Who Will Be in God’s Kingdom?
Many of the teachings of modern Christianity aren’t actually in the Bible.
For example, most Christians believe that after death they will go to heaven, and that unbelievers will go to hell.
But this contradicts the teachings of Jesus and the Bible.
Jesus plainly said, “no one has gone to heaven” (John 3:13). So some people think, “well, maybe people went to heaven after Jesus rose from the dead.” But notice what Peter said about King David several weeks after Jesus rose:
“Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. … For David did not ascend to the heavens” (Acts 2:29, 34).
The Bible says David is not in heaven.
But in God’s Kingdom, David will be the ruler over all Israel. One prophecy says, “they shall serve the LORD their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them” (Jeremiah 30:9).
Notice that God must raise David from the dead, because he is still dead. David will rise in the resurrection, when Jesus returns: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
In order to understand God’s Kingdom, you need to understand what the Bible really says about what happens after death. Here are articles to help you study this topic:
But let’s get back to the question of who will be in God’s Kingdom.
When Christ returns, “the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive will be caught up together with them” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Who will be in this resurrection?
Those who believed in Christ, repented of their sins, were baptized, and received the gift of the holy spirit (Acts 2:38). We see this explained in Romans 8:9 and 11: “if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not his…. But if the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies.”
Not everyone who thinks they are a Christian will be in this resurrection—only those who have God’s spirit. Christ describes those who will receive the kingdom as “a little flock” (Luke 12:32).
You see, God only gives the holy spirit “to those who obey Him” (Acts 5:32), and most Christians do not actually obey God. Some believe Christ did everything for them, so they don’t need to obey God. Most reject at least one of the 10 Commandments, because right now “Satan…deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). Yes, the whole world. That includes most Christians.
Just as God called one man Abraham, out of millions, and Noah out of millions, and even in ancient Israel, only a few had God’s spirit, God is still calling a relative few out of the billions who are alive right now, because God is only preparing the leaders now.
God has a plan for everyone, and this plan is revealed by the Eighth Day of the feast, which I’ll explain next week. There will be a second resurrection. This life is not the end.
But right now, “narrow is the gate, and constrained is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14).
God is only calling the leaders of His kingdom now. Notice: “Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:6, NIV).
Those in the first resurrection will “reign on earth” (Revelation 5:10). King David will be king over Israel (Jeremiah 30:9). The twelve apostles will rule the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 22:29, 30). Others will be rulers over cities (Luke 19:11-19).
So who will these leaders rule over?
Those who survive the Day of the Lord.
“And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (Zechariah 14:16).
In the coming lessons you’ll find out how the resurrected saints will lead and teach the survivors, and what life will be like for people in God’s Kingdom.
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