"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:22-23)

Whoa--! Who are these people? They prophesied in the name of Jesus-and they cast out devils in the name of Jesus--and yet Jesus says he does not know them? He sends them to hell--(the setting of these verses is the white throne judgement) even when they say these things before the Lord?! Wow--it must be tough to get into heaven--right? Is this what Jesus is saying? Maybe we shouldn't prophesy anymore or cast out devils--is this right?

Wait, let's take a careful look at these scriptures. There are three points to consider.

1. The scripture before this in context goes like this.. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 7:21). So Jesus is talking about people who say they are saved: (some people have taken this scripture out of context and tried to say that we shouldn't say that we are saved!) The key word in all these verses is say. These are people who have given lip service to God. The judgement that Jesus is speaking about is the judgement in which all the dead souls in Hell are raised up and they plead their case before His White (holy) Throne. A born-again believer will not be at this judgement--where Christ will judge all by their works--thank God--No one will get into heaven based on their own works. Many will have spent an eternity in hell thinking up good excuses as to why they should be allowed into heaven--and some will say that they cast out devils and prophesied--but did they really? Jesus only says that many will say these things--He did not say that they actually did them.

2. Another thing to consider, is that these poor souls are believing that their works will save them. They are trying to stand before the holy throne of God and say that they did something that should allow them entrance into heaven. This is a mockery of Jesus Himself, as it ignores what He did for salvation. If someone could enter into heaven by their own works--then why did Jesus have to go to the cross?

3.Now here is another angle to consider. There are a a lot of people who prophesy the name of Jesus and cast out devils in His name--who are not Christians. There is an example in the Bible..

"Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded." (Acts 19:13-16)

You see, these Jewish exorcists somehow found out that there was power in the name of Jesus--to cast our devils! It seems they were doing it for a while successfully, until one devil got wise to them and realized they were not blood bought children of God--and the devil got the better of them! Now certainly on judgement day these people could be the ones who will say that they cast our devils in the name of Jesus--and Jesus will say he did not know them as His children. But what about today? Are there any people today who might use the name of Jesus to prophesy and cast out devils? I believe there are many! First of all there are the New Age believers--who use the name of Jesus to benefit themselves in whatever way they can. You see, as this scripture states--there is power in the name of Jesus--even when it is used by non-believers. The name of Jesus heals and casts out devils anytime when used by anyone. And I believe that we have proof of this all around us! Whenever someone gets angry--or stubs their toe--or something bad happens--what do they say?--JESUS!--they use the holy name of Jesus as a swear word. What they don't realize or acknowledge is how effective the name of Jesus is! No other name will work--you never hear anyone swear by buddha--or krishna--right? They may not understand it but the name of Jesus brings them relief from their pain--even when used in blasphemy! I have heard someone who says he is a devout atheist--when angered--say "JESUS!"--many times! Of course when I asked him about it he says--well it's just an expression. He doesn't realize he is both blaspheming the name of God and using the power and authority in the name of Jesus to cast out a devil and or heal himself! Perhaps many of these atheists will sit in Hell for many years and realize they might have a loophole to get into heaven when they get their chance at the white throne judgement. They reason that they might get in if they recall to Jesus the times they prophesied His name to cast out devils and do mighty works. Sorry folks, Jesus already has you pegged. You are not saved by your works--only by His work at the cross. Of course if you are reading this and you are not dead yet--it's not too late to repent and accept Jesus as you Lord and Savior! Why not give Jesus a try and avoid that awful hot white throne judgement where no works and no lies and no excuses will get you into heaven--only the blood of Jesus will get you in. He did what He did because he loves you and wants to set you free from the devils that are tormenting you right now!

Say this prayer.. Lord Jesus, I want to know you. I want you to be the Lord of my life. I confess with my mouth and I believe in my heart that you were raised from the dead. I am a sinner and fall short of your great glory--I cannot save myself-not with any good works or fast talk--I need you Jesus to be my Savior. Come into my heart now Lord Jesus and set me free. Come into my life and be my Savior, my God and my Friend. Thank you Jesus--because what you did on the cross is my only hope of salvation. Your precious blood washes away my sin and gives me a new start in life and the assurance of eternal life--my eternal life with you, that begins today!

Thank you Jesus!

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