On TV recently I saw a man being interviewed on the street. The interview was taking place somewhere in the United States.The man being interviewed was half drunk. He said he did not read the Bible and admitted he was a liar, a thief, an adulterer and a blasphemer, but he was adamant that he was going to heaven because he had accepted Christ as his Saviour.
Unless he repents, that man is in for a serious shock.
When God made the world, He made it perfect. Because man needed to be subject to God's authority, God told him there was one thing he must do. It wasn't a difficult thing. He must not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Bible scholars believe Satan was originally an angelic being named Lucifer (see Isa 14:12 - 15 and Ezek 28:11 - 17). Lucifer was not satisfied with his position. Because he wanted to be like God, he rebelled.
Satan tempted man with the same spirit of rebellion. He succeeded. Man ate the fruit of the tree and fell into Satan's hand. Satan became the prince of this world.
In due time, Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom (see Matt 4:23). He sent His disciples to preach the gospel of the kingdom (see Matt 10:7). The Bible says that one day the gospel of the kingdom will be preached to all nations, and then the end will come (see Matt 24:14).
The gospel of the kingdom says there is another kingdom apart from Satan's kingdom called the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God. If you repent of your sins and will believe that Jesus is risen from the dead and that He is lord, you are able to be transferred from Satan's kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son.
Unfortunately, some people today don't preach the gospel of the kingdom. They preach "Jesus loves you." This is true, but it is only half the story. By accepting half the story, people believe they can have God's forgiveness and still make their own decisions about how they live.
That's not true. If people are to be in the kingdom, they must live by the laws of the kingdom and be subject to the King.
Only in Satan's kingdom, and nowhere else, can you live how you please.
