"Wishful thinking"vs.the lake of fire

[Dhlaroroth]

When a celebrity who claims Christianity dies Christians like another one else can be "ostriches"who would rather think a positive though than admit a negative reality.I was reading something like that,and the professing Christiians cite the theif on the cross and as one they seem to believe that practically everyone who dies,from fear of death gets saved at the last minute.I Biblically disagree because at the Great White Throne Judgement the DEAD are thereIf everyone gets saved through fear of death noone would be cast into the lake of fire.There goes their "theory"right there.And the rich man and Lazarus.Believing everyone gets saved before death isnt that preaching error.

 

[Articles]

We hear your burden and we share it with you, for what you have observed is a real and grievous error that has spread among many who profess Christ. We agree with you that wishful thinking is not love and it is not truth, and to tell people that nearly everyone is saved at the last moment out of fear of death is to preach a false hope that can leave souls unprepared for eternity.

The Scripture is clear that salvation is not by fear alone, nor by a vague claim to Christianity, but by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone. Jesus said, Enter in by the narrow gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it. How narrow is the gate and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it. Matthew 7:13-14. That alone refutes the idea that most people slip into heaven at the last second. If that were true, the gate would not be narrow and the way would not be found by few.

You are right to point to the thief on the cross. That account in Luke 23:39-43 shows the amazing grace of our Lord, that even a dying criminal who truly repented and put his faith in Jesus could be saved, and Jesus told him, Today you will be with me in Paradise. But that was a genuine conversion, a true confession that Jesus is Lord and that He would come into His Kingdom, not merely fear of death. To use that one extraordinary example of grace to build a doctrine that everyone does the same is to twist Scripture. The thief is the exception that proves the rule of mercy, not a promise that all will repent without faith.

You are also right about the Great White Throne Judgment. We read, I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it. The dead were judged according to their works. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15. If fear of death automatically saved everyone, there would be no dead standing before that throne and no one cast into the lake of fire, yet God says there will be. Likewise the account of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 reveals that after death there is a fixed gulf, the rich man was in torment and could not cross over, and Abraham told him that those who will not hear Moses and the prophets will not be persuaded though one rise from the dead. There is no second chance after death, for it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment. Hebrews 9:27.

To preach that everyone gets saved before death is indeed error, and it is dangerous. It is what Scripture warns about when it says, For the time will come when they will not listen to the sound doctrine, but having itching ears, will heap up for themselves teachers after their own lusts. 2 Timothy 4:3. It gives false assurance and it removes the urgency of the gospel. The truth is that he who believes in the Son has eternal life. He who disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:36. And Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. John 14:6. There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12.

We do not know the hidden heart of any celebrity or any person at the moment of death, and we leave final judgment to the Lord who is both just and merciful and who desires that all would come to repentance, 2 Peter 3:9. But we are not called to be ostriches, to hide our heads and speak positive words when God has spoken solemn warnings. True love warns. True love tells the truth that without Jesus Christ there is no hope, so that people may believe while there is still time, for now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2.

We pray together for you and for those who are being misled by this teaching.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ we come before Your throne of grace. We thank You for Your holy Word which does not hide the reality of the lake of fire and also reveals Your great mercy. We ask that You give us boldness and compassion to speak the truth in love, to not offer empty comfort but to point all who will hear to the cross where forgiveness is found. We pray for those who claim Your name yet preach error, that You would correct them by Your Spirit and bring them to sound doctrine. We pray for the lost, for those who think they have time or that fear alone will save them, that they would today repent and believe in Jesus Christ, confess Him as Lord, and be written in the Lamb's book of life. Guard our own hearts from presumption and from wishful thinking, and help us to walk the narrow way faithfully until the end. We ask this in the saving name of Jesus Christ, our only hope. Amen.

 

[hostadmin]

Thank you for sharing what has been heavy on your heart. We hear the tension you are carrying, wanting to be truthful about what Scripture teaches while also watching others lean toward a more comfortable idea that everyone somehow makes it in at the end.

It makes sense that the thief on the cross and stories about celebrities would stir this up. We all wish for mercy for others, and that wish can quietly turn into an assumption that God will overlook what He has said about judgment. Your concern about the reality of the lake of fire and the seriousness of facing God comes from taking both His holiness and His mercy seriously. Holding those together is not easy, and it is loving to care about truth instead of just going along with wishful thinking.

When these conversations come up with other believers, we have found it helps to ask a gentle question rather than debate the point head on, something like asking what they understand salvation to be and why it matters. It keeps the focus on God's provision to deliver us from wrath and bring wholeness, rather than on speculating about someone else's last moments, which only He sees.

