In Matthew 7: 21-23, Yahshua refers to those people who claim to doHis will but, yet, will not enter the kingdom of heaven. He states that He never knew them,even though they have done many wonderful things in His name. At the end of verse 23, Hedescribes who they are. There is a discrepancy among the versions as to the words used todescribe them. This essay brings out these words and tries to put the meaning into the properperspective. One needs to relate back to verse 21 to see what must be done to enter thekingdom of heaven.

The whole of the three verses as stated in theKing James Version is given. The main word considered in thisversion is iniquity. Following this quote is a list of various versions and theword that is used. The actual wording for the whole verse may vary, but it is the one wordwhich is of concern in this comparative analysis. After this list comes a few dictionarydefinitions of some of these words. At the end is a commentary.

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.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thyname 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 workiniquity.

These definitions of words have been taken from Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary ofthe English Language, International Edition.

By checking the dictionary meaning of the word (or words) used in the variousversions, the reader can obtain an idea of what the translators had in mind. One thing seemsto be in common. That is, something not good is involved. However, there are various shades ofmeaning with these words.

That which is not good concerns a relationship with Yahweh. In verse 21, inorder to enter the kingdom of heaven, one must do the will of Yahweh. In verse 22, the peoplehave done good deeds. In verse 23, however, they are rejected. Have they sinned for doing good?There are two kinds of sin, that of commission -- deliberately doing something sinful -- andthat of omission -- not doing something that should be done. In this passage of Scripture, itappears that it cannot be an act of commission.

Let us then look at the sin of omission. What have these rejected peoplefailed to do? There are numerous references in the Scriptures in regard to what people must do(Proverbs 22: 14; Ecclesiastes 12: 13; John 15: 12; Revelation 22: 14). These versessay that people must keep the commandments of Yahweh. Unfortunately, some versions have alteredthe passage from Revelation to give a different meaning. If the word lawlessness beclosely examined, there is an answer. One who is lawless does not follow the law. What law istaught in the Scriptures? Is it the law of the land? Is it a law that man creates? No, it isthe law that Yahweh issued. It is the Law of Moses.

Many churches today do not teach the Law of Moses. They say that the Law wasabolished by Yahshua when He was put to death. Nowhere do the Scriptures say this. Yahshua cameto fulfill the Law, but would not eliminate it until all be fulfilled. What He did take awaywere the animal sacrifices and the Aaronic priesthood. Yahshua became the sacrifice, and Hebecame the high priest in the likeness of Melchisedec. He did what man could not do. Thus, wedo not offer animal sacrifices but the sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart. Also, there isno human high priest as Yahshua is our only high priest.

Some churches use specific parts of the Law of Moses, but according to theirown interpretations, not according to what is stated in the Old Covenant Scriptures. Oneexample is the application of tithing. How the churches use it is not in compliance to whatMoses taught the children of Israel. Some parts are changed to suit the desires of man, oftenin accordance with pagan practices of the past. One example is the changing of the Sabbath tothe day of the Sun -- seventh-day observance to first-day observance. Again, this cannot bejustified in the Scriptures. These churches tell us that it is not necessary to keep the Lawof Moses. They teach more from the New Covenant, which actually explains the Old Covenant,including the Law of Moses.

Lawlessness, as used in several versions means not keeping the law,namely, the law of Moses. Other renderings tend to miss this point. Thus, those people of whomYahshua was speaking were good people, but they have failed to observe the Law that Yahshuagave to Moses. Contrary to popular Christian thinking, this applies to all followers ofYahweh.

The lesson in what Yahshua said is that doing good deeds and not doing evilare not enough. Keeping the whole law is necessary in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.This is another example of how Scriptural messages have taken on incorrect meanings because ofalterations by copyists and translators.