From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

How does the Kingdom of God differ from man’s created societies? Conversion is a requirement of citizenship in Heaven. Jesus Christ said, “Unless you are converted … you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Those who belong to God’s Kingdom are transformed from the inside out by the power of God, delivered from the power of darkness. “In [Him] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14).

The Bible is filled with knowledge about the nations and kingdoms of the world, but the one Kingdom that will never fall is the Kingdom of Almighty God. When Jesus lived on Earth, Rome was a prosperous, growing empire. It possessed a military, artistic, and ethical superiority over other nations and was equipped intellectually and militarily to hold the place as the world’s No. 1 power. But Jesus saw the whole structure of the Roman Empire as something fleeting and temporary.

He talked of the world with its armed might, its great edifices and institutions—the world that the Romans doubtless thought of as the “great society.” But it was something that would eventually crumble. Jesus spoke of the seeds of war, hate, lust, and greed. He talked of the end of the existing world of that day.

Empires fall—Rome certainly did. Caesar’s “great society” disintegrated. But Christ’s Kingdom Society will endure forever. It will endure because the Kingdom Society is not built on the false promises of mere men. The Kingdom of God is built one soul at a time, for the Bible says, “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37).

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

Are you a member of God’s kingdom?