I was invited to a birthday party last Wednesday for Gabrielle, who is running for Mayor of Franklin, TN. I had never been invited to a birthday party like this before, so I was wondering what this experience would be like. Would it be a political rally and fund raiser? I had no frame of reference for this event, so I was wide open to learn as much as I could, for this was a first for me. We were instructed to park in a certain parking lot and from there we would get on a shuttle and taken to the location of the party. This was the extent of what I knew.

I get to the parking lot, see birthday balloons and a shuttle bus, so I proceed over to the location of these markers, and the first thing we were told to do was say our name so they could confirm we were on the guest list and then we received a name tag for identification purposes. We got on the bus, and when we arrived at the location of the party, there were more security measures, similar to the ones we went through before we got on the bus. What is your name, are you on the guest list. What I didn’t know is that because of Gabrielle’s strong stance for righteousness, she has had death threats made against her, henceforth, the security was for her safety.

I share that because we can read the Bible, where it says if you are not on the guest list you cannot come in and not realize it is for the safety of those who have been invited. The kingdom of God is a safe place and those who are not on the guest list will not be allowed in. It is not punishment, it is because the Father has to protect His children and some people who practice some things are not safe, so are not allowed in. Here is how Revelation 21 puts it, “In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Just like I did not understand why the “security” measures for Gabrielle’s birthday party, until today, I did not see the why behind the what that was spoken in Revelation 21. Now I see it, the Father is making sure people who come into the kingdom are safe and therefore, He cannot let in those who engage in unsafe behaviors because they will make the other citizens feel unsafe. God is so loving, so practical and so clear about His expectations for kingdom citizenship.