The kingdom of God belongs to those who are persecuted for righteousness
Consider the following verses.
Mt 5:10 "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Have you ever stood up for what is right? Even if you had to do it alone? Even if you knew that everyone would be against you? People who stand up for what is right and suffer for taking a stand are the type of people who will enter the kingdom of God.
If you tell the truth you will get persecuted (Jn 3:19-21).
Jn 3:19-21 19 "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."
Paul was so convinced of this that he made the following statement.
2 Tm 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
Paul said, ‘all’, indicating that there were no exceptions. When we suffer for the kingdom of heaven then we know that we are worthy of it.
2 Th 1:5 This is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.
Paul and the Thessalonians weren’t the only ones who were sufferers for the sake of the kingdom.
Rev 1:9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
The disciples realized that suffering for the kingdom of heaven was inevitable. That is why they went around encouraging people to stand firm during the suffering.
Ac 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."
The kingdom of God is not a place for cowards and crowd pleasers. Those who are in the kingdom of God are the unpopular ones, the ones with enemies from among those who do not love what is right. If you are unwilling to walk the lonely road chances are that you are not worthy of the kingdom of heaven, and you will not enter in.
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