Concerning the soon coming kingdom of God on the earth and spending eternity with Him, there are two pertinent issues for which every Christian must seek to know the truth. If a person is comfortably wrong on these matters, they can easily end up in hell. The Bible ‘seems’ to say so.
The first issue has to do with the timing of the rapture.
Pre- and mid-tribulation rapture doctrines assert that Christians will be taken out of the world to escape the three and a half years of the great tribulation. The grave danger with this opinion is the raising of Christians who are spiritually and mentally unprepared for the “great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world” (Matthew 24:21). When that tribulation comes, many of these precious saints will fall away from the faith not only because they were ill-prepared to endure the terrible suffering but also because of the great disappointment that they were lied to by their preachers. Worse still, they will receive the mark of the beast and be eternally damned because according to them, the putting of the mark of the beast on people will be after they have ‘disappeared’. Therefore, as long as they are on the earth, anything that appears like the mark of the beast is not it – so implies that teaching.
Every child of God should know that Christians who will be on the earth will suffer in and through the great tribulation. Our Lord Jesus Christ plainly meant what He taught when He said: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days . . . the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven . . . they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect” (Matthew 24:29-31). Probably Paul was even more plain when he said, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Therefore, get prepared to go through the great tribulation. That way, when it comes, you will not fall away – then you will enter the kingdom of God.
The second important issue to which we need to know the truth is whether all Christians, irrespective of their conduct, will enter the kingdom of God. For many years, even right now, I have fought to convince myself that all who received Jesus as Savior are going to heaven and will enter the kingdom of God no matter how they live. Unfortunately, the Bible does not support my wishes.
As always, Jesus was very plain concerning the destiny of those who believe in Him but go on to live for the devil:
“Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:21-23)
Paul, as always, was also very plain on that matter:
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
“For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them.” (Ephesians 5:5-7)
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
It takes a lot of help from the devil for one not to understand those Scriptures. I beseech you to go to God and have these two matters, which are of eternal consequence, settled. Being wrong on either one of them might prevent you (and your disciples) from entering the kingdom of God.
God bless you.