WHO gets to Heaven and WHY

[John Zain]

1 -- God is everywhere ... He knows and sees everything
“Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD.” ------------------------------------------------ Jeremiah 23:24
“Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.” ----------------- Psalms 147:5
“… those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?” ---------------------------- Job 37:16
“I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.” Isaiah 46:10
“Known to God are all His works from the beginning of the world.” ------------------------ Acts 15:18
“The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” Proverbs 15:3
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth” ------------------- 2 Chronicles 16:9
“For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past” -------------- Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8
“And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” ----------------------------------- Matthew 10:30
“God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.” -------------------------------- 1 John 3:20

2 -- God knows peoples’ hearts
“… the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.” 1 Chronicles 28:9
“But the LORD said to Samuel, “… the LORD looks at the heart.” --------------------------- 1 Samuel 16:7
”… whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men)” ---- 1 Kings 8:39
“For He knows the secrets of the heart.” --------------------------------------------------------- Psalm 44:21
“You perceive my thoughts from afar … You are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O LORD” -------------------------- Psalms 139:2-4
“… the LORD, searching all the inner depths of his heart.” ----------------------------------- Proverbs 20:27
“I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind” ------------------------------------------------ Jeremiah 17:10

3 -- God knows the people He wants to have in Heaven
“The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
and saves such as have a contrite spirit” ------------------------------------------------------------- Psalm 34:18
“I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit” ------ Isaiah 57:15
“For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation” Psalm 149:4
“You will save the humble people” ------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Samuel 22:28
“Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.” ------------------------------- Proverbs 3:34
“… a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.” ------------ Zephaniah 3:12
“Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” --------- James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5
A repentant heart towards God is absolutely necessary …
Matthew 9:13, Mark 1:15, Luke 13:3, Acts 3:19, Acts 17:30, 2 Corinthians 7:10, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 John 1:9
Perhaps the poor are the most likely (percentage-wise) to have the right heart attitude:
“But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit” --------------------- Isaiah 66:2
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” ------------------------- Matthew 5:3
The “poor in spirit” can be poor in abilities, finances, social status, reputation, etc.
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me (Jesus),
because He (Father God) has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor” ----------- Luke 4:18, Isaiah 61:1
“… the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” ------- Matthew 11:5, Luke 7:22
“Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom?” James 2:5

... continued in post #2 ...

 

[John Zain]

4 -- God chooses and calls His “elect”
Many Jews in the OT were “chosen”, but then were rejected because of rebellion, disobedience, etc.
“To God's elect ...
who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” ----------------- 1 Peter 1:1-2
“In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to His plan” ------------- Ephesians 1:11
“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world … having predestined us” -------- Ephesians 1:4-5
“God from the beginning chose you for salvation … to which He called you by our gospel” 2 Thessal. 2:13
“The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will” ---------------------- Acts 22:14
“Him who called you out of (spiritual) darkness” --------------------------------------------------- 1 Peter 2:9
“Therefore, as the elect of God …” -------------------------------------------------------------------- Colossians 3:12
“Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect” ----------------------------------------- 2 Timothy 2:10
“according to the faith of God’s elect” --------------------------------------------------------------- Titus 1:1
“… and those who are with Him (Jesus) are called, chosen, and faithful.” ------------------- Revelation 17:14
“Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ------------------------ Romans 8:33
“… (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls) ----- Romans 9:11
“… at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace …
… the elect have obtained it (favor with God, salvation), and the rest were blinded.” ------ Romans 11:5-7
“… knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.” ------------------------------------- 1 Thessalonians 1:4
“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off,
as many as the Lord our God will call.” -------------------------------------------------------------------- Acts 2:38

5 -- Father God gives His “elect” to Jesus
“All that the Father gives to Me will come to Me”------------------------------------------- John 6:37
“of all He has given to Me I should lose nothing” -------------------------------------------- John 6:39
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” ------------------- John 6:44
“Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.” --- John 6:45
“no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father”------------ John 6:65
“My sheep hear My voice … My Father, who has given them to Me” -------------------- John 10:29
“eternal life to as many as You have given to Him” ---------------------------------------- John 17:2
“those whom You have given (to) Me” -------------------------------------------------------- John 17:9
“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave (to) Me …” ------------------------------ John 17:24
“Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted” ----------- Matthew 15:13

6 -- God makes sure His “elect” make it through to the end
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,
to those who are the called according to His purpose.
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined … whom He predestined, these He also called;
whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
(Romans 8:28-30)
God’s elect are … foreknown >>> predestined (chosen) >>> called >>> justified >>> glorified

 

[Drew]

“… (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls------ Romans 9:11

In Romans 9, the eternal status of Jacob and Esau is nowhere on Paul's mind. The following text does not even address the issue of eternal destinies of Jacob or Esau. Paul tells us what they are "elected to" - that one will serve the other:

Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls—she was told, "The older will serve the younger." 13Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.

The word election here means "choice". And what is the choice? Well what does Paul say? It is God's choice that the nation of Edom (Esau) will be dominated by the nation of Israel. How do we know this? Paul tells us. He says that Rebekah was told the purpose of God's choice. And he quotes from Genesis:

The LORD said to her,
"Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger

And history shows that this came to pass - the Israelites did dominate the Edomites. And Paul knew this, of course.

Imagine Paul sitting there with his scribe, having just dictated "in order that God's purpose in election might stand". Where does this statement leave the reader? Obviously, it leaves the reader asking "Well, what is that purpose? What is God "choosing" or "selecting" Jacob and Esau for, exactly?"

So Paul answers this question: They were chosen / selected / elected to a state where "the older will serve the younger". Eternal destiny is nowhere in sight.

If Paul is addressing selection or election to eternal life or eternal loss in relation to Jacob and Esau, you have to believe that, after raising the topic of God’s purpose in election, Paul has suffered a sudden bout of amnesia and makes an entirely unannounced and immediate transition to a different subject altogether - the issue of something else that God selected these two for. That is, one serving the other.

What kind of a writer would do that ? First, state that God has one purpose in selection (election) for two people, and then spell out the details of an entirely different election?

 

[sk0rpi0n]

Who gets to heaven and why?
Simple.

Matthew 25:31-46 explains it. I could be wrong, but its the only portion of the bible which teaches the criteria for getting to heaven.
People were divided into sheep(heaven) and goats(hell)... based on whether how they treated people... i.e - whether or not they gave food to the hungry, clothes to the naked etc.