| Who
can enter the Kingdom of Heaven? |
| Those who Repent. |
"The people who sat in darkness saw a
great light, To those who sat in the region and shadow
of death, To them light has dawned." From that time,
Jesus began to preach, and to say, "Repent! For the
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." (Matthew
4:16-17 WEB)
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Those who are reborn of
the Spirit.
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Jesus answered him, "Most assuredly, I
tell you, unless one is born anew, he can't see the
Kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man
be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into
his mother's womb, and be born?" Jesus answered, "Most
assuredly I tell you, unless one is born of water
and spirit, he can't enter into the Kingdom of God!
(John 3:3-5 WEB)
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The poor in spirit.
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"Blessed are the poor in spirit, For
theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven."(Matthew 5:3 WEB)
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Those who were
persecuted for righteousness.
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"Blessed are those who have been
persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the
Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:10 WEB)
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Those who do the will of
God the Father.
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"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord,
Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who
does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
(Matthew 7:21 WEB)
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Those who are like
children.
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Jesus called a little child to
himself, and set him in the midst of them, and said,
"Most assuredly I tell you, unless you turn, and become
as little children, you will in no way enter into the
Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever therefore humbles himself as
this little child, the same is the greatest in the
Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18:2-4 WEB)
But Jesus said, "Allow the little children, and don't
forbid them to come to me; for to such belongs the
Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 19:14 WEB)
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The righteous.
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Then the righteous will shine forth
like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has
ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:43 WEB)
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Those who are wise
enough to prepare for the second coming of Jesus Christ,
rather than waiting until it is too late.
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"Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be
like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to
meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five
were wise. Those who were foolish, when they took their
lamps, took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in
their vessels with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom
delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight
there was a cry, 'Behold! The bridegroom is coming! Come
out to meet him!' Then all those virgins arose, and
trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, 'Give
us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But
the wise answered, saying, 'What if there isn't enough
for us and you? You go rather to those who sell, and buy
for yourselves.' While they went away to buy, the
bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with
him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
Afterward the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord,
Lord, open to us.' But he answered, 'Most assuredly I
tell you, I don't know you.' Watch therefore, for you
don't know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man
is coming. (Matthew 25:1-13 WEB)
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Those who are wise
enough to use the gifts that God has given them to help
others into the Kingdom of Heaven.
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"For it is like a man, going into
another country, who called his own servants, and
entrusted his goods to them. To one he gave five
talents, to another two, to another one; to each
according to his own ability. Then he went on his
journey. Immediately he who received the five talents
went and traded with them, and made another five
talents. In like manner he also who got the two gained
another two. But he who received the one went away and
dug in the earth, and hid his lord's money. "Now after a
long time the lord of those servants came, and
reconciled accounts with them. He who received the five
talents came and brought another five talents, saying,
'Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have
gained another five talents besides them.' "His lord
said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You
have been faithful over a few things, I will set you
over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' "He
also who got the two talents came and said, 'Lord, you
delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained
another two talents besides them.' "His lord said to
him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have
been faithful over a few things, I will set you over
many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.' "He also
who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I
knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did
not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter. I was
afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth.
Behold, you have what is yours.' "But his lord answered
him, 'You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I
reap where I didn't sow, and gather where I didn't
scatter. You ought therefore to have deposited my money
with the bankers, and at my coming I should have
received back my own with interest. Take away therefore
the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten
talents. For to everyone who has will be given, and he
will have abundance, but from him who has not, even that
which he has will be taken away. Throw out the
unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
(Matthew 25:14-30 WEB)
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Who can NOT enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
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The
unrighteous.
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"For I tell you that unless your
righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees,
there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven." (Matthew 5:20 WEB)
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Those who do
NOT do the will of God the Father.
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"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord,
Lord,' will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who
does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
(Matthew 7:21 WEB)
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The sexually immoral,
idolaters, thieves, slanderes, the greedy.
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Or don't you know that the unrighteous
will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't be deceived.
Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers,
nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of God
(1 Corinthinas 6:9-10 WEB)
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Flesh and blood -
physical bodies.
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Now I say this, brothers, that flesh
and blood can't inherit the Kingdom of God; neither does
corruption inherit incorruption (1 Corinthians
15:50 WEB)
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Those who feed their
fleshly desires.
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Now the works of the flesh are
obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality,
uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred,
strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries,
divisions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness,
orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you,
even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice
such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
(Galatians 5:19-21 WEB)
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What
is the Kingdom of Heaven like?
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Righteousness, peace and
joy.
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for the Kingdom of God is not eating
and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the
Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17 WEB)
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A place of absolute
justice.
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He set another parable before them,
saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed
good seed in his field, but while people slept, his
enemy came and sowed darnel also among the wheat, and
went away. But when the blade sprang up and brought
forth fruit, then the darnel appeared also. The servants
of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, didn't
you sow good seed in your field? Where did this darnel
come from?' "He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'
"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and
gather them up?' "But he said, 'No, lest perhaps while
you gather up the darnel, you root up the wheat with
them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and in
the harvest time I will tell the reapers, "First, gather
up the darnel, and bind them in bundles to burn them;
but gather the wheat into my barn."'" (Matthew
13:24-30 WEB)
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A place where the
smallest can become the greatest.
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He set another parable before them,
saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of
mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field;
which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is
grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree,
so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its
branches." (Matthew 13:31-32 WEB)
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A place full of the
Spirit.
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He spoke another parable to them. "The
Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast, which a woman took, and
hid in three measures of meal, until it was all
leavened."(Matthew 13:33 WEB)
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A treasure worth more
than everything you have ever owned or ever will
own.
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"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like
a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and
hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and
buys that field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a
man who is a merchant seeking fine pearls, who having
found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all
that he had, and bought it." (Matthew 13:44-46
WEB)
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A place where both the
righteous and the unrighteous will receive their
rewards.
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"Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like
a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some
fish of every kind, which, when it was filled, they drew
up on the beach. They sat down, and gathered the good
into containers, but the bad they threw away. So will it
be in the end of the world. The angels will come forth,
and separate the wicked from among the righteous, and
will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be
the weeping and the gnashing of teeth." (Matthew
13:47-50 WEB)
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Where
is the Kingdom of Heaven?
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Within you.
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Being asked by the Pharisees when the
Kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The
Kingdom of God doesn't come with observation; neither
will they say, 'Look, here!' or, 'Look, there!' for
behold, the Kingdom of God is within you." (Luke
17:20-21 WEB)
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