It just occurred to me that no one actually thinks to himself, “I’m lost and will experience the second death”. Most people simply believe, by some off chance, that they will somehow make it to heaven, or some sort of paradise. If not, I would say, at least, 100 percent of Christians think they are saved. Or else, why would they be or call themselves Christian?

The unfortunate news is…

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus claims the opposite. Only a few will be saved. And furthermore, He illustrates that many Christians will think they are saved but really aren’t.

Don’t believe me?

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. 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?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!

Matthew 7:21-23

Is it really that hard to be saved? I think it’s not. What did Jesus say?

He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Mark 16:16

All we have to do is believe and be baptized. Right? What’s so hard about that? Why are so many people going to do good works in Jesus’s name and, still, be lost?

First let’s talk about belief. 

If I told you, “Lightning is going to strike right where you are sitting” and you simply said “I believe you” then you didn’t actually believe me.

Now if I said those words and you said “I believe” and simultaneously moved, then you truly believed me.

Let’s look at the most famous verse in the Bible.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

If you actually believed in Christ, you would do what He says. If you truly believed that the Son of God left His lofty estate in Heaven to be a Poor and Homeless Minister, teach you how to live and then die for your inability to do so, your belief would probably lead you to radical action. 

You would emulate Him as best as you can. You would listen to His words with great interest. In our case, you would read His Word with great interest.

You see, mere knowledge of Him is not true belief and it is certainly not enough.

You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

James 2:19

Demons have a knowledge of God. They were once His angels but they didn’t believe in Him and His Word. They believed in the devil and what they thought he could offer. Then they followed the devil. If God did not spare them, what makes us special if we keep following Satan by not following Jesus. As you can, hopefully,  see now, knowledge is not enough. True belief is necessary.

Let’s go back to why many Christians will be lost.

And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Matthew 7:23

Here Christ explains why He will deny them… they practice lawlessness.

Christ came and died for us not to save us in our sins but  from  our sins.

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people  from  their sins.

Matthew 1:21

And what is sin?

Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness

1 John 3:4

Jesus didn’t want us continuing in our sin (Gen 3:22-24). However, many Christians believe that He died so that they can continue sinning.

If you truly believed in Him, then you would act on His statement of a prerequisite for eternal life.

So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments .

Matthew 19:17

Many Christians will be lost simply because they didn’t even try to keep the Commandments. In fact, most of the Christian world is breaking the 4th Commandment that has to do with the Seventh-day Sabbath. 

Nonetheless, God winks at our ignorance but the time is coming and, now is, that God is commanding the world to repent.

Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,

Acts 17:30

If you haven’t seen, the world is in turmoil, natural disasters are increasing and Christians are being persecuted. And, furthermore, the Bible is being neglected while the doctrines of demons are sweeping the Christian community.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,

1 Timothy 4:1

With the Catholic Church pretending that priests can forgive sins, the Mormon and the Jehovah’s Witness claiming that Jesus is not God and the rest of the Christian world claiming that Sunday is the Lord’s day when there isn’t one scripture that changed the sabbath from the Seventh-Day to Sunday, the verse above, we can safely say, is being and has been fulfilled.

It’s high time to wake out of sleep. 

And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

Romans 13:11

Christians. Time to wake up. We are in the final church of history and Jesus has an issue with us.

And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

Revelation 3:14-16

Jesus Christ can’t stand the half in, half out.

And what’s the half out, usually? 

Lawlessness. We profess to believe in Christ yet we are not actually trying to keep His 10 Commandments. But He has instructions for us to fix our predicament.

I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Revelation 3:18-21

Jesus loves us and desires is to be saved but we must get into right relationship with Him. He said one of the two greatest commandments is to love Him with all our heart.

And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

Mark 12:30

And if we love Him this will lead us to fulfill His words.

“”If you love Me,  keep My commandments .”  

John 14:15

But if we choose not to fulfill these words, we will hear these solemn words…

…’I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!  

Matthew 7:2

My beloved professed Christians. The doors of mercy are still open. We must confess and get right with God.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9

But if we don’t confess and keep on sinning, there remains one option for us.

And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:30

Notice He talks about an unprofitable servant. We are His servants if we choose to follow Him and we have risk of being lost just like those who never accepted Christ.

But to those who confesses daily, repent and strive to do the Commandments, Jesus has a blessing for us!

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.

Revelation 22:14

If we don’t…

But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Revelation 22:15

My friends, I’d like to leave you with the words of Moses.

See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

Deuteronomy 30:15-19