Christian Community Networking

 Ramon Roane, author

EVERYBODY IS GOING TO HEAVEN? Really?

This week’s Time Magazine cover titled “What If There’s No Hell?” sparked by a bestselling book entitled “Love Wins”: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. The author, Rob Bell, pastor of mega church Mars Hill in Grand Rapids, Michigan has brought back up a topic heard before. Everybody is going to heaven. Really?

I have not read his book, but I have watched his promotional video for the upcoming book challenging orthodox views on Heaven and hell — a book some prominent Christian leaders are saying is a rejection of the orthodox belief of the Christian faith.

What sparked Bell to write the book was an art exhibit held in his church. There was a picture and quote of Gandhi and someone other than the artist placed a note underneath it that said “Reality Check he (Gandhi) is in Hell.” This didn’t set well with Bell and he raised questions within himself to write his book.

Bell tries to address one of the most controversial issues of faith — the afterlife — arguing that a loving God would never sentence human souls to eternal suffering. He also believes that you will be won over even after you are dead. This is widely believed by many, but one would just have to read the bible to see that in God’s love there is justice. When Eli’s two sons, Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire before the Lord and God killed them. Was he a loving God, then? What about Ananias and Sapphira who lied about the property they sold? They were killed that very day. Was God a loving God, then? Yes, He was then and He is today the same God!

There are many Christians that would like to believe that God loves the world so much that He would not allow any to suffer in hell. If you would understand the character of God, which is found throughout the scriptures, as I would think pastor Bell is familiar with. What I believe the problem is that Bell’s personal definition of love and God’s definition of love are vastly different. When we define love as an all inclusive to where no one is held accountable for their sins, actions or beliefs, this would be wrong.

It is very sad when ministers of the Word of God distort the gospel and deceive souls with false doctrine. What Bell is teaching is not the doctrine of Christ, but the doctrines of the devil. God only recognizes one doctrine and that is Christ’s doctrine and all others are in vain. Some so called liberal Christians believe that Christ doctrine is insufficient for today. Many are trying to make the Gospel attractive by watering down the Gospel and introducing their own amendments and interpretations to the bible. There will be a price to pay for such teachings and each individual will be responsible for our interpretation, God responsible for the fulfillment of His Word.

Heaven is not an all inclusive place that everyone will go as Bell believes. No matter what the wages of sin is always death and separation from God. God desires that everyone to be saved, but He has given us the freedom to choose where we want to spend eternity, heaven or hell. Bell’s belief is that there are many roads that lead to God, but this is not the truth.

Matthew 7:13-14 (New Century Version)

13 "Enter through the narrow gate. The gate is wide and the road is wide that leads to hell, and many people enter through that gate. 14 But the gate is small and the road is narrow that leads to true life. Only a few people find that road.

What Pastor Bell and his book are teaching that the wide road is just as good has the narrow. The thing is that Jesus tells us to choose the narrow road. In God’s love there is a penalty and a reward. Just as there is a Heaven and there is a hell.

Check out Bell’s YouTube Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODUvw2McL8g

Would you be expecting to see Ted Bundy, Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin in Heaven if they never accepted Christ has the Savior?

What say you?