Part 6 Who Are the Inhabitants of Heaven? -- By: N. A. Woychuk

Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 109:434 (Apr 1952)
Article: Part 6 Who Are the Inhabitants of Heaven?
Author: N. A. Woychuk


Part 6
Who Are the Inhabitants of Heaven?

N. A. Woychuk

(Concluded from the January-March Number, 1952)

Naturally, as we have thought about heaven, we are interested to know who the inhabitants of this wonderful place are. Heaven is a perfect place, and if one sin—be it ever so small—would be allowed to enter there, it would cease to be the land it is. Thus it becomes obvious that the inhabitants of heaven must be only those who are absolutely perfect. An infidel philosopher was once asked what his idea of heaven was. He did not believe in the place. So he thought for a few moments and then stated what he believed would be required to make a heavenly land: “a perfect being in a perfect environment. That would be heaven.” Although these words fell from the lips of an infidel, yet they contain the truth with regard to the Christian’s hope. If a sinner ever did get into heaven, such a one would feel out of place and all its glory would be torture to him. He would be out of his environment, outside his sphere like a fish out of water. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.

The wretched and false theory of universalism, which teaches that eventually all human beings will be brought into heaven, is both unreasonable and unscriptural. This opinion suggests that everybody will get into the home of God, the good, bad and indifferent equally. They say, “We believe that God is love and that He will exercise mercy.” Yes, we too understand that God is love and that He exercises tender mercy. But we also believe that God is absolutely just and so must, of necessity, exercise justice. His mercy and love cannot be magnified beyond His justice. Sin and transgression have to receive their penalty. God is bound by His own

person, that He may prove Himself to be what He claims to be, to mete out judgment and punishment on those who have sin in their lives—sin which has not received its fitting retribution. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?” (1 Cor 6:9)

Suppose the governor of the state of Texas should pardon every person that the courts ever convicted, letting all the prisoners loose because he is so merciful and full of compassion he cannot bear to see them punished. I believe that he would be impeached in a very short time. And those very ones who talk so much about the mercy of God would be among the first to demand his impeachment. When we say that all people are going to heaven, we make out God a liar. We deny His Word. We are making for ourselves a toy out of the Almighty. No one who reads the Bible with believing heart can accept such a lie as universalism....

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