In Matthew 7:21-23, we see a group of people who are pleading with Messiah because they realize that things have not gone as they believed they would. They are getting ready to be judged by the Father, but they sense something is amiss with the One they thought would be their Advocate—their defense attorney.
So, they plead with Messiah trying to convince Him of all the things they did on earth they think prove they were saved, and that He should represent them before the Father at their judgment. They remind Him of all the wonderful things they did in His name (even though they couldn’t be bothered to learn what His name is), and they also claim to have cast out demons (not realizing they were actually deceived by the demons).
Messiah Yahoshua doesn’t disagree with them about all those things they did. No, He simply tells them that He doesn’t know them. But, why doesn’t He know them? Who ARE these people?
Romans 8:9 defines for us who belongs to Messiah, and who doesn’t belong to Messiah, and it comes down to one thing: those who have the Holy Spirit are His, and those who don’t aren’t. Sadly, because of the false teachings of christianity, many wrongly believe that, because they made a decision, or prayed a prayer, or stopped committing certain sins of the flesh, that they were born again—that they had received the Holy Spirit. But, christianity lies about that.
The Holy Spirit is not given at the behest of humans. The Holy Spirit is not given because man makes a decision or prays a prayer, or stops committing sins of the flesh. No, the Holy Spirit is given after a person believes in Messiah Yahoshua (which is to repent of unbelief), and then endures in that belief as he confesses Messiah before others (which usually involves some form of personal or relational risk)—he doesn’t fall away, or shrink back from his belief, regardless of the ridicule, mocking, or rejection by those who reject the one true faith.
After one’s faith (belief) has been tested (tried), THEN he will receive the covenant, which is the eternal seal of the Holy Spirit. This is the patience (endurance) spoken of in James 1:3-4, and in Hebrews 10:36-39. Christianity teaches that one is saved by his human choice, but that is a false teaching of the evil one. Satan has deceived countless multitudes of people into believing they have something they have never actually been given.
THAT is who we see in Matthew 7:21-23. They are christians. They are folks who have been unwittingly led to believe they are something they’ve never actually been told they are. They are those who think there are verses in scripture that can confirm they’ve been born again. They are those who think that because they claim to have “asked Christ into their hearts,” that purportedly forced the Almighty Father to adopt them as members of His family.
So many people are going to be eternally devastated on that day. And, the saddest part of it is that they are typically the same folks right now who will argue and fight against the truths of the Holy Spirit being shared with them, and will mock and ridicule the one delivering those truths.
I don’t know how many times I have had lost christians tell me they will pray that I would get saved, even though the Holy Spirit has told me, directly and personally, that I am a child of Yah, and He has never told them any such thing.
Yes, they will be so shocked to learn the actual truth.
For more information: What Is Saving Belief?