“When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, ‘Who then can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said to them, ‘With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

-From The Gospel of Matthew

It is misunderstood. Even by those of The Way. However it is, in fact, so simplistic that a child could understand. The misunderstandings only exist because Man taints it with his own beliefs. He makes it into what he desires it to be. Whether he conforms to it, or molds it to conform to him.

At the time of this writing we are weeks removed from the death of two icons. Two men that have reminded us that even heroes have to eventually bow to Death. One man was deemed “The Immortal One”. The other was “The Prince of Darkness”. Ironic that one could not live up to his name, and the other could not tame the Darkness that he tried so hard to master. I am speaking of Hulk Hogan and Ozzy Osbourne.

Nearly a month later and their names still dominate the conversation online. From video footage of their funerals, to tributes from those who were touched. Many stories from The Voice that begin with the paraphrase “That time when…”, or “The top five things that…”. Or something of that nature. However, one question that came often almost immediately after their departure was “Did they go to Heaven?”, or even more importantly “Were they saved/a Christian?”.

It seems to be a great concern for many. Maybe these people loved both men so dearly and hope to “See them on the other side” (an intentional pun of an Ozzy song). Maybe they are genuinely concerned that two men that were pillars of the 80’s and 90’s generation slipped away from this world untouched by The Gospel. However, let us take a moment to explore how they lived out their last moments in response to standing face to face with The Word of God’s Salvation.

“And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (2:21). And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (4:12). …Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household (16:31)”

-From The Book of Acts

Hulk Hogan was baptized a year and a half before he lost his match with Death. There are photos strewn all over the web showing him emerging from the symbolically cleansing waters. Being led by his pastor that later confirmed that, yes, Hogan had accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. That his language had changed to reflect Redemption and The Redeemer. That he was resurrected spiritually. That he truly believed The Name that he spoke. “On fire for Jesus” I believe is what I had read. Hogan had a testimony. A story to tell of being once lost, but now found. Ozzy Osbourne, on the other hand, has a vague testimony to tell. As a matter of fact, it is practically non-existent. Yet, many use this “testimony” as proof that he indeed was “saved”. According to many sources, a man had sat with Ozzy and his family and shared The Gospel. Essentially, the family thanked him for his time and effort. He even handed Ozzy an engraved Bible. Supposedly, one of the first things that Ozzy had done after receiving The Word was that he turned to The Gospels. It is even said that he carried The Bible with him everywhere that his feet had trodden and even kept it by his bedside. This story has come up many times in response to the question “Was Ozzy saved?” (or any of the other variations of said question). However, there aren’t any actual testimonies of him accepting Christ as Savior. He did mention in an interview many years ago that he attended Sunday School in his youth. But does that mean anything?

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

-Paul, to The Church at Ephesus

Many people believe that they are saved simply by an action that may be appeasing to God. When I was young my Grandma Doris took me to church with her one Sunday morning. I had no idea what on earth was going on. I remember being in Sunday School with my peers. Being the introvert that I am and the timidity that I was cursed with, I stared at the ground the whole time. Afterwards, I remember everyone singing. Looking up at my Grandma, I wondered what was happening and why she was singing. Then some guy talked for a very long time. A… very… long… long… time. I don’t know how long. But to my 10 year old attention span it felt like an eternity. Later that day my cousin Josh came by the Grandparents for a visit. I remember we started talking about church (which he attended regularly). I recall him saying “My church this” and “My church that”, while I was responding with