By David Silver, Out of Zion Ministries (with certain additions by HR)

Matthew 7:13-14 "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”.

I have a video recording of two 'respected' Christian leaders, one interviewing the other. One man asked the other "tell me xxxx, how do you see the future of Christianity." xxxx replies, " I see people coming into the faith from Asia, Africa, India and even the Muslim world - even if they don’t know the name of Jesus, but realize there is more to life, then they are saved and we will see them in Heaven." The interviewer says to xxxx, "that makes me so happy to hear there is such a wide path to God." xxxx replies "yes it is wide."

There are two serious errors in the above conversation.

• Yeshua in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes
  to the Father except through Me."
• Yeshua also said in the opening verse that the true path to eternal life is narrow, but these men claim it is wide.

Whose report should we believe? Obviously, we believe the report of the Lord! If Yeshua Himself made these clear and distinct statements, then as non politically correct as His words may be, we all need to take heed of the warnings.

The problem is that over the last 1900 years the Bible based faith of the Early (primarily Jewish) Church has for most people who consider themselves Christians, been reduced to Greek philosophy based, humanistic religion. Over the years there have been numerous sparks of revival fire, which in most instances, ended up smoldering or completely extinguished. In most parts of the once Christian world, the mainline denominations have lost large portions of their flock to the Charismatic or Pentecostal movements, or they have lost many to the secular world.

Most of these denominations no longer hold the Bible as the inspired word of God, while accepting all of the things that God calls an "abomination" - abortion, homosexuality, etc And sadly the mainline denominations and even many of the Charismatic / Pentecostal churches have been so deluded by Replacement Theology that they are standing on the wrong side of the Arab/Israeli conflict. To stand and agree with Arab demands for a Palestinian State on land that God eternally covenanted to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, is to rebel against God Himself.

The situation in the post Christian USA is so bad that Hillary Clinton this week released an official statement declaring that it is " illegitimate " for Jews to live in Judea and Samaria or the West Bank as it is deceptively called by the world today. Can the US Secretary of State be so uninformed that she does not know that the area she is talking about is the heart of the land that God promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and that these Patriarchs of the Jewish people are all buried there ? So what then has made it illegitimate for Jewish people to live there?

As Clinton made her ridiculous and inane statement, the Arab world is burning. All the Western media can see is PRO DEMOCRACY demonstrations, but what is really taking place in the background, is a radical Islamic uprising. And the western media and politicians are cheering it on - UTTER FOOLISHNESS!

How did the western world and its media get to be so blind to truth?

The answer is easy - they have been walking on the wrong path ! Instead of taking the narrow path that leads to life in the Kingdom of God, they have chosen to take the wide path that permits everyone to do what is right in their own eyes, but ultimately leads to destruction. Isaiah’s warning rings so true for such an hour as this:
Isa 5:20-21
20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

The late 1960's saw the rise of Israel as Jerusalem was re-united, and the beginning of the decline of faith, morality and reality in the western world. Since the amazing Israeli victory in the Six Day War of June 1967, ever increasing numbers of Jewish people began coming to faith in Yeshua, and ever increasing numbers of Christians began to understand Romans 11 - that God hasn't finished with Israel and that the true Church is grafted into the Olive Tree, and at the same time receiving God's heart for His land and His people.

These Jews and Christians had found their way onto the narrow path that leads to life. At the same time in 1967 the music changed, bringing about rebellion, the sexual revolution began, bringing about a major increase in the cold blooded murder of the unborn, and the acceptance of the abominable Gay lifestyle, drawing millions onto the wide path that leads to destruction. As the music changes, society changes with it (Plato).

As we move deeper into 2011, the events taking place in the Middle East and all over the world are surely signs that we are living in the end times, and as the Church hit of the 1970's proclaimed, "soon and very soon we are going to see the King".

Will Yeshua find faith when He comes? Luke 18:8 – “when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"
As well as having a serious concern for those who are clearly choosing to walk on the wide path that leads to destruction according to Yeshua’s own words (Math 7:13-14), we also need to take stock or our own lives.

Are we really on that difficult narrow way that although challenging, leads to life?

Are both our feet firmly planted on this way? Or do we have one foot in each camp? On the Lord's temperature gauge are we hot, cold or lukewarm? In his message to the congregation at Laodicia (Rev 3), Yeshua clearly states:

Rev 3:15-22
15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
16 "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
17 "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'-- and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked--
18 "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.
19 "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
20 "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.
21 "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.
22 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."' "

Rev 19:7 - "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."

We are co-workers with G-d in the process of our sanctification. Are we earnestly making ourselves ready to reign with Him? Are we willing to face the cost?

Luke 9:23-25
23 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
24 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.
25 "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

In last week’s parasha (Veyakeyl – Exo 35), we read the Moses assembled the people together. Veyakeyl means ‘and he assembled or he gathered”. But, in the incident of the eigel zahav – the golden calf – when Moses delayed from descending from the Mountain of Revelation, the people gathered themselves together and demanded that Aaron make a figure-god – the eigel zahav - to lead them in the desert.

People uniting for a common purpose, does not necessarily mean that it is a force for good. We need to continually check our motives that in our coming together, we desire to build the Mishkan – the Sanctuary – the resting place for G-d’s Presence, and not a golden calf!

Time is short - look up, for our Redeemer is surely drawing near!

The Lord bless you as you stand in defense of Israel’s right to exist on the land given to the Jewish people by the God of Israel. Let’s pray that Israel will turn back to their God.

Let’s also pray for that breakthrough to the Arab world. Pray that the turmoil in the Middle East will lead to the collapse of the crescent curtain so that the Besorah Tova – the Good News of the coming of Yeshua – can flood their lands and bring in a massive harvest! Hallelujah!