify people into what their eternal fate might be.
I have no doubt there are atheists who [today] completely reject Yehova, reject Messiah, and reject the word — but will be in the Kingdom.
Where someone stands today does not mean that is where they will remain.
Every single person has the opportunity to turn their hearts to Yah. If not today, then tomorrow, or next month, or next year, or in five years…
As long as they have breath and life, they have opportunity to submit their will to the Father’s will.

Can we compare where someone is ‘right now’ to the Word that was spoken?
Yes, we can.
And I do exactly this.
Not to criticize or exclude, but to warn.
More often than not, people do not like the warning.
But who knows…
Maybe one day they will need to call on our Creator, and they will remember…

#3
I make a deliberate effort to NOT speculate on future events that are difficult to understand [ie Revelation, Daniel, and various end time prophecies].
I study and I pray for wisdom as James 1:5-8 tells us:
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of Elohim, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it shall be given to him.

6 But he should ask in belief, not doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For that man should not think that he shall receive whatever from the Master –

8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

…but I still do not understand everything.
Some things are not revealed.
Many people will speculate, read into things trying to connect the dots, arriving at some type of conclusion that is not specifically stated in scripture.

There was a time when I did this, but I no longer try to do so.
Deuteronomy 29:29 tells us that we will not know and understand everything.
I accept this and I’m comfortable not knowing.

#4
With that in mind, let’s look at your question:
“how do you think the few mentioned in Matthew 7:14 should be reconciled with the great multitude in Revelation 7:9?”

— Without speculation or imagination, all we can do is look at the information contained in scripture and do our best.

Yeshua said this:
13 “Enter in through the narrow gate! Because the gate is wide – and the way is broad – that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter in through it.
14 “Because the gate is narrow and the way is hard pressed which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

The first thing we have to do is recognize that these words came from the mouth of Messiah.
Not only can we believe this, but we must believe this.
He said it, therefore it is truth.

We could start speculating, trying to define “few”.
Can we put a number on it?
No, we are not given enough information to quantify this.
But we can take the warning to heart, and make efforts to be one of the few.
How do we do that?
We learn the Voice of Yehova and obey Him.
He tells us what brings life and blessing, and what brings death and curse.
Do we conduct our lives according to the Word that was spoken?
Or do we do our own thing, speculating what we can or cannot get away with and still be included in the kingdom?

We must learn the Voice of Yeshua, and heed the things He said.
If we do this, then we will be one of the few, no matter how many that actually is.
As men, we don’t have to define this concept.
Simply know the Voice of Elohim, and walk in His ways, obeying ALL that He commanded.
This phrase is repeated numerous times in scripture, both by Yehova and Yeshua.
Do we believe them?
Do we agree to obey ALL that They have commanded?
Or do we think close enough is good enough?

In Rev 7:9 we see this:
9After this I looked and saw a great crowd which no one was able to count, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, and palm branches in their hands,
10and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Deliverance belongs to our Elohim who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Is this speaking of billions?
Is this speaking of millions?
I don’t know.
It doesn’t say.
Imagine this…
If one were to go to a professional sports event in a stadium, can you successfully count 30,000 people?
Can you successfully count 50,000 people?
Can we even count 10,000 people without making an error?

We know in Revelation that 144,000 will have the sign/mark of Yehova.
Can we count a mass of 144,000?
Or from our perspective, will they seem like too many to count?

Or are we talking about millions or billions of people?
This is an event that will take place in the future.
I don’t know the answer to these questions.
All I can do is look at what is written in the scriptures, and accept them as fact.

Yah promises that Israel, His chosen people, will be restored one day. I believe we live in THE GENERATION where this is beginning.
We know Israel was divorced from the covenant and scattered among all the nations of the earth. They were not just exiled from the land, but also from God Himself and from the Torah.
That is what scripture tells us.
It is fact.
Yah said that He would not only not remember them [Israel] but He also would not remember their children.
This is stated in scripture.
If we believe the Voice of Elohim, then we can accept this as fact.
But…
The good news is that Yah promises to restore His people.
The Torah/Truth will flow from Zion.
We are experiencing this now.
The duration of exile has ended, and people are again gaining understanding of the Torah.
But we are still in exile.
Jeremiah 16:14 tells us there will be a second exodus, greater than the first.
Once again, Yah will gather His people and remove them from Mitsrayim/Egypt

[the World, Babylon]

.

