I notice in Matthew 7:13 an interesting feature - both gates lead to entry, and there is nothing said about what is entered. The verse does NOT say that the two gates lead to different places. or that they lead to the same place. Jesus did not specify, so by grammar alone, I'm assuming it's the same place. I checked an interlinear version, and the Greek did not help. Does the narrow gate lead to an easy entry, while the wide gate involves destruction before entry? It's deep.
I looked at the verse in biblehub.com, and noticed a translation outlier from the New Living Translation: ?You can enter God?s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way." I suppose most Christians read it that way.
However, compare ?Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it." -NASB
with
"If anyone?s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If anyone?s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet only so as through fire." -NASB
The works of some get destruction, but they are saved "as through fire." "Through" implies passing through, which implies entry further on. Is it just this simple, destruction of works, and then entry into the same place as those finding the narrow gate?
The works of some get destruction, but they are saved "as through fire." "Through" implies passing through, which implies entry further on. Is it just this simple, destruction of works, and then entry into the same place as those finding the narrow gate?
[/quote]
Pertinent observation: the purification process and program to sort out the work of Christ from the work of those who are being led astray by the doctrine of our own efforts
Actually quite a logical analogy
Stripping away the flesh from the spirit.
Cheers.
hi, Ross..good point !.....btw, I've tended to not interpret the 'wide' and 'narrow' gates as referring to our ultimate destiny....the 'finding' is a verb in the Greek...i believe Jesus is commenting on folks in his present day at that moment not on folks post- mortem destiny..cheers !
Good point Laz. Whether the wide gate or narrow one, both lead to the same place because when all is said and done, all will be saved.