Not Everyone Goes to Heaven

There are a great number of false beliefs about God and the afterlife. Many people think everyone will go to Heaven. Others think if we live a good life we will go to Heaven. Others cannot comprehend a loving God sending anyone to hell. Several years ago, when I was searching on a dating site, I was amazed at the number of ladies who indicated in their profile that they were “Christian.” Upon exchange of messages with many of these ladies, it was apparent that’s what they called themselves, but there was no evidence of God in their lives. 

Six Premises

This article has six premises about God and our eternal destination. 

There is a God.

God is Love.

The Bible is God’s true word.

God loves us.

Hell is real.

God does not send us to hell. He provides us a choice to avoid an eternity in hell.

 There is a God.  Admittedly, I have a bias here, but I do not see how anyone can observe the overwhelming multitude of signs that there is a God. The chance of there not being a creator is infinitesimally small. When I first stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon, the thought that overwhelmed me was that only God could have created anything so magnificent. And how could one not believe in Him. Looking at nature, it constantly amazes me how different species of life are uniquely adapted to their survival. From man, the pinnacle of God’s creation, to the smallest of insects, each animal has features that will help it survive. The same goes for plant life. God provided for the different plants to grow and survive on this planet. And I would add that both animal and plant life are designed to serve mankind. After all, Adam and Eve were given dominion over the earth before being removed from the Garden of Eden. They were removed for disobeying God. But He did not abandon them.

Looking at the universe as a whole, the earth is perfectly positioned for our survival. Although there may be other life forms out there, only the earth is where we, and our life forms can survive. Louis Pasteur was quoted as saying “A bit of science distances one from God, but much science nears one to Him.” The more truth we know, the closer we can be to God and the more we realize how awesome and loving He is.

God is Love. I John 4:16 tells us so. “God is love.” There is more to that verse but I want to focus on those three words. God. It doesn’t say God loves us, which He does, But it says that He is love. God has many attributes but the central attribute of God is His love. This means that everything God does is just and right. He is the example of perfect true love. I cannot explain everything in the Bible, especially some of the wrathful portions of the Old Testament. But I can say that everything God did was done in love. God has a purpose and will lovingly accomplish that purpose. 

The Bible is God’s Word and is True. There are approximately 2,500 prophecies in the Bible. Of these, about 2,000 have been fulfilled. These have all been fulfilled to the letter with no errors. These are not vague, generic prophecies. They are very specific. As for the remaining 500, these are unfilled prophecies, not incorrect prophecies, as the Bible has much prophecy still unfolding. 

Just three examples. Sometime before 5oo BC Daniel proclaimed that Israel’s Messiah would begin his public ministry 483 years after the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25-26). There is historical evidence to prove the fulfillment of this prophecy. Someone has listed the probability of its fulfillment as 1 in 10 to the fifth power. That’s one chance in 100,000 of happening.

In the fifth century BC, the prophet Zechariah declared the Messiah would be betrayed for the price of a slave (30 pieces of silver). But he didn’t stop there. He also said the money would be used to buy a burial plot for the traitor. That was Judas and that is what happened. One chance in 10 to the 11th power. That is one in a trillion odds.

Some 400 years before crucifixion was invented, both Daniel and Zechariah described Jesus’ death in words that perfectly depict he would be crucified (Psalm 34:20 and Zechariah 12:10). The odds? One in 10 to the 13th power. Once chance in 10 trillion.

 I’ve only listed three miracles with seemingly insurmountable odds. Consider over 2,000 similar fulfilled prophecies. This screams of the Bible being absolutely true.  

God loves us. The Bible is replete with examples and statements about God’s love. But since this is only a short article and not a full-fledged book, I will only cite a few verses that speak of God’s love.

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” How much greater than sacrificing His only son, who suffered on the cruel cross (as was prophesied) for us – sinners. Christ lived a perfect life on earth, to bear our sins and allow us to be blameless before God.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” This verse adds something more. It states that we will not perish, but have eternal life. There is something beyond the grave. After we leave this earth, God promises eternal life to those who accept His Lordship. Believing is not enough. James 2:19 tells us “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”

Ephesians 2:4-5 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” We do not deserve Heaven. Our sins made us dead on the road to hell. I know it is somewhere I don’t want to be and I KNOW I will not be there. We escape hell when we choose God’s grace.

John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.” This is the ultimate love – that someone would die in our place. Jesus did that. Think of this as a one-on-one. Even if there were no one else on this world, Jesus would have gone on that cross to save me. 

I John 4:9 “By this the love of God was revealed in us, that God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. We live through Him. God doesn’t do things half-way. We live for Him, not just on earth but for eternity in Heaven when we accept his invitation.

I John 3:1 “See how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called children of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know Him.” There are two significant things about this verse. First, we are not just some straggler from off the street. We are children of God. He is indeed our Father. A perfect, heavenly Father. Secondly, those who do not accept His invitation can’t know and understand us. Until, and unless, we choose adoption by God, we will not understand the things of God. 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us that “a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The natural person is a person without God. When someone accepts God’s invitation by faith, the Truth of God is revealed to that person. Somewhat like having inside knowledge of a group. John 8:32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Jesus is the truth, and only through Him will we be set free to see the Truth.

