HOW CAN I BE SURE OF GETTING TO HEAVEN? 

  Which of the following will get you there?

 1. Believing in God

2. Being a good person

3. Giving money to the church

4. Keeping the Ten Commandments

5. Having Christian parents

6. Living for God

7. Doing your best

8. Being a church member

9. Obeying the church

10. Getting baptized as a baby

11. Praying to God

12. Dying for God and country

13. Loving your neighbour

14. Going to the confessional

15. Helping the poor

16. Taking Holy Communion

17. Doing good works

18. Having the last rites at death

19. Going to church regularly

20. Being devoted to Mary

21. Doing many penances

22. NONE OF THE ABOVE

 

 Read every word carefully – 
 It’s a matter of YOUR eternal life 
 ....or eternal torment. 

 

The correct answer is 22. Dear Friend, the others may make you “feel good” or even “spiritual” but they can’t get you into heaven. Please read on:

 LET’S START AT THE BEGINNING: 

 
HAVE YOU EVER:

1. Told a lie?

2. Taken something that wasn’t yours?

3. Had sexual thoughts about someone else? (not your spouse)

If you have, the Bible says that you’re

a LYING, THIEVING ADULTERER! 

You may be thinking – “I can’t be that bad! There’s a lot worse than me – I’m no axe-murderer!”

At each end of the scale you’d have Hitler & Mother Teresa and you’d be somewhere in between, right? And maybe you’re just crossing your fingers - somehow hoping that God will let you into heaven with a 50% pass mark, right?

Now, we rarely think of ourselves as being bad, because “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes:” (Proverbs 21:2). In fact, most criminals in jail think they’ve been unjustly sentenced.

As we can see, our standards vary and the Bible says we are not wise to compare & measure ourselves against each other (2 Corinthians 10:12).

In fact, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). 

 HOW FAR SHORT? 

God’s standards are so high, He says even the GOOD THINGS we do are like FILTHY RAGS in His eyes - not the bad things but the good things! (Isaiah 64:6)

 WHAT ABOUT LITTLE SINS? 

Has the thought entered your mind that a loving God should overlook your sins and only punish the serious criminals like murderers, child-molesters and rapists? The Bible says, quote: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). There are no big or little sins in God’s eyes. If you’ve done one – you’re guilty of the whole lot. Just one poison will kill you.


 BUT WAIT ... THERE’S MORE! 

When God created Adam, He made him the representative of the entire human race. When he disobeyed God, his sin was put onto everyone’s individual account - just as if we’d sinned!(Rom 5:12) As a result, our nature got changed from “pure to sewer” and from then on, all were born with a sinful nature. No-one needs to be taught to sin - we take to it like “ducks to water”. We sin because we’re sinners!

 WILL GOD JUDGE SIN? 

The Bible says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, BUT AFTER THIS THE JUDGMENT.” (Hebrews 9:27) and “...he hath appointed a day, in the which HE WILL JUDGE THE WORLD IN RIGHTEOUSNESS BY THAT MAN (Jesus) whom he hath ordained...” (Acts 17:31)

This means that your righteousness must match that of Jesus Christ. Jesus committed no sin and was perfect. Unless you have a 100% record, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. God’s standard is 100% perfection.

 WHAT IS GOD’S PENALTY FOR SINNERS? 

 “...fornicators ADULTERERS, homosexuals, drunkards, THIEVES & swearers  SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD...those who reject Jesus, murderers, fornicators (pre-marital sex), idolaters (a love replacing God e.g. sports, careers), users of magical arts (e.g. astrologers ) and All LIARS shall HAVE THEIR PART IN THE LAKE WHICH BURNS WITH FIRE. (Revelation 21:8; I Cor 6:9)


 SO WHAT’S HELL LIKE? 

It’s not a place where you can “party-on” with friends. Jesus spoke more about Hell than Heaven and with good reason - He didn’t want anyone to go there!

It’s a place of damnation, bondage, darkness, weeping & torment... EVERLASTING burnings ...the FLAMES never go out & wailing, their WORM NEVER DIES... & gnashing of teeth... with NO TRANSFER OUT! (Luke 16:26; Matthew 22:13, Matthew 13:41-42; Mark 9:44; Isaiah 33:14)

 YOU WON’T BE ALLOWED TO KILL YOURSELF TO END THE PAIN. 

 THE TORMENT WILL BE SO BAD IN HELL! 

