"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 7:21)
Late one night, during prayer, the Holy Spirit shook my soul with a voice I could not ignore.
"Warn those inside the church who are heading to hell."
For decades, I had taken for granted the phrase, "Believe in Jesus and you will be saved." But that night, the Lord confronted me with an unmistakable truth: There are people sitting in church pews who are on their way to hell.
The Lord showed me five types of believers.
First: Those with Dead Faith
These are people who sit in services every week but have never truly repented. They cry "Lord, Lord," yet their hearts remain hard as stone. Like a patient sitting in a hospital waiting room who never sees the doctor, they attend church but never meet Christ.
Second: Those Who Blaspheme the Holy Spirit
They call the Spirit's work satanic, mock tearful repentance as fanaticism, and dismiss God's Word as legalism. Jesus declared: "Blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven" (Matthew 12:31-32). To reject the Spirit is like a drowning man striking away the hand reaching to save him.
Third: Those Who Fall Away After Tasting Grace
Once fervent but now choosing worldly comfort over faith, they have abandoned the truth. Like King Saul, like Demas, they knew the way of righteousness but turned back. Scripture warns: "It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to have known it and then turned away" (2 Peter 2:21).
Fourth: Those Deceived by False Gospels
The papal infallibility of Catholicism, the human deification of Mormonism, the investigative judgment of Seventh-day Adventism, the Trinity denial of Jehovah's Witnesses, the human messiahs of the Unification Church and Shincheonji—all are Satan's counterfeit gospels. Paul pronounces a curse: "If anyone preaches another gospel, let them be accursed" (Galatians 1:8).
Fifth: False Shepherds
Men who stand in pulpits without God's calling, with sermons but no power, with titles but no anointing. They fatten themselves while starving the flock. On the final day, Jesus will declare: "I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness" (Matthew 7:23).
Where Do You Stand?
Attending church without true repentance is like sitting in a hospital waiting room without ever seeing the doctor. The disease worsens, time passes, and one day death suddenly comes. By then, it is too late.
Repentance is not optional. It is a matter of life and death.
Metanoia (μετάνοια)—a complete turning of heart and life. This is true repentance. Not mumbling "I'm sorry." It is falling to your knees, beating your chest, confessing your sins with tears, and turning 180 degrees.
David committed adultery and murder, yet he repented and God received him. King Saul committed a small disobedience, yet he made excuses and God rejected him. What was the difference? The sincerity of repentance.
Right Now, Examine Your Soul
- When was the last time you truly repented?
- Have you ever grieved over your sin?
- Has God's Word ever pierced through you?
- Is your first love for the Lord still burning?
If these questions leave only silence, you are in danger.
But it is not too late.
"Return to me, and I will return to you" (Malachi 3:7).
God is still waiting. Waiting for the prodigal to come home, for the lost sheep to return to the fold.
Today, right now, this moment—fall to your knees. Not with formal prayers, but with soul-wrenching cries of repentance. Come before the Lord not with religion but with relationship, not with ritual but with life.
Repentance opens the way to life. Heaven opens, lives transform, curses break, and hope is restored.
Your choice determines eternity.
- Pastor Shiny Kang
The Garden of Love Church, New York
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