Teachings About the Kingdom of Heaven, Spiritual Rewards, Persecutions, and Woes

Categories: The teachings of the Lord Jesus, the Gospels

Introduction

Continuation from “The Teachings of the Lord Jesus.”

In Genesis 1:26, we read, “And God said, Let Us make man in our image, after our likeness: …” Here, first, we must remember that God is One when it comes to the Father, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. When God of Three created all things, He is One but Three in One, which is why it refers to us here, meaning “Three of Us.” The Lord of the Trinity created all things. We also must consider that the Bible is one, the Old Testament and the New Testament, and we must link them all together. And the Bible tells us in John 1:1 that all things were created through the Word, the Lord Jesus (see Comments John 1:1). Furthermore, when the verse says, “man in our image,” that means that our human likeness (features) is like that of God; this refers only to the look, but God of Three also has Spirit (see John 14:9). To create humans in His image, a human will have a soul and spirit. And that is why humans are different from animals. Humans created in the image of God have souls, but animals do not have souls. Therefore, we should consider how much the Lord loves humans: He created them in His likeness. Humans have a body, soul, and spirit as a unit. However, when we die on this earth, our bodies return to the ground, and our souls and spirits go back to God to their designated spiritual realms (read our article: Body, Soul, and Spirit: A Biblical Perspective).

Specifically, the Bible teaches us that there are two places where our souls can end up until the judgment time comes: Heaven or Hades. In Luke 12:4-5, the Lord Jesus tells us, “Now I say to you, My friends, Be not afraid of those that kill the body, and after this are not able anything more to do. But I will warn you whom you shall revere: Revere Him, who after having killed has authority to cast into the hell; yes, I say to you, Revere Him.” And, in Matthew 10:28, we read, “And you should not be afraid of those killing the body, but are not able to kill the soul; however, rather fear Him being able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Here, we can comment on what the Lord Jesus says to us.

“Those killing the body” refers to the ones who are against those who believe in the Lord Jesus. There are many like these around us, and many come among us. Be aware of those who are among you and pretend to be believers in the Lord Jesus like you, but they are not. Those are the real enemies of the true believers in the Lord Jesus; watch out for them; some are church leaders. “Him being able to destroy both soul and body in hell,” refers to the Trinity of God, God the Father, God the Son Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit; all have the power to destroy the soul, but only the Father has the authority to command that the soul be destroyed in hell.

Furthermore, in Luke 12:16-21, the Lord Jesus tells us the parable of a wealthy person whose ground brought forth a good harvest. In this parable, the Lord Jesus teaches us about the importance of the soul of man versus the pleasures of the flesh in this life on earth, which do not last.

Specifically, in Luke 12:20, the Lord tells us that the Lord God has the power over our souls, “But God said to him, Foolish one, this night is your soul demanded back of you; and what you have prepared, to whom will be?” Therefore, when the Lord has taken you away from this earth, your soul itself will take your life with it, and that is why the verse tells all to think twice; what you have collected on this earth means nothing for the soul. You might build up treasures of this earth, but you do not build treasures for the world to come. The treasures you build on this earth mean nothing to the Lord; you don’t buy any place with the Lord in heaven unless you build up treasures towards the Lord.

In this teaching topic, we present the Gospels’ teachings about the kingdom of heaven. Human minds cannot understand the kingdom of heaven, so the Lord Jesus used many parables to teach us about the kingdom of heaven; we should pray for guidance with the help of the Holy Spirit to have our spiritual eyes and ears open so we can understand what heaven means for us.

As believers in the Lord Jesus, we can build many treasures in the heavens and gain many spiritual rewards that the Lord keeps for us for when we depart from this earth; also, we might face persecution on this earth because of our faith in the Lord Jesus, but those persecutions are converted into many blessings in the kingdom of heaven, and the Father will reward us bountifully for our suffering for the name of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

Moreover, the Lord gives many woes in the Bible as warnings to the world to make them fear God and consider His beloved Son as the Redeemer of their souls. God the Father, God the Son Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit want all humans to come and be part of the kingdom of the beloved Son of God, Jesus Christ, and enjoy the blessings of the kingdom of heaven.

In Luke 12:49, the Lord Jesus says, “I came to bring fire upon the earth; and I wish that it will be, now after all this waiting, kindled.” By saying this, the Lord Jesus tells the whole earth to know that He came down with fire; whosoever is against God, that fire will consume that person. This fire will be a burning feeling, which the Lord puts deep into the soul; when it burns out, the suffering of that person will be beyond what words can tell, but this fire burning will burn only in the souls of the ones that are against God, and that is also a warning. This fire burning is a deep feeling of the soul, and that person cannot find peace regardless of what they will do; the peace of God will run away from them. The Lord’s wish is to receive every soul, even those that go against God; the Lord desires to welcome them; even those souls that already received the burning fire suffering, the Lord wants them to be saved; the Lord’s mercy is great. Therefore, the Lord wants this fire to start to consume these people who are against God, but He wishes that they will repent and come to the Lord to be forgiven.

We combined all the relevant teachings in the Gospels related to the kingdom of heaven, spiritual rewards, persecutions, and woes under one category as they are related to the salvation of our souls. However, to clearly understand these teachings, we subgroup them into nine themes, as given below.

  1. Blessings and rewards of the kingdom of heaven.
  2. The way to the kingdom of heaven.
  3. The parables of the kingdom of heaven.
  4. The parables of the new world to come.
  5. The promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit.
  6. Woes to the whole world for those that do not believe in the Lord Jesus.
  7. Persecutions upon believers in the Lord Jesus.
  8. Beware of temptations to sin.
  9. Beware of false prophets and teachings.

