King of kings and Lord of lords: Heaven and Hell (Part 4)

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!