WHY SO MANY PEOPLE MISS OUT ON HEAVEN

(A hypothetical letter Christians can use to witness to unbelievers)

To my Family and Friends . . . A wonderful friend of mine, who is genuinely seeking spiritual truth, asked me this Bible question, “Why do so many people miss heaven and go to hell?” I’m sending you a copy of my reply below in case you’re interested in this important topic.

Hello again, my friend!

There isn’t a short answer to your question, because the major topic of the Bible is how to get to heaven and not go to hell. In fact, the overall theme of the Bible is “God’s plan of redemption for humanity.” But here’s my attempt to answer your question somewhat briefly. (The quotes are from the New King James Version of the Bible, and the references are in parentheses so you can look them up if you want.) I welcome any follow-up questions or comments you may have.

1. ETERNAL LIFE IN HEAVEN IS AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE. Some people think they need to earn their way to heaven or work hard to gain God’s favor. Others believe they’re not good enough to make it no matter what they do. However, salvation is a free gift offered by God to all people, regardless of who they are or what they’ve done. We are saved by God’s grace (His undeserved favor toward us), which we receive by placing our faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8–9). To be assured of going to heaven (that glorious eternal place beyond our imagination as described in Rev. 21 and 22), we can say a heartfelt prayer asking Jesus to forgive us of our sins and be our personal Lord and Savior (Rom. 10:9–10). The greatest miracle that could ever happen to anyone is to “get saved.” Jesus affirmed many times that heaven and hell are real places. God originally prepared hell for the devil and the fallen angels (Matt. 25:41). There’s an invisible spiritual battle raging for the destiny of people’s souls (Eph. 6:10–18), and tragically, many people miss out on heaven because they reject Jesus. For Jesus is the Savior of the world—our divine lifeline to heaven (John 14:6).

2. PEOPLE DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH GOD LOVES THEM. Many people have misconceptions about who God is. The Bible reveals that one of God’s magnificent attributes is that He is pure love (1 John 4:8). His love for us is deep and unconditional, and He wants each of us to have a personal relationship with Him. He knows everything about us, even the number of hairs on our heads (Luke 12:7). And He has our best interests at heart. The Bible speaks a lot about God’s divine love. Here are some of the verses: “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13). “Neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers … nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38–39). “[I the Lord] have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you” (Jer. 31:3).

3. ADAM’S ORIGINAL SIN CAUSED THE FALL OF HUMANITY. Some people believe they’re fine without any “religion.” They do their own thing and go their own way. Others create their own form of spirituality to justify their behavior or lifestyle (John 3:19–21). Yet all people are born alienated from the living God, unable to live with Him in heaven. We need to be reconciled to Him to change our destiny from the place of eternal destruction (2 Thess. 1:8–9). In Genesis 1–2, we learn that God created the heavens, the earth, and everything in it. He created the first two people Adam and Eve in His own image, with the intention of dwelling with them and enjoying a love relationship with them forever. But He gave them a free will to make their own choices. After living in harmony with God for a season, Adam and Eve disobeyed (sinned against) holy God in the Garden of Eden, causing them to fall from the moral perfection they were created with. In Genesis 3, we read that this rebellion by our two original ancestors resulted in “the Fall” of the entire human race. So we all inherit a sin nature, and we all sin. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Sin is a barrier that separates us from holy God. But thankfully, Jesus provided the remedy for our eternal destiny problem.

4. PEOPLE NEED TO HEAR GOD’S GOOD NEWS OF SALVATION. Since people are not naturally heaven-bound due to our sin, we need to be redeemed. God deeply desires everyone to be forgiven for their sins so they will not perish (2 Pet. 3:9) but rather live in His holy presence in heaven. The gospel is God’s solution to our sin problem. He sent His own beloved Son, Jesus, to earth to live a perfect, sinless life in human flesh and to pay the severe penalty for the sins of the whole world (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus did so by shedding His precious blood on the cross at Calvary. It also displayed His endless love for us (Rom. 5:8). He had each of us on His heart and mind as He willingly surrendered to death by crucifixion—on the hill of Calvary outside the walls of Jerusalem in c. AD 33. Then on the third day after His death and burial, He physically rose from the dead. This grand resurrection miracle demonstrated that God the Father accepted Jesus’s sacrifice for us (Rom. 8:11), and that He has the power to raise people from the dead (John 11:25–26). So, if we sincerely ask Jesus our Redeemer to forgive us for our sins and commit to follow Him as our Lord, we will receive God’s free gift of salvation. “The wages [consequences] of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). Praise God! 

5. MORE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THAT GOD EXISTS. Many people doubt or disbelieve God’s existence or suppress the truth. In the spiritual battle for the souls of humanity, the powers of darkness seek to rob, kill, and destroy people (John 10:10). They lie and deceive to convince us there is no God. Yet the evidence for God’s existence is undeniable. For example, the apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, reveals powerful proofs in the first three chapters of Romans: Chapter 1 explains that people see the intelligent design in God’s creative work visible all around them—such as trees, birds, animals, sea life, sunsets, galaxies. “His invisible attributes are clearly seen” (V. 20). Chapter 2 testifies that God created people with a conscience, their inner judge of moral issues. Deep down in their hearts they know right from wrong even if they’ve never heard of God’s written laws. Our conscience could not have evolved from matter. Chapter 3 testifies that God exists because He revealed Himself to us specifically through His Son, Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus to pay for our sins—to satisfy God’s righteous judgment on our behalf. Historically, Jesus lived among us in the first century AD, and we witnessed His glory (John 1:14; Col. 2:9).

6. SPIRITUAL WARFARE AGAINST THE PURE GOSPEL. Behind the scenes, the powers of darkness infiltrate Jesus’s Church—as well as seminaries and ministries—to diminish biblical truth and distort the gospel. This demonic strategy strives to lead people astray forever by omitting the essential truth that God came down to earth to rescue us from sin and death. Three such counterfeits are the “gospel of self-fulfillment,” the “health and wealth gospel,” and the “gospel of social justice” promoted by Progressive Christianity, a postmodern movement. The Enemy of our souls is leading people with “itching ears” (2 Tim. 4:3–4) to listen to teachers who tell them what they want to hear according to their own desires—leading them toward eternal doom. The powers of darkness also try to discourage believers from sharing the life-giving gospel with lost souls, which Jesus asks His followers to do according to His Great Commission. Enemy warfare also targets evangelistic seminars and events, as well as prayer sessions where believers ask God to open people’s eyes to the truth of the gospel. This is why it is important for believers and guests to attend solid Bible-teaching, gospel-preaching churches.

I hope this recap is helpful to you. I’d be delighted to answer any other Bible questions you have. The Bible teaches that Jesus loves people with an everlasting love, and He’s coming back soon for His Church (all true believers). Yet He is heartbroken that countless unbelievers will be missing out on heaven and will perish. I’m grateful that you asked me this question. For the Lord is returning soon and we are living in the last hour on God’s prophetic clock—and its hands are clicking away!

Sincerely,  

[YOUR SIGNATURE
& CONTACT INFO]