"In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." —2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9
Famous
actor and comedian, Jackie Gleason (1916-1987), once said on 60-minutes in a
1984 interview that he didn't believe God is a “vengeful” God. In 1946 there
were 6,000 televisions sold in the U.S., but in 1952 a staggering 22,000,000
Americans bought televisions. With this new toy called “TV” invading American
homes, Gleason was one of the biggest names in the booming business. Mr.
Gleason was known as “The Great One,” first given the compliment by Orson
Wells. Unfortunately, Gleason did not know “The Greatest One,” which is
Jesus Christ.
Gleason states in the 1984 60-minutes interview, when asked what he thought about going to Heaven . . .
“I'm sure that if you've committed a sin He's not going to send you to Hell for eternity.”
60-Minutes interview, 1984
Unfortunately, Jackie Gleason was very wrong. God does send people to Hell for eternity if they die in their sins without Jesus Christ. This is clearly stated in our text Scripture from 2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9 (King James Bible). We read in Revelation 20:15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” John 3:5, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” No one can go to Heaven without being born-again by the Holy Spirit of God, Who indwells every true believer (1st Corinthians 3:16-17). You must be born from above by the Spirit of God to have eternal life.
The Bible teaches that committing even ONE SIN makes a person GUILTY OF ALL. Jackie Gleason didn't understand that Biblical truth. James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” The reason why one sin makes a man “guilty of all” is because even one sin is enough to keep a person out of Heaven, and send them to the Lake of Fire forever. God is a holy God, and His holiness demands justice. Sin must be paid for, which is why Christ came into the world as the Lamb of God (John 1:29), and died on the cross for everyone's sins. Jesus Christ is “the Saviour of all men” (1st Timothy 4:10), but you must personally receive Him by faith in order to be saved (John 1:12-13).
We are saved by believing the Gospel. Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Most people have bought into one of the Devil's deceptions, accepting a substitute in place the the Gospel. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living the Christian life without ever being born-again. Most religious people are trusting in partial faith in Christ plus some degree of human effort. This is a false plan of salvation that does not produce the new birth in Christ Jesus.
Jackie Gleason needed the Gospel! What is “the Gospel”? The Bible plainly tells us in 1st Corinthians 15:1-4, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” That's the Gospel: Christ died on the cross for our sins, He was buried, and He bodily resurrected the third day from the dead. (Please note that all Scripture references are from the trustworthy King James Bible.) Have you believed the Gospel? If the Gospel is your only hope for eternal life, then you are saved. Jesus paid it all. Jackie Gleason knew that he was a sinner, but he failed to rest in a risen Christ's sacrifice on the cross for his sins.
Hell is filled with good sinners, and some of the worst sinners are in Heaven. We're all sinners! You don't go to Hell because you're bad, or Heaven because you're good. You go to Hell because you die in your sins without Jesus Christ as your Savior (John 8:24). You go to Heaven because you trust Christ, believing that He died on the cross for your sins, and that He resurrected from the dead three days later. Those who believe the Gospel die in the Lord (Revelation 14:13). It's that simple to be saved!
Jackie Gleason wrongly reasoned that God wouldn't deny Him access into Heaven over a few sins. Jesus warned in Luke 13:23-34, “Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” Most people who seek to enter into Heaven when they die will be horrified to learn that the Devil deceived them. Revelation 12:9, “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” A startling 1.6 billion religious Muslims are going to Hell because they deny Jesus as the Christ. Over one billion Roman Catholics are going to Hell, because they trust in sacramental salvation, the confessional booth, and the Catholic church. To be saved, we must believe the simple Gospel. Don't add anything to the Gospel, or you won't go to Heaven. Jesus Christ paid for our sins on the cross, and there's nothing that we can add to that. To do so is a false Gospel (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4; Galatians 1:7-9).
The Bible proclaims that all men are sinners (Romans 3:10-23). Religion is man trying to reach God through human effort, but Christianity is God trying to reach man by the sacrifice of His only begotten Son on the cross. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. Gleason died of cancer at age 71. If he died without Christ as his Savior, and it appears that he did, then he went to Hell forever. I am saddened to think about that. I do not write articles like this to be unkind; but rather, to make sure that you don't go to Hell too. What will you do with Jesus?