When you die, you will find yourself in heaven or hell for eternity. PURGATORY is a lie made up to give relatives false hope in order to get more money from them through fear. Your family can’t pray for you in purgatory. WHY? You won’t be there! IT DOESN’T EXIST! There is no purgatory in the King James Bible. There’s no re-incarnation (Heb 9: 27) or `6 foot under’ either (Matt 25:46 ;)

 

 WON’T THE TEN COMMANDMENTS 
 GET ME INTO HEAVEN? 

No my friend, the Ten Commandments only show us how far short we come compared to God and His perfect standards. They’ll keep you out of heaven unless you can show that you’ve kept them all.

 

 CAN I EARN MY WAY TO HEAVEN? 

The Bible says, “NOT BY WORKS of righteousness which we have done, BUT ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY he saved us.” (Titus 3:5). If we could earn our way to heaven then Jesus didn’t need to die for us.

Dear friend, you can’t get right with God by leading a good life, church membership, sacraments, baptism or anything else. If you try to earn it or do something for it, it’s called “SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS”.

 

 

 FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY WAY 

 TO GET INTO HEAVEN 

Faith is complete trust and dependency upon someone. The Bible says that Jesus shed His blood to pay for your sins and purchase your right standing with God. You can’t earn it, buy it or work for it but you must “put your complete faith in Christ” to receive it.

The Bible says, “But TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, but BELIEVETH ON HIM that justifieth the ungodly, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Romans 4:5).

You won’t fear Judgment Day because you will, “Be found in him, NOT HAVING MINE OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS ...but THAT WHICH IS THROUGH THE FAITH OF CHRIST, the RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS OF GOD BY FAITH.” (Philippians 3:9)

 

  IF GOD IS LOVE, WOULD HE SEND ME TO HELL? 
 HE HAS NO CHOICE! 

You’ve sinned and owe a debt you cannot pay.... but Jesus paid your debt He didn’t owe! If you reject Jesus -what else can God do for you? The Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and HE THAT BELIEVETH NOT THE SON SHALL NOT SEE LIFE; BUT THE WRATH OF GOD ABIDETH ON HIM(John 3:36)

 

 DOES SATAN RULE & REIGN IN HELL? 

NO! Hell was made to cast Satan & his angels into for eternal torment - along with the unsaved (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10,15) You’re not handed over to Satan for punishment for sins – he was defeated at the cross.

 No my friend, HELL IS GOD’S  EVERLASTING  PUNISHMENT FOR THOSE WHO REJECT JESUS. 


 YOU HAVE A CHOICE! 

Very simple indeed - which will you choose?

GOD’S LOVE –“Jesus died for my sins” OR

GOD’S WRATH –“I reject the sacrifice of Jesus” No choice is a choice and not choosing won’t make it go away. Every minute you delay is a minute closer to your eternity in hell.

Instead of coming to God and promising Him you’ll “clean up your act,” He’s waiting for you to say:

“I’m a sinner! I can’t measure up to your high standards! All I deserve is eternal hell fire. But I believe that Jesus paid my debt in full & by faith alone I trust in His sacrifice to save me.”

 WILL EVERYONE GET TO HEAVEN? 

God says He is “...not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”(2 Peter 3:9). But the Bible also says, “...broad is the way that leadeth to DESTRUCTION, AND MANY there be which go in ... and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto LIFE, AND FEW  there be that find it.” (Matt 7:13-14).


 WHICH GROUP WILL YOU BE IN – 
 THE FEW OR THE MANY? 

 WHAT WILL STOP YOU? 

Your love of sin, pride, unbelief, delay, your plans or

fear of friends will stop you trusting Jesus as Saviour.


 

 THIS IS YOUR ONLY HOPE. 

Even doing all those 21 things on the front of the Article to get saved, will still see you in Hell for all your trouble, i.e. baptism, confessionals, sacraments, good works, penances, being good, church membership, religion, last rites, Saturday worship or church rules CANNOT SAVE YOU. Will you stop trusting in your “self-righteousness” & put your trust in Jesus Christ alone and “His righteousness”?


 

 ETERNAL LIFE IS A FREE GIFT! YOU CAN’T EARN IT,  WORK FOR IT OR BUY IT! 

The Bible says, “...the GIFT of God is eternal life THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.” (Rom6:23). The Bible says “...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ...” (1Timothy 1:15) and it also says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord SHALL BE SAVED.” (Romans 10:13)

 

 Eternity is forever and hell is real, but if you want to be   saved, trust alone in Jesus and pray from your  heart: 

“DEAR GOD, I’m a sinner & deserve Your everlasting wrath in hell. I believe Jesus died for all my sins, and His shed blood was payment. I completely trust Him alone to save me. Thank you for forgiving me of all my sins. AMEN.

 

Harley Hitchcock

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