Can Christians Go to Hell? The Shocking Difference That Determines Your Eternity

I never thought “Christians” could go to hell, until I started digging deeper into the Scriptures.

Around 2008, I met a pastor at a revival in California who completely shifted my perspective. His name is Pastor Boyoung Park, and he is my favorite pastor out of all the 55,000 Protestant Korean churches that exist today. What makes him stand out is his testimony and faith life story. He grew up in a family of pastors: his grandfather, father, uncles, aunts, and even brothers were all pastors, except him. Why? He saw so much division and fighting in the churches where his family served. He believed God was dead and Christianity was fake. Jesus’ disciples could only live such lives because He is not real, was his conclusion.

As a result, Pastor Park chose a different path. He became a medical doctor in his 30s and married into an affluent non-Christian family. Then when he hit his late 30s, he was diagnosed with an incurable heart disease and was given only a few months to live. Knowing his own prognosis, he finally went to a prayer mountain that his uncle led. A prayer mountain is like a modern-day monastery or retreat where people go to pray, fast, and reflect.

While there, Pastor Park had a life-changing encounter with God. He was miraculously healed of his heart condition—and during the Christmas season, he gave his life to Jesus. He sold or gave everything he had to the poor and spent 10 years literally living among the homeless people. After those 10 years, Jesus visited him again, this time to launch him into one of the most influential and deeply devout ministries in Korea. Since then, he has planted some of the healthiest, most Spirit- filled churches I have ever seen, all rooted in solid biblical teaching.

I could share so much more about him, but I want to focus on a powerful vision that Jesus gave him, which directly ties into what we are discussing in this book. In the vision, Pastor Park saw countless people walking toward a cliff. They were all wearing one of three types of clothing. At the edge of the cliff was a steep drop into flames—hell. Half the people were dressed in black clothes, the other half in gray, and only a few scattered here and there wore white.

Pastor Park wanted to ask Jesus what the different colors meant, but before he could speak, Jesus answered him. He explained that those in black were nonbelievers—people who never acknowledged or accepted Christ, and they were walking straight into eternal hell. The people in gray were those who went to church, listened to sermons, and played the part of a Christian, but never truly repented. They were religious, but never experienced a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus. Despite looking like Christians to others, they too were heading straight for hell.

Finally, the people in white clothes were those who had truly been washed by the blood of Jesus. They had repented, surrendered their lives to Christ, and served His Kingdom with everything. These were the born-again believers—those who had truly given their lives to Jesus. While they were few, they were the ones who were taken up into Heaven by a powerful light, spared from the cliff and the flames below.

The question for you today—what color are you wearing?

Heaven Encounter Conference

God loves me so much that He sent me to be a featured speaker at the very first “Heaven Encounter Conference” held in October 2024, in San Diego, California. Pastor Randy Kay and his wife, Renee, hosted the event and flew in speakers from all over, though I drove from nearby Orange County. At the conference, I met a dozen other believers who had experienced near-death experiences, hell, Heaven, and Jesus Christ. Some had even more extreme encounters than I had.

One of the featured speakers was Retha McPherson, a Spirit-led speaker from South Africa. She’s the author of The New York Times bestseller Message from God, where she shares her inspiring story about losing her son, Aldo, in a traumatic car accident. Aldo entered Heaven, met Abraham, Moses, and Jesus Christ, and then miraculously returned to share his visit. What is truly amazing is that Aldo had the exact same vision of the three types of people that Pastor Boyoung Park had. Had Pastor Park and Aldo ever met? I seriously doubt it.

For one, Pastor Park does not speak English and lives in South Korea, while Aldo and Retha are from South Africa and do not speak Korean. They are miles apart in language and culture. But despite that, their stories align, showing us that hell is real, many people are heading there, but anyone who repents and lives a surrendered life to Christ can go to Heaven and experience God’s love, both here on earth and for eternity.

Is it an easy life to live with and for God? I would say no, but honestly, it is much harder to live without God, both here on earth and for all of eternity. Through faith in the Cross, you can let Jesus live through you, and not remain a religious person striving for acceptance and trying to earn salvation from God. Allow Jesus Christ to love on you and live in you.

God loves you deeply. You have to surrender and receive that love, though. God loves me, and I truly believe I am His favorite child. Just think about it. John 15:9 (NIV) says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” How much does God the Father love Jesus, His Son? As His favorite. And because of that, it is now only logical to say that you are Jesus’ favorite, and therefore God’s favorite, too!

Real, Biblical Christianity

What exactly is real, biblical Christianity? You have a human right to know. Someone should have shared it with you clearly. If not, I apologize on your Christian or neighbor’s behalf.

Christianity is all about God’s Son, Jesus, who is both fully God and fully Man. We were made in God’s image, created for His glory and fellowship. As His stewards, His representatives on earth, especially in the Garden of Eden, we were designed to walk with God in perfect freedom, without shame. We were free to do everything except eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That was the one command God gave us. The Gospel is something that all Christians and seekers alike must clearly understand.