The Presentation of the Teaching Themes

This section describes all the teaching themes by highlighting their essential features. Furthermore, we provide a complete list of Bible passages in all the Gospels that relate to each theme, with a short description of each passage. Each Bible passage is also linked to our Bible Commentary Forever work, where you will find more helpful spiritual comments to help you understand the passage better.

1. Blessings and Rewards of the Kingdom of Heaven

The Lord Jesus loves all humans and has come to save the whole world, not only some. In John 15:13, the Lord Jesus tells us, “Greater love than this no one has, that anyone should lay down his life for his friends.” As the verse tells us, there is no greater love than what the beloved Son of God has done to give His life for mankind. But we all must remember that the Father has loved humans so much as well that He has sent His only begotten Son to come down on earth for all mankind to have a way to glorify and thank the Father; the beloved Son of God has become the bridge for all mankind to succeed in glorifying the Father.

The Lord Jesus didn’t just come to give His life for the world, but He rose from the dead and is now seated at the Father’s right hand, preparing a place for each one of His followers (John 14:1-3). He is waiting in heaven for us all and preparing gifts and rewards for when we will be with Him in His kingdom. He is waiting to gladly tell us all, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful over a few things; I will set you over many things; enter you into the joy of your master!” (Matthew 25:23). Moreover, the Lord Jesus, in His teachings, tells us about the blessings of the kingdom of heaven so we are all encouraged and don’t lose heart and can overcome the trials of this world and look forward to meeting Him and being with Him in His kingdom.

The Lord Jesus tells us about many blessings awaiting us in heaven; those who enter into heaven will all receive these blessings if they keep faith until the end. As followers of the Lord Jesus, we must strive to keep the faith until the end of our lives on earth by following the teachings and the commandments of our Lord and Master, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Below, we highlight all the Gospel passages where we find teachings about the blessings of the kingdom of the heavens. Every believer should meditate on these blessings and ask themselves if they qualify and what they should improve to feel assured they will receive them. Every blessing is important for all believers, and we should all try to get all the blessings that the Lord Jesus teaches us; some of them might be hard for us to achieve, but we must pray and ask for the mercy of the Lord Jesus to help us to fully accomplish the Lord Jesus’ plan for our lives on this earth. We also provide hyperlinks for all referred Bible passages to the Bible Commentary Forever (BCF for short) work, where you can find more spiritual insights.

  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Matthew: Matthew 5:1-9 (The teachings of the Lord Jesus about the blessings of the kingdom of heaven and the rewards that follow in heaven); Matthew 7:7-11 (Ask, seek, and knock and the Father who is in the heavens will reward us with good things); Matthew 10:40-42 (Receive and help those that come in the name of the Lord); Matthew 12:46-50 (Those that do the will of God the Father are our brothers, sisters, and mothers); Matthew 13:18-23 (The Lord Jesus explains to His disciples the parable of the sower).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Mark: Mark 3:31-35 (Those that do the will of God the Father are our brothers, sisters, and mothers); Mark 4:13-20 (The Lord Jesus explains to His disciples the parable of the sower).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Luke: Luke 6:20-21 (The teachings of the Lord Jesus about the blessings of the kingdom of heaven and the rewards that follow in heaven); Luke 8:11-15 (The Lord Jesus explains to His disciples the parable of the sower); Luke 8:19-21 (Those that do the will of God the Father are our mothers and brothers); Luke 11:5-13 (Ask, seek, and knock and the heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those that ask Him); Luke 19:16-26 (The parable of the ten minas; heavenly rewards for being a faithful servant).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of John: none.

2. The Way to the Kingdom of Heaven

In the Gospel of John 8:14, the Lord Jesus, talking to the Pharisees about His testimony as being the light of the world, tells them, “Even if I am bearing witness of Myself, My testimony is true; because I know from where I am coming, and where I am going; however, you know not from where I come, or where I am going.” As the verse tells all believers, the beloved Son of God knows where He is coming from and has told all readers that He knows that He is going back to the Father soon. Even though He Himself had told what is to be, humans could not believe His word, but all that believe and put trust in Him and will always meditate on the Holy Bible will have that understanding because the Holy Bible has told all from the beginning of life until the end of life.

Therefore, when your heart wavers, return to the Holy Word, which will help you and strengthen your faith. When you read the Holy Word, think of the One the Holy Word tells you about, and think that you are created from the ground, but you are beloved by the Father. The Lord Jesus came from heaven and went back to heaven, and He is the only One who can tell us the way to heaven and the Father.

Also, the Lord Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:18 that God the Father has given Him all authority in heaven and on earth; therefore, the Lord Jesus is the only One who can teach the way into heaven and His kingdom, which will last for eternity; He is the narrow gate to heaven, and we must enter by it; there is no other way into heaven and we have only this life on earth to choose the way to heaven; after our souls depart from this earth there is no chance for our souls to be saved. In Luke 16:19-31, the Lord Jesus tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus, where we find out that the poor man, Lazarus, went into Abraham’s bosom and the rich man, who had no faith in God, went into Hades, a place of torment. In this story, the Lord Jesus tells us that until His return back to earth, there is a place of rest for the souls of the believers and a place of torment for the souls of the unbelievers, and there is a chasm fixed between these two places which cannot be crossed anymore. The only way for a person’s soul today not to end up in that place of torment is to have faith in the Lord Jesus and believe that He is the way as He tells us in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, if not by Me.”

