Who will enter the kingdom of Heaven?

[Bishka]

According to the Bible (and this is all religions include and any Holy Book), who will enter Heaven?

According to St. Matthew 7:21

"Not every one that said unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."


So what is the Lord's will?

Is it to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ? Is it to be saved?

Whose right and whose wrong on this issue?

 

[Bishka]

On this issue President Ezra Taft Benson of the LDS Church said

The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it.

Is that agreeable to most Christians or is entirely of the mark?

 

[Sunstone]

Conventional Christianity usually asserts that the key to salvation is to accept Jesus Christ as one's lord and savior. However, I have often wondered whether the Lord's will is not for us to love God, love our neighbor, and love ourselves. It intuitively seems to me more likely that love is a path to heaven than mere belief. Then again, I'm not a Christian and don't fully understand these things.

 

[verita]

In the true church there is only one teacher and that is our Lord Jesus Christ. All Christians must DO what the teacher had taught to the Apostles. Everything is written in the bible.

To enter the kingdom of God, the WILL of God the Father in heaven must be done in earth.
Mat 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

The will of the Father is taught by our Lord Jesus Christ to the Apostles. The apostles write it down in what is known to us as the bible. It was prophesized in the book of Psalms.
Psa 102:18 This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.

The first thing a man should do is look for the kingdom of God and his righteousness.
Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
Luk 12:31 But rather seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

During the time of Israel, they were instructed to seek the dwelling place where God choose to put his name.
Deu 12:5 But you shall seek to the place which Jehovah your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put His name there, even to His dwelling place you shall seek, and there you shall come.

And God said…
2Ch 7:14 if My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2Ch 7:16 For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, so that My name may be there forever. And My eyes and My heart shall be there forever.

What is that house that God choose and sanctified?
1Ti 3:15 But if I should delay, that you may know how you ought to behave in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

Once you found the true church of God, you will be able to enter the kingdom ONLY if you will be born again.
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

How can a man be born again?
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Who has the authority to baptize a person? The TrueChurch in the bible that has…
Eph 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling,
Eph 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all.

The church where the Apostles like Saint Paul were also called to the fellowship of our Lord Jesus Christ…
1Co 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
1Co 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
A True Christian must be Saint while living on earth.

Therefore a person who wants to enter a kingdom of God must find that preacher who is a member of the church of God and who knows all the doctrines of our Lord Jesus Christ written in the bible.
Mat 28:19 Therefore go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Mat 28:20 teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the world. Amen.

Once you have entered the church, ALL laws of God for Christians must be followed without any exception. Anyone disobeys the law of God is expelled in this manner…
Tit 3:10 After the first and second warning, reject a man of heresy,
Tit 3:11 knowing that he who is such has been perverted, and sins, being self-condemned.

An example of the law that is not followed by other religion is this…
1Ti 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

A Christian must follow the WILL of God that is written in the bible.
1Jo 3:24 And he who keeps His commandment dwells in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit which He gave to us.


God bless you.

 

[ALifetimeToWaitFor....]

Forgive me if this doesn't ring true to you. My understanding of the phrase "God's will" is just that, what ever God wills to be done will be done. He is all powerful and because of this he gave humans freewill. But he is also all knowing so he knew when he created the world he knew we would sin. He knew the events leading up to Adam and Eve's eating of the apple. He knew all the events leading up to you eating your breakfast. Therefore at the creation of the earth his will was already in effect and will always be in effect. Begging the question, who can not follow God's will?

 

[Hacker]

Conventional Christianity usually asserts that the key to salvation is to accept Jesus Christ as one's lord and savior. However, I have often wondered whether the Lord's will is not for us to love God, love our neighbor, and love ourselves. It intuitively seems to me more likely that love is a path to heaven than mere belief. Then again, I'm not a Christian and don't fully understand these things.

I know, I feel the same way, i feel that it's more than a mere belief also...that's why I'm so apprehensive about Christianity, as much as I would LOVE to believe this with my whole heart, I just CAN'T because it doesn't make sense to me.

And to the Op, I believe everyone who accepts God will go to heaven and I also believe in reincarnation, NOT hell...but life is a continuous process, lifetime after lifetime. I believe during the time in between lives however, that we do rest in the wonderful world of beauty (after life)for some time as we are spending time with loved ones and preparing ourselves for our next life.:rainbow1: It may sound wierd but it's what I truley believe. Okay I think I said enough.:run:

 

[michel]

The following is a pretty thorough article (though verita's post seems pretty comprehensive):-

http://www.jesuswalk.com/manifesto/kingdom-of-heaven.htm
(see the entire article)
.....................................

