Daily Devotional for Monday May 26, 2008
Can You Reject Faith in Jesus Christ and Still Get to Heaven
(Mark 9:43-48; Matt. 23:33; Revelation 20:10; John 3:16)
Can you reject faith in Jesus Christ and still get to Heaven? I'm 50 years old, the same age as Donny Osmond. He is actually 2 months older than I am. I grew up enjoying the music of the Osmonds, the Donny and Marie Show, and saw them perform live numerous times over the years. You would be hard pressed to find a more wholesome, All-American family (unless it is the family of Mitt Romney) even though they have all experienced the ups and downs of life everyone faces along this journey. They have always openly talked about "God" and their "faith," so it is very difficult to understand how such wonderful people could ever end up in a horrible place like hell, a place of eternal punishment. Most certainly if there was ever a family that would be all reunited one day in Heaven it is the Osmonds, unless you believe the Bible!
I am dealing with this issue today since I was alarmed at the number of emails I received a few months ago when the patriarch of the Osmond family, George Osmond, died. Donny said that his Mom and Dad were "having a great reunion" and that because of his family's faith, he knows that "they will all be together again". I stated that George Osmond and his wife were having a reunion, in hell, since they had chosen to reject the Truth and follow the lies of Joseph Smith and the Mormon cult. George Osmond made the choice to reject the Jesus of the Bible for the jesus of the Mormon cult, and according to the Bible, he died in his sins and is forever in separated from God in hell.
Some people were upset that I dared to declare this man was in hell. Many who emailed claimed to be Bible-believing Christians and told me that God would understand if George Osmond was following the false teachings of the Mormon cult. They said "he was a good man who had a good heart." PEOPLE GET ON ME ALL THE TIME FOR HAMMERING A GUY LIKE OSTEEN AND OTHERS WHO WATER DOWN THE GOSPEL TO BE LIKED BY EVERYONE AND SELL MORE BOOKS. MAYBE NOW YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY I DO IT! You have too many gutless pastors in cold churches dispensing cheap grace and this damnable lie from hell that leads people to believe everyone will make it to Heaven if they try hard enough, since a loving God truly wouldn't send anyone to hell. THAT IS NOT WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS OR TEACHES!
Let me clarify two critical points. First, God has never sent anyone to hell. Hell was created for satan and the fallen angels who followed him, not for man. Man was NEVER intended to end up in this place of eternal torment and punishment. THE ONLY WAY A MAN ENDS UP IN HELL FOR ETERNITY IS BECAUSE THEY CHOOSE TO GO THERE! The second is if in the last moment of George Osmond's life before he took his last breath he could have renounced the lies of the Mormon cult and embraced faith in the Jesus of the Bible and been saved. The Bible talks about the hearts of men who have rejected the Truth being so hard, that even in the face of God's wrath they shook their fist at Him and cursed Him. While theologically possible, George Osmond was a temple Mormon who had spent his life believing, living, and teaching the lies of Smith. No doubt upon his death he was expecting to be exalted to god-status and inherit his own planet. Sadly, he learned the truth and instead of women waiting to have sex with him, was satan welcoming him to the eternal flames of hell!
Jesus said He was the ONLY way to the Father. John 3:16 says that "whosoever believeth in Him," meaning Jesus, will not, what, PERISH, but have everlasting life. The Lord warned, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Paul spoke over and over of the false shepherds and prophets, of following "a different Gospel." Why? You can't simply reject the Truth of God's Word and choose to believe in a false gospel, do your best to live what the world considers a good life as you follow those false beliefs, die, and expect to be in Heaven. Why? SIN MY FRIEND! The Bible proclaims that there is NONE GOOD, NO NOT ONE and that ALL have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. It is our sin that separates us from a Holy and Righteous God!
Every family has an Uncle Joe or Aunt Judy who are "good people." They don't go to church, they don't read the Bible, and they really don't want to hear that "Jesus stuff." However, they don't drink, smoke, or do drugs, they pay their taxes, they don't kick their dog, and they give money every year to Jerry's kids. They also help their neighbor or whoever is in need, don't hurt anybody, and are the kindest, sweetest people you will ever meet. Yet, the Bible says that if they die without accepting Christ, they will spend eternity in hell! Why? THEIR SIN! Man sees the outside, God sees their heart!
However, God loved his fallen creation so much that He made a way for man to be reconciled back into an everlasting relationship with His Creator. That is why He sent Jesus to die as the one-time perfect sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. The Bible proclaims that there is only one name by which men are saved, the name of Jesus. It was Jesus and nobody else who died for your sins and that is why it is faith in Jesus and nobody else who can save your wretched soul. There is no other way for man to be reconciled back to God but through faith in Jesus Christ. You can't buy your way back to God. There is no amount of good works you can ever do to get back to God. You can't follow the false beliefs of the cults and false religions who have rejected the Truth and get to God. The ONLY way back to God is by putting your faith and trust in the Jesus Christ of the Bible. It is only faith in Jesus Christ that washes away our sins to allow us to be eternally with God our Creator.
I love you and care about you so much. Is it cold hearted and insensitive to declare George Osmond is forever in hell? Maybe. The Truth often is hard for most to handle. How cold is it for the Osmonds to be on Oprah lying to people about their father being in Heaven and leading people to think that you can believe whatever fantasies you want and try to live a good life by the world's standards and end up in Heaven? That is OK, I'll take the heat for being what some think is cold and callous in order to save even one soul from the flames of hell. Satan is a very real enemy and he will do whatever it takes to lead men's souls to hell. He counts on those who know the Truth to be too afraid to speak up and uses people like the Osmond Family to carry a message to the masses that is helping to lead the souls of unsuspecting men to eternal punishment.
People accuse me of hating Mitt Romney. I don't even know Mitt Romney. I hate the fact he lies to people about his beliefs and deceives people into thinking he is a Christian when he is not. I DO hate satan and the fact every day he is successful in helping people choose to spend all eternity in the eternal punishment of hell when God clearly states it is His desire for all to come to repentant and that none be lost. While others are busy playing games of power and influence and money, I am staying focused on battling with satan for the eternal souls of men. Nothing else matters to me.
Do you want to know how far from God and His Truth we have come as a nation and people? Ask 10 people randomly at church next Sunday if you can reject faith in Jesus Christ and still somehow make it to Heaven. Even from those who are in church and should at least know the basic truths of the Bible, you will get 50% who tell you yes. This is the result of weak pastors, people being Biblically illiterate, Christian leaders focused on earthly power and treasures rather than the souls of men, the bold lies of the world being told long enough and loud enough that the masses accept the lie for the truth, and a very real enemy of our soul who is working hard 24/7 to lead men to hell.
THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO BE SAVED AND ONE WAY TO HEAVEN AND THAT IS BY FAITH IN THE JESUS OF THE BIBLE. THERE ARE NO OTHER ROADS TO GOD AND NO OTHER PLANS OF SALVATION!!! If you have never given your heart and life to Jesus by faith and the Holy Spirit is speaking to you today, pray, ask God to open your heart to the Truth and watch this video clip. Please share it with everyone you know who is not saved. http://www.liveprayer.com/altarcall.cfm