Below, we highlight all the Gospel passages we chose for this category that teach us the way to heaven; we must meditate on all these passages, believe, and practice them in our lives so our souls will be safe in the bosom of the Lord Jesus. Also, we provide hyperlinks for these passages to our Bible Commentary Forever (BCF for short) work, where you can find more spiritual insights related to these passages.

  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Matthew: Matthew 7:13-14 (The Lord Jesus is the narrow gate to heaven; enter by it); Matthew 7:24-27 (The way to heaven is the rock of our faith: the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus); Matthew 13:9-13 (Let your spiritual ears be opened to hear and understand the Word of God); Matthew 13:14-17 (Listen and believe the teachings of the Lord Jesus so you will be blessed); Matthew 13:51-52 (A true disciple of the Lord Jesus is taught by the Bible through the Holy Spirit); Matthew 19:27-30 (Leave everything in this world behind and follow the Lord Jesus to gain eternal life with Him in heaven).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Mark: Mark 4:9-12 (Let your spiritual eyes and ears be opened to understand the Word of God); Mark 10:28-31 (Leave everything in this world behind and follow the Lord Jesus to gain eternal life with Him in heaven).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Luke: Luke 6:47-49 (The way to heaven is the rock of our faith: the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus); Luke 8:9-10 (Let your spiritual eyes and ears be opened to understand the Word of God); Luke 8:18 (Take heed to how you hear so you understand the Word of God); Luke 10:29-37 (The parable of the good Samaritan; love your neighbor); Luke 14:7-11 (“For all that exalt themselves will be humbled, and the one that humbles himself will be exalted.”); Luke 18:28-30 (Leave everything in this world behind and follow the Lord Jesus to gain eternal life with Him in heaven).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of John: John 10:1-6 (The Lord Jesus is the door of the sheep; through Him we can enter into the kingdom of heaven); John 13:16-17 (“A servant is not greater than his Lord”; do what the Lord teaches).

3. The Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven

The main question for all people, not only for believers in the Lord Jesus, should be, “What is heaven for me?” With our limited minds, we cannot picture heaven; it is beyond our understanding. But for all of us, ultimately, heaven should be the Lord Jesus Himself. Within the Lord Jesus Himself, we can find the safety of the kingdom of the heavens. The kingdom of heaven cannot be compared with anything we have in this world, so the Lord Jesus, while on earth, used parables to teach us about the kingdom of the heavens. The parables of the Lord Jesus are about the kingdom of heaven and the spiritual world; therefore, we cannot understand them from an earthly point of view. We must pray to the Lord to open our spiritual eyes and ears to understand them.

In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 13, the Lord Jesus taught a great multitude that stood on the seashore while He sat in a boat. He spoke many parables to them about the kingdom of the heavens. In Matthew 13:10, the disciples ask the Lord Jesus a fundamental question that should resonate with us today as well, “Why do Thou speak to them in parables?” The Lord Jesus gave an interesting spiritual answer in Matthew 13:11-13, saying, “Because to you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens; however, to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance; now whoever has not, from him will be taken away even what he has. Because of this, I speak to them in parables; because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”

All who read this passage of the Bible should seriously meditate on it to understand the Lord’s meaning when answering in that way. We, as followers of the Lord Jesus, must understand that, within the crowds, the purpose of coming to listen to the Lord Jesus was different. Some were coming to find mistakes and point them out. Some were coming to find weak points and point them out so that they could deter people from having faith in the Lord Jesus. To all those, the secrets of the kingdom of the heavens have not been given.

However, some came with clean hearts and wanted to hear the Lord Jesus before deciding whether to believe in Him or not; to all those, the Lord will give them the understanding of the secrets of the kingdom of the heavens. This behavior also applies today when we talk to people about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, if we keep ourselves in the Word of God, more spiritual blessings will be given to us; spiritual blessings for this life on earth are the understanding of the Word of God and faith in the Lord Jesus, peace with God, and joy that we can feel deep inside our souls. If we have these spiritual blessings on this earth, when we depart, these spiritual blessings will be transformed to be used for our life after death. The peace of God comes only to those who have a clean heart. The heart that is like a child’s heart will be the heart that comes closer to the kingdom of heaven, and joy comes to those who have true faith in the Lord Jesus.

But to those who look after the pleasures of the world and think they got it all and this is their kingdom, those pleasures will be taken away if they do not want to receive the pleasure of knowing the Word of the Lord. Nothing in this world is worth knowing more than the Word of the Lord.

And, when the Lord Jesus says, “because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand,” He refers to those who have rejected the miracles and the words of the Lord Jesus. Their eyes have seen what many didn’t have a chance to see. Many feel they have sinned but completely reject the Lord. Yet, if they themselves cannot benefit personally, they reject and try to limit the power of God. The prophecy is speaking about self-centered people; they see the Lord Jesus and hear the Lord Jesus speaking but reject Him. Blessed are those who come after and, by just hearing and not seeing, believe in the Lord Jesus. Therefore, we must believe in the Lord Jesus of the Bible, that He is the Son of God and God of the Trinity, and humbly come to Him to ask for understanding so when we depart from this earth, we can meet Him in His kingdom.

Below, we highlight the main parables that the Lord Jesus spoke about the kingdom of heaven, which are found in the Gospels. They tell us about the kingdom of the heavens and what the kingdom of heaven should be for us. We encourage all readers to meditate on these parables and try to understand the spiritual meaning of each parable. Also, we provide hyperlinks to our Bible Commentary Forever (BCF for short) work, where you can find more in-depth spiritual explanations that you could apply to understand the parables better.

  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Matthew: Matthew 11:16-17 (The parable of the marketplace flute: the children of God rejoice in the Lord by praising and singing and those who believe like them will glorify the Lord together with them); Matthew 13:3-8 (The parable of the sower); Matthew 13:31-32 (The parable of the grain of mustard); Matthew 13:33 (The parable of the leaven); Matthew 13:44 (The parable of the treasure hidden in the field); Matthew 13:45-46 (The parable of the merchant seeking beautiful pearls).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Mark: Mark 4:3-8 (The parable of the sower); Mark 4:30-32 (The parable of a grain of mustard).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Luke: Luke 7:31-35 (The parable of the children playing the pipe and singing in the marketplace); Luke 8:4-8 (The parable of the sower); Luke 13:18-19 (The parable of the kernel of mustard); Luke 13:20-21 (The parable of the leaven); Luke 16:1-15 (The parable of the unrepented manager; do not misuse the gifts from God).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of John: none.

4. The Parables of the New World to Come

In the Gospel of Luke 22:24-38, we find the discourse of the Lord Jesus to the disciples before His betrayal. The discourse of the Lord Jesus includes the appointment of a kingdom to His followers to be with Him. Specifically, in Luke 22:28-30, the Lord Jesus says, “But you are those that have continued with Me in My trials; and I appoint to you a kingdom, even as My Father appointed to Me, that you may eat and may drink at My table, in My kingdom; and will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

When we have given our hearts to the beloved Son of God and have invited Him to be with us, the Lord also appointed us to be with Him in His kingdom if we continue to keep the faith until the end of our lives on earth. When the verse tells us that we are at His table with Him, this is where we will all enjoy our blessings for eternity. Also, when the Lord Jesus says, “and will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel,” the Lord Jesus does not refer only to the Apostles, but in truth, this promise includes all the true believers in the beloved Son of God. On the judgment day, we all will have a duty to be behind the throne of God and witness the majesty of the Lord Jesus in judging all those who did not follow and obey the teachings of the Lord.

Furthermore, when the Lord Jesus says, “and will sit on thrones,” it tells us that behind the throne of God, there will be small thrones for everyone, and all true believers will have their own spot behind the throne of God. It is difficult for the human mind to imagine the picture of the throne of God and the area of the small thrones, which is wider than any mind can imagine. Remember, we are not in our human bodies; the heavenly bodies are different. We do not know anything about the heavenly body, which is why we say that the human mind cannot imagine how magnificent the throne of God is.

When the Lord Jesus says, “judging the twelve tribes of Israel,” in this spot, not only will His people alone be judged at that time, but the outsiders will also be judged there. All true believers in the Lord Jesus will be witnesses, but we will not be part of the decision in judging His people. However, for outsiders, all true believers will be part of the judging, but we are not told what part we will be.

Meditating on this passage of Scripture should encourage us to know more about the new world to come, where the Lord Jesus is our King and reigns in His full glory and majesty. The Lord Jesus tells us in the Gospels in many parables about this new world to come. By the mercy of the Lord and by prayer and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can gain more knowledge and understanding about this new world by meditating on these parables.

Below, we highlight all the Gospel passages where the Lord Jesus teaches us about the new world to come. We encourage all readers to meditate on these passages and follow the hyperlinks to our Bible Commentary Forever (BCF for short) work, where you will find more spiritual insights related to these passages.

  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Matthew: Matthew 13:24-30 (The parable of the good seed and the tares among the wheat); Matthew 13:34-43 (The Lord Jesus explains to His disciples the parable of the good seed and the tares); Matthew 13:47-50 (The parable of the fishing-net, cast into the sea); Matthew 18:23-35 (The parable of the merciful king; there will be a judgment day when the Lord will settle accounts with all the people of the earth); Matthew 20:1-16 (The Lord Jesus tells the parable of the laborers in the vineyard; the Lord is fair, and He gives one Bible to the whole world; in heaven, there is no disagreement from below to above, and all must accept the authority of the master).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Mark: Mark 4:26-29 (The parable of “a man should throw seed upon the ground”).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Luke: Luke 19:11-15 (The parable of the ten minas; do business until I come back).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of John: none.

5. The Promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit

The Gospel of Luke chapter 24 presents us with the events of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Before the Lord Jesus’ ascension to heaven, He opened the disciples’ minds to understand the Scriptures and instructed them to proclaim repentance and remission of sins in His name and testify about His trials and His resurrection from the dead. Moreover, in Luke 24:49, the Lord Jesus says to them: “And behold, I am sending out the promise of My Father upon you; but remain you in the city, until you be clothed with power from on high.”

We might ask ourselves, what is the promise of the Father that the Lord Jesus talks about here, and as His followers, do we need this promise? In Acts chapter 2, we find out what the promise of the Father is: the miraculous baptism with the Holy Spirit, which came upon all the disciples gathered on the day of Pentecost in one place in Jerusalem.

In Acts 4:29-31, the followers of the Lord Jesus pray together in unity, saying, “And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings, and grant to Thy servants to speak Thy word with all boldness, in that Thy stretch out Thy hand, for healing, and signs and wonders to be done through the name of Thy holy Servant Jesus. And they having prayed, the place was shaken in which they were assembled; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and were speaking the word of God with boldness.” When the verse says, “In that Thy stretch out Thy hand,” it clearly tells us that the Father Himself has His own plan because of the coming of His Son on earth. When the Father stretches out His hand to take care of the things around the world, the result will impact all living things, not only humans; all things that God Almighty has created will notice His power.

In 1 Corinthians 12, we read, “And God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diverse kinds of tongues.” In this verse, “first apostles” refers to the twelve apostles appointed by the Lord Jesus. The twelve disciples, also called the twelve apostles, were specifically the disciples of the Lord Jesus Himself, and this number has not changed; there are still only twelve apostles of the Lord Jesus. The twelve apostles of the Lord Jesus have been with the Lord throughout His ministry, from the baptism of John to the day that the Lord Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:22).

The Lord Jesus came to earth as the Son of God and the Son of Man, suffered death on the cross for the sins of the world, was buried, rose from the dead on the third day, and ascended to the Father, where He is preparing a kingdom for His own. After the Lord Jesus’ ascension to heaven, God the Father sent the Holy Spirit on earth in the name of the Lord Jesus so the apostles could testify about the work of the Father’s beloved Son, the Lord Jesus, on earth and His resurrection and start the church of God on earth. Now, we all are the next generation of disciples who must continue the work of God on this earth until the Lord Jesus returns to earth with His angels in His Father’s glory.

For this reason, all believers in the Lord Jesus should pray for the promise of the Father and ask for mercy to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit and His gifts and be part of His mighty plan. To fulfill the Lord’s plan, we all need the help and power of the Holy Spirit, so we need the gifts of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the kingdom of the Lord and endure the world’s persecutions.

In Luke 12:50, the Lord Jesus says, “However I have a baptism to be baptized; and how am I distressed until it be accomplished!” For the Lord Himself, there are two kinds of baptism that He is talking about here: first, the physical baptism in water as an example for all humans, and second, the baptism in the Holy Spirit as all have seen that the Holy Spirit descended on Him. These baptisms have shown all humans the blessings that the Father has prepared for all who accept and follow the beloved Son of God. All people should meditate on all the teachings of the Bible, without exception. We encourage all readers to read our article “Holy Spirit Baptism for a Christian.”

Below, we highlight a few passages in the Gospels that relate to this theme. We encourage all readers to check the hyperlinks to all the Bible passages, where you will also find more comments and explanations that we provide in our Bible Commentary Forever (BCF for short) work.

  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Matthew: none.
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Mark: none.
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Luke: Luke 24:49 (The Lord Jesus tells His disciples that He is sending the promise of the Father, the baptism with the Holy Spirit; repent, pray, and wait for the promise; the baptism in the Holy Spirit is for all that believe and wait on the Lord).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of John: John 3:3 (You must be born from above to enter the kingdom of God); John 7:35-38 (“Whoever believes in Me, just as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water”).

6. Woes to the Whole World for Those That Do Not Believe in the Lord Jesus

In 1 John 5:18-20, the Holy Spirit, speaking through the apostle John, says, “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he that was born of God keeps himself, and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” These verses tell us that the world is under the influence of the dark and that the Lord Jesus, the true God, came into the world to bring light and truth to the world and give us eternal life.

In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 18, the Lord Jesus teaches about entering the kingdom of the heavens. Specifically, there are no clear human words to describe the kingdom of heaven, so the Lord Jesus teaches us in parables and comparisons to get the idea and find the way to enter the kingdom of heaven.

As followers of the Lord Jesus, we know that the world tries to fight against God from the beginning, and reading the Gospels, we can see that the leaders of the Jews at that time and the people of the world who let themselves be under the power of the darkness have fought hard against the Lord Jesus to the point of killing Him on a cruel Roman cross. However, the Lord Jesus did not stay in the grave: He is alive forevermore, as God cannot die, so He rose from the dead on the third day, and all authority and power have been given to Him by God the Father Himself. Because of the evil deeds of the world, the Lord Jesus, in His teachings, also brings many warnings and woes to the world for fighting against God and leading people astray with false gods and humanistic theories.

The Lord Jesus warns the world in Matthew 18:6-7, saying, “But whoever may cause one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a great millstone may be hung around his neck, and he may be sunk in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It is necessary for the stumbling blocks to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!” Anyone reading these verses should watch their actions towards God and the people of God; all should come and give their hearts to the Lord Jesus, ask forgiveness, and seek peace with God the Father through His beloved Son Jesus Christ. Below, we discuss these verses and warn all readers to watch their actions toward God and His followers.

