Who Will Go to Hell?
“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as
for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their
portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the
second death” (Revelation 21:8).
There is a great
deception taking place. This deception encompasses many to believe that all one
has to do to avoid hell is to do good works and be good. Many people think that
living a life where one does not steal, kill, cheat, and occasionally do acts
of kindness such as donate to charitable organizations helps to avoid a fiery
afterlife. Well, they are absolutely mistaken, and the Word of God lets us know
that good works cannot get you into Heaven. The Bible says, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we
display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn
leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind” (Isaiah
64:6). The prophet Isaiah was letting us know that we are in
error to think that our righteousness or good works can get us anywhere. Yes,
we are to do good to others, but this does not guarantee one’s entry into
Heaven. There are many people who give money to great causes and will sometimes
volunteer time at a food pantry to feed the homeless, but they have not
accepted Christ into their hearts and asked for forgiveness of their sins.
Acceptance of Christ
into one’s heart and repentance of sin is the only way to enter Heaven. You or
someone you know may say, “I have already accepted Jesus into my heart.” Well,
that is wonderful, but there is something that goes along with that – following
Christ requires a lifestyle change. What did Jesus say to the woman who was
brought before Him and was accused of committing adultery? The Bible says, “Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman,
“Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” “No, Lord,” she
said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and
sin no more” (John 8:10-11). Jesus let the woman know that He
forgave her of her sins, but she had to turn from her adulterous life when He
told her to go and sin no more.
When we accept Jesus
into our hearts, there should be a desire and an effort to change from our
sinful past. Otherwise, it is only belief that we display without any action
and even the devil believes. The Bible says, “You
say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even
the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. How foolish! Can’t you see
that faith without good deeds is useless?” (James 2:19-20). The Apostle
James is saying in this text that there need to be actions behind your belief.
The Word of God lets us know that we will know who a person is by the fruit
that they display. The Bible says, “You can
identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes
from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16). Your
actions speak louder than your words. Therefore, we must all be careful to
display the fruits of righteousness.
In order to understand
more about who will be going to hell, let’s break down some of the acts of
wickedness that will cause one to go, so that the myths that surround this will
be dispelled. The Bible says, “Or do you
not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men
who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of
you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
Sexually Immoral – America
and other nations are becoming more wicked by the day. Homosexuality with other
acts of lewdness is being endorsed and promoted as freedom of sexual
expression. Adultery fills the television screens, books, and celebrity
magazines, while fornication is encouraged instead of teaching abstinence.
These things are not limited to those in the world but are also taking place
amongst those who consider themselves as part of the body of Christ. However,
if they do not turn from their wicked ways, they will find that they are
nothing more than prosthetic limbs, that will never be a part of the true Body
of Christ. The Bible says, “Flee from
sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but
the sexually immoral person sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18). Sexual
sin also includes pedophilia, bestiality, pornography, masturbation, and
sodomy.
Thieves – Some people may erroneously
believe that just because they have not committed armed robbery or have done
something like stealing a tv prevents them from being classified as thieves in
God’s eyes. Well, they are wrong. Stealing can also include: cheating on one’s
taxes, taking another person’s spouse, robbing God of quality time, being
stingy with finances, taking credit for someone’s work, and much more. All
criminals are not locked up behind bars, but all thieves will have an eternal
home in hell if they do not repent. The Bible says, “Let
the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his
own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need”
(Ephesians 4:28).
Greedy – There are a lot of
people who will do anything for money. The Bible says, “For
the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money,
have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1
Timothy 6:10). Many have sold their souls for the sake of fame,
prosperity, and status. Unfortunately, this too has and still is taking place
amongst those in the body of Christ. You have many pastors, evangelist,
teachers, and apostles who are prophets for profit. They pimp the sheep out of
money all for selfish gain, and then, will call out politicians for doing the
very thing that they are guilty of doing themselves. God is displeased with
those who will compromise His truth for the sake of greed, and they will have
to stand before the judgment seat of God to answer for what they have done if
they do not repent and turn from their wicked ways. The Bible says, “For the leaders of my people—the Lord’s watchmen,
his shepherds—are blind and ignorant. They are like silent watchdogs that give
no warning when danger comes. They love to lie around, sleeping and dreaming. Like
greedy dogs, they are never satisfied. They are ignorant shepherds, all
following their own path and intent on personal gain” (Isaiah 56:10-11).
Drunkards – There are a lot
of people who love to drink an occasional glass of wine and some drink vodka,
whiskey, and other hard liquors to get drunk on a regular. The Word of God lets
us know that people who do such things are foolish and will have not part with
Him. The Bible says, “Envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things
like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things
will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21). Not only
are those who get drunk off of alcohol will spend an eternity without God, but
those who get drunk off of the sins of others. The Bible says, “Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour
out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!”
(Habakkuk 2:15). Not
partaking in something yourself does not clear you of guilt when you enable
others to sin for your benefit.
Revilers – God wants us to
watch our mouth. Many people are killing others with their tongues and make the
mistake of thinking that they are on their way to Heaven. They belittle people,
demean them, gossip about them, and find various ways to tear them down. This
is called verbal abuse and it is just as bad as physical abuse because it
involves emotional abuse which causes people to wear hidden scars for many
years. There are countless people who have left the church because of
back-biting “saints” who did not act so saintly. The Bible says, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling,
but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a
blessing” (1 Peter 3:9). We are to righteously support people and
not tear them down. This does not mean that one must compromise the Word of
God, but many people are just malicious gossipers and are not interested in
helping anyone. There are those who are narcissists and all they do is look for
ways to degrade others to inflate their own egos. People who are like this will
have their eternity spent in hell if they do not turn from their wicked ways. The
Bible says, “Let no corrupting talk come out of
your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion,
that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).
There are many things that can
cause people to be lost and lose out on Heaven unless they repent and turn from
their wicked ways. We cannot list every sin in this one lesson, but one must
ensure to have a daily walk with Jesus. No one is perfect, and everyone has
sinned, but when we repent and allow the Holy Spirit to change us from the
inside out, Heaven will be our eternal home. Hell is not a destination that the
saints of God have to worry about. We were unable to save ourselves, but it is
only through the blood of Jesus that one can be saved. The Bible says, “Salvation is found in no one else,
for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be
saved” (Acts 4:12). Many people
do not take it seriously that there is a place where we will be designated to
go once we depart this earth. Nevertheless, despite those who choose to ignore
this important fact, everyone will have a final destination. The choice of
where one goes is totally up to the individual because God gives us all the free will
to choose. God has not predestined people to hell, but they make the poor
choice to go there themselves.
There is more to this lesson, but this is the final part that will be posted to this blog. I pray that you have enjoyed the King of kings and Lord of lords Bible Lesson series. More lessons will be available towards the end of this year on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. God bless!