Who Will Be In Heaven?

Hey, podcast listeners! Thanks for streaming today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program.

On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. Today, we're going to talk about one of the greatest surprises about heaven, and that is who is going to be in heaven. We're going to be surprised to find that many of the people we thought were going to be in heaven will not be in heaven. And many people we thought would never be in heaven will end up in heaven. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author Dr. Jeffress.

Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. When we prepare to travel somewhere far from home, we spend a lot of time getting ready for our trip. We spend a lot of time researching where we're going to stay and what we're going to see. So if that's true of our vacations, shouldn't it follow that we prepare for our eternal destiny as well? Right now on Pathway to Victory, we're devoting our complete attention to a place called heaven.

And just before we begin our next study in this teaching series, I'm urging you to contact Pathway to Victory in order to request my bestselling book on this topic. It's also titled A Place Called Heaven. Ten Surprising Truths About Your Eternal Home. I guarantee when you begin to reflect on the facts about heaven, it will transform your life in the here and now.

In his letter to the Colossians, Paul said to set your mind on things above. He understood that when we focus on the hope of heaven, our worries and challenges of this present darkness will disappear. Ask for a copy of my book today, A Place Called Heaven. It's yours when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory. I'll give more details later on, but right now we've come to what may be the most important message in this entire series about A Place Called Heaven. It requires of those who want to spend their eternity with God and his family. I titled this message with a question, who will be in heaven? Maps can be very useful when you're traveling in unfamiliar territory.

I discovered that truth the hard way a number of years ago. A pastor friend of mine in Canada had asked me to come to his church to speak at a banquet. And so I got on the plane one Friday morning here in Dallas and traveled to Winnipeg, Manitoba. And got in about four in the afternoon, retrieved my luggage, went outside in front of the terminal and waited for the pastor to pick me up.

I waited and I waited and I waited, no pastor. So I went back in the terminal to call him and I retrieved the letter of invitation from him and I noticed that the address in the return portion of the letter didn't match where I was. I had been to speak for him before in Winnipeg and I just assumed he was still in Winnipeg. So realizing I had a little bit of a problem, I went to the airline ticket counter and I said, look at this letter. This letter says I'm supposed to be someplace called Vancouver, British Columbia. And of course I'm here. I wonder, is there a bus I can catch?

I need to be there in about 30 minutes. They laughed and said, bus? Vancouver is 1,500 miles from here. Oh, I thought, what am I going to do? But they said, this is your lucky day. We have a plane right now that's getting ready to leave for Vancouver and going west you gain two hours and if you get on that plane right now, you can make it there in an hour's Vancouver's time. So they said, we'll hold the plane. I ran as quickly as I could down to the gate, went to the gate, gave the agent my boarding pass, was about to go down the jetway when he said, would you wait just a moment? I turned around and he gave me a map of Canada.

He said, read this, it will help you the next time you come to our country. Now, you know, traveling to the wrong location can be embarrassing, but there's one time in your life you don't want to accidentally end up at the wrong destination and that's the day of your death. We're doing a series in our church I'm calling A Place Called Heaven and in this series, we're discovering 10 surprising truths about the eternal home that God is preparing for his people right now. And over these weeks, we've looked at some things that surprise a lot of people. For example, the fact that we're going to spend eternity not up there someplace, but our final destination is right here on this newly recreated earth. We were made for earth, not up there, but down here and we're going to discover in a few weeks that we're going to know one another in heaven.

Yes, we receive brand new bodies, but although all of the imperfections are gone, they still retain their individual identity. We've talked about the fact that in eternity, we're going to do more than float around on a cloud plucking a harp. God is going to give us real, meaningful and fulfilling work for eternity. But today, we're going to talk about one of the greatest surprises about heaven and that is who is going to be in heaven. We're going to be surprised to find that many of the people we thought were going to be in heaven will not be in heaven. And many people we thought would never be in heaven will end up in heaven. Now, when I say that, I'm not suggesting there's not an absolute standard by which we enter into heaven.

