The thought of anyone suffering in the anguish of eternal flames is unthinkable. When we imagine the possibility of ourselves in such a place as Hell, we can’t think of sending anyone there…even our worst enemy.  So it’s perhaps reasonable for us to ask, “If God is a god of love, does He really intend to send people to Hell simply because they do not believe in Him?” 

It is an increasingly common, “feel good” sentiment behind the teaching that “all dogs go to heaven”. That is, everyone goes to heaven when they die if their good deeds outweigh their bad ones. They say “How can a good god send anyone to hell?!” I know some well intentioned people who confess to being Christians, but who believe that Jesus is going to rescue all of humanity regardless of their allegiance to Him or their faith in Jesus as the Savior. However, as well intended as this sentiment may be, this idea of “universal salvation” is quite easily refuted as you will see in the post below.

However, if you would like to know for certain that you will enter Heaven when you die, refer to this website (peacewithgood.net) to learn how to receive the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. You can be saved today!

Jesus provides the exclusive way to salvation and Heaven. Only those who follow that way will enter Heaven.

To begin, let’s first quickly establish the that Jesus claimed to be the ONLY way to salvation. Here are a few of the proof texts for this claim:

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

‭“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” ‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Jesus here is speaking of himself as the way to salvation and makes the statement that a relatively few will find life:

“For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” ‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Jesus makes it abundantly clear in Luke 13:22-30 (read the entire passage) that relatively few will enter Heaven:

“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” Luke‬ ‭13‬:‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

‭In Revelation we see that in the final judgement ONLY those who’s names are written in “the book of life” will be spared the lake of fire.

If the Bible teaches all will be saved, then who are the “elect”? There can not be the “elected” without there being “unelected”.

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭24‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

If everyone goes to Heaven, who are the ones Jesus refers to who will be “cast out” where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth”?

“But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew‬ ‭24‬:‭48‬-‭51‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭30‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.” Luke‬ ‭13‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The truth is that ‭Jesus Separates, Selects, Sentences, and will Exclude.

In this passage about the sheep and the goats Jesus makes it clear that there will be a separation of people from all the nations of the world at His final coming. Those who are His sheep (his desired people) will enter eternal paradise with Him. Those who are goats (rejected people) will be thrown into eternal fire for eternity! The entire passage is Matthew 25:31-46.

Particularly relevant to the question of universal salvation are these verses:

Jesus Separates

“Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.”‭ Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭32‬-‭33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Jesus Selects

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭34‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Jesus Sentences

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭41‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Jesus Excludes

“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” ‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭46‬ ‭ESV‬‬

If Hell is not for people (as some claim), who are the ones being thrown into this eternal fire? 

“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” ‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭40‬-‭41‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”‭ Revelation‬ ‭20‬:‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’” Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

If then God sent His Son to the entire world, but only some will be saved, what are the criteria for salvation?

“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” 1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“because, 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. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬-‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” ‭Luke‬ ‭24‬:‭46‬-‭47‬ ‭ESV‬‬