We live in strange times. Significantly more people believe in heaven than in hell. That makes no sense to me. If heaven exists, it stands to reason that hell exists also. If hell exists, surely someone is going to spend eternity there. For a human being, a sojourner on this earth looking forward to eternity in another place, the most important issue must be how to determine one’s eternal destiny. I have often been truly puzzled about the various ideas I hear expressed in our culture regarding those who have died. Just this week, I heard a man expressing an idea as if it were unquestionable truth regarding the death of a celebrity. The man claimed that the celebrity was having a good time in heaven with many other deceased celebrities. The deceased celebrity claimed to be a Muslim but had declared while alive that all religions were valid vehicles to get a person to heaven. I am quite sure that his thinking has been straightened out at this point. The Bible does not allow for that kind of belief, neither does the Koran for that matter. I am amazed at what people believe about such all-important topics.
Jesus gave us much light on this subject in Matthew 7:13-23. He began by pointing out a difficult and frightening truth; more people will make it to hell than to heaven. Next, Jesus gave an explanation of how to evaluate the faith claims of people. Surely, salvation is a personal matter known only to God and the individual in question. However, a reasonable assumption can be made and it seems that such an evaluation should be made in certain circumstances. Otherwise, why would Christ have taught us how to do so? Verses 15-20 warn us about false prophets who will claim to be followers of Christ. These false prophets will work at appearing as true believers but in reality they are not. They will appear harmless but they are very destructive. Jesus said we ought to recognize them based on their fruits. Therein lies a problem. We Christians have largely disregarded the Bible. We do not read it as individuals or families. We devote far too little time to real Biblical teaching in our churches. Many if not most congregations will not allow the pastor to spend time preparing to teach and then teach. Many congregations have done away withSunday evening teaching time. We are so Biblically illiterate that we do not know what fruit Christ speaks of, nor can we recognize it. A working knowledge of the whole Bible is essential.
If you think this is an unimportant, peripheral, issue may I remind of what Jesus said next? “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; Depart from Me you who practice lawlessness’”.(Matthew 7:21-23, NASU) This warning certainly applies to unbelievers who have snuck in for nefarious purposes. However, it must also apply to those who truly think they have done what is right. This is a sobering warning indeed. A thorough knowledge of the Bible is a necessity. How else can we make a realistic assessment of our own profession of faith? How else can we adequately communicate the gospel message to others? All other issues fade into total insignificance.
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