Luke 13:22-35
In that place 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 but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. (vv. 28-29) This is a scary section every time that I read it. But when I read these verses in context, with Jesus constantly dealing with opposition from the Pharisees and scribes, I can see that He is speaking (in context) to these Jewish leaders and that Gentiles will be invited into His kingdom with the unbelieving Jews left behind. And we see ourselves as being among those Gentiles who have been invited in.
We all presume that heaven is our ultimate destination, but sometimes I wonder if we are presuming too much. We have our “salvation verses” and our theologies that tell us that we are on the right track. We’ve accepted Jesus and His forgiveness – He has done it all and we are His beneficiaries. But the verses above and those in Matthew that I note in the link below continue to disturb me, even ever so little: “…I never knew you.”
See also: July 18 / Luke 13:22-35
Yes, Fred. A day of reckoning will be a scary time. Just because we go to church, tithe, read the Bible, etc., doesn’t mean we are in. Jesus tells us to strive to enter the narrow door. But He isn’t talking about a works approach. I believe he is talking about repentance, trusting in his forgiveness and mercy, and listening in order to obey.