I am not speaking of Heaven. I am speaking of the Kingdom of God and about going through the gates of the new Jerusalem.

Nowhere does the Bible, to my knowledge, say that adulterers cannot go to Heaven. But it does say adulterers cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. It does say immoral persons are kept outside the walls of the new Jerusalem.

"But didn't Jesus say prostitutes will enter the Kingdom?"

Yes, He did, referring to the fact that prostitutes will humble themselves and permit the Lord to prepare them for His Kingdom while the Pharisees will not do this. Therefore the prostitutes will enter the Kingdom before the Pharisees.

"But how about going to Heaven?"

Sin began in Heaven. Satan was one of the two cherubim that covered the throne of Almighty God with their wings. This is where sin began. Sin did not begin in the Kingdom of God. Sin did not begin in the new Jerusalem and will never be permitted to enter the new Jerusalem. Sin came down to earth from the heavens. We still are struggling against the sin in heavenly places.

Now stop and think. You hope to enter the new Jerusalem. Right?

"Of course!"

Do you expect to find cowardly people there—people who are afraid of God, of holiness, of spiritual war? People who will not do God's will and who will not resist evil because they are afraid? Are these the type of people you expect to find in the new Jerusalem?

"No!"

Do you expect to find unbelievers in the new Jerusalem, within the walls of the holy city?

"Oh Brother Thompson, everyone in the city will believe because now they can see God."

Is that so? Satan rebelled against God through unbelief and continues in unbelief in the Father even though he once was stationed by the Throne of God. Do you expect to find vile people within the wall of the new Jerusalem? You will be disappointed if you do. There are none there. Do you expect to find murderers there?

"Yes I do, Brother Thompson, because they have been saved by grace."

What do you mean saved?

"I mean they will be in a mansion surrounded by their grandchildren."

Will they still be murderers?

"Oh no, they will be saved from that."

What do you mean saved from murder?

"They will be forgiven and saved by grace."

Now think. Do you mean they will have been delivered from a murderous personality or just forgiven?

"I suppose they will have been delivered from a murderous personality. I have never thought about it. Anyway they will be there by God's grace."

Maybe you ought to give it some thought. Now we are at the place where the boy caught his finger in the machinery, as Justice Holmes (I believe it was he) used to say. Is forgiveness different from deliverance?

"I guess so."

If it is God's will to drive sin from the creation, if this is what the Kingdom of God is all about, then just being forgiven has not solved God's problem at all. It has solved our problem but not God's.

To be continued.