Jesus is The Way…The Truth…The Life – The Promise of Heaven

Dr. David Jeremiah’s comprehensive study, “The Promise of Heaven,” aims to address the universal hunger for eternity and provide biblical answers regarding life’s ultimate destination. This outreach effort, spanning books, a teaching series, and broadcasts from locations like Time Square, seeks to bridge the profound message of heaven with a world in desperate need of hope.

I. The Exclusive Path to Eternity: Jesus Christ

The most critical question addressed is “How do we get to heaven?”. The Bible is clear that heaven is promised only to those who believe and receive God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ.

The Singular Requirement for Salvation

Jesus explicitly stated: “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me” (John 14).

• Acceptance is Essential: To go to heaven, individuals must accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior, pray, and ask Him to forgive their sin and live within their life.
• The Free Gift: When a person trusts Christ, the Bible says He gives them the gift of eternal life. This is often described as Jesus “punching our ticket to heaven”.
• Exclusivity Explained: While this path is exclusive, the concept mirrors God’s establishment of life itself. Just as physical life is created through an egg and a sperm, spiritual life is created through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit—there is only one way to be born physically and only one way to be born spiritually.

Clarifying Salvation Requirements

Confusion often arises regarding what is required after accepting Christ:

• Baptism is not required for heaven. Baptism is an important act of obedience, but it is not a part of salvation or a requirement for entering heaven. Jesus proved this by telling the thief on the cross, “Today you will be in paradise with me,” without requiring him to be baptized first.
• Good works cannot buy entry. Acknowledging that we cannot make it to heaven through our own good works is necessary for salvation.

II. Addressing the Human Hunger for Eternity

The campaign to share the message of heaven is rooted in a core theological observation: every person is born with eternity in their heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

The Universal Need

This internal hunger signifies a space that belongs to eternity and God, even if individuals are unaware of it. When people try to be fulfilled by the everyday, temporal things of life—even worldly success, like winning multiple Super Bowls—they are often left asking, “Is that all there is?”.

The Purpose of Studying Heaven

The study of heaven is critical not just for future planning but for guiding present action. The things the Bible says about heaven have a lot to do with how we live now.

Many people spend more time planning a two-week vacation than planning for where they will spend eternity. Dr. Jeremiah wrote the book not simply to make people “smart about heaven” but to compel them to make the ultimate decision for salvation.

The Context of Hell

To truly understand heaven, one must also believe in hell. The Bible contains more information about hell than it does about heaven, and Jesus spoke more about hell than He did about heaven. If individuals choose to go up some way other than through Jesus, the alternative is a place of punishment.