The fact is there is a standard. People say to me sometimes when I'm debating them on TV, they'll say, when I pastor, only God can declare who's going to be in heaven. Only God gets to make that decision.

And I say that is absolutely true. Only God can decide who is going to be into heaven. The fact is he's already decided that though.

And he's made his decision public. He said there's only one way to heaven and that is through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life.

No man comes to the Father except by me. When I say we're going to be surprised about who is in heaven, what I'm saying is we're going to be surprised about those who have trusted in Christ. You know, in Hebrews 4-12, the New Testament says only God is able to judge the thoughts and the intentions of a person's heart. And so I think we're going to be surprised to find that many people we thought would have never trusted in Christ actually did end up trusting in Christ as Savior. But we're also going to be surprised that many people we thought had trusted in Christ, in fact in their hearts, had never trusted in Christ for salvation. In heaven, we may be surprised about other people who are or aren't in heaven.

But we never want to be surprised about our own eternal destination. And yet the Bible indicates many people will be surprised. It will be the surprise of a lifetime when they discover that although they thought they were going to be welcomed into heaven, God turns them away. Listen to what Jesus said about that surprise in Matthew 7.

Jesus said, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. For many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name perform many miracles, and then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. Will you underline that word in verse 22, many will say to me on that day? What day is he talking about? He's talking about the judgment day. He said not just a few people are going to be surprised. Many will be surprised who thought God will welcome them into heaven, but in fact, God will turn them away from heaven. Why is that?

Simple. They were on the wrong road all of the time. You see, the Bible teaches that there are two roads in life that lead to two very different destinations. Look up at verses 13 and 14. Jesus explained that in Matthew 7 verses 13 and 14 about the fact that there are two roads that lead to two destinations. Enter by the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it, for the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it.

Do you hear what Jesus is saying? There are two roads in life. One road is a broad road.

It's a wide highway. It's the highway that leads ultimately to hell. And on this broad road that goes to hell, there are many, many people.

Most are on that road. But Jesus said there is another road going in the opposite direction that is very narrow. It's the road that leads to heaven, and very few people are on that road. How can you make sure you're on the right road and not on the highway that leads to hell? Well, there are four signposts, if you will, that you can check to see if you are on the right road that will end up in heaven. These signposts represent four essential truths you must acknowledge not just in your head but in your heart if you're going to end up in heaven one day.

What are these signposts? Signpost number one, we have to acknowledge that we have a sin problem. Most people refuse to go any further. When they see that sign, they say, I'm not going any further. I don't like being called a sinner. That is insulting to me. And so many people, when they see that sign, say, I'm turning around.

I'm getting on a different road. But the fact is, God says we are all sinners. Romans 3 verses 10 to 12 says, there is none righteous, not even one. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks for God. For all have turned aside.

Together they have become useless. There is none who does good. There is not even one. And then the climax is verse 23, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. How many good people are there in the world? How many people are righteous? That word righteous means in a right standing with God.

Whom does God look at and say, that's a really good guy or girl? Zero. None. Nada.

Zilch. There is no one righteous according to God's perfect standard. Some have sinned more than others, but we have all sinned and fallen short of God's plan for our life. He goes on to say in Romans 6 23, for the wages, that is the payment of sin, is death. Not just physical death, but spiritual death. That word death, thanatos in Greek, means separation. Just as physical death is the separation of our body from our spirit, eternal death is the separation of our spirit from God. We all deserve that sentence because the fact is, we have all sinned before God.

People don't want to hear that. You know, they protest their sinfulness, and in doing so, they are kind of like the child who protests to his mom that he didn't have his hand anywhere near the cookie jar, while the crumbs are still stuck on his chin. You know, we can say all we want to. We're not sinners. But we have evidence of our sin every day in our life, don't we?

I mean, have you ever had this situation? You're seated even on a church service like this, singing these wonderful praises to God or listening to the pastor. And as you sit there, all of a sudden, this horrible, terrible thought comes into your mind. You're like, where did that come from?

