How can this be? They called on Jesus. They confessed Him as “Lord.” Their spiritual and miraculous experiences were impressive. Their faith was so strong that, at the very throne of eternal judgment, they argue with the Judge Himself! How did they miss something so basic as entering the kingdom?
Listen carefully to Jesus. His subject is the necessity of initial obedience. “The one who does the will of My Father” enters the kingdom (Matthew 7:21). These condemned believers prove that principle. They fail to enter because, despite great evidences of faith, they failed to obey. Their crime according to Jesus: “you workers of lawlessness,” or more literally, “you working the lawlessness” (Matthew 7:21). Everyone is active in one way or another. True believers work the will of God. False believers work lawlessness. If they know God’s will, they convince themselves that it does not apply to them. Their supernatural experiences surely reinforce their self-delusion (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).