1. “I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and of those who had not worshipped the beast nor his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:4).
Those who are martyred for the testimony of Jesus, for the word of God, and for not worshipping the beast or his image (Antichrist and his image) or receiving his mark will reign with Christ. Thus, being killed, or martyred, for the Lord fulfills a condition for entering the kingdom of the heavens. Not everyone who enters the kingdom of the heavens must be martyred, but those who give their all and are martyred for the Lord God will enter the kingdom of the heavens and reign with Christ.
The twenty-seven items above are conditions related to entering the kingdom of the heavens. These items are not as simple as being saved. Being saved is a once-for-all matter, but these items cover a lifetime. These items should cause us to be in fear and trembling for our entire life. We need to repent continually and bear fruit worthy of repentance. We need to be poor in spirit and pursue the Lord with our whole heart. We need to be willing to be persecuted for the sake of righteousness. We need to have a surpassing righteousness and do the will of God. We need to live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens, be restricted by the heavens, and submit to the heavenly authority. We need to struggle and strive to take the kingdom by violence. We need to deny ourselves, take up the cross, and lose our soul-life to follow the Lord. We need to be willing to be humble and leave everything to follow the Lord. We need to endure sufferings, be ready and watchful, and be faithful and prudent in our testimony for the Lord. We need to work and serve the Lord, not looking back at the world but forgetting the things that are behind and stretching forward to the things that are before in order to pursue toward the goal. We need to exercise self-control in all things and buffet our bodies. We need to do a work of gold, silver, and precious stones. We need to live in resurrection and daily put to death the lusts of the flesh. We need to endure and be long-suffering. We need to fight the good fight, finish the course, and keep the faith. We need to love the Lord’s appearing. We need to constantly pursue by faith. We need to love the Lord with singleness. We need to have an abundance of life. We need to be overcomers because of the degradation of the church and, if necessary, be martyred for the Lord. All these items are conditions for entering into the kingdom of the heavens. Although they speak of many matters, they have one point in common: if we want to enter the kingdom of the heavens, we must bear considerable responsibility, have a considerable living, and do a considerable work. If we live in these things today, we will obtain the reward from the Lord and enter the kingdom of the heavens to sit with Him on the throne in the future. We should never think that everyone who is saved will enter into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.
Brothers and sisters, we all have been saved. We are all like the prodigal son in Luke 15 who returned home. We all have received grace from our Father. We have the robe of justification, the sealing ring (the Holy Spirit), sandals that separate us from the earth, and the fattened calf (Christ) as our enjoyment of life. These items are sufficient for us to be children in the house of God, but if we want to be kings in the kingdom of God, we must have crowns. God has not yet given us crowns; we must endeavor to obtain them. God also will not give us crowns freely; instead, we must meet certain conditions for them. When we are saved, we are saved forever. We do not need to do anything more or meet any other conditions. But whether we will obtain a crown in the future and enter into the reward of the kingdom of the heavens is not certain. This matter will be determined only by whether we are faithful and diligent in the Lord’s business. This reward requires us to pay a price and meet certain conditions. May we faithfully labor.
After seeing the conditions for entering the kingdom of the heavens, we may feel that they are too high and too hard. However, we should not be discouraged, because God not only has conditions for entering the kingdom of the heavens but also promises concerning this matter. Moreover, the power of God is upon us for the accomplishment of His promises. Thus, we must see God’s promises and God’s power with respect to the kingdom of the heavens.