How To Enter By The Narrow Gate:

Devas & Brahmas:
Devas are angels who may be male or female, have radiant bodies that can light up an entire grove, have vision that far surpasses human vision and move faster than the sun and the moon. They may protect humans without their knowing. They have fixed lifespan no more than an eon or age.
Brahmas are loftier beings that may be or are formless; they possess bodies that are ordinarily not visible to angels but can appear amongst them and they may have lifespan that last eons or Ages, the Buddha said he was the Powerful One for seven eons, an eon being enough time for a being to accumulate a pile of skeleton as high as a mountain transmigrating.
What may determine the status of a being is his intrinsic virtue (goodness), discernment (ability to see and live in truth), his concentration (mastery of his mind) and his emancipation (attachment to a false self).
Devas or angels may have a lifespan of one eon or Age but Brahmas may have lifespan of many eons or ages.
How To Enter By The Narrow Gate:
Jesus: "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few”
No matter how Christians might (foolishly) beg to differ, in order to enter by the narrow gate, they have to endeavor, apply themselves, be consummate in virtue, guard their sense doors, be moderate in food, devoted to wakefulness (not sleep) be endowed with seven qualities; in other words emulate what Ananda said below.
Then Ven. Ananda addressed Mahanama the Sakyan[3]: "There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones is consummate in virtue, guards the doors to his sense faculties, knows moderation in eating, is devoted to wakefulness, is endowed with seven qualities, and obtains at will the four (meditative) jhanas that constitute heightened awareness and a pleasant abiding here.
"And how is the disciple of the noble ones consummate in virtue? He dwells restrained in accordance with the Patimokkha (Not to tell lies, take what is not given, kill or harm any beings, not to indulge in idle chatter, gossip, illicit sex, drink, sleep on high beds, exalt himself sitting on high chairs and sleeping on high beds) He trains himself (puts into frequent practice), seeing danger (leading to suffering now and later) in the slightest faults.
(The person who does not see danger in the slightest fault sees nothing when he subjects himself and others to stress, when he smiles and stretches syllables but the person who sees danger in the slightest fault sees danger to himself when he smiles, stretches his syllables and experiences stress because a stressed person will act and stress others, creating karma)
"And how does the disciple of the noble ones guard the doors to his sense faculties? Seeing a form (object) with his eyes, he doesn't grasp at any ideas, imagination or thoughts by which evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or distress (when you experience distress at the sight of a putrid corpse that is not skillful too. Nowadays I do not recoil when I watch mayhem on TV nor does the smell of excrement overwhelm me) might assail him.
"On hearing a sound with the ear...
"On smelling an aroma with the nose...
"On tasting a flavor with the tongue...
"On feeling a tactile sensation with the body...
"On cognizing an idea with the intellect, he doesn't grasp at any theme or variations by which evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or distress might assail him (thoughts do not excite or repel him, embarrassing thoughts do not cause him to blush or flinch).
"And how does the disciple of the noble ones know moderation in eating? There is the case where the disciple takes his food not playfully, nor for intoxication, nor for putting on bulk, nor for beautification, but simply for the survival & continuance of this body, for ending its afflictions, for the support of the holy life, thinking, 'I will destroy old feelings [of hunger] & not create new feelings [from overeating]. (Never encourage or insist others eat more than they desire. By insisting others eat more than they desire, you are not meritorious but forcing others to go against their wishes creating doubt and uncertainty in them.)
"And how is the disciple devoted to wakefulness? A monk during the day cleanses his mind of any qualities that would detain his mind. During the first watch [dusk to 10 p.m.], he cleanses his mind of defilements. During the second watch [10 p.m. to 2 a.m.], reclining on his right side, he takes up the lion's posture, one foot placed on top of the other, mindful, alert, with his mind set on getting up. During the last watch [2 a.m. to dawn], sitting & pacing back & forth, he cleanses his mind of defiling qualities. (It is because people exhaust themselves acting, even though they may not be directly aware, they have nothing to look forward to, being sunken in sin, that they find solace in sleep, drown their sorrows in sleep. A person who does not act saves prodigious energy, needs less sleep and can direct saved energy to truly beneficial use)
"And how is the disciple of the noble ones endowed with seven qualities?
