Quote:
Originally Posted by UntoHim
I'm not so sure that the apostle Paul, or the believers in Colossae, would agree with you here. 
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son
Colossians 1:13 ESV
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Nice seque! Paul specifically says "Kingdom of His Son" in this verse, not the "Kingdom of God". So is this kingdom the 1000 year period or the eternal kingdom? or both?
The following passage contains a tidbit that I did not realize for many years...
Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
This passage pretty much answers the question: There are two Kingdoms: the first is the Kingdom of the Son, and the second is the Kingdom of the Father. The way the parable reads, the Kingdom of the Son starts after the first resurrection, thus it is the Millennial Kingdom. The judgement at the end of the parable would then be the Great White Throne, which ushers in the New Creation.
So my take on your verse is that Paul is telling the Colossians that they will not be cast into outer darkness during the first kingdom. This privilege is a reward, not an assurance to all believers, IMO. Because if we take this as an assurance to all believers, then the other parables in Matthew make little sense to me.
And BTW, if any of us believers are still sinning at the end of the Millennium, then perhaps we deserve more than a period of Outer Darkness as punishment.