Will this exodus consist of millions or billions of people around the earth?
Not if we believe the scriptures.
First of all, Yah tells us that in the exile, Israel will be destroyed such that few remain.

Deuteronomy 28:20
20“יהוה sends on you the curse, the confusion, and the rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the evil of your doings by which you have forsaken Me.

Deuteronomy 28:45
45“And all these curses shall come upon you, and they shall pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim, to guard His commands and His laws which He commanded you.

Deuteronomy 28:62-64
62“And you shall be left with few men, although you had become as numerous as the stars of the heavens, because you did not obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim.
63“And it shall be, that as יהוה rejoiced over you to do you good and increase you, so יהוה does rejoice over you to destroy you and lay you waste. And you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess.
64“And יהוה shall scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other mighty ones, which neither you nor your fathers have known, wood and stone.

These are the Words of Yehova.
These are His warnings to Israel.
But Israel did not heed His Voice, and these consequences came to pass.

As verse 62 states, there will be few left of Israel.
That is where we are today.
The exile duration is over, and people are being called to Torah.
Most don’t hear, because they do not know the Voice of Elohim.
For those who do hear, some submit their hearts and their will to the Father and walk in His ways.
It would seem that many, though, only submit a little. They walk in His ways a little, but not a lot.
These are the lukewarm. Those who hear His call, but are stiff necked and rebellious. Just like we see in the first exodus story.

There are many statements in scripture about the restoration of Israel.
Here is one in Deuteronomy 30

1“And it shall be, when all these words come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you shall bring them back to your heart among all the nations where יהוה your Elohim drives you,
2and shall turn back to יהוה your Elohim and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your being, you and your children,
3then יהוה your Elohim shall turn back your captivity, and shall have compassion on you, and He shall turn back and gather you from all the peoples where יהוה your Elohim has scattered you.
4“If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under the heavens, from there יהוה your Elohim does gather you, and from there He does take you.
5“And יהוה your Elohim shall bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. And He shall do good to you, and increase you more than your fathers.
6“And יהוה your Elohim shall circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed, to love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being, so that you might live,
7and יהוה your Elohim shall put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you.
8“And you shall turn back and obey the voice of יהוה and do all His commands which I command you today.
9“And יהוה your Elohim shall make you have excess in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground for good. For יהוה turns back to rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers,
10if you obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim, to guard His commands and His laws which are written in this Book of the Torah, if you turn back to יהוה your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being.
11“For this command which I am commanding you today, it is not too hard for you, nor is it far off.
12“It is not in the heavens, to say, ‘Who shall ascend into the heavens for us, and bring it to us, and cause us to hear it, so that we do it?’
13Nor is it beyond the sea, to say, ‘Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it to us, and cause us to hear it, so that we do it?’ ”
14“For the Word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart – to do it.
15See, I have set before you today life and good, and death and evil,”
16in that I am commanding you today to love יהוה your Elohim, to walk in His ways, and to guard His commands, and His laws, and His right-rulings. And you shall live and increase, and יהוה your Elohim shall bless you in the land which you go to possess.

Do you see the criteria in verse 2?
” you and your children,”

Sadly, the first generation of the exodus did not obey Yehova.
They grumbled and complained and did not have faith.
They refused His Voice and His promises.
They even wanted to quit and go back to Mitsrayim.

And what happened?
They all died in the wilderness, except Joshua and Caleb who followed Yehova with their whole hearts.

Do you see the relevance?
The first generation died off without receiving the promise.
But their children did, after much tribulation and testing.

This will play out again.
There is a second exodus coming.
It is foretold, and it will happen.

Deut 30:2 tells us that both the first and subsequent generations (your children) must turn back to Him and walk in His ways, obeying His Voice according to all that is commanded.

In the original exodus story, two men (few) made it to the promise.
What are we told about the re-gathering of Israel?
Jeremiah 3
14“Return, O backsliding children,” declares יהוה, “for I shall rule over you, and shall take you, one from a city and two from a clan, and shall bring you to Tsiyon.

How many are gathered?
One from a city…
Two from a clan…

Just as in the first exodus story, few will make it in the restoration.
One here, two there…
Not masses.
Not entire Torah fellowships.
One here, two there.

