THE DESTINY OF MULTITUDES IN THE POPULAR WAY Matthew 7:13 From the beginning and throughout the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord, Jesus Christ speaks about the Kingdom of heaven, the Kingdom of God (Matthew 5:3,10,19,20; 6:33; 7:21). His focus was on the destiny of man. The Lord looks at life as a journey, a journey from time unto eternity. He reveals that there are only two gates - the wide gate and the strait (narrow) gate; only two ways - the broad way and the narrow way; only two destinations - destruction and life. There are only two destinations unto which any of us can get to; the path we are treading will lead to either eternal peace and happiness in heaven or eternal torments, sorrow and suffering in hell. The choice we make of which gate we enter, which path, road or way we walk in will determine our final, eternal destiny after this life. God has ordained only two distinct places to be the final, eternal abodes of men after this life, and between them, He has fixed a great gulf so that none can pass from the one to the other (Luke 16:26). There are only two gates, the wide gate of multitudes, the majority of the human race; and the narrow gate of the few who make the right choice which God has ordained. And there are only two ways, the popular way, the spacious road on which broadminded multitudes travel, and the narrow way, the unpopular road traversed by the few who walk and follow the Lord closely and consistently. There are only two destinations, not three. Some religious people have invented a third destination which they call ‘purgatory’. It is an imaginary place of human invention which does not exist. Men enter through the wide gate or the narrow gate; there is no third gate. Men travel on the broad way or the narrow way; there is no third way. There are only two classes of people - believers or unbelievers, saints or sinners, the few or the many. We are either in the light or in darkness; in the truth or in error; among the few or among the multitude; either righteous or unrighteous. There is no third category. There are only two ends - the end of the broad way or the end of the narrow way. There are only two destinations for travellers journeying through life - life or destruction. There are only two destinies - heaven or hell. Where will you spend eternity? 1. THE BROADENED ENTRANCE GATE FOR MANY INTO DEGENERATION Matthew 7:13; Genesis 6:5,12; Psalm 14:2,3; Isaiah 59:7,8,13-15; Romans 1:28-32; Romans 3:9-19,23; Ephesians 2:2,3; Philippians 3:18,19; 2 Peter 2:1-3; 1 John 5:19. “Wide is the gate.” Ancient cities have walls around them, and they have gates through which people may go out or come in. The wide gates are spacious enough to admit men and their loads or chariots while the strait, narrow gates take only individuals without loads or encumbrances. The examples of wide gates (for big trucks and vehicles) and narrow gates (for pedestrians) are still very common in cities and communities today. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, often used visible, known, natural things to illustrate spiritual, invisible, unknown, eternal realities. For travellers to get into the way leading to their destination, they go through the wide toll gate. The gate is the only avenue of admittance into the way and it must be taken in order to reach the destination. All who enter the wide gate will travel on the broad way and the only place this way leads to is destruction, doom and damnation. The wide gate is the gate through which multitudes enter into life from the age of accountability. The gate takes in everyone with loads of sin and evil without any restriction or restraint. There is ample liberty for everyone desiring to go through the wide gate; the Pharisee and the Saduccee, the hypocrite and the reprobate, the covetous and the deceiver, the self-righteous and the religious, the fleshly, sensual and pleasure-seekers, despisers of God and opposers of righteousness, private and public sinners, unconverted moralists and unashamed criminals, the proud and the worldly, vicious, violent men and vile, vulnerable youths, wicked people and wandering backsliders, tempters, temptresses and their victims all go through the wide gate that leads to the broad way of the world. 2. THE BROAD, EVIL WAY OF MULTITUDES LEADING TO DESTRUCTION Matthew 7:13; Psalm 36:1-4; Proverbs 14:12; Isaiah 1:28; 13:6-11; Ecclesiastes 11:9; Romans 2:16-24; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12; 1 Peter 4:17,18; Jude 11-16. “Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.” As we have noted already, the wide gate leads to the broad way which in turn leads to destruction. The broad way is deceptive; it seems right, proper and good to men of carnal reasoning. Since it is a crowded road with many rich, intelligent, worldly-wise, religious and church-going people walking therein; everybody thinks that these multitudes cannot be wrong. Among these travellers are scientists, philosophers, successful businessmen, preachers and priests, notable leaders among men, respected people in society. Can they all be wrong? If they are on the broad way, they are deceived. The broad way is a downward road; it is easy, convenient and appears pleasant to travel on. It is “the course of this world.” It is the path of self-indulgence, self-gratification, self-interest, self-will, self-seeking and self-satisfaction. There is no hedge, control or self-denial. It is an easy, pleasant way to the flesh. The broad way is a dangerous road. Unknown to the travellers, it leads to destruction, eternal, irreversible destruction. We can only escape the damnation if we turn back from the broad way by repentance from sin, faith in Christ, true and total conversion to Christ before reaching the end of the way. There is no repentance or second chance after death. No one can be absolutely sure of being alive another day. Decide today, enter the narrow gate and walk in the narrow way. 3. THE BITTER, ETERNAL WAGES OF MANY, DOOMED TO DAMNATION Matthew 7:13; Philippians 3:18,19; 2 Thessalonians 1:8,9; 1 Timothy 6:9,10; Psalm 9:17; Isaiah 33:12-14; Matthew 23:14,25-28,33; Matthew 25:41; Luke 16:19-31; Psalm 2:10-12. “Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction.” The Greek word translated “destruction” does not mean annihilation. It does not mean that the “destruction” makes the many unconverted people who walked on the broad way cease to exist. See the use of the words “destroy” and “destruction” and compare with other verses in the New Testament (2 Thessalonians 2:8,9; 1:8,9; Revelation 19:20; 20:10). The destruction or damnation refers to a state and a place of conscious, unending, eternal torment and suffering. Hell, a place of eternal punishment, is the final destination of all who walk on the broad way till the end of their lives. The infallible Word of God describes the final destiny of multitudes on the broad way as the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 20:15; 21:8), devouring fire and everlasting burnings (Isaiah 33:14), a furnace of fire (Matthew 13:41,42), a place of torments (Luke 16:23), a place of everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46), a place of the blackness of darkness for ever (Jude 13), where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Luke 13:28).
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 19:39:07 +0000
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