My goodness, I can't believe that. Well, those thoughts or those outbursts of anger or those sinful actions or wrong motives, those are symptoms of the sin problem we have all inherited. We inherited a virus called sin, and the Bible says because of that, we are all guilty before God. And that leads to signpost number two that we must acknowledge on our way to heaven, and that is God is sinless. Even though we have a sin problem, God is sinless. The word in the Bible for that is holy. No less than six times in the Bible, God says, be holy, for I am holy.

That word holy literally means different, separate, above. God is different than we are. We are sinful. God is sinless.

A lot of people don't understand that. In their heart of hearts, many people say, you know, why is God so judgmental about sin? I mean, why can't God be more like me? I mean, I'm so kind and tolerant, I find it easy to overlook the faults of other people.

And I surely find it easy to overlook my own faults. Why can't God be as tolerant as I am? Well, the fact is, the truth that you and I can overlook sin in other people and in our lives is not because we are so like God, it's because we are so unlike God. The fact that we do tolerate sin in our own lives and the lives of other people means we are sinful, that God is not like we are.

In Habakkuk 113, God says about himself, for your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and you cannot look on wickedness with favor. God has a zero tolerance level for sin because he is wholly sinless. Now, when you couple that truth with the first signpost, we have a sin problem and God is sinless, you can get pretty discouraged pretty easily. On our journey to heaven, none of us has enough spiritual gas or goodness to get into heaven. Now, some people have a quarter of a tank, some people might have a half a tank, some people might have seven eighths of a tank full of goodness in their own lives, but it's not enough to get to heaven. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

So what's our option there? Well, that leads to a third signpost on the way to heaven, and that is our need for a savior. Jesus is the solution to our sin problem. We are sinful, he is sinless, but he has exactly what we need to get to heaven.

When Jesus died on the cross, and stay with me on this, when Jesus died on the cross, two amazing transactions took place. First of all, Jesus took the punishment I deserve for my sins. You know, the Bible says God is so holy, he cannot overlook evil. In fact, in Nahum chapter 1 verse 3, it says, the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. God demands that sin be punished.

Somebody has to pay for your sin and my sin. And when Jesus died on the cross, in some inexplicable way, he took all of the punishment from God that you and I deserve. But not only that, not only did Jesus take the punishment we deserve, but he gave us his goodness that we don't deserve. He credited us with his righteousness. And that's why 2 Corinthians 5 21 says, God made him, that is Jesus, who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Did you know that because Jesus was the Son of God, he is the only person who's ever been born who could accomplish those two things. Only he could take the punishment for our sin because he was sinless. He didn't have to suffer for his own sin, he didn't have any sin.

He was the only one qualified to bear the punishment we deserve. And he is the only person in history as the Son of God who had enough righteousness to get to heaven. And that leads to the final signpost we have to acknowledge on our way to heaven. And that is we must choose to accept Christ's offer of forgiveness.

You know what's so interesting? If you have made it this far on the highway to heaven, you believe that you have a sin problem, and that God is sinless, and that Jesus can solve that sin problem by taking the punishment you deserve and giving you the righteousness you don't deserve. If you accept all of those truths, you are closer to heaven than 99% of people in the world. Most people turn away at the first idea that they're a sinner. Others turn away out of discouragement when they think God is too holy for them to ever have fellowship with.

Other people, they stumble over the idea that only Jesus can offer salvation. If you've made it this far, you've made it further than most people. And yet, you're not there yet.

You're almost there, but you're not there. There is a final step you have to take on that highway to heaven, and that is to individually choose to trust in Christ for salvation. You can believe that God is holy and you are unholy. You can believe that Jesus died and paid the price for our sins. But there has to be a time when God transfers the goodness, the righteousness of his Son into your life. So that when God looks at you, he no longer sees your sin. He sees the goodness, the righteousness of his Son, Jesus Christ.

