Is it right for people to assume that when someone dies, they have gone to heaven? How are we assured that the person is in heaven? Even when the unsaved die people assume that they have gone to heaven. Is this right? How do people know what God has allowed?
In your “four questions” you used a word twice that is very important in answering those questions. I’m referring to the words “assume.” The fact is those who “ASSUME that when someone dies, they have gone to heaven,” are using “human logic and reasoning.” These people are reaching a “false conclusion” because they aren’t basing this on God’s Word (which alone can ASSURE one that someone has gone to heaven). They are basing this on their feelings and their own understanding. They WANT to believe their friend, acquaintance or loved one is in heaven so they seek to persuade themselves that it is true.
One of the arguments that I hear the most is, “The Bible says ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:8) and a God of love would never send someone to Hell.” They then conclude that all people go to heaven. Now it is true that “God is love” and He has manifested His love by providing salvation for people through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’ read 1 John 4:9-10, “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, THAT WE MIGHT LIVE THROUGH HIM. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS.” These verses teach us that God loves us so much that He came up with a way to “keep people from going to Hell;” He sent His Son to earth so He could take our place in death and judgment (see Romans 6:23a and Hebrews 9:27) so we could have eternal life (see John 3:16 and 5:24). Notice, verse 9 says, “that we MIGHT live through Him.” This means there may be those “who MIGHT NOT live through Him.” If you look up John 3:16 and 5:24 you will see that God has ONE CONDITION for obtaining eternal life through Christ: one must BELIEVE IN CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOR! Eternal life is a gift for those who “receive this gift by faith in Christ.” Romans 6:23 states, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Ephesians 2:8-9 confirm this: “For by grace you have been SAVED THROUGH FAITH, and that not of yourselves; IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD.”
Jesus Himself taught these same truths. He said in John 6:47, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” Later, in John 8:24, He said, “Therefore I said to you that you will DIE IN YOUR SINS; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” This is very clear, is it not? The one who believes in Jesus Christ as their Savior HAS EVERLASTING LIFE (which means they will go to heaven when they die) but the one who does not believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior will DIE IN THEIR SINS. It is sad and tragic that many refuse to believe in Christ when He has loved them and died for them so they could be saved and go to heaven. One has said, “One may die unsaved but they will not die unloved.” We already saw that God’s love moved Him to send His Son to die for our sins, but He will not force you to accept His love and His free gift of eternal life through His Son. That choice is up to you and if you choose to reject Christ, you will DIE IN YOUR SINS, which means you will pay for your sins forever in the lake of fire (see John 3:18, 36; Revelation 20:15).
In closing, I know there are those who will still not take God at His Word and believe that there is everlasting punishment in Hell for those who refuse to believe in Christ. They are listening to the “enemy of mankind” (Satan) who has been putting this lie in people’s minds from the very beginning. He said to the woman in the Garden of Eden. “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree in the garden?…You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:1 & 4). He is still whispering in the ears of sinners, “Has God said you will die in your sins if you don’t believe in Christ…You will not die in your sins and go to Hell.” (DO) (646.5)