The Cross of Jesus Christ is the Narrow Gate that Leads into Salvation

Luke 13:22-33

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.

• The Cross of Jesus Christ is a narrow gate that leads to Salvation.
• Lawlessness bars the door that opens to Jesus Christ.
• Israelis are destined for eternal torment unless they come to Jesus Christ.
• Today’s world conspires to kill the Gospel of Christ.
• Prophecies die in Jerusalem, the capital of the Spirit of God.
• Everyone must believe and say that Jesus Christ is Lord.

The Cross of Jesus Christ is a narrow gate that leads to Salvation. “And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” Luke 13:22-23 That is an easy question to ask nowadays, is there only a few who are saved? Nobody wants to hear about the need for the remission of sin through Jesus Christ, because everyone is following the mark of the beast, “All who dwell on the earth will worship it, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8 They have entered the broad gate that leads to destruction, and they are not able to enter at the Cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us to enter through the narrow gate, “And He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.'” Luke 13:24 The masses use a lot of churchy sounding words trying to enter the salvation gates, but Salvation is only found in the name of Jesus. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are set apart from the broad way of mainstream society.

Lawlessness bars the door that opens to Jesus Christ. “When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from…” Luke 13:25 The narrow gates that lead to Salvation are going to close, not because Jesus is preventing anyone from coming to Him, but because lawlessness will prevail in the world. They do not love the truth of Christ, and He is the only One who can restrain lawlessness, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12

Israelis are destined for eternal torment unless they come to Jesus Christ. “…then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’” Luke 13:26 Churches are very good at having luncheons, dinners, etc. as well as inviting guest speakers, but they have thrown out the Gospel of Jesus. This is what Jesus will say to them, “But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’” Luke 13:27 That is exactly what Jesus will say to the State of Israel and the Jewish people of today who reject Him. They will see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in Heaven but they themselves will be in eternal torment, “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.” Luke 13:28 People from all nationalities all over the world will be in the kingdom of God, and some Israelites. “They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.” Luke 13:29 In a sense, God had two children, the first and oldest is the Israelites and the second and youngest Christianity, and Jesus says this, “And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.” Luke 13:30 Christianity has received all the blessings and inheritance of the firstborn Jewish people because we acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Although born last, we have become first, as symbolized in the story of Jacob and Esau.

Today’s world conspires to kill the Gospel of Christ. “On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.” Luke 13:31 Herod is not a Jewish person but is a governor working for the Roman Empire. Today, he would be representative of those who govern through the mark of the beast, which despises God, detests the heritage of Israel, discards the need for Jesus Christ, and tramples on the Holy Spirit. Jesus has a word for Herod, “And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’” Luke 13:32 Herod murdered John the Baptist, who was imprisoned for talking against Herod’s immoral lifestyle (Herod took his brother’s wife as his own). When the ministry of Jesus rose up after John’s, the multitudes following Jesus grew well beyond the followers of John. It did no good whatsoever to kill John, and on the third day after the death of Jesus, Jesus Himself would be resurrected from the grave. The multitudes would even grow more in number. Jesus Christ cast out demons to make us the home of the Holy Spirit and is a curse for everyone who makes their body the seat of government for the mark of the beast.

Prophecies die in Jerusalem, the capital of the Spirit of God. “Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.” Luke 13:33 Jesus made it clear that His death takes place in Jerusalem. Today, Jerusalem represents our body as the home of the Holy Spirit, which is the capital where God resides in us. The Jerusalem of the Middle East nowadays is anything but a Holy City of the State of Israel, and the Israelis are not even permitted to pray in the Temple Mount. That is Biblical in itself since the Jewish people cannot pray in the presence of God as the temple of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ gives the Holy Spirit, so when Jesus is rejected, the Holy Spirit is not present. Anyone who dies to Christ perishes in Jerusalem, which is to say they die to God where He sits in the capital of our heart. Since the Israelis reject Jesus, they are responsible for those who die to Christ, and are responsible for the deaths of prophets. The spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus Christ, so killing His testimony is to kill the prophets, “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10

Everyone must believe and say that Jesus Christ is Lord. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” Luke 13:34 Neither the State of Israel, nor the Jewish nation, are followers of Jesus Christ. Their worship practices eliminate Jesus from their mind and heart making them responsible for killing and stoning prophets, even today. When the testimony of Christ is rejected then prophecy is killed. Jesus says this to the Israelis, “See! Your house is left to you desolate…” Luke 13:35a. That is true of the desolation of their heritage in Jerusalem and the Temple Mount as well as being desolate as the home of the Holy Spirit, resulting in being desolate of Prophecy. In a sense, they have a lot in common with the government of the mark of the beast, and in another sense, they are hated by the global government. They are hated for their Biblical heritage and the memories of the Holocaust. The global government wants no memories of God nor Jesus Christ because they set themselves up as God in the temple of God. Jesus Christ has this to say to Israel and to each one of us, “I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” Luke 13:35b. Every one of us must believe and say that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1