Many who believe in the Lord think, “The Lord Jesus has already forgiven our sins, and we are justified by faith. The Lord sees us as being without sin, so why can we not be directly caught up into the kingdom of heaven?” Now let’s fellowship on this question. It is true that people’s sins are forgiven through their belief in the Lord, but why do they still sin frequently after their sins are forgiven? Why, even if they believe in the Lord for a lifetime, are they unable to break free from the bondage of their sinful nature, still living in sin and unable to extricate themselves? In addition, after their sins are forgiven, why can people still condemn God, resist God, and betray God? What is the problem here? The Jews offered burnt offerings after sinning, and their sins were forgiven. Why, then, were they still able to nail the Lord Jesus, who expressed the truth, to the cross? This is sufficient to prove that a person’s sins being forgiven does not mean they have broken free from sin, much less that they have been sanctified. This is because after a person’s sins are forgiven, the sinful nature within them still exists; that is, their sinning nature still exists. They still live in sin every day, living a life of sinning and confessing, confessing and sinning. The Bible says: “Without holiness no man shall see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). “You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45). So are such people qualified to enjoy God’s promises and blessings? Are they qualified to be caught up into the kingdom of heaven? Absolutely not.

In the Age of Grace, no one could see clearly that the work done by the Lord Jesus was only the work of redemption, not the work of cleansing mankind’s corrupt dispositions, much less the work of completely saving mankind from Satan’s influence. The Lord Jesus only served as mankind’s sin offering. As long as people prayed, confessed, and repented in the name of the Lord Jesus, their sins were forgiven and they were no longer condemned by the law. This is the true meaning of the “salvation” that we often speak of in the Age of Grace. This salvation has nothing to do with being cleansed and entering the kingdom of heaven; it can be said that they are two entirely different things. Therefore, just because you have accepted the Lord Jesus’ work of redemption does not mean you are completely saved and will enter the kingdom of heaven. Tell me, did the Lord Jesus ever say that people whose sins are forgiven are saved and qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven? The Lord Jesus never said such a thing, nor did the Holy Spirit. But the Lord Jesus did say something very crucial: “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:12–13). What do these words mean? They tell us that the most crucial thing in welcoming the Lord is welcoming the Spirit of truth. Who is the Spirit of truth? He is God, who comes to express the truth and who will guide you into all truth. Now, you have only had your sins forgiven, and you still need God to do another stage of work before you can be sanctified. You must wait for God, who comes to express the truth—He will do the work of judgment beginning with the house of God. Only by accepting the words expressed by this incarnate God can you enter into all truth, be cleansed, and completely break free from Satan’s influence; only then will you be qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven. In this prophecy, the Lord Jesus only said: “When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.” What message does this convey? That when the Lord returns, He will express the truth to do the work of judgment, that is, the work of judgment beginning with the house of God. Only by experiencing judgment before the seat of Christ can you truly know the truth of your corruption and be cleansed of your corrupt dispositions; only then can you attain true submission to God and follow God’s will. This fulfills the words of the Lord Jesus: “Sanctify them through Your truth: Your word is truth” (John 17:17). What this means is that in the Age of Grace, people only had their sins forgiven. They had not yet gained the truth, nor had they attained sanctification, and God still had to do another stage of work to cleanse them. Look, these words reveal the mystery of entering the kingdom of heaven. God wants to completely save mankind, so how does He do this? He does the work of judgment beginning with the house of God and guides us into all truth, so that we can cast off our corrupt dispositions and attain complete salvation. If God does not guide us into all truth, then mankind will not be able to attain complete salvation, and they will not be qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, the Lord never said that having one’s sins forgiven is the condition for entering the kingdom of heaven. Even though your sins are forgiven, and you can preach and work for the Lord, and also perform many miracles, you are still not qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven. Not only that, but the Lord Jesus will also say: “I never knew you: depart from Me, you that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). These are all people who preach and work, heal the sick, cast out demons, and perform many miracles in the Lord’s name. Why would the Lord Jesus still say to them, “Depart from Me, you that work iniquity”? What do these words mean? They mean that if you do not accept the Lord’s return, and do not accept this work of the Spirit of truth guiding you into all truth, then even if you preach and work, heal the sick, cast out demons, and perform many miracles in the name of the Lord Jesus, you are a worker of iniquity in the Lord’s eyes. The Lord has never known you, and you are not qualified to enter the kingdom of heaven! That is the meaning of the Lord Jesus’ words. It doesn’t matter how many years you have believed in the Lord—if you do not accept all the truths expressed by God in the last days, you are a worker of iniquity in God’s eyes—you must be eliminated, and you must fall into disaster. The Lord Jesus said: “He that follows the will of My Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). What does this mean? It means that the only people who follow God’s will are those who can welcome the Lord’s return, welcome the Spirit of truth, enter into all truth, accept God’s judgment and chastisement and be cleansed, and are able to fulfill their mission and do the duty of a created being well. These are the only people who can ultimately enter the kingdom of heaven.

Almighty God says: “When Jesus came into the world of man, He ushered in the Age of Grace and ended the Age of Law. During the last days, God once more became flesh, and with this incarnation He ended the Age of Grace and ushered in the Age of Kingdom. All those who are able to accept the second incarnation of God will be led into the Age of Kingdom, and will moreover be able to personally accept the guidance of God. Though Jesus came among man and did much work, He only completed the work of redeeming all mankind and served as man’s sin offering; He did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to become the sin offering and bear the sins of man, but it also required God to do even greater work to rid man completely of his Satan-corrupted disposition. And so, after man was forgiven of his sins, God returned to the flesh to lead man into the new age, and began the work of chastisement and judgment. This work has brought man into a higher realm. All those who submit under His dominion shall enjoy higher truth and receive greater blessings. They shall truly live in the light, and they shall gain the truth, the way, and the life” (The Word, Vol. 1. The Appearance and Work of God. Preface).