It will be quite selective. Those who follow partially, or walk in partial obedience instead of obeying all that is commanded will not be included.

Who are those that are included?
Philadelphia.

Revelation 3
7“And to the messenger of the assembly in Philadelphia write, ‘He who is set-apart, He who is true, He who has the key of Dawiḏ, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens, says this:
8“I know your works – see, I have set before you an open door, and no one is able to shut it – that you have little power, yet have guarded My Word, and have not denied My Name.
9“See, I am giving up those of the congregation of Satan, who say they are Yehuḏim and are not, but lie. See, I am making them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
10“Because you have guarded My Word of endurance, I also shall guard you from the hour of trial which shall come upon all the world, to try those who dwell on the earth.
11“See, I am coming speedily! Hold what you have that no one take your crown.
12“He who overcomes, I shall make him a supporting post in the Dwelling Place of My Elohim, and he shall by no means go out. And I shall write on him the Name of My Elohim and the name of the city of My Elohim, the renewed Yerushalayim, which comes down out of the heaven from My Elohim, and My renewed Name.

The few who love Yah with their whole heart will be excluded from tribulation.
They will be protected from harsh and difficult things, like no other time in the history of mankind.

This is what I’m trying to teach people today.
Know the Voice of Yehova
Know the Voice of Yeshua Messiah.
Obey all that They command.
It will bring life and blessing to do so.

Our goal is not to do as little as possible and still make it in.
Our goal is to know the Voice of Elohim, and walk in His ways because of our love for Him and for Messiah.

Going back to Revelation, to a crowd too numerous to count.
We understand the reason for tribulation, the great and fearful day of Yehova.
It is a test.
It is a merciful last chance.
There are those who reject Elohim, or are lukewarm followers, who will be tested by tribulation.
Many will see in that time the seriousness of all this.
While some will be angry and shake their fist at God, many will submit their hearts to Him.
We are told that their heads will be lifted from them by those in the world.
But it is better to enter the kingdom with a destroyed physical body than to not enter the kingdom.

Maybe the countless masses are those who turn to Yehova in tribulation.

 I do not know the answers to future events, and I do not try to speculate as to exactly what will happen.
I will praise Yah, that His plan, even tribulation, will bring about good results.

In the meantime, I will study the words of Yah and the words of Yeshua, and the rest of the scriptures.
I will believe what they say.
Even the harsh things they say in warning.
I will do my very best to help people be one from this city, two from this clan.
I will do my very best to help people be Team Philadelphia.

I do not have all the answers, and I do not need them.
I know enough to obey the words of this Torah, and to encourage others to do so as well.

Deuteronomy 29:29
29“The secret matters belong to יהוה our Elohim, but what is revealed belongs to us and to our children forever, to do all the Words of this Torah.

There are many wonderful and uplifting concepts in scripture.
They are quite wonderful, and people should know about them, and place their hope in these promises.
What many people do not realize, though, is the conditional nature of many promises in scripture.
If we go back a few verses before a promise is made, we often find the words, “If you…”
While the promises are great, they often require something of us.
Christian leaders often refer to this idea as blasphemy!!
They tend to teach that not only do we not have to do anything, but that we SHOULD NOT do anything.
However, if we ACTUALLY read the words of Yehova (God), Yeshua Messiah (Jesus), and the prophets (who spoke on Yehova’s behalf) we do find conditional IF-THEN scenarios regarding promises and blessings.
Not only that, we also find IF-THEN scenarios in place regarding very harsh warnings.
DO THIS – experience the blessings and promises of a loving God
DON’T DO THIS – experience severe consequences of a fair and just God.

While this idea may sound harsh to those who only know what their church leaders have taught them, it is backed up by countless direct quotes of Yehova, Yeshua, the prophets, and other scriptures.
Churches teach the opposite of what Yehova said.
Churches teach people to disobey God [and therefore Yeshua Messiah, since He taught what the Father taught].
Church going Christian pastors and congregants all fail the Deuteronomy 13 test.

Deuteronomy 13:6-11
“When your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own being, entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other mighty ones’– which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers, of the mighty ones of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth – do not agree with him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pardon him, nor spare him or conceal him, but you shall certainly kill him. Your hand is first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people, and you shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you away from יהוה your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, from the house of bondage. “And let all Yisra’ĕl hear and fear, and not again do any such evil matter as this in your midst.