But what does the phrase "kingdom of heaven" mean? Is it the same as the phrase "kingdom of God"? I've heard a lot of theories, but when you compare Matthew's gospel with the many parallel passages in the other Synoptics, Mark and Luke, you find that where Matthew says "kingdom of heaven," Mark and Luke say "kingdom of God." The explanation is this: Matthew was writing especially for a Jewish audience who were careful not to utter the name of God, lest they be guilty of breaking the Third Commandment, "to take the name of the Lord your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). We hear people doing the same thing today. "For heaven's sake!" someone will exclaim. They've trained themselves to speak that way so as not to dishonor God.
When you see "kingdom of heaven" in Matthew, it means exactly the same thing as "kingdom of God" in the other gospels. It refers to the Reign of God which has come in the person of Jesus Christ himself, and will culminate in the coming of Christ and his reign on earth, the time looked forward to in the Lord's Prayer: "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). The Kingdom is now in the presence of the King in our lives through his Spirit, yet we look forward to the future when that "earnest of the Spirit" (KJV, 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:14), that downpayment we've received, will be completed when the King returns and establishes his kingdom on earth where there was once human resistance and rebellion.


References to the Kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (5:3).
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (5:10)
"Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven" (5:19-20).
"... Your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven" (6:10).
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" (6:33).
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (7:21).
The above is Biblical; my own interpretation (and I know one or two who agree with me), we will all enter the kingdom of heaven, in time.

 

[retrorich]

Who will enter the kingdom of Heaven?

No one, because it does not exist. But if it makes you feel good to believe that it does, and that you will eventually enter it, go for it! You won't live to know you were wrong.

 

[sojourner]

Eventually? Everyone. Why? Because God loves each one of us, no matter what, God desires each of us to be with God, and searches for us until God finds us. That is God's will.

 

[retrorich]

Eventually? Everyone. Why? Because God loves each one of us, no matter what, God desires each of us to be with God, and searches for us until God finds us. That is God's will.

Interesting beliefs! What do you base them on--the Bible?

 

[doppelganger]

We (all of us) are already there. Though we don't always perceive it.

 

[sojourner]

Interesting beliefs! What do you base them on-- The Bible?

Absolutely. The Bible is the story of God's relentless search for relationship with humanity. The metaphor of God's kingdom in the parables of the woman searching for a lost coin and the good shepherd searching for the lost sheep are great images of a God whose greatest desire is relationship with every one of God's children. I believe these images are a more "correct" (for lack of a better term) perspective of a God who personifies love, as the Bible says, than the O.T. images of wrath and vengeance. i believe the nature of redemptive grace is presented Biblically, such that it is inclusive of all.

 

[retrorich]

The metaphor of God's kingdom in the parables of the woman searching for a lost coin and the good shepherd searching for the lost sheep are great images of a God whose greatest desire is relationship with every one of God's children.

So the Kingdom of God is just one big, celestial lost-and-found where everyone ends up eventually? There is no Hell?

 

[jewscout]

there is little in Torah dealing w/ any kind of after life...
but the Talmud states that the righteous of all nations have a place in the World to Come.

 

[sojourner]

So the Kingdom of God is just one big, celestial lost-and-found where everyone ends up eventually? There is no Hell?

I think of "hell" as a condition, not a place. Hell is our experience when we abide apart from God. Eventually, God's patience will win over our propensity to "do our own thing." But...yeah. You're essentially right, IMO. God invites all God's children to a banquet. If some choose not to attend, they'll be in "hell" smelling all that good food and wine, and not being able to eat or drink. Eventually, the ultimate goodness that is God will encourage each person to "come to the Table and join in."

 

[angellous_evangellous]

who will enter Heaven?

The ones whom God lets in.

May God have mercy on us all!

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Absolutely. The Bible is the story of God's relentless search for relationship with humanity. The metaphor of God's kingdom in the parables of the woman searching for a lost coin and the good shepherd searching for the lost sheep are great images of a God whose greatest desire is relationship with every one of God's children. I believe these images are a more "correct" (for lack of a better term) perspective of a God who personifies love, as the Bible says, than the O.T. images of wrath and vengeance. i believe the nature of redemptive grace is presented Biblically, such that it is inclusive of all.

There are plenty of NT images of wrath and vengence, and some from Christ Himself.

 

[nutshell]

No one, because it does not exist. But if it makes you feel good to believe that it does, and that you will eventually enter it, go for it! You won't live to know you were wrong.

But you will live to know you were.

 

[sojourner]

There are plenty of NT images of wrath and vengence, and some from Christ Himself.

Of course. But these images are based upon a more O.T. ideology. Just for the sake of argument, how certain are we that the statements of wrath and vengeance attributed to Jesus are authentic?

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Of course. But these images are based upon a more O.T. ideology. Just for the sake of argument, how certain are we that the statements of wrath and vengeance attributed to Jesus are authentic?

I'm not sure.

I also don't think that the writers of the NT ever intended to draw a distinction between "OT ideology" and the Gospel. That was Marcion.