It appears that Gleason did believe in God, as he makes this popular quote...
“Our dreams are firsthand creations, rather than residues of waking life. We have the capacity for infinite creativity; at least while dreaming, we partake of the power of the Spirit, the infinite Godhead that creates the cosmos.”
SOURCE: Jackie Gleason quotes
Jackie Gleason is what is called a
Modernist, that is, a person who talks about spiritual matters and
may even quote some Scriptures, but they have never been born-again and are
hellbound in their sins. You don't partake of the Holy Spirit “while
dreaming” as Gleason claims; but rather, by becoming born again. Only a
born-again believer has the Holy Spirit of God indwelling them (1st
Corinthians 3:16-17; 1st John 3:24; Galatians 4:6; John 1:12-14). Many
unsaved people speak using religious terms, Biblical concepts and
spiritualism, but have never personally received Jesus Christ as their Savior.
The Bible warns about unsaved people who “Having a form of godliness, but
denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2nd Timothy 3:5).
From watching the 1984 60-minutes interview, it is clear that Gleason's Catholic upbringing was still at work, convincing him that doing good works are necessary to get to Heaven. Catholics believe that a person must keep Seven Sacraments to get to Heaven, which is a false plan of salvation. The Bible condemns all manmade religion. Gleason is honest enough to admit that he doesn't deserve to go to Heaven because of his heathen, wild and sinful lifestyle; but yet, Gleason foolishly reasons that God will let him slide into eternity. If you hear the Gospel truth and reject it, then there is no other sacrifice for your sins. There is no sacrifice for our sins other than Christ. Hebrews 10:26, “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.”
We are warned in Proverb 14:12,
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the
ways of death.” Gleason relied upon his own human reasoning as the basis
of his religious beliefs. What he should have been doing is what the Lord
Jesus commands all of us to do... SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES (John
5:39). The great need of this hour in the world is to get back to the Word
of God. Phooey on the latest New York Times Bestseller. Phooey on Rick
Warren's The Purpose-Driven Life garbage. Phooey on the secular psychology of James
Dobson's Focus On The Family. We need to focus on the Bible! Please
see,
Jackie Gleason made the same fatal error that so many people are still making today, and that Cain made in the days of Adam, relying upon their own human wisdom and understanding to get them to Heaven. Sadly, Cain went to Hell, as likely did Gleason and everyone else who foolishly believes that God is not a vengeful Person Who sends sinners to Hell. 2nd Thessalonians 1:8 warns that God is VENGEFUL and will punish the wicked with flaming fire forever. James 2:10 plainly states, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
That means even the person who sins the least is still as guilty in God's as the worst sinner. Why? Because committing even one sin makes us unworthy of Heaven. No matter how much good we may do, the sins we have committed are still there. This is why Jesus came to pay our sin debt. God knew that we could not redeem ourselves, so He sent His only begotten Son to redeem us with His own precious blood. 1st Peter 1:18-19, “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” Amen!
The bottom line is this... you have no righteousness of your own and God is NOT going to let you slide, compromise His Word or let you into Heaven “some other way” than through His dear Son, Jesus Christ (John 10:1, 9; 14:6). You need God's righteousness, which is obtained only through faith that is in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:9, “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”
Mr. Gleason reiterates in his 1984 interview that his greatest fear was not making it to Heaven when he died. Sadly, Gleason's worst fears have become a reality since his death in 1987. I often wish I could be there in his last hours and witness the truth of the Gospel to him, but I cannot. However, I can tell you, friend, how to be saved. I am being your friend to tell you the truth. The Bible teaches that Christ died in our place for our sins. Catholics in particular get upset when you tell someone on their death bed that they are a sinner. Catholics believe the satanic lie that only a priest can forgive your sins. It's called “Last Rites” (one of Catholicism's Seven Sacraments). This is unbiblical. There is no such thing as “Last Rites” in Christianity. Catholicism is a bunch of manmade doctrines, which render the Word of God null and void to Catholics (Mark 7:9-13).
