Will everyone go to heaven? Who will go to heaven?
Does everyone go to heaven? This idea, known as universalism, teaches that all people will be in heaven, either immediately following death or at some time after death, depending on one's particular view. However, a close look at the Bible's teachings clearly indicates that not every person will go to heaven.
If not everyone goes to heaven, who will go to heaven? John 3:16 offers the clear words of Jesus on this issue: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Those with faith in Jesus as God's Son have eternal life. Those who do not are separated from Him for eternity future in what the Bible describes as hell or eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46; Luke 12:5; Romans 6:23).
Every person sins (Romans 3:10) and no one is good enough to achieve entrance into God's perfect presence in heaven by works or human goodness. Romans 3:23 teaches that all have sinned and have fallen short of God's glory or perfect standard.
Instead, through God's grace people believe in Jesus Christ by faith and receive salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). Romans 10:9-10 says, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."
Further, this salvation comes specifically from Jesus. Acts 4:12 is clear: "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
After this life, there will not be another opportunity to choose to believe in Jesus or to change one's eternal destiny. Further, there will be death and then a judgment regarding our eternity (Hebrews 9:27). There will be no reincarnation or second chance after death, only eternity with God or apart from Him.
Therefore, Jesus left His followers with the command to make disciples of all nations and to offer every person the hope of new life in Christ (Matthew 28:18-20). While millions have believed in Jesus from around the world, many have yet to hear of His love for them.
The goal of those who have already believed is to help take this message of Christ's love to other people, from those next door to those around the world. We are to have boldness like the apostle Paul who wrote, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:16).
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