Thoughts on Today’s Verse…
Through these words, the Lord Jesus told us that if we want to gain salvation and receive the supply of life, we must accept the incarnate Christ, for only Christ is the gate of the kingdom of heaven and none can enter God’s kingdom except through Christ. For example, when the Lord Jesus came to do the work of redemption in the Age of Grace, the Jewish Pharisees stubbornly held onto their own notions and imaginations—believing that anyone who was not called the Messiah was not Christ. Even though they heard the Lord Jesus’ words have authority and power, they had no reverence toward God and didn’t seek or investigate. Instead, they tried to find all kinds of accusations against the Lord Jesus, slandered and condemned His work, and even blasphemed the Lord Jesus and then crucified Him on the cross. Finally, they were cursed and punished by God. However, the Lord’s disciples, like Peter, Jacob, and John, recognized from His words and His working of signs and wonders that the Lord Jesus had come from God. Thus they all followed the Lord Jesus and gained His salvation. We all know that the Lord Jesus prophesied that He would come again in the last days and bring the salvation of the last days. So, how can we recognize and follow Christ in the last days? This is what we should focus on seeking because it is related to the great matter of whether we can enter Christ’s kingdom. God says, “Those who wish to gain life without relying on the truth spoken by Christ are the most ridiculous people on earth, and those who do not accept the way of life brought by Christ are lost in fantasy. And so I say that the people who do not accept Christ of the last days shall forever be despised by God. Christ is man’s gateway to the kingdom during the last days, which none may bypass. None may be perfected by God except through Christ. You believe in God, and so you must accept His words and obey His way. You must not just think of gaining blessings without receiving the truth, or accepting the provision of life. Christ comes during the last days so that all those who truly believe in Him may be provided with life. His work is for the sake of concluding the old age and entering the new one, and is the path that must be taken by all those who would enter the new age. If you are incapable of acknowledging Him, and instead condemn, blaspheme or even persecute Him, then you are bound to burn for eternity, and shall never enter the kingdom of God.”
