Who will be in the kingdom of heaven?

Not everyone will be in the kingdom of heaven

Are you a separator - a person who likes to separate things: light colors from dark colors, cups from glasses, hamburger from french fries, and so on? Well, God is a separator too! If you remember, right in the beginning, He separated light and darkness. In God’s kingdom, separation is a way of life. We see that from Mt 13:47-50.

Mt 13:47-50 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

The counterfeit kingdom of heaven teaches universalism (which states that everyone will enter the kingdom of heaven), but the Bible teaches that there is separation – a separation into two categories: those that are in the kingdom of heaven, and those that are out of the kingdom of heaven.

Now which category do you think you belong to? The righteous? Well, is the way you conduct your life really that different from that of the wicked?

If we live our lives just as those who are of the world then which kingdom are we a part of? If the way we make decisions, the way we think of, talk about, and deal with people, and the way we spend our time and money are no different from those who are of the world, then which kingdom are we a part of?

Someone once said that Christians make very extraordinary claims but live very ordinary lives. Is your life ordinary?

Jn 1:4-5 4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Jesus lived an extraordinary life – the darkness could not comprehend it. Sinners were baffled at his approach to life.

Joseph and Daniel lived in a place where people did not overtly worship the God of the Bible. But they recognized that in these men was the spirit of the Gods (Gen 41:38, Dan 5:14).

When you are among unbelievers can they say the same about you by the way you conduct yourself?

We all may consider ourselves as part of the kingdom, but here is a verse to ponder on:

2 Tm 2:19 Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness."