If a person doesn’t agree with God’s teaching and instructions now, then why should they expect to submit to him in the Kingdom of Heaven? Why should God even accept them into the kingdom if they don’t even trust, accept, and agree with his word and instructions? Most people wouldn’t move to a foreign country that enforced laws they don’t agree with, so why would any choose God’s Kingdom if they don’t like its ruler or laws?

The Kingdom of God is not a democracy, it is a Kingdom and only God’s word stands forever. Modern people, particularly westerners have been lulled into a sense of wonder by democracy. However, the Kingdom of Heaven doesn’t allow people to vote on anything. Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), so some may call heaven an authoritarian regime. God dictates to us what he expects from us in his word, so some may say it is a dictatorship. Either way, it makes no sense for people to expect to be welcomed as citizens in his Kingdom when they’ve made it clear they don’t want to submit to the King or his rules. When we accept Jesus as Lord and receive his gift of the holy spirit (John 14:15-17, Rom 8:5-11), then we will be transformed by the holy spirit so that we can no longer be slaves to sin nature (John 8:31-36) but rather overcome our fleshy nature by submitting to the holy spirit. The Holy Spirit is the power that God gives us to overcome sin by softening our heart hearts (Deut 30:6, Jer 4:4, Ez 36:25-27, Joel 2:28-32, Acts 2:16-21, Rom 2:29, and Col 2:11). Galatians 5:16 says, “walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh”. Galatians 6:7-8 says those that sow into the spirit reap eternal life, but those that so into the flesh reaps corruption.

The people who reject Jesus now are the same kind of people that will reject Jesus at the return and reign on earth for a millennium (Revelation 20). At the end of the age Satan will be loosed to deceive people after 1000 years of freedom from temptation. Satan starts a new movement to rebel against Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven and people will join him. These people saw the bible come true or at least heard the stories years after the defeat of the anti-Christ and lived under God’s rule for a millennium. Yet some will still stand against God. If some people can decide to stand against God after Jesus descends from heaven and rules earth for 1000 years, and all the unbelieving dead are raised afterward, then “proof of the bible” isn’t the problem. It’s people’s hard hearts that is the issue. Satan will likely deceive them the same way he deceived Eve in the garden, by telling them that God is not good and is deceptive. He’ll probably say something along the lines of, “humans used to have democracy and were not under an authoritarian dictator forever, we should all be free and God can’t love us if he doesn’t let us be free eternally, we must fight for our rights, we can beat him”. Some will actually submit to this and fight against the very one that wants to free them from sin.

Believers are called to be ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor 5:20). Which means ambassadors for the kingdom of God. An ambassador is someone who lives in one country but is first a citizen of another country and represents their home country’s interests. For example, the US ambassador to Canada lives in Canada but is a US citizen that represents the USA’s interests. If the US ambassador to Canada stopped representing the USA’s interest and started giving into Canadian demands and taking bribes, then that person is a traitor, and would rightfully be fired and possibly prosecuted. Likewise, believers are citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20-21), and this birthright citizenship happens because believers are “born again” and only those who are “born again” by the spirit can enter the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:51-8). Anyone that’s supposed to represent God on earth as an ambassador for Christ, that supports the enemy is a traitor to the kingdom of heaven and must repent, or else they will suffer consequences (Heb 6:4-8, Heb 10:26-31, 2 Peter 2:1-22).

2 Cor 6:14 (NLT) Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil[a]? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? 16 And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people [Lev 26:12].

Jesus said this:
Matt 7:21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

The Kingdom is for people who are submitted to God’s teaching and instruction and follow his Holy Spirit. God already kicked rebels out of his kingdom like Satan (Luke 10:18), why would let more rebels in? This is why there is a filter that requires sanctification by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is only available to those who received Jesus as Lord (John 14:15-17, Rom 8:5-11). This is to prevent more rebels from ruining the perfect Kingdom of God. In John 3:16-21 Jesus explains that there is salvation for those who believe and condemnation for those who don’t, because those who submit come to the light, but those who don’t love darkness more than the light.

John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. 19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. 21 But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”