Do All Dogs Go to Heaven?

     In 1989, Don Bluth created a movie entitled "All Dogs Go to Heaven".  This is a story of a rather shady dog named Charlie and his dachshund buddy Itchy.  Unfortunately, Charlie is murdered by an associate of Itchy's named Carface.  Despite his bad deeds, Charlie goes to heaven where he steals his life watch back and returns again to earth.  Unknown to him, when the life watch runs down again, he will be cast into Hell since he gave up his status in heaven.

   

Our old basset hound Roscoe and our granddog Beau

 Charlie meets an orphan girl whom he befriends to use her ability to talk to animals and thus win money for races they are in.  He does not really care what happens to her until the end of the story where she nearly drowns.  He sacrifices his own life to save her but loses his life watch.  However, an angel comes and takes him to heaven once more since he helped the little girl.  Carface, the villain, also goes to heaven when he dies despite his unrepentant life of dirty tricks.  Hence, the name of the movie, "All Dogs Go to Heaven".  In reality though, according to the Christian faith, not all go to heaven and none can return to have a second chance.

     Scripture teaches us in Hebrews 9:27:  ".....it is appointed for man to die once, and after this comes judgment..."  There is no mention in God's Word  telling us that we can return to earth for any do-overs.  Furthermore, we are told clearly that the only door into the sheepfold of heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ.  Unless we are found in Him through faith, we cannot enter heaven.

     In the letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul makes it very clear that we are all sinners and under condemnation before the Lord.  Romans 3:23 says:  "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  However, the remedy to this fatal sin nature is life in Jesus Christ.  Romans 6:23 tells us, "For the wages of sin are death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  This is how we can enter eternal life in heaven by repenting of our sins and believing in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation.

     Unlike Charlie, in the movie, we do not get into heaven because we have done any good deeds which makes us worthy recipients of eternal life.  The Apostle Paul made that clear in his letter to the believers at Ephesus when he writes:  "For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).  God grants us not only His grace but also the faith with which to believe.  In verses 4 and 5 of this same letter, Paul tells us:  "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ..."   

      From start to finish then, it is God who awakens us from the death of our sin nature, and gives to us the faith to believe in the salvation bought for us through the sacrifice of His Son for our sins.  This is Good News!  Will all believe?  No, and certainly those who are unrepentant will die in their sins.  For them, there will be justice which awaits.  This place reserved for those who reject God is called Hell.  Jesus mentioned Hell or a place of eternal torment nearly 46 times in His ministry.

     Hell was meant for the devil and his angels, but all who reject the message of salvation in Jesus Christ will join them in this place of separation from God.  It is a place of judgment, wrath, fire, torment, weeping, gnashing of teeth where there is no comfort day or night.  Quite often, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus alludes to this place as He teaches the kingdom principles of living:

Matthew 5:22, 29-30; Matthew 7:19, Matthew 8:12 and 10:28.  Mark 9:43-48 also paints a bleak picture of the eternal punishment awaiting those who do not believe.

     Jesus warned us and told us plainly about Hell, but today, there are many who do not choose to preach on this subject.  It is a real place, and one that we should not want anyone to enter.  Therefore, we have a ministry to friends, neighbors, family to tell them about Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished for us.  While God is love, He is also a God of judgment, wrath and justice who will punish those who are unrepentant.  To some God grants mercy, but to others, God brings justice.  This is why it is so important that we tell others the Good News.

     Unlike Rob Bell in his book "Love Wins", I do not believe that all will be saved in the end.  All dogs do not go to heaven, but all need to hear the message of salvation that some might come to Him.  Those who are God's chosen will respond when He calls.  Our job is not to judge others, but to present the truth of God's only means of salvation - Jesus Christ.  There is no other way to heaven (John 14:6).  Let us be faithful so that no one misses the opportunity to enter eternal rest in heaven when they die.  Then, let us pray and leave the results to God.  Selah!