Satan, the devil, came into the Garden and lied to Eve, and through her, to Adam, and to us. On the day we disobeyed God, we died. We did not become more enlightened; instead, our eyes were opened to shame, guilt, and a deep separation from God. We did not become like God, we became cursed. The serpent, satan, knew that God knew good and evil. However, when we ate from the tree of knowledge, we did not gain wisdom, but confusion. We inherited a distorted understanding of good and evil, not godly knowledge.

Due to Adam and Eve’s disobedience, the entire world was cursed. God views our decision to eat from the tree as a direct act of rebellion, as a desire to take His place. It is a great offense to God, though it might seem small to us. We are made in His image, but we are not God. God is the Creator, and no matter how great we think we are, we are still the created, not the Creator. God is the Master, and we are His servants. He is our Father, and if we believe in Jesus, we are His children.

The tree of knowledge of good and evil in the center of the Garden represented the boundary God set as King, Creator, and God. When we think we can become or replace Him, we become enemies of God, and that ends the relationship between us and God. This separation is the literal and biblical definition of death. Yes, there is physical death, but the more terrifying death is when we lose our relationship with God and are separated from Him. Many are born into this world physically, but unless they are truly born again, they remain spiritually dead, out of right relationship with God.

Buddhism, and many other religions, teach that life is about self-existence and self-realization. As a former Buddhist, I can tell you how sin- cere, yet misguided, these beliefs can be. Buddhism teaches that we can become gods and pay for our sins through endless prayer. However sin, according to God, is what separates us from Him. The result of sin is false religions, misconceptions about how to reach Heaven, and the fear of hell.

The Consequences of Sin

So what exactly is sin? What are its effects on humanity, both individually and corporately? Romans 6:23 (NIV) says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin always says, “Give me, give me, give me,” and it leads to death. But God says, “Take from Me, take from Me, take from Me,” and it leads to eternal life.

A person who sins is always trying to take from others, and they die on the inside. God is the opposite. He always gives, and He is full of love and life. What an amazing God we can approach at any time of day or night! He says, “Come to Me.” The invitation of the Bible is summed in one word, come! Come and see, come and receive forgive- ness, come and be healed, come and be united with God, come and find rest and true joy, love that quenches all desires and thirsts in your soul.

Everyone who comes to God, obeys God, believes in Him, and lives for Him will change according to their God-given purpose and calling. Believers are ready to love, give, and serve others. And in doing so, God’s eternal life flows through them and they grow and mature. When you become a man or woman of God, you naturally want to love and give without striving because you carry the new nature of Christ within you.

However on the other hand, someone who tries to become god needs more and more to fill the emptiness and is dying spiritually. The worst thing in life is to become your own god; and the best thing in life is when you make Jesus your Lord, you walk in eternal life and share that life with everyone you meet. When I try to be my own god, I lose everything. But when I accept Jesus, God Himself gives me everything—life, redemption, and eternity.

The Power of Redemption

John 17:3 says eternal life is knowing the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent. When we repent, we are redeemed. To redeem means to buy something back, to repay. Spiritually speaking, God bought us back from sin and death. Satan tricked us into thinking we could become gods; but in reality, we became slaves—slaves to sin, to the devil, and to our own selfish desires. God created us to be free, but sin brought us into bondage. In sin, we feel anxious, empty, and constantly seeking something to fill that void.

The Gospel tells us that God came to satan and said, “These are My children.” Satan replied, “No, they’re mine. You have to buy them back.” And that is what Romans 6:23 means. There was a price to pay to redeem us from sin and death. What can pay for death? Meditation? Good deeds? More money, bitcoins? It has to be something of equal or greater value. And that is exactly what Jesus did for us. He gave His life in exchange for ours.

Jesus Christ paid the price for us, redeeming us from eternal death. This is something we can understand in simple terms. God decided to redeem us by sending His Son, Jesus Christ. God never sold us to satan. We betrayed Him of our own free will. Christianity is about trusting that Jesus saves us from our sins. Salvation is redemption. We are bought back to God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s free to us, but it was costly to Jesus—He paid for our sins with His life.

Through Jesus, we are forgiven, redeemed, righteous, blameless, sinless, and guilt-free—once and for all. This is amazing grace. The Gospel is all about redemption! How do we receive this redemption? By repenting sincerely, with all our heart, and trusting in Jesus Christ and His Word. Salvation is a gift, but it is a gift that comes, came, at a great cost, the cost of Jesus’ life.

Then, why do some religious Christians still go to hell? They do so because they never truly learned the meaning of Christianity in their hearts. They do not understand who Jesus is, the meaning of His name, or the true nature of their own sins and its effects. They have not experienced the power of redemption but simply attended church. They are born but not born-again. Only God can pay for our sins. That is why He sent His Son, Jesus, to redeem us. Now we can return to God, free from the power of sin and death.

Redemption is what God did for us. We cannot please Him through our own works or striving. Our part is to trust Him, surrender to Him, and enjoy His presence. This is the amazing grace of the biblical Gospel! It is all about the Cross of Christ! Let Jesus Christ live through you; and as you walk in His grace, share His life with everyone you meet.