Bag om Repentance Is the Key That Unlocks the Kingdom of Heaven
In Matthew 3:2 (NKJV) we hear John the Baptizer said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" And 'repent' was also the main theme of the Old Testament Prophets.
Then in Matthew 4:17 (NKJV) we read; "From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." And it must be noted that in the Greek, the imperative command to "repent" is in the present tense voice, meaning that we are commanded to repent, and repentance must be a continual ongoing activity, not a onetime event. And this verse also tells us that Jesus continually preached that message. Just like the Prophets of old, repentance was the main theme of Jesus' teachings, and his parables.
John the Baptizer, the Old Testament Prophets, the Apostles and Jesus, each give us the same message. They were each telling us, or whoever would listen to them, that there is no entrance into the Kingdom of heaven apart from a righteous that is to fruit of 'true' repent lifestyle. Only that continual act of true repentance will unlock the gates of heaven so that we may enter.
Who needs to repent? True repentance is needed by all who have sinned. I don't know who the holiest person on the face of the earth is, but I can assure you that he/she has sinned and needs true repentance to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. And that is true for all of us, true repentance is needed to enter the kingdom of Heaven, because it's our only means of obtaining the righteousness we need to enter God's kingdom..
Unfortunately "true repentance" is not the repentance we hear about in our churches. The churches come to the wrong conclusion about repentance because they start with the wrong premise about sin and the need for repentance. But by the time you finish this book you will have a clear biblical understanding of what true repentance really is and you will know the process for true repentance.
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