With the hope of God also comes the fear of hell......?

Question

OK, I'm sort of confused about something. On Earth you can either be a generally bad person or a generally good person and that determines where you go in the after life (i.e. Heaven or Hell). So, if you are a good person you will go to Heaven even if you don't really serve God the way you should or maybe not even know him? I heard once that if that was the case, yes you would get to go to Heaven but you would never get to enter the city.....has anybody else heard this? Opinions please.....thank you!

If the only way you get to Heaven is through God then what about the people in certain parts of Africa and other parts of the world who have never even heard his name.....do they go to hell?

Answer 1

It sounds like a blending of Islam and Christian beliefs. Basically be good, you go to Paradise. Follow God, you go to heaven. Basically be bad, go to hell. Oppose God, then it's the lake of fire for you. Did I get that right?

Now, I share you concern with this one. What if people have never heard the word of God? What if they were never told about Jesus? Are they all going to hell by default? I remember asking a preacher about that. The answer was...disturbing.

Back in the day when Native American ruled north America, there was no " Christan Priests " here so did they all go to hell with out a chance at salvation? The answer. They just " knew " about salvation and chose to walk another path.

Kind of eerie when you think about it.

Answer 2

About the people who have never heard about God, I don't know if God sends them to hell or not. Only He knows our hearts. Maybe He knows which ones would believe in Him if they heard and which would still reject tHIm and that determines their eternal destiny. I don't know, I have never come across that subject in the Bible.

Your belief that "good" people go to heaven and "bad" people go to hell is a common misconception and is found no where in the Bible. If you read the Word, especially the books of Romans, Hebrews, the four gospels (Matt, Mark, Luke and John) you will read that faith in Jesus Christ and accepting Him as your savior and being possessed of his spirit is what saves a person from hell.The truth is we are all bad. No one is good. Not me, not Billy Grahamn, not the apostles,not the Pope, no one except God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus christ is the only perfect human. When you accept him and ask him to forgive you of all the sins you have commited and will commit in the future, you are "born again" and become a new creation and don't have to fear hell at all. Christ promised his followers that he would never ever leave them nor forsake them.We are saved by the grace of God, not our own righteousness, so that we cannot boast that our goodness is what saved us. Here are some verses that I hope you look up and meditate on. I encourage you to find a local church or Bible study to help you in your search for truth.
Romans 8
John 3:16-17
Hebrews 4:14-16
Hebrews 10

Answer 3

Hell is used by God as deterence for the hard-headed. Actually, hell is intended for satan and his angels. Some people will go to hell because they followed satan and his angels who are headed towards hell! I hope you get the point. Saint Paul wrote about this also in 1 Timothy 5:15;
"For some are already turned aside after after satan."

There really will be a hell or a lake of fire. Do what you must do as a Christian and you won't be afraid of hell no more. Take this advice:
Ecclesiastes 12:13;
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: FEAR GOD, and keep His commandments: for THIS IS THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN."

Answer 4

So many good people are bound to an eternity seperated from God. It isn't good and bad. A christian can be either. It is being in a real relationship with God, by His Spirit, thru Jesus. Ask Him for understanding. This forum will eat anybody who is unsure, alive...

Answer 5

You seem like a confused young person...take it from me. Live your life the way you see fit. Do what you enjoy and don't let doubts about heaven and hell and good and evil influence all of your decisions!

Answer 6

You have to come through JESUS CHRIST to get to Heaven.

After all, HE was sacraficed for our Salvation.

HE is the Gift from our FATHER, to us. Though, as any "gift" you have to accept HIM, as your Saviour.

There is no other way, you either accept HIM or don't. No inbetween. If you don't, then you go to Hell. If you do, then all your Sins are forgiven upon believe that HE died for you, and you get baptised.

You must repent your sins, and accpet the LORD, and get batpised. Then, live a Christian life.

Attend Church, so you can fellowship with others and take communion.

I wish you well..

Jesse

Answer 7

Your fear lies on what the ancient Greeks invented-Hell-. Yes it's used in the Bible, but only thru ignorance of translations. According to the Bible, every one that dies returns to God. Have you ever read that? Sure there's judgement, but that comes much, much later.

Answer 8

You get to Heaven through faith in Jesus. Through your faith, The Holy Spirit gives you a conscience to do good deeds and to do those things to serve Jesus. You don't get into Heaven by being nice or a good person. You get to Heaven through faith.

Answer 9

Good and bad people go to hell, only people who fully accept Christ as their sovereign Lord and savior go to heaven. We are saved by grace through faith and not by good works so that no man can boast of their good works.

Answer 10

God, not man, judges.

Heaven is where God is and hell is where he is not. Earth is where man is.

At this point, is your question about how we get to God or how we act as if there is no God?

Frankly, you can control only your actions, not anyone else. So where do your actions lead?

God, not man, judges.