“Little ones” here refers to persons with clean hearts who follow and believe the teachings of the Bible as the Word of God. “Whoever may cause one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble” refers to someone who comes and misinterprets the Bible using the name of the Lord, making these “little ones” misunderstand the Bible and creating doubt in them. Those persons have no worth in being born, as this verse says. They betray the Lord for various reasons. They misinterpret the Bible to bring glory to themselves, but the glory belongs to the Lord, not to the one who uses the Word of the Lord.
“Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks” or “woe to the world for temptations to sin.” The temptations to sin spoken of in this verse are directly related to sin against the Lord. Because of believing in themselves, humans disregard the Creator who created all things. And, because the world does not think that all things come from God, this is a sin against God. Knowledge and technology also lead to temptations to sin. Technology relates to making life easier, but humans use some technology to put themselves up. For example, people try to create rain and then put themselves at the same level as God; the smart ones lift their fists and think that they themselves are gods. Humans can play with nature, but can they create one seed without the Lord’s hand? They gather and transform seeds but forget to think about the One that created the seed. Also, they are developing advanced technology and many smart things, but they forget about the One who made all the materials used in all things. The next temptation to come to the whole world is greed. The greed of all things, not just the things of this world, but the greed for the unseen things as well; because the Lord calls some to do something and those persons already think about the reward they will receive, that is greed. Humans need to feel important in this world and in the world to come. The sin of greed for the things of this world is a sin against God’s work. This greed makes humans wish for things that are not made by the hand of the Lord (i.e., biological cloning, DNA engineering, stem-cell engineering, in-vitro fertilization, transgenderism, transhumanism, tattooing, and body transformation, etc.) and tempts them to think that they can be equal to God. To fight against greed, be content and thankful for what you have received; be content in all things. It doesn’t matter how small what we receive is; just be content and thankful with a true heart. The temptations to sin spoken of in this verse are directly related to sin against the Lord.
“It is necessary for the stumbling blocks to come.” Temptations must come because of the will of the Father to save humans. Temptations will help humans turn to the Lord; when they see that they alone cannot fight temptations, they will seek help from the Lord. The purpose of temptations to come is to save the obedient ones. This way works for those who listen and obey, but for the ones that do not come, the Lord works with them as well, but they choose not to come (See 1 Corinthians 10:13). Not that the latter do not feel guilty, but they choose to have fun in the world.
“But woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!” Temptation cannot come on everyone; temptation doesn’t run by its own will. For those who do not stay in the Word, temptation has power over them. But, for those covered by the blood of the Lamb, it is their own fault that temptation comes upon them; they have the Lord as their shield to protect them, but they do not rely on Him. This woe is for those covered by the blood and ignoring the Word. Many of them sin and blame the Lord for causing them to sin, but God does not cause anyone to sin (See James 1:13-18). There is no sin in God, so He cannot cause someone to sin.

The Lord Jesus teaches about many woes in the Gospels; these woes address not only the people at that time but all believers by name and all those who do not believe that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of Man and that He came to earth to save the world. The woes given by the Lord Jesus target evil practices against the Trinity of God, and all who read the Word of God should think hard about these woes, and all should come with their hearts to glorify and honor God the way the Bible teaches. These woes may not be relevant to us while we live our lives on this earth, but all should consider that life on earth is short, and our souls will be the ones suffering for eternity under these woes. In 1 Peter 1:24-25, the Holy Spirit says, “For, all flesh is as grass, and all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withers and the flower falls, But the word of the Lord abides forever. And this is the word of good tidings which was preached to you.” So, we call on each one to believe the Word of God, have faith in the Lord Jesus, and choose Him to be the Master of their lives and be spared from these terrible woes the Lord Jesus talks about in the Gospels.

Below, we highlight all the Bible passages in the Gospels that relate to the woes; we also provide hyperlinks to our Bible Commentary Forever (BCF for short) work, where you will find more comments and explanations on these passages.

  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Mark: Mark 8:10-12 (Believe in the Lord Jesus while on earth so as not to be counted as an evil and adulterous generation); Mark 9:42-48 (Woe to the world because of the stumbling blocks).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Luke: Luke 6:24 (Woe to the rich who do not build treasures in heaven); Luke 6:25a (Woe to those that do not feed their souls with the Word of God); Luke 6:25b (Woe to those that care only for the enjoyment of this world, and not for the world to come); Luke 6:26 (Woe to those that are well spoken of by people; all should think twice about when someone comes to you and praises you more than the truth in it); Luke 11:42 (Woe to those neglecting the Law of God); Luke 11:43 (Woe to those that put themselves first); Luke 11:44 (Woe to the leaders for not listening to the voice of the Lord); Luke 11:45-46 (Woe to those that do not follow the Law of God); Luke 11:47-51 (Woe for unrighteousness towards the servants of the Lord); Luke 11:52 (Woe to those that use their own understanding to teach the people); Luke 17:1-2 (Woe to the world because of the stumbling blocks).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of John: none.

7. Persecutions Upon Believers in the Lord Jesus

In the Gospel of John 15:18-25, the Lord Jesus teaches about the world’s persecution and hatred. When one believes in the beloved Son of God and follows Him, the world will hate and persecute them because the Lord Jesus’ holy teachings condemn the actions of the world. Every believer must stay firm on the Holy Bible’s teaching and not cultivate doubt in the heart; doubt creates a path for the world to enter and pollute one’s faith.

We must never forget that God the Father and the Son Jesus are One; therefore, whoever hates the Son hates the Father also. The world hated the Lord Jesus without a cause, and they will also hate those who believe in Him without a cause, as we can read in John 15:18-20: “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, also they will persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.”

Let us now comment further on the last verse of this passage.

“A servant is not greater than his master.” As the verse has told, remember as well that the beloved Son of God has been born in human form and takes the position of a servant to the Father; when anyone has glorified the beloved Son of God, that glorifying will go to the Father because the beloved Son is a servant of the Father; all glorifying and worshiping He will lead to the Father because when you glorify the Father, the Trinity of God also has been glorified at the same time, and that is why the verse has told us that the servant is not greater than the master.
“If they persecuted Me, also they will persecute you.” Also, you, as a believer, must do your duty as well; the believer’s duty is to share the belief that they have and tell everyone they meet about their belief; however, when the time is right, the Lord will speak into your heart when it is time to give out your belief as well, and that soul will hear what you said; it may not sink down deep in their soul yet, but in time what they heard will take root, and it will be spreading everywhere into their soul. It will be a time they cannot escape the truth; their ear of the soul will also open, and they will feel in their hearts that there is no place else to go but only to come at the foot of the cross and glorify the Trinity of God with all their soul and mind. However, when you do your duty, persecution can come as well.
“If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” When those that hear the Word do nothing, that is also disobedience to the Lord Himself; when disobedience has occurred and sank down into their heart, they have persecuted their own soul, which the Lord has given them. The Word they hear will also be used to judge them at the judgment time; if you have told the Holy Word to them and they have ignored it, that is like crucifying the heart of the Lord. When disobedience comes, they have persecuted their own soul. In that time, when they have persecuted the beloved Son of God, or whomever He has sent, they didn’t listen to that one, and they would turn back and persecute that person who has told them the truth about the things that had happened; when you have told them what had happened to the beloved Son of God, you also act as a witness and messenger at the same time, and for that reason, they will persecute you.

