Universalism: Is everyone going to Heaven?

In case you don’t know, universalism is the belief that everyone without any exceptions is going to Heaven, not just some. It also means that everyone is going to Heaven regardless of their actions or beliefs during their lifetime. What should we believe about such a theory? As always, the question we always need to ask is this one—What does the Bible teach about it? We even need to be sure we find out what the Bible teaches about it under the principle of what is called the right division of Scripture. If you’re not sure about what the principle of right division is, please see my articles about it—

4Us2Us: What does this mean?

Bible: How should one study it?

Another name for universalism is universal reconciliation. The Bible does teach the doctrine of reconciliation but not in the way that universalists teach it. To know more about the correct teaching of reconciliation, please see my articles about it—

Reconciliation: What is universal reconciliation?

Reconciliation: What does it mean to BE reconciled?

It is important to realize that there’re a variety of forms of universalism.  What I’ll provide in this article are the basic principles of it. And let me say right up front that universalism and universal reconciliation are not taught in the Bible. I do not accept either one of these teachings as true. I want to mention this up front in this article because my beliefs about this have been misrepresented numerous times. It is my belief that until a person accepts by faith the work God did through Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection, a person remains unsaved and condemned by God. Only when Christ’s work ALONE is accepted by faith is a person saved FOREVER.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

¹ Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

² By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

³ For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

⁴ And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: [Emphasis added]

Again, being fully reconciled for salvation only comes when this work of God alone through Christ is accepted by faith. It is through God’s work in Christ alone that anyone can be saved.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21

¹⁸ And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

¹⁹ To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Then in this passage we have the command to BE reconciled.  For that to happen it demands faith in Christ’s work alone in His death, burial, and resurrection.

²⁰ Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, BE ye reconciled to God.

Then he gives us a full explanation of what happened on the cross.

²¹ For he [God the Father] hath made him [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we MIGHT be made the righteousness of God in him. [Emphasis added]

Until this work of God in Christ is accepted by faith a person stands condemned by the justice of God.  Such has always been the case.

John 3:18

¹⁸ He that BELIEVETH on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [Emphasis added]

For information about what it means to believe on the name of the only begotten Son of God, please see my article on this website about it—

Jesus Christ: What does it mean to believe on His name?

Faith in God’s provision for our salvation is the only way someone can be saved today.

Ephesians 2:8-9

⁸ For by grace are ye saved through FAITH; and that [salvation] not of yourselves: it [Salvation] is the gift of God:

Being a gift means it isn’t earned or deserved in any way.

⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast. [Emphasis added]

In universalism people believe Christ died for the sins of the world but they believe that this alone provides everyone with salvation.  Instead, the reality is that it provides a MEANS of salvation for everyone. For salvation itself to occur, the personal faith of the individual must be applied. This means the unbeliever must accept what God did through Christ to provide for his salvation.  Until that faith is expressed the person remains unsaved and condemned of God.

A part of the theory of universalism is the belief that God being a God of love would never send someone to a place like Hell or the Lake of Fire. However, the Bible clearly tells us otherwise in many passages.

Romans 5:8

⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [Emphasis added]

Again, John 3:18

¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [Emphasis added]

At what is called the Great White Throne judgment, the unbeliever’s own works of righteousness are found to be unacceptable, and he is cast into the Lake of Fire to be tormented forever.  It is mainly this that creates such urgency for someone to accept God’s provision to be saved. Man’s works for salvation are completely unacceptable to God.

Revelation 20:11-15

¹¹ And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

¹³ And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. [Emphasis added]

Only by faith in Christ and His work can anyone be saved.

John 14:6

⁶ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. [Emphasis added]

Acts 4:12

¹² Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. [Emphasis added]

1 Timothy 2:5-6

⁵ For there is one God, and ONE mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

⁶ Who gave himself a ransom FOR ALL, to be testified in due time. [Emphasis added]

Some people have even claimed that the apostle Paul didn’t teach such punishment for unbelievers.  But here are some of his words about that—

Romans 2:8-9

⁸ But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and WRATH,

⁹ Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; [Emphasis added]

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10

⁷ And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

⁸ In flaming fire TAKING VENBEANCE on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

⁹ Who SHALL be punished with EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

¹⁰ When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. [Emphasis added]

A major problem with universalism is that it is disguised by certain principles that ARE true. In other words, some of the beliefs of its adherents are correct.  Here are some examples of those things—

1. God is a loving God of all people and desires His everlasting blessing for them all.

John 3:16-17

¹⁶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him MIGHT [potentially] be saved. [Emphasis added]

2. Jesus Christ reveals the sinless nature and perfect character of God.

John 14:9-10

⁹ Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

¹⁰ Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. [Emphasis added]

3. Man was created with an immortal soul that is not ended by physical death. The unbeliever will, therefore, suffer in his body forever.  Note what our Lord said about this in the time of His earthly ministry concerning a rich unbeliever and a man named Lazarus.

Luke 16:23-26

²³ And in hell he [the rich man who was an unbeliever] lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

This story is not a parable because personal names are never given in parables. This is about what real people experience.

²⁴ And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Was Jesus lying when He said this? He was not! This is a clear warning to all.

²⁵ But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

²⁶ And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. [Emphasis added]

Revelation 14:10-11

¹⁰ The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he [the man called the antichrist] shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

¹¹ And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. [Emphasis added]

Revelation 20:10

¹⁰ And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast [the antichrist] and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. [Emphasis added]

4. Both believers and unbelievers will be resurrected to live in a body forever.

John 5:28-29

²⁸ Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

²⁹ And shall come forth; they that have done good [having accepted God’s provision for their salvation], unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil [those who rejected God’s provision], unto the resurrection of damnation. [Emphasis added]

For more information about this resurrection of unbelievers, please see my article about it—

Resurrection: Do even unbelievers have one?

It is in this resurrection body in which he will suffer that the unbeliever will be cast into the Lake of Fire to be there forever.

Revelation 20:14-15

¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. [Emphasis added]

When an unbeliever dies today, he immediately finds himself in the torment of Hell. It is then later that he’s cast into this which is called The Lake of Fire.

The suffering of a person in Hell is described by our Lord in Luke 16:20-31.  You’ll find a detailed study of that in my article about it on this website—

Hell:  How can a loving God send people there? 

5. The suffering of all those who reject God’s love and His grace will go on forever. Their decision will be one they will regret forever.

Conclusion—

Universalism is a false teaching, something that is nowhere taught in the Bible.  Man’s decision to reject God’s love and His provision has everlasting consequences. Please never choose to be foolish by believing otherwise. If you do, you’ll regret that decision forever because everyone is not going to Heaven; only those who choose to put their faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.