Matthew 13 v 47 - 52: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
52 Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old."
John 3 v 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."
Worldly people say "This person is so heavenly-minded that they are no earthly good!" But Jesus wants us to perceive Heaven so that we can properly set our sails for that distant shore. It is only when we are born again that the eyes of our understanding are opened. This is when our spiritual blindness lifts and we grasp the magnificence of eternity.
Before this we assume, wrongly, that everyone who dies goes to Heaven, unless you are a career criminal who would deserve to end up in Hell. We need the Light of Jesus to show us who makes it to Heaven and who doesn't.
There is a list of "the usual suspects" who will be unwelcome in Heaven by anyone's standards - Hitler, Judas, Nero, Titus, Pontius Pilate, the Pharisees, ISIS, Hamas, and other radical militants, atheists, sadists, Communists, Satanists, murderers, paedophiles, cult leaders like Jim Jones. The list goes on....
So how good do we have to be to make it home? I have come across many who believe they are saved because they made mental assent to the gospel but their hearts were never converted. They are religious and attend church but never enter in to the Body of Jesus and partake of His life.
This was what was revealed about Heaven to the Apostle John in Revelation 21 v 23 - 27: "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.
25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."
Firstly, our names must be written in the Lamb's Book of Life. This happens when we are born again. Born again means that we acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who died for our sins. Then we must repent, change our mind, about sin. We must stop doing it! When we have cleared our heart, mind, flesh of sin we must forgive those who have hurt us. God only forgives us when we forgive from our hearts.
Anything that defiles us or is used to defile others must be dealt with. This includes every type of sexual sin. The only sex that is not sinful is between a man and woman in Holy Matrimony. This is actually the marriage of believers in the will of God. This is spiritual union blessed by God. All other marriages, even church weddings, are social, civil unions for legal purposes.
Because the first miracle Jesus did was at a wedding feast, this became a "must have" part of every marriage ceremony. The worldly people love parties and celebrations so extravagant weddings of the rich and famous became a status symbol of popularity. Thousands of dollars, pounds, rands, etc are spent on making "Wedding of the Year" on the social pages. Simple happy occasions just won't do.
Abominations in God's eyes include murder, rape, kidnapping, homosexuality, torture, blasphemy, heresy, which will be forgiven by God if there is sincere remorse, not just misery because of being caught. Restitution should also be made to those who have suffered.
Luke 19 v 5 - 9: "And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham."
Once all these things have been attended to we continue to pray before Almighty God and ask Him to apply the Blood of Jesus to our hearts and minds to blot out our sins forever. And when this happens we become so clean inside. The peace of God comes upon us to stay. We now ask Jesus to come into our hearts to be our Lord and Saviour. And He does. Fear and worry depart at high speed and we know that we know that we know we are a born again child of God, forgiven, accepted and written in the Book.
There is no other way, no other Name by which we can be saved. He is our passport to Heaven, written on our hearts. He is the Door through which we enter into life. We follow the Lamb through the waters of baptism. We receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and His precious gifts. We cannot have any perception of Heaven without Jesus in our hearts.
In 1 Corinthians 2 God says that we cannot imagine the wonderful blessings He has in store for us when we get Home. Not the greatest palaces on Earth will equal our Heavenly mansion. Not the most beautiful scenery will shine a candle to our view. The complete lack of sin, lies, deception, fake news, diseases, war, terror, fear in Heaven is already a huge blessing. We will never have to know about the shocking atrocities inflicted on innocent Israelis on 7 October 23. Nor the heartless rejoicing of ignorant people across the world as images of those victims were seen on social media.
If the people occupying the pulpits in our country, city, town, today are not giving us the same message of salvation and the perception of Heaven as is in the Bible then they will give an account before the righteous judge and there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. When they leave Earth they will hear the most ominous words from the mouth of Jesus...... "I never knew you". He only acknowledges those who do the will of the Father.
Jesus came to speak of Sin, Hell and Heaven. He spoke of Satan, demons and angels. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He sent the Holy Spirit to convict people of sin, righteousness and the judgment. If preaching the truth brings no conviction then their hearts are stony and hard. If the church is not rebuking sin then it's candlestick has been removed - meaning it is not fulfilling its purpose. Then we should be looking for those churches which preach with truth and power against sin and for Heaven. Too many have become entertainment centres that appeal to the flesh but leave the heart frozen.
Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons. When He left Earth He gave a legacy to all who follow Him to do the same. It's called the Great Commission.
Matthew 28 v 18 - 29: "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
Therefore let us take all His power, each one of us, and knowing He is with us, use it to overpower the enemy and turn this world upside down for Jesus. Walk in His light and make disciples of those in your vicinity. Your name will be spoken of in Heaven long before you get there!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, what a joy it is to know You and Your Son, Jesus. To know truth from error, right from wrong, and to walk in the way everlasting. O God stir up the spirit of all Your children to ensure they are not in the doldrums of churches that have lost Your presence. That they are not just in an emotional connection to You but in every way a resurrected spirit filled with perceptions of Home. In Jesus' name. Amen.