"(1) He is convinced of the Tathagata's Awakening (Conviction).
"(2) He feels shame at [the thought of engaging in] bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, mental misconduct. (Conscience)
"(3) He feels concern for [the suffering that results from] bodily, verbal & mental misconduct.
"(4) He has heard much, has retained what he has heard, has stored what he has heard. He has listened often, retained, discussed, accumulated, examined with his mind, and well-penetrated in terms of his views. (Listening)
"(5) He keeps his persistence aroused for abandoning unskillful mental qualities and taking on skillful mental qualities. (Virtue)
"(6) He is mindful, remembering & able to call to mind even things that were done & said long ago.
"(7) He is discerning, endowed with discernment of arising & passing away -- noble, penetrating, leading to the right ending of stress. (Discernment)
"And how does the disciple of the noble ones obtain at will -- without trouble or difficulty -- the four jhanas that constitute heightened awareness and a pleasant abiding?
There is the case where, quite withdrawn from sensuality and unskillful mental qualities, he enters & remains in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation.
With the stilling of directed thought & evaluation, he enters & remains in the second jhana: rapture & pleasure born of composure, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation -- internal assurance.
With the fading of rapture he remains in equanimity, mindful & alert, and physically sensitive of pleasure. He enters & remains in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasurable abiding.'
With the abandoning of pleasure & pain -- as with the earlier disappearance of elation & distress -- he enters & remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain.
"Now, when a disciple of the noble ones is consummate in virtue, guards the doors to his sense faculties, knows moderation in eating, is devoted to wakefulness (not lazy), is endowed with seven qualities, and obtains at will the four jhanas in this way, he is called a disciple of the noble ones who follows the practice for one in training, whose eggs are unspoiled, who is capable of breaking out, capable of awakening, capable of attaining the supreme rest from the yoke. [4]
"Just as if a hen had eight, ten, or twelve eggs that she covered rightly, warmed rightly, & incubated rightly: Even though this wish did not occur to her -- 'O that my chicks might break through the egg shells and hatch out safely!' -- still it is possible that the chicks would break through and hatch out safely.
"Now when the disciple of the noble ones has arrived at this purity of equanimity & mindfulness, he recollects his manifold past lives, i.e., one birth, two... five, ten... fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand, many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion: 'There I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose there. There too I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure & pain, such the end of my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose here.' Thus he recollects his manifold past lives in their modes & details. This is his first breaking out, like that of the hen's chicks from their shells.
"When the disciple of the noble ones has arrived at this purity of equanimity & mindfulness, he sees -- by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human -- beings passing away & re-appearing, and he discerns how they are inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their kamma: 'These beings -- who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech & mind, who reviled noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong views -- with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. But these beings -- who were endowed with good conduct of body, speech, & mind, who did not revile noble ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the influence of right views -- with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the good destinations, in the heavenly world.' Thus -- by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human -- he sees beings passing away & re-appearing, and he discerns how they are inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their kamma. This is his second breaking out, like that of the hen's chicks from their shells.
"When the disciple of the noble ones has arrived at this purity of equanimity & mindfulness, he enters & remains in the fermentation-free awareness-release & discernment-release, having directly known & realized them for himself right in the here & now. [5] This is his third breaking out, like that of the hen's chicks from their shells.
"This, Mahanama, is called a disciple of the noble ones who is consummate in clear-knowing, consummate in conduct, consummate in clear-knowing & conduct. And by the Brahma Sanankumara (one of the two sons of the Powerful One according to the Buddha) this verse was said:
'The noble warrior is the best among people
when judging by clan.
But a person consummate
in clear-knowing & conduct,
is the best of beings
human & divine.'
"This verse was well-sung by the Brahma Sanankumara, not ill-sung; well-said, not ill-said; connected with the goal, not unconnected with the goal. It was endorsed by the Blessed One."