     

Beware False Teachers

   For well over a year now, our Sunday School class has been studying Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones book entitled "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount".  If I could commend a book worthy of time and effort, it would be this one.  No one has ever made this sermon delivered by our Savior more clear than Dr. Lloyd-Jones.  I find myself deeply convicted at how I live for Christ.
     In our study for this week, we covered a topic that is very pertinent to all of us today.  The scripture given is found in Matthew 7:15-20:  "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will recognize them by their fruits.  Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?  So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.  A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus you will recognize them by their fruits."  Unfortunately, false teachers are as much present today as they were in the days of the early church.  This is why this warning is so important for us to consider.  So, the next question is how do we recognize a false teacher?
     Many people think they would be easy to distinguish; however, this is not necessarily true.  Their conduct is not outrageous, but to the contrary, as Dr Lloyd-Jones describes, a false teacher is often someone who is very pleasant, nice and appears to be a Christian to the core.  His general teaching is all right, and the terminology he uses also would identify him as a Christian teacher.  The problem for us is that there seems to be nothing glaringly wrong, but remember what our Lord advised us in His sermon:  "you will know them by their fruits."  A person's teaching and their life cannot be separated and this is one aspect we need to keep in mind as we examine someone in ministry.  As we listen to their teaching, we must look beneath the surface to see what they are not saying as much as what they do say.  Often they skip over things like "sin", "hell", God's wrath, and moral accountability for our actions.  Instead, they emphasize a comforting message about God's love that pleases everyone.  In some ways, we could say that a false teacher is all things to all men.
      When it comes to doctrine, we will find that a false teacher almost never emphasizes this in his/her message.  They never get down to particularizing their belief system but keep things somewhat vague.  Discussion of righteousness, holiness, and justice are absent.  He/she doesn't say they don't believe this but they do not bring it up.  Again, they mainly center on God's all encompassing love.  In the words of Dr. Lloyd-Jones:  "To conceal the truth is as reprehensible and as damnable as to proclaim an utter heresy; and that is why the effect of such teaching is that of a 'ravening wolf'" (Page 502 "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount").
     Another keynote deletion from their message is just how serious sin is to our soul.  These teachers never tell us we are perfect but they downplay sin.  Likewise, they never emphasize our utter helplessness in coming to God nor do they talk in depth about the work of Christ as our substitute on the cross.  Yes, they may talk about Jesus, His death and His example, but often he/she merely sentimentalizes about the Lord.  They never preach the "offense of the cross" as Paul did.
     In addition, a false teacher never emphasizes repentance.  His approach is the wide gate that Jesus spoke of and the goal is to get as many through that gate by making a decision for Christ which doesn't emphasize how black our hearts really are or how deep our sin is. The numbers of decisions are what counts to the false teacher.  By contrast, Dr. Lloyd-Jones said that this flies in the face of the early Puritans like George Whitefield and others who made men tremble in their boots for days and weeks over their sin.  Their turning from sin was real, deep and lasting.
     Finally, a false teacher never discusses the absolute necessity of living a holy life.  The narrow way is not what he/she teaches.  Instead, their form of holiness matches that of the Pharisees.  It is
easy believe-ism without great demands.  A false teacher rarely talks about self-examination either but simply says "Look to Jesus".  It is good to keep our eyes on the Lord but we are also instructed to examine ourselves and see if there is any wicked way in us.
     Today, there are any number of teachers out there that talk about morals, emotions, feelings, mysticism, the love of God.  However, we are called to look at their fruit.  Examine what they are saying.  Does it line up with God's Word?  Are they telling the whole story of salvation and how black our sins are or are they merely making us feel comfortable and better about ourselves?  Paul, in speaking to Timothy, predicted the rise of these kinds of teachers when he wrote this in 2 Timothy 4:3:  "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."  We are called to be vigilant and to heed the wisdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.  May we be well equipped by knowing God's Word to inspect the fruit of a teacher to know if what they say is based on His truth.  Selah!


Photography by Aaron Thayer at Naples Botanical Garden.