Heaven: Who Will Be There?

Chuckle: On the way home from Sunday morning worship, A pastor I said to his wife, "You know, I don't think I have ever preached worse." In an effort to cheer him up, she said, "Sure you have, honey."

Today's Quote: "Take all the pleasures of all the spheres, And multiply each through endless years -- One minute of heaven is worth them all." --Thomas Moore

    "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him" (John 3:36 NIV).

There is a popular belief today that a loving God will allow everyone into heaven as long as there is a thread of decency in their character. It seems that nearly everyone is going to heaven, and hell is reserved for only the vilest of characters like child-molesters, murderers, or other heinous persons including those we just don't like. It's understandable that we are repulsed by the thought of a fellow human being spending eternity separated from God in a horrible place the Bible calls hell -- a place many say does not exist.

According to Scripture, both heaven and hell are indisputable realities, regardless of our personal feelings about them. Heaven is described as a blissful place of eternal peace, joy, and comfort in the presence of our Lord. R. G. Lee said this about heaven, "Heaven is the most beautiful place the mind of God could conceive and the hand of God could create." It is reserved for those who have trusted in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord as evidenced by their service to Him and other people.

Hell, on the other hand, was not prepared for human beings but for the Devil and his angels. "Then he (Jesus) will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels'" (Matthew 25:41 NIV). God does not send people to hell; they go there by choice.

We cannot dismiss the reality of hell without dismissing the teachings of Jesus himself. Jesus was rejected and insulted when he confronted people with the harsh reality of their sins. He often spoke about hell as the place of eternal suffering for those who willfully and persistently reject his love and free gift of salvation by grace through faith in him.

Yes, hell is a real place that will be inhabited by the eternal souls of real people -- even good moral people who have rejected Christ. This truth should never be sugar-coated, glossed over, or watered down to please those who do not want to hear about or acknowledge hell's existence.

So, back to our original question: "Who will go to heaven?" Answer: Those who have humbled themselves before God, repented of their sins, and have received forgiveness by placing their faith in Jesus Christ and his atoning death on Calvary's cross. These words are not Jerry Stratton's opinion but the Words of God himself as expressed by Jesus Christ and others in the Bible, God's Holy Word.

Love, Jerry & Dotse