1. The Afterlife May 29, 2011 Who Gets To Go to Heaven?...

2. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

3. Sermon Series: The Afterlife Today’s Topic: Who gets to go to heaven? Material drawn from: www.patheos.com www.fathershousetrust.com/blog/51 Who Gets To Go To Heaven?

4. Universalism believes that all will be saved, regardless of religious beliefs. Muslims, Hindus and Christians are on the same basic path – everyone will find their way to heaven.

5. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? Truth: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

6. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? Christian Universalism contends that all will be saved because of what Jesus did on the cross. You don’t have to choose Jesus, He chose you. Truth: Most other religions don’t believe this, and in fact may say they don’t want to be saved through Christ.

7. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? Evangelical Universalism argues that God saves exclusively through Christ and that those who deny Christ, or who have not heard of Christ, or who have rejected God’s natural revelation to them, will be judged and will experience hell temporarily.

8. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? By the grace of God and through the merits of Christ, the opportunity to respond to the gospel – and this news is so good and God’s offer so gracious that eventually hell will be emptied and all will find redemption in Christ to enjoy God’s salvation forever.

9. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? Annihilationism This view is that those who don’t respond to the gospel will be judged and will experience hell, but that eventually their punishment will run out and they will be utterly destroyed and cease from existence.

10. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? Traditional View (which Catch the Fire holds): those who reject Christ will be judged on the basis of that. Those who have not responded to Christ will suffer eternal and conscious separation from God in hell.

11. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? Universalism was condemned as a heresy at the Constantinople Council (A.D. 553). Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants all eschew the idea that ultimately hell will be empty with all people eventually inheriting eternal life.

12. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? God’s Will: (God) who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4 So does God get what God wants? Does everyone get in if God wants it? Saved from what?

13. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? God has two type of wills 1. The absolute will of God (that which He decrees will absolutely happen) ie. “Heaven and earth will pass away” 2. The general will of God (that which He desires, but we have the freedom to obey or reject that part of His will)

14. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? Despite God’s desire that all be saved, Jesus said that not everyone will. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21

15. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? Two implications Jesus makes here: 1. Not everyone will enter the kingdom of Heaven (contrary to universalistic doctrine) 2. Not everyone will do the will of the Father (choose to believe in Jesus)

16. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? Is there a second chance? There are no passages that I am aware of that say people have a second chance to believe in Jesus and be saved.

17. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? Is there a second chance? Hebrews 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Not, “after this the judgment and then a second chance.”

18. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? God’s love is not just expressed in terms of affection; it is also expressed in terms of anger. This anger is traditionally known as the Father’s wrath and I define that as ‘God’s righteous and measured anger over human sin, demonic wickedness and

19. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? social injustice’. If we stress affection alone, we will love Him but not fear Him. If we stress His anger alone we will end up fearing Him but not loving Him. If we stress both together we will have a healthy love and a healthy fear of the Lord. Mark Stibbe

20. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? If the lost are lost, we need to respond! How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? Romans 10:14

21. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? Who gets to go to heaven? Believers! For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him (Jesus) shall not perish (hell) but have eternal life (heaven). John 3:16

22. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? 1. Am I actively involved in seeing people come to know Jesus? If not, why? Fear of how people will react? My lifestyle doesn’t show Jesus? Don’t know what to say?

23. Who Gets To Go To Heaven? 1. Have I invited Jesus to be a part of my life? Why would a loving God force me to live with him forever when I didn’t want to be with him on earth? We need to choose Jesus!