John said it this way, but as many as received Jesus, to them he gave the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe in his name. You know, we all have various amounts of goodness in our spiritual gas tank. Some people have a quarter of a tank. Some people have half a tank.

Some have seven eighths of a tank, but it's not enough. But God offers his forgiveness to anyone and to everyone who asks. Randy Alcorn illustrates the wonderful power of God to forgive with this story from his own life. He writes, Wesley Allen Dodd tortured, molested, and murdered three boys in Vancouver, Washington, 15 miles from our home.

Dodd was scheduled to be hanged, the first U.S. hanging in three decades, shortly after midnight on January 4, 1993. At dinner that evening, both of our daughters, then 11 and 13, prayed earnestly that Dodd would repent and place his faith in Christ before he died. I agreed with their prayer, but only because I knew I should.

I stayed up and watched. Reporters from all over the country crowded around the prison. Twelve media representatives were firsthand witnesses to the execution. When they emerged 30 minutes after Dodd died, they recounted the experience. One of them read Dodd's last words. I had thought there was no hope and no peace.

I was wrong. I found hope and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ. Gasp and groans erupted from the crowd.

Their anger was palpable. How dare someone who has done anything so terrible to say he has found hope and peace in Jesus? Does he really think God will let him into heaven after what he's done? The idea of God's offering grace to Dodd was utterly offensive. And yet, didn't Jesus die for Dodd's sins just as he did for mine? No sin is bigger than the Savior. Grace is literally not of this world. I struggled with the idea of God saving Dodd only because I thought too much of myself and too little of my Lord.

Listen to me this morning. It doesn't matter what you've done. It doesn't matter how much or how little goodness you have in your spiritual gas tank. God is able and willing to forgive you and to welcome you into heaven if you're willing to ask. As Paul said in Romans 10 13, for whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

That's an amazing promise. You can be a part of God's forever family by repenting of your sins, asking God for his forgiveness, and trusting in Christ as your Savior. Well, it's no mistake that you're hearing this message on A Place Called Heaven today. God appointed this moment and intended for you to hear the teaching of his word. And now let me encourage you to take your next steps down the pathway to victory. Earlier I mentioned a bestselling book I've written for you.

It parallels this teaching series. My book is called A Place Called Heaven 10 Surprising Truths About Your Eternal Home. Nothing will alter your view of life quite like anticipating your forever home in heaven. Ask for a copy of my book A Place Called Heaven. I'll send a copy to your home when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. As a bonus, I'll also include a brochure we've prepared especially for you. It's called What Seven World Religions Teach About Heaven.

This tool will help you discern the difference between the biblical truth about heaven and what other major world religions teach. Now before I turn the microphone back over to David, let me thank you for your financial investment in Pathway to Victory. Whether you're a Pathway partner or just giving a one-time gift, your gifts truly make a difference as we give people all around the world a glimpse of heaven and explain how to get there through faith in Jesus Christ. I deeply appreciate your generosity.

David. Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. Today when you support the ministry of Pathway to Victory by giving a generous gift, you're invited to request a copy of the bestselling book by Dr. Jeffress, A Place Called Heaven. As an added bonus, we'll also send you a popular brochure called What Seven World Religions Teach About Heaven. To request your copy of these resources, call 866-999-2965 or visit online at ptv.org.

And when you give $75 or more, you'll also receive both the CD and DVD teaching sets for A Place Called Heaven plus the beautiful gift book called Encouragement from a Place Called Heaven. To request the complete package of resources, call 866-999-2965 or visit ptv.org. If you'd prefer to contact us by mail, write to P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. Again, that's P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins. Join us again next time when we answer the question, Do People in Heaven Know What's Happening on Earth? That's Thursday here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Embark on the spiritual journey of a lifetime on the Pathway to Victory Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise. May 5 through 16, 2025. Enjoy 11 days of fellowship, relaxation, and spiritual refreshment while sailing aboard a luxury cruise ship.

You'll visit sought-after island destinations like Santorini, Mykonos, and Crete. To book your spot on the 2025 Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise, go to ptv.org. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.