For this reason, for us, as true believers, knowing what the Lord Jesus talked about regarding His persecution, and that we will also face persecution in this world, we should remember that when the world does not listen to Him, they do not listen to the Father Himself; so, when we go and tell the Holy Word to them, if they reject the word we tell, they reject the Trinity of God. Nevertheless, the Bible teaches us to endure until the end against all persecutions of this world coming to us on account of our testimony about the Lord Jesus, and we will be mightily blessed in the kingdom of heaven.

Below, we highlight some relevant Gospel passages related to this theme, with hyperlinks to our Bible Commentary Forever (BCF for short) work, where you will find more spiritual comments and explanations.

  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Matthew: Matthew 5:10-12 (Blessings to those being persecuted and insulted on account of the Lord Jesus and His righteousness).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Mark: none.
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Luke: Luke 6:22-23 (Blessings to those being persecuted on account of the Son of Man); Luke 21:12-19 (The Lord Jesus warns His disciples about the persecution to come for His Name’s sake).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of John: John 16:33 (In the world you have tribulations because of your testimony about the Lord Jesus).

8. Beware of Temptations to Sin

There are many sins and temptations to sin in this sinful world, but the Lord Jesus came to earth to show the Father’s mercy to the world and bring salvation to all. The greed of all things, not just the things of this world, is a great sin upon humans. Humans want to feel important in this world and in the world to come. We all struggle with sins, and the Holy Spirit, speaking through the Apostle Paul, tells us in Romans 7:13-25 that we are all wretched humans full of sins, but we should remember that we have a Holy Redeemer waiting for us to knock at His door and receive His mercy and forgiveness He freely gives to all: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then I myself, with the mind, indeed, serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:24-25). However, in 1 Corinthians, the Lord tells us that we have victory over this sinful life through the beloved Son of God and can become part of His kingdom in heaven: “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Teaching about the soul life, in Luke 16:19-31, the Lord Jesus tells us the story of the rich man and Lazarus. In this story, the Lord Jesus presents the contrast of life on this earth between those who are rich on this earth and those who are poor, and then He presents the contrast of eternal life between those who are saved in His bosom and those who go to Hades. All readers should seriously contemplate their life journey on this earth and meditate about heaven and where their souls might end. Nobody should want to be tormented in Hades, as we read about the rich man’s case in Luke 16:19-23, “And in Hades having lifted up his eyes, being in torment, he sees Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.” These verses need further explanations for the readers to help them gain a clear understanding of the soul’s life in Hades so they might consider life with the Lord Jesus.

These verses tell us what the end situation of this rich man of earth is and let us know what the situation of Lazarus, the poor man, is at the end of his earthly life. Everyone knows the meaning of torment, but nobody knows the feeling of how tormenting it would be to see far off the people in Heaven; this torment is greater than words can tell. The souls that are in Hades can see Heaven; you can see it, but you cannot go there; this is the part of the torment that the soul receives. All should come to the Lord Jesus as soon as they hear His name and be saved from the flames of Hades.
Furthermore, these verses show the suffering of the soul by knowing where the water is but remaining thirsty and not being able to get it; the internal torment is greater than the outward appearance of suffering; the anguished soul is in the flame of fire, the outward appearance is suffering from the flame, and also there is internal suffering from thirst; all readers should think about this torment; it is too great to carry. When the verse says, “he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue,” it tells us that the way of the soul’s body in that time is not the same as we are now; the tongue is not the part of thirst for the body, the tongue of the soul is the heart of the living of the soul, the suffering of the heart itself. The water in this verse is not the water that we all drink; this water is the mercy of God that the soul needs, for the soul being in torture, will need the mercy of God to help eliminate the feeling of thirst.

In this Bible passage, the Lord Jesus tells all humans that if they do not come to Him while living on this earth, they cannot gain salvation for their souls after their earthly life ends. All humans must know that the Lord Jesus is the way and the life; no one goes to the Father and heaven if not by Him (John 14:6). So, sinners come to the Lord Jesus, repent, and receive His mercy and love; when you depart from this earth, you will have your soul be at peace and happy in the bosom of the Lord Jesus, not in the flames of Hades.

Many Gospel passages talk about sins and temptations to sin; however, we highlight this single story of the rich man and Lazarus in this section; we encourage all readers to meditate on this entire story and check the hyperlink provided, where you will find more explanations which we post in our Bible Commentary Forever (BCF for short) work.

  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Matthew: none.
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Mark: none.
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Luke: Luke 16:19-31 (The Lord Jesus tells us the rich man and Lazarus story; the Lord Jesus teaches about Heaven and Hades showing the righteous judgment of God regarding the treasures of the earth).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of John: none.