Imagine this:
In a covenant nation governed by Torah [the instruction of God], church going Christians would be stoned to death according to the Words of Yehova, even if they are beloved family!! While this might sound absolutely crazy to you (as it did to me), these are the VERY words of the God we all serve.
Does this mean that God of the bible has some serious character flaws?
No, not at all.
He cares for us so much that He gives harsh warnings with VERY serious consequences.
He wants us to walk in His ways SO MUCH [because they bring life and blessing] that He requires the death penalty for anyone trying to teach us to stray from Him.
That is LITERALLY how much He loves us, that He will go to unimaginable extremes to protect us and keep us in His fold.

And yet, we live in a society and church culture so far removed from His truth and His Character, that this merciful and loving warning is considered a flaw of God’s Character.
People are so comfortable with their own disobedience and the disobedience of others that a warning like this is offensive to them. 
They do not recognize the incredible love behind this warning.
He wants us so badly that He is willing to require death for those who try to steal us away from Him.
Do you find this very hard to believe?
I did when I first began studying the warnings in scripture.
Jeremiah forewarned us of what we see today in Christianity:
Jer 16:19-20
O Yehova, my strength and my fortress, My refuge in the day of affliction, The Gentiles shall come to You From the ends of the earth and say, “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things. ” Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods?

Jeremiah tells us ‘religions of the world’ will have it wrong, and as a result they serve a made up god of their own imagination. And if their god is made up, then they cannot be saved by their non-existent god.

I do not share these words to be critical of lawless Christians, but simply because it is the Word of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I share this and other difficult ideas because people need to know. I share these harsh ideas in scripture out of love, because people need to know, especially if they fall into the category of not heeding these warnings.

Yehova (God) and Yeshua Messiah (Jesus) have established some standards of truth in scripture, and They say these standards of truth are for all time, forever, never-ending, and for all generations.

The following scripture is a direct quote of Yeshua/Jesus.
In this statement, Yeshua Messiah is not speaking to non-believers, atheists, evil people, etc.
He is speaking to people who called Him Lord/Master, and these people claim to have served Him.

Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens. “Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’ “And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’

What is the disqualifier among these self-proclaimed believers and followers of Messiah?
“Lawlessness”

What is the result?
Depart from Me [not good].
I never knew you. [Even worse].

Why is it worse for Yeshua to not know them?
Another direct quote of Messiah explains why this is so very bad:

John 10:27-28
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. “And I give them everlasting life, and they shall by no means ever perish, and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.”

Messiah knows His sheep.
If he does not know you, then you are not His sheep.
Let that sink in…
Not His sheep.
This should be a scary thought.
His sheep follow Him, which means obeying the things He said and walking just as He walked.
Lawless Christians do not.

What does Messiah give to His sheep, the people He knows?
Eternal life.

If He does not know you, then you will not receive eternal life [according to Him, not me].
If you are not His sheep, then you will not receive eternal life [according to Him, not me].
His sheep follow Him, and this is good.
What happens to those in Matthew 7 — the lawless?
“Depart from Me.”
They do not follow Him, nor are they allowed to follow Him.
They are sent away by Yeshua Messiah (Jesus).
This is sad and tragic for billions of people riding a religious train that is completely off the rails.

Yehova and Yeshua Messiah have spoken, and they have spoken clearly.
How does Messiah continue in Matthew 7?
He reiterates what He had just spoken in verses 21-23.
He speaks of people who heed His words, and those who do not heed His words.

Matthew 7:24-27
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does them, shall be like a wise man who built his house on the rock, “and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not do them, shall be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand, and the rain came down, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat on that house, and it fell, and great was its fall.” for He was teaching them as one possessing authority, and not as the scribes.

He again tells us the outcome of the lawless, those who do not heed His words:
“…and great was its fall.”
And there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I pray for the many churches of today’s religious systems.
There are many who claim to know and serve Jesus.
But according to the words of Jesus, they are disqualified.
He does not know them, they are not His sheep, and He sends them away.
If this study has offended you, please don’t be angry with me.
Take these scriptures I’ve shared and read them.
Study them.
Pray about them.
Learn the Voice of God and the Voice of Jesus.
Know the things They say, and not just the good things.
Find out if any of these harsh warnings apply to you, because your eternity depends on them.