EVERYONE DOES NOT GO TO HEAVEN
The Christian doctrine of hell is not popular and has driven many people away from Christianity. This has caused some Christians to look for biblical support for doctrines that are alternative to hell.
Universalism.
One alternative doctrine to hell is universalism, which teaches that eventually everyone will arrive safely to heaven. Since Jesus died for all the people in the world (John 3:16), God will eventually spiritually save everyone after God overcomes every remnant of evil. God will redeem all rational creatures (some contend God will even redeem Satan).
Alleged biblical support for universalism.
The are four main Bible passages in support of universalism. The apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians about the spiritual blessings of being “in Christ” to unite all things in heaven and earth.
Universalism teaches everyone goes to heaven and no one goes to hell.
“In him (Christ) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth“ (Ephesians 1:7-10 ESV). This passage does not support universalism. Paul was writing about the unity of those that accept, trust, and follow Christ, not the unity of those that reject Christ with Christians.
Paul also wrote to the Colossians about Christ reconciling all things on earth and heaven to himself. “For in him (Christ) all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross“ (Colossians 1:19-20 ESV). This passage does not support universalism. Paul was writing about how Christ reconciled and renewed all physical things in the new heaven and new earth, not reconciling those that reject Christ with Christians.
Paul also wrote to the Romans about Christ’s obedience making all mankind righteous. “So then, as through one offense the result was condemnation to all mankind, so also through one act of righteousness the result was justification of life to all mankind. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:18-19 NASB). This passage does not support universalism. Paul was writing about Jesus Christ’s obedient act of righteousness that resulted in God’s justification of the many people who accept, trust , and follow Jesus, not those who reject Jesus.
Paul also wrote to the Corinthians about the order of resurrection. ”But the fact is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man death came, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22 NASB). This does not support universalism. Paul was writing about how Christ’s resurrection from the dead made all mankind resurrected and alive to either go to the new heaven and new earth or to hell for eternity.
Answering the biblical arguments for universalism.
After considering these Bible passages in proper context and in light of other Bible passages, there are some serious problems with the doctrine of universalism to such an extent that it has never been widely accepted by Christian scholars. First, if universalism is true, then God will need to spiritually redeem and save Satan. But Christ surely did not die for angels like Satan (Hebrews 2:16). In addition, God defeated and threw Satan, his beast, and the false prophet into the lake of burning sulfur (hell) where they “will be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). In regard to Christ’s death and resurrection applying to all humans, those verses referring to “all” people refers to a certain category of people that have repented of their sin and accepted Christ as their Savior and Lord. So all people will die, but only all the people that are in Christ will be spiritually saved and made alive.
Finally, Jesus spoke about the unpardonable sin of speaking or blaspheming against the Holy Spirit “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:32 NIV). Jesus also said, “Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin“ (Mark 3:28-29 NIV). Speaking or blaspheming against the Holy Spirit refers to the sin of rejecting God. It is clear that the consequence of rejecting God is to be banished from God’s presence to be punished and tormented in hell for eternity. If universalism were true, there would be no need for Christ’s sacrificial death for humanity’s sins. Therefore, universalism is not a legitimate Christian doctrine.
Universalism ignores the autonomy and intrinsic value of humans while making heaven meaningless.
Hell respects the free will autonomy and intrinsic value of humans. Without a choice to accept and follow God or to reject and not follow God, heaven would not be heaven. God would force rebellious humans to go to heaven against their wills. In addition, those who accept and follow God would go to a fake heaven, because there still would be rebellious sinful humans in heaven. Heaven would actually be hell.
Erwin Lutzer, One Minute After You Die: A Preview of Your Final Destination (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1997), 99-101; Hank Hanegraaff, After Life: What You Need to Know About Heaven, the Hereafter & Near-Death Experiences (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing, 2013), 136-142; Kenneth D. Boa and Robert Bowman Jr., Sense and Nonsense about Heaven and Hell (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007), chapter 9; Lee Strobel, The Case for Heaven: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for Life After Death (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2021), chapter 8.