9. Beware of False Prophets and Teachings

In the Gospel of John 6:30-35, the Lord Jesus tells the Jews and us today that He is the bread coming down from heaven, and we must eat His flesh and drink His blood to be saved, meaning that we must believe in the New covenant established in His blood and surrender completely, both soul and body, to follow Him who sacrificed His life for us to give us eternal life (Luke 22:19-20). Specifically, in John 6:63-65, the Lord Jesus says, “It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I speak to you are Spirit and are life. But they are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they are the ones not believing, and who it is that will betray Him. And He said, Because of this I have said to you, that no one is able to come to Me, if not it be given to him from the Father.” It is worth meditating on this last verse carefully to understand what the Lord Jesus teaches us.

“If not it be given to him from the Father.” This saying is not predestination at all, but each person has their own choice: free will. If the heart is darkened, the ear will not hear the truth; we can think here that one of His own disciples betrayed the Lord after listening to the Living Word for a long time, and still, his heart was not opened. So, ultimately, it is everyone’s own free choice; will you listen to the little voice in your heart and follow God, or will you just listen to humans cursing God? The Lord God created humans to have free will, so it is our choice to choose the bread coming down from heaven, the Lord Jesus, or to choose the food of the darkness, false teachings, and have our souls cast into Hades.
“If not it be given to him.” Talking about the little voice in your heart: if you give attention to that little voice in your heart, you will not turn away from the Living Word; that is why the verse has told, “if not it be given to him,” to those that listen to that little voice, that little voice is from the Father Himself, listen to that little voice, and that will lead you to be saved. This is no predestination, as everyone has that little voice, but some have chosen to ignore it and walk away from what that little voice has told them. All have the ability to hear in their hearts that there is a God, and they should worship Him. That is why free choice has been told about; everyone has the freedom to listen to the little voice or not listen; that is what this verse says.
"Given" here means that the Father speaks to all with the little voice in their heart, so all have the same chance to listen to His voice; but then they have the freedom to take what has been given to them or reject it.

The Lord Jesus Himself warns us in many places in the Gospels to be aware of false prophets and teachers. As followers of the Lord Jesus, we must always pray, read, and meditate in the Word of God so we are not led astray by the world’s teachings and false prophets. We must watch and be aware of the schemes of the evil one and be sober and vigilant because the adversary, the evil one, is out there trying to devour the souls of humans (1 Peter 5:8). Specifically, in Matthew 7:17, the Lord Jesus warns us to “beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” For all of us, it is hard to recognize false prophets if we do not pray and ask the Lord Jesus for help. By learning the Word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God teaches us that we can recognize false teachers by their stance on the following three points:

  1. The Lord Jesus’ birth must be by the Holy Spirit through the Virgin Mary.
  2. The Lord Jesus’ death must be death on the cross for atonement for our sins.
  3. The Lord Jesus’ resurrection must be bodily (in the flesh) resurrection.

So, we all must watch and beware of false teachers and prophets and stay firm in faith in the Word of God as given to us in the Holy Bible. By praying and asking the Holy Spirit for guidance in the name of Jesus, the Holy Spirit will guide our souls and minds to the right path, and we will be safe in the arms of the Lord Jesus. By being sensitive to the little voice of the Holy Spirit, we can be assured that our souls are saved and secured for eternity as told by the Lord Jesus in John 10:27-28, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; My Father, who has given to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch out from the Father's hand.”

Below, we highlight two significant Gospel passages that fall into this theme. We encourage all readers to meditate on these passages through prayer, and also follow the hyperlinks provided to our Bible Commentary Forever (BCF for short) work, where you will find more insightful comments and explanations.

  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Matthew: Matthew 7:15-23 (Beware of false prophets; look for their fruits to recognize them; their stances on the virgin birth, death and resurrection, and the deity of the Lord Jesus are important).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Mark: none.
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of Luke: Luke 6:43-46 (Beware of false prophets; look for their fruits to recognize them; their stances on the virgin birth, death and resurrection, and the deity of the Lord Jesus are important).
  • BCF Links in the Gospel of John: none.

Conclusions

In conclusion, we present the main spiritual category topic of teachings about the kingdom of heaven, spiritual rewards, persecutions, and woes, which we divide into nine themes. Each theme presents an essential aspect of the main topic. Heaven is important for every soul on this earth. Heaven is the Lord Jesus Himself, who came down from heaven to show us the way and teach us how to find the Trinity of God (God the Father, God the Son, Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit) (John 6:38). Heaven is the place where the Lord Jesus is. Hades is the place where the evil ones go.

In this blog article, the teachings about heaven and rewards encourage everyone to seek heaven and find spiritual joy in heaven with the Lord Jesus. The teachings about woes make everyone aware of the sufferings that are there in Hades. We want to make everyone aware that by their free will, they can choose either Heaven or Hades.

Therefore, we encourage all to praise and glorify the Trinity of God and choose heaven with the Lord Jesus and look forward to their hope of resurrection in the new world to come: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Here, you will find many Bible passages, grouped into nine themes, covering the Lord Jesus’ teachings about heaven, spiritual rewards, persecutions, and woes.

Our duty as disciples of the Lord Jesus is to continually read and meditate on the Word of God and stay in prayer to keep the faith until the end of our lives on this earth and find heaven for our souls.

We encourage all who read this blog to obey the call of the Lord Jesus in their hearts and choose life for their souls; the Lord Jesus wants to bless all to be with Him in heaven. He has a place for everyone. Heaven is unmeasurable, and all are welcome inside the kingdom of the beloved Son of God.

Meditation Tasks:

  1. Meditate prayerfully on each theme presented in this category and ask yourself what heaven means for you.

All meditation blog posts