12. Question: How can I know for sure if my loved ones will be in heaven?

Answer: The Bible states that the only way you can know for sure if your loved one will be in heaven is if you have knowledge that your loved one, at some time in his or her life, surrendered to Jesus as Savior and Lord God (1 John 5:13; Mark 1:15; John 3:16; John 8:24). If you have no evidence that your loved one ever surrendered to Jesus, then you can never know for sure if your loved one will be in heaven. On the positive note, your loved one may have, at some time in his or her life, surrendered to Jesus. Even if your loved one said a heart felt prayer (even in his or her mind), like "Jesus save me," at the second before death, they went to heaven when they died and they will be forgiven forever just like the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43).

On the other hand, if a person says "Jesus save me" and does not believe that Jesus will forgive them forever, or if the person does not believe that Jesus is God, or if the person does not believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven, or if the person does not surrender to Jesus as his or her God and Master, then Jesus will not forgive them and He will not give them His Spirit in their heart. Matthew 7:21-23; Mark 1:15; John 3:16-18; John 5:18,23; John 14:1-9,15,23-24; John 15:14; John 20:24-29.