IS MY LOVED ONE IN HEAVEN OR NOT?
Sakkie Parsons
Translated from the Afrikaans Version: Is my Geliefde in die hemel of nie?
Translator: Lynda Botha
Someone asked me:
"How do I know if my loved one, who has passed away, is in Heaven or Hell?"
I share with you my answer below, which are only relevant to persons who has lived long enough, therefore are mature enough, and can be held accountable for his/her actions.
Then, I want to start by using an English idiom: "When all is set and done". Just our Lord knows this side of the grave, and your loved one who has died and arrived on the other side of the grave, where he/she will spend eternity. What I can assist with here, is to show you how I understand the scriptures of what the first and eventually the last requirements are, to open Heaven's gate for you and me.
This is what I want to share with you:
In my opinion there is only one way to get to Heaven and that is to accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour. There is no other way. He is the first and the last in this matter as well.
REV 22:12-14
12 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.”
13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.”
I quote A few scriptures from the Bible, if you read it, you will see that the Word of God is absolutely clear on this matter:
JHN 3:16-18
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
17 “God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.”
18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.”
JHN 14:6 “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
ACT 4:12 “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
One person will accept Jesus as their Saviour and will do things like this, but not like that. Another person accepts Jesus as their Saviour and will live like this, but not like that. Whatever the case with your deceased loved one, there is nothing, absolutely nothing you can do about it now.
Remember what you have read above:
REV 22:12 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.”
We may differ in our likes and dislikes concerning our religion, as I said here above: One person will accept Jesus as their Saviour and will do things like this, but not like that. Another person accepts Jesus as their Saviour and will live like this, but not like that, but without Jesus Christ no man will enter Heaven.
1 COR 3:11-15
11 “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have – Jesus Christ.”
12 “Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials – gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.”
13 “But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.”
14 “If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.”
15 “But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.”
Finally, I remind you once more what you have read here above:
REV 22:12-14
12 “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.”
13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.”
My deceased loved one will either be in Heaven or in Hell, following the decision he/she made this side of the grave, where he/she will remain forever, I can’t do anything about that.
We, on the other hand are still alive this side of the grave, and we have the opportunity to accept Jesus and to follow Him, but we do not know how much time we have left. Therefore, the best we can do, is to follow the advice given in the Word of God regarding this matter:
HEB 3:7 “That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear His voice, “
HEB 3:8 “don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested Me in the wilderness.”
Greetings,
Sakkie