Hell is Real. I have already made references to this, but a simple response to the question of hell would be “If there is no hell, then our beings cease to exist upon our earthly death. Eternal life is nothing but a myth.” This reminds me of a very poignant song  of depression and disillusionment sung by Peggy Lee. The chorus goes Is that all there is, is that all there is? If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing. Let’s break out the booze and have a ball. If that’s all there is.

But that is most assuredly not all there is. There is eternal life and we will all end up in one of two destinations – Heaven or hell.

God Does Not Send Us to Hell. I have heard people proclaim that a loving God would not destine people to hell. And that is right. God gives us a choice. If we accept His invitation, we will join Him in heaven. If not, we will suffer for eternity in hell – a hell of our own choosing. 

Prophecies to be Fulfilled. Having established the veracity of the Bible, we noted that there are still 500 or so unfilled prophecies. Since the Bible has been shown to be one hundred percent accurate on 2,000 prophecies, why would we expect anything different in the remaining 500. These prophecies are, for the most part, dealing with the end times. Bible scholars (of which I am not one) differ on what will happen at the end of time on earth. My Biblical-based belief in a nutshell is that there will be a rapture of saints at the beginning of a seven-year tribulation period. Those who are not Christian will be left behind. During that seven year period, God will send special messengers to give humanity one last chance to enter the gates of Heaven. At the end of that time, Christ will return to Earth. This time it is different. He came over 2000 years ago as a suffering servant. He will come the second time as a conquering hero, setting up His millennial reign on earth. At this time Satan will be bound and locked away, along with those who do not accept God’s invitation. At this point every person who has ever lived on earth will be on the earth, dead and lost, or in Heaven taking part in the judgment. God’s judgments will be seen by the saints as fair (Revelation 15: CEV) “You alone are holy, and all nations will come and worship you, because you have shown that you judge with fairness.” And in Revelation 22:11-12 (CEV) John writes “Evil people will keep on being evil, and everyone who is dirty-minded will still be dirty-minded. But good people will keep on doing right, and God’s people will always be holy. Then I was told: ‘I am coming soon! And when I come, I will reward everyone for what they have done.’”

It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This. You, like I, have probably uttered these words on more than one occasion. We’ve taken our dream vacation. We reached a personal achievement. Our family has turned out to be good people. Our favorite team has won the championship. You met the love of your life. In short, life is good. But life on earth is just a flicker of light in comparison to eternity. No matter how good your life on earth has seemed, if you are a Christian, this life is as bad as it gets when viewed from the eternal life we will find in Heaven. We should live in the light of Heaven.

Seek and Set. In Colossians 3:1-3 Paul told us how to live our days on earth. “Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Seek and set are two powerful verbs Paul used in this passage. “Seek” means“ coveting earnestly , striving after. We are like the pilot of an airplane seeking the landing strip, totally focused to bring the plane to a safe landing.. Paul had a penchant to overstate things in order to drive his point home. In this instance, he followed up with “set.” This word is from a Greek term that means to set one’s mind on, to be devoted to” (Max Lucado in What Happens Next). Our focus on Heaven is a single-minded purpose. It is something we should think of daily. Lucado has said that a day with no thought of Heaven is a day wasted. 

Eternal Life Begins Now. This article has focused on one aspect of eternal life – an eternity in Heaven with God and the saints rather than spending eternity in a tortuous hell. But eternal life is more than a “fire insurance policy.” When we accept Christ’s invitation, eternal life begins at that point. We have eternal life NOW. Our existence on earth will change. As previously cited “the truth shall set us free.” We are free. Many of earth’s problems pale in light of what lies before us. What can man do to us now? Even though we are changed on earth, what awaits us in Heaven is infinitely greater than anything we can imagine on earth. I once recall reading a work of fiction in which a man died and went to Heaven. He was being shown around heaven and observed the “Heavenly Cafe.” His guide told him that the restaurant had awesome food, and since they were in Heaven, calories, cholesterol, and sugar were not issues. Although that is fiction, Heaven is full of banquets more extravagant than we can even imagine. I am reminded of the first hit from Mercy Me, “I Can Only Imagine.”

I can only imagine what it will be like

When I walk by Your side

I can only imagine what my eyes will see

When Your face is before me

I can only imagine, yeah

Surrounded by Your glory

What will my heart feel?

Will I dance for You, Jesus

Or in awe of You be still?

Will I stand in Your presence

Or to my knees will I fall?

Will I sing hallelujah?

Will I be able to speak at all?

I can only imagine

I can only imagine

I can only imagine when that day comes

And I find myself standing in the sun/son

I can only imagine when all I will do

Is forever—forever worship You 

If you have never asked Jesus into your heart, now is the time to take that step and spend eternity with the One who loves you more than you can imagine! Pray this prayer and God promises to come live in your heart forever. “Lord Jesus I need you.Thank you dying on the cross for my sins. By faith I open the door of my life and my heart to receive You as my Savior and my Lord. 

Scripture is from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise indicated.

Photo credit from Pixabay to John R. Perry – One Way. 1Tamara2 -Heaven’s Gates. Aberrant Realities – Hell.