There are many who think they’ll go to heaven when they die because they go to church or belong to some other religion. Some go so far as to claim they are heaven-bound because they are good people.
So, where is heaven? Who will go there, and how will they get there? Heaven is God’s dwelling place; He is King there, and everything goes according to His plan and dictates. The Bible describes heaven as a beautiful place where there’s no sin, sorrow, sickness, or death. It has streets of gold, and has no need of the sun or moon because the glory of God keeps it lit up. It is a place where there’s ongoing singing in praise of the King, by angels and those who have gone ahead.
Who will go to heaven? When a person dies, the spirit leaves the body; the body is buried and the spirit goes to God or elsewhere. Those who go to heaven are those who have trusted in Jesus for forgiveness while alive, and their names had been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The Bible explains that when God’s children are absent in the body, they are present with the Lord (see 2 Corinthians 5:8). So, when they died, their spirit went to heaven.
How and why did they get to do that? Well, it’s because they agreed with Jesus about His declaration about them, which says, “Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23). And how did that happen? Again, the Bible explains it: “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” (Romans 5:12). So, those who agree with God’s declaration, repent and confess their sins, accept Jesus’ death as their own are forgiven by God. God then sends His Spirit to live in their heart to identify them as His children, and the Bible says, “To all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). And also, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
So, we’ve established that people who put their trust in God through Jesus Christ go to heaven when they die. How about people who claim religion or being good as the reason they’ll go to heaven? Sadly, Jesus’ response to those is: “I {Jesus} am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father {in heaven} except through me” (John 14:6). This means there’s only one way to heaven, and that way is Jesus Christ!
Dear reader, understand that religion, being good, being a member of a church-going family, singing in the choir, etc. will not get you into heaven. Jesus saves: neither religion nor anything else can save you. Call on Jesus today; confess to Him that you are a sinner, and ask for forgiveness. Only then will your name be written in the Book of Life, then you will be heaven-bound.
You might be wondering about the fate of those who never put their faith in Jesus. The Bible has an answer for that as well: “Just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). At the judgment, anyone found to have not placed their faith in Jesus will be cast into hell: “The King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons” (Matthew 25:41). You don’t need to wonder any longer; the destination of anyone expecting to go to heaven some other way besides through Jesus is hell. “Anyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation:15). I hope this encourages you to seek Jesus today; hell for even one day will be awful, but eternity will be unimaginable. Please, choose life with Jesus!
Once you attain the status as God’s child, you should read the Bible every day, meditate on it, and pray daily. Next, find a Bible-believing church to fellowship and grow with. God bless you, and remember-Only JESUS SAVES!
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