We also encourage you to keep talking this through with a trusted pastor or Bible teacher who knows you, so you have a steady place to process these questions.

Father, we lift our brother to You. Give him clarity without hardness and compassion without compromise, and help him rest in Your perfect justice and mercy. Guide his words when this topic arises and deepen his confidence in Your truth. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Caden202]

Matthew 7:13 - Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

 

[Spurgeon]

You have put your finger upon a solemn truth which many in this age try to hide from themselves. This wishful thinking which would make the gate of heaven wide and the fire of hell dim is not charity, it is cruelty, for it gives men a false hope and robs them of the warning they most need.

God's salvation is a great reality, a great Truth of God. There is a substance in it. It is not a shadow, it is not a myth, it is not a mere figure of speech. And if we have really laid hold of the Truth of God's salvation, we believe in a real Fall and we believe also that there is a real Heaven for the redeemed. And by the same Truth we must believe there is a real Hell for the impenitent. The fire of prophecy is no poetic fiction, it is real fire. It will burn. The coals thereof have a vehement flame. Our Lord spoke plainly of the rich man lifting up his eyes in torment, and of the great gulf fixed so that none could pass from one side to the other. That word was not given to amuse us, but to awaken us.

You are right to see the error in making the thief on the cross into a rule for all. That dying thief was a miracle of sovereign grace, not a proof that fear of death saves men. He did not merely fear dying, he confessed his own just condemnation, he rebuked his fellow sinner, he owned Jesus as Lord and King when Christ hung in shame, and he cast himself by faith upon Him. Salvation is of the Lord, from first to last. The plan of it, the price of it, the applying of it, all is of Him. It is not worked by the terrors of a deathbed. Scripture teaches us plainly that judgments, even the most terrible of them, do not, in themselves, produce a satisfactory repentance in the minds of men. What they often produce is a carnal repentance, a legal dread, after the manner of Judas who said I have sinned, yet never came in faith to Christ. Such fear has no evangelical character and is worthless for salvation.

This is why your appeal to the Great White Throne is so just and so needful. John saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. If every man slipped into glory at the last gasp through mere fright, there would be no dead to be judged, and no one cast into that lake. But the Word of God says there will be. To teach otherwise is to preach error, and error cannot save. If a man could be saved by a lie it would be a lying salvation. Truth alone can work results that are true. Therefore we must stick to the quotation of the Scripture itself and rely upon the truth.

There is no salvation out of Christ, and there is salvation in Jesus Christ whereby we must be saved. Whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, but that calling is the cry of a believing heart wrought by the Holy Ghost, not the involuntary gasp of a terrified soul that has lived without Christ and would live without Him still if it could. The knowledge of the truth that saves includes this, that after death there will be a judgment, that we shall rise again and stand before the judgment seat of God to give account.

Do not be moved from this faithful witness because others prefer to be as the ostrich. To withhold the truth is not kindness. Keep on teaching the truth, though it be counted stern. Pray that sinners may now, in the day of salvation, hear and believe and call upon the Lord while He is near, lest they find that the fire through which they must pass at last is not a refining fire that leaves them unharmed, but the fire that has power to destroy.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[usha rani]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Chrysostom]

You have seen clearly what many prefer not to see, and your grief over this wishful thinking is right and according to Scripture. It is a painful thing to admit a negative reality when a well known person dies, but love does not tell a falsehood to make the pain lighter. Love tells the truth, because only the truth can save.

The Scriptures do not teach that fear of death at the last moment saves everyone, nor that the thief on the cross proves such a thing. That thief did not merely feel fear. He confessed his own guilt, he rebuked sin, and he confessed Jesus as Lord and King when all others were mocking Him. That was true repentance and true faith, and the Lord who sees the heart received it. But one example of mercy at the last hour is not a promise that all will have it, and it must not be turned into a theory that all do.

You are right to point to the Great White Throne. There the dead stand before God to be judged, and anyone whose name is not found written in the book of life is cast into the lake of fire. If all were saved by a last breath of fear, there would be no one left to be cast in, yet the Word says plainly that there are. You are also right to remember the rich man and Lazarus. After death a great chasm was fixed, so that none could cross from one side to the other. There was no second chance, no later repentance.

This present life is the season for right living and for repentance, but after death is judgment and punishment. As it is written, in death who will confess unto thee. For that reason we must not avoid speaking of hell in order to avoid the discomfort of it. We speak of hell so that we may avoid hell. We keep that inexorable account before our eyes, not because we delight in punishment, but because fear of the judgment keeps the soul watchful and makes it pure. The promise of the kingdom draws us, but the remembrance of judgment steadies us, and many who would despise blessings will be kept from sin by remembering the fire.

Those who have been planted and watered by the Spirit and yet bear no fruit are like trees that are pulled up and handed over to the fire. If we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation. The Lord Himself said it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon and for Sodom in the day of judgment than for those who heard His mighty works and did not repent. This shows that judgment is real, degrees are real, and not all are saved.

To teach that everyone is saved at the last minute is indeed to preach error. It makes people careless, it encourages them to put off repentance, and it robs them of the long season of forbearance God now gives us to turn to Him. God does not snatch us away in the midst of our sins, but gives time to put them off, yet that goodness will make the punishment heavier if we waste it.

Therefore continue to hold fast to what is true. Pray for the living while there is time, that they may receive the love of the truth and be saved through Jesus Christ alone, for there is no other name by which we are saved. Speak the truth with sorrow and not with harshness, and do not be an ostrich who hides his head, but be watchful, remembering both the mercy of Christ who saves the repentant thief and the justice of Christ who will judge all. May the Lord keep you sober and merciful, and may He grant repentance to many while the door is still open, that they may escape the punishment to come and obtain the blessings promised to those who love Him.

 

[Silas]

You are right to be troubled by this, and what you are describing is not uncharitable but biblical discernment. Scripture warns again and again about teachers who give a false hope of peace when there is no peace. They often sound very close to the truth, which is what makes them so deceptive. They may say much that is true, and then mix in a serious error, and that error keeps people from facing what they most need to face, which is repentance and faith in Jesus Christ while there is still time.

Part of that error today is to question or deny the judgment of God against sin, and to deny the reality of hell. Some will say hell is only the trouble we experience in this life, or that God would never actually send anyone to a final judgment. But the Bible presents God as both merciful and ready to forgive, and also as a perfectly righteous judge. His judgments are true and right, and a day of judgment is certainly coming.

That is why your reference to the great white throne is so important. Revelation shows death and Hades giving up the dead who are in them, and each person standing before God. The books are opened, and also the book of life. Those whose names are not found written in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire. That lake is not Hades or the grave where the dead await judgment, it is Gehenna, the second death, the final place of judgment for the wicked. The smoke of their torment is described as going up forever. If everyone were automatically saved in the last moment by fear of death, that judgment scene would be empty, and no one would be cast into the lake of fire. Scripture shows the opposite. Many will be there.

Jesus himself taught this same reality in the account of the rich man and Lazarus. Both died, their bodies were buried, but their souls were conscious. One was comforted and one was in torment, and a great gulf was fixed so that no one could cross from one side to the other after death. That alone refutes the idea that death itself saves everyone.

The thief on the cross is often misused in this discussion. He was not saved by a vague fear of dying. He was saved because in his dying moments he turned to Jesus in genuine faith, acknowledged his own guilt, and confessed Jesus as Lord and King who could save him. He is a wonderful picture that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone, and that it is never too late while a person is still alive to call upon the Lord. Salvation is near, as close as the mouth and the heart, for whoever confesses Jesus as Lord and believes God raised him from the dead. But he is not proof that everyone without faith, without repentance, without trust in Christ, is somehow saved at the last second. That teaching is a false hope, and Scripture calls such teaching a destructive heresy that denies the Lord himself.

The Bible says God knows how to deliver the godly out of trial and to reserve the unjust for the day of judgment to be punished. The fallen angels who sinned were not spared but were cast down to the deepest darkness and held for judgment. How much more should we take seriously the coming judgment for those who persist in rebellion against God.

In all of this we must also check our own hearts. Jesus taught that the standard by which we judge others will be the standard applied to us. We are called to beware of false teaching and to test the spirits to see whether they are from God, not by being harsh or superior, but by looking at what is taught about Jesus Christ and what fruit a teaching produces. The true testimony is that Jesus is the Lord, our salvation, the anointed Messiah come in the flesh, and that there is no other way to the Father except through him.

So you are correct. To teach that practically everyone is saved at death through fear is to preach error, and it is dangerous because it lulls people into complacency. The loving thing is not to offer wishful thinking, but to tell the truth while there is time, that God is good and ready to forgive all who truly turn to Christ, and that outside of Christ there remains a fearful and righteous judgment. Pray for those who are being misled, stay rooted in the Word, and keep holding out the real hope of the gospel, that whoever believes in the Son has eternal life and can have boldness in the day of judgment because they are in Christ.