Can I know I'll go to heaven when I die?

Can I know I'll go to heaven when I die?

Let's allow God's Word to answer this question:

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life…" 1 John 5:13

Consider this. Knowing there is a heaven and a hell, would a God who loves you want you to spend your whole life terrified of ending up in hell? Of course not. Refusing to let you know where you are headed after death would be torture of the cruelest kind.

Imagine this hypothetical scenario. A woman visits her doctor after experiencing severe stomach pain. After running several tests, he phones her and says, "I know you and your husband are leaving on a three week vacation tomorrow. I have the test results in my hand and I know what your problem is, but I'm not going to tell you until you return. But I will tell you this: it's either a minor illness, or it's a terminal disease which will cause you to die a slow, agonizing death.

Would this woman enjoy her vacation? No way! She would be tormented day and night. She would be consumed with learning her fate. Granted, this illustration is a stretch, but you get the point. For God to write in His Word that some people will burn forever in hell, but refuse to tell us how to avoid those flames would be unbelievably cruel. That's why God's Word says we can have:

…an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 1 Peter 1:4

Want to get your reservation in? Keep reading.

Aren't there many paths to heaven, like spokes on a wheel?

Although this widespread belief sounds very poetic, it simply isn't Biblical. According to God's Word, there is only one way to heaven. Jesus preached:

"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6

Referring to Jesus, the Bible declares:

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12

Jesus says salvation is through Him alone:

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved… John 10:9

If there were many ways to heaven, then most people would be going there. Look at the shocking words Jesus spoke to the multitudes during His sermon on the mount:

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13-14

Notice. Many go to destruction. Few find eternal life. You can be one of the few. It's up to you.

Will I make it to heaven if I do the best I can?

Millions hope to earn heaven by doing their best. But the Bible says our best will never be good enough:

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags… Isaiah 64:6

Solomon, the wise man, declares:

For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. Ecclesiastes 7:20

The Apostle Paul, who penned much of the New Testament, said of himself:

For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing… Romans 7:18

This same Paul said:

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: Romans 3:10

The Bible says good works will never get anybody into heaven:

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight… Romans 3:20

If you believe doing your best will get you to heaven, you will be sorely disappointed.

Won't being sincerely religious get me to heaven?

God's Word says millions of well-meaning religious people will burn in hell. Jesus Himself tells us that religious people will stand before Him at judgment, thinking they'll get into heaven because of their good works:

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? Matthew 7:22

Can you picture these people? They preached in Jesus' name. They cast out devils in His name. They did wonderful works in His name. So they are shocked to learn they are being rejected from heaven. They cry out in desperation, "But Lord, my religion promised me I would get in. They told me my good works would help."

Instead Jesus will look into their eyes and proclaim:

I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:22-23

Religious friend, please be warned. According to Jesus Christ, religious people will be sent to hell. Please don't be deceived by a religion. When Jesus walked the earth, He hated religion. His strongest opposition came from religious people. He called the religious leaders "hypocrites," and "blind guides." He said they were "full of extortion and excess" and "full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." They were "full of hypocrisy and iniquity" and were "the children of them which killed the prophets." Jesus called them "serpents" and a "generation of vipers" (Matthew 23:23-33). After his scathing condemnation, Jesus asked these religious leaders:

…how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Matthew 23:33

Did you catch that? These sincere religious leaders were on their way to hell. Many people are sincere, but it takes more than sincerity to reach heaven. You must be sincerely right. Tragically, millions of religious people are sincerely wrong.

One night, a nurse gave the wrong medication to a young hospital patient. Before her error could be detected, the patient died. Was the problem a lack of sincerity? No. The patient died because the nurse was wrong, though she sincerely wanted to help him.

In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul said this of well-meaning religious people:

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Romans 10:1-2

They were religious, and very sincere, but they were lost.

Millions of men and women will go to hell because they obeyed a religion. If you are trusting a religion to get you into heaven, beware. Jesus says it won't.

Won't I go to heaven if I'm a good person?

This sounds logical, doesn't it? From childhood, we are taught, "those who do good get rewarded, while those who do bad get punished." But being good will never get you to heaven. First, according to the Bible, there are no "good people:"

They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Romans 3:12

By your standards, you may consider yourself a pretty good person. But by God's standards, you fall far short. When Jesus was being crucified, two criminals hung on crosses beside Him, one on each side. Before He died, Jesus promised one of them, "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).

Wait a minute! This guy had committed a crime worthy of the death penalty. Yet Jesus assured him he would go to heaven. Obviously, it wasn't because he was a good man. Shortly, you'll learn why he made it, and how you can too.

Will I go to heaven if I do what feels right in my heart?

The worst mistake you can make is doing what feels right in your heart. Millions have missed heaven for this reason. Heed God's warning, "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool…" (Proverbs 28:26). Here's more insight:

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

When making eternal decisions, ignore what you feel in your heart. It will deceive you every time. Instead, believe the only reliable source, God's Holy Bible.

Aren't all people children of God?

This widespread misconception is never found in the Bible. All people are the creation of God, but only a few are the children of God. While conversing with a group of Jews, Jesus infuriated them by proclaiming:

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. John 8:44

While speaking to a sorcerer, the Apostle Paul said:

O full of all subtility and all mischief, thou child of the devil… Acts 13:10

We are all born as children of the devil, and if you have not done what it takes to become a child of God, then you remain Satan's child. But you can choose to be born into God's family today.

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