My friend, the only one Who can forgive your sins is God, and He promises to do so if you'll simply believe that Christ died in your place on the cross, was buried and bodily resurrected three days later. The Gospel (Good News) is that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us on the cross. Christ was buried, to officiate His death. And then, miraculously by the power of God, Jesus resurrected three days later (1st Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 5:8-9). Please read, What Is The Gospel? (by Pastor Harry Ironside).
If you foolishly think (as Jackie Gleason did) that God is not a vengeful God, and that God will let you into Heaven apart from being born-again in Christ Jesus, then you are greatly mistaken. Don't get mad at me for telling the truth of God's Word. Roman Catholicism is a manmade fake religion. Jesus said that except a man be born-again, He CANNOT enter into the Kingdom of God (John 3:1-7). Please note that all Scripture references are quoted only from the trustworthy King James Bible.
There is no salvation apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father will punish the wicked with eternal fire and vengeance. Jude 1:7, “Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” God is a vengeful God as much as He is a merciful God. No one ever goes to the Lake of Fire except those who choose to go there (by consciously rejecting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior). Jackie Gleason feared missing Heaven, and he apparently missed it. I do not know for sure. It is always possible that Mr. Gleason accepted Jesus Christ toward his death, but I have found no evidence of that.
It is purported that Gleason read many books in his last years, seeking for answers. My heart broke when I learned that Gleason had sought for answers concerning the afterlife. Unfortunately, it appears that Gleason (like many people) was “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2nd Timothy 3:7). We are told in Matthew 7:13-14 that the road which leadeth unto life is narrow. This is because Satan blinds men with worldly philosophies, false religion, lies and deceptions. Titus 2:11 plainly teaches, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” I don't claim to understand it all, I just know that somehow, someway, everybody receives some light from God. If a person responds to that light, then God is obligated to reveal more light (truth) to that person, otherwise God would be unfair.
No one ever went to Hell who didn't have a chance to get saved. John 3:20 teaches that love for sin hinders people from coming to the light (the Word of God and Jesus Christ) to be saved. What usually happens is that an unsaved person rejects the Gospel as being nonsense or a fable, preferring instead to either profess to be an atheist or follow organized religion. Hundreds-of-millions (if not billions) of people sincerely, but errantly, think that they will go to Heaven if they do enough good works to outweigh their bad works. The Holy Bible calls all of these works, good and bad alike... DEAD WORKS (Hebrews 6:1). We are saved by resting completely in Christ (Hebrews 4:10-11). All the religious debate, fraud and hostility drive many people away from the truth of God's Word.
I am not targeting Jackie Gleason, God forbid. I often research the lives of celebrities and great people to see what they believe(d) about Jesus Christ. I am sad that Robin Williams in all likelihood went to Hell. I have researched Gene Wilder (aka, Willie Wonka) and he is professed “Atheist-Buddhist-Jewish, not a Christian. There is no evidence of salvation in his life. Leonard Nimoy (Spock) openly rejected Jesus Christ, believing that God has a female side, which is blasphemy! I have no doubt that Mr. Nimoy went to Hell. Rod Serling (creator of the Twilight Zone), Gene Roddenberry (Creator of Star Trek), and countless others all died in their sins (John 8:24), and are burning in Hell according to the Bible.
Do you believe the Bible? Do you believe that God authored the Holy Bible? I believe one of the reasons why Satan has published 582 different Bible versions is to confuse people, so that they wouldn't be able to learn the truth of the Gospel to be saved. Salvation can only happen through faith in Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, Whose blood washes away our sins. There will be no exceptions. You must admit that you are a guilty sinner in God's holy eyes (Romans 3:19). You must believe that Christ died on the cross. You must believe that Jesus was buried in a tomb. You must believe that Christ bodily resurrected the third day. This is the Gospel (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Do be a fool like Mr. Gleason to think that God's goodness will let you slide for your sins. NO YOU WON'T! Luke 13:23-24 warns that many people will seek to enter into Heaven, but only few shall be able. YOU NEED GOD'S RIGHTEOUSNESS!
