Say theres a man who has killed tons of people,. and he is due to be executed, or he spent his life in prison and is about to die, just before he dies (in either situation) he asks God for forgiveness for the people he killed and the lives he destroyed. Does that mean he goes to Heaven?
2007-08-17 08:05:05 · 39 answers · asked by Kagome 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
But doesn't that mean Heaven is full of mass murderers who repented on their death bed?
2007-08-17 08:10:50 · update #1
If he is truly repentant, yes.
2007-08-17 08:09:09 · answer #1 · answered by osborne_pkg 5 · 7⤊ 1⤋
Repentance is a process. Not something that you can just say sorry for. During that repentance process is when your heart changes. You try to "undo" the wrong that you can. But, of course there are some things that you can't undo. Then it comes down to what you've done with your life since then. If you sin again, that's not true repentance. True repentance is a change of heart and actions (never doing it again). Sometimes it's doing honestly the best that you can do. Murder is the worst sin because their playing god and cutting short a person's time to repent. Of course, God knows all of the details of what lead someone to do something, whether there is something chemically wrong, taught and encouraged by parents, etc... Only God knows.... Which is why we shouldn't judge. We only see part of the picture, where He sees all of the nooks and crannies of the full picture.
2007-08-17 08:48:04 · answer #2 · answered by Dug 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi.
The Bible says, Repent and accept Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Savior, and you will be saved. Now, if someone goes through their life and commits these heiness crimes, thinking that "well, when I'm about to die, I'll just repent, and then I'll go to heaven", then he will probably not be saved, because God knows our hearts. If this person truly is sorry, then God will know it, and save this person. It's God's call on this, and I'm sure He won't allow anyone into Heaven with murder in their hearts.
Paul himself was a murderer of Christians. He hated them, but was saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. He then became an evangelist for the Lord, and gave his life to Him. Murder can be forgiven, but only in TRUE REPENTANCE. God Bless
2007-08-17 08:33:47 · answer #3 · answered by byHisgrace 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
He may ask for forgiveness, sure, but wouldn't he need to be absolved of the sins by a priest before he can become worth of Heaven?
I once asked a religious friend a similar question, hypothetical, of course:
If someone attempts suicide and it is certain he is seconds from death and there is no way medical help can save him in time, but a priest comes along and sees the man dying and performs the Last Rites, thereby absolving the man of a venal sin and opening the way to heaven for him. Would the absolution take, or would God's rule stand that all suicides rot in Hell?
In your Question, we need to see God interacting with the the serial killer directly, right? Is that likely? Yet, if the serial killer truly repents and truly believes that God will forgive him, then he will, in fact, according to dogmatic law, be forgiven and be deemed worthy of heaven. According to the Bible and dogmatic law, it would seem as if your murderer would get away with his crimes IF he truly repents in his heart and soul. God must forgive, and not only once.
Excellent question, by the way!
Peace...
2007-08-17 08:20:52 · answer #4 · answered by The Mystic One 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes. IF he truly repents. He can't just say a quick prayer for automatic fire insurance. He has to believe in his heart that what he did was wrong. Repent means to change your mind about sin. That means admitting to yourself and God that you have committed a lot of sins. By the time a person is 5 years old, they have committed plenty of sins, usually just selfishness and a few lies at that age. It's not likely that a person such as you describe will repent. If he/she has been in prison a long time on death row and hadn't repented before his execution day, it's very improbable that he will because his heart will have become hard. Somehow in his mind he has justified his sins.
2007-08-17 08:18:14 · answer #5 · answered by Cee T 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
According to what I was taught growing up, yes. But it has to be a true and sincere repentance, not just to get out of Hell. Only the murder would know in his heart , and of course, God would know too.
Just saying you're sorry as you are about to get fried because you are sorry you are going to die is not the same thing. But even if EVERY SINGLE mass murder truly repented and is in heaven, that's God's call, not ours.
2007-08-17 08:10:59 · answer #6 · answered by Jumpin' Catfish 2 · 5⤊ 0⤋
According to doctrine of virtually all Christian Cults, a deathbed repentance washes away all sin. Which is one reason why the Religion is a favorite among the Unrighteous. Theoretically, Hitler could be in Heaven if he truly repented and embraced Jesus while the his brain was shutting down.
I agree with Red Queen. The manifest unfairness of the truly evil getting of scot free while the Righteous Unbeliever must suffer eternal torment makes Christianity look like the Protection Racket.
Dante acknowledged this by populating the 1st circle of hell with Virtuous Pagans, whose only punishment was being denied Communion with God--which they wouldn't miss much anyway.
2007-08-17 08:17:42 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Only God would know the condition of the persons heart, If he repented, received Jesus into his heart, Then Yes they would be in heaven. Remember the two thieves on the cross , one asked for forgiveness, the other just mocked...... To the one who repented Jesus said this day you will be with me in paradise. God wishes for no one to perish.
2007-08-17 08:24:53 · answer #8 · answered by Rev.Michelle 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Okay, let's get this straight:
No one, and that is, NO ONE, deserves to go to heaven b/c NO ONE earns their way there. It is not a meritocracy.
Despite what religion tells you, it is not our good actions that permit us entrance into heaven but faith in Jesus Christ alone ("I AM the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me").
In your example, the mass murderer would be forgiven of his actions only if s/he honestly repented of them. However, that does not mean that s/he would go to heaven.
That person would first have to put their trust in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross for all his/her sins (not just the murders). That person would also have to make a positive confession with their mouth acknowledging that Jesus Christ is LORD ("Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord...")
2007-08-17 08:27:13 · answer #9 · answered by God Still Speaks Through His Word! 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The Scripture teaches that one must repent "...with a GODLY (DEEPLY SINCERE AND HUMBLE) sorrow...." Look at the Crucifixion. The thief that recognized his sin and pled for his life was told by Jesus, "Verily (of a truth or surely), today thou shalt be with me in paradise." If whatever that man said or did was enough, Jesus honored it! It doesn't mean that Heaven is "full" of that kind of people as related in one of your responses; it only means that such people with a GODLY repentance have a chance.
2007-08-17 09:25:31 · answer #10 · answered by bigvol662004 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't know I think that God is a merciful God. But as a Human I would say no because he had all that time to repent of his sins and he's just now waiting till his on his death bed. But then again I'm not God Almighty.Ask your preacher
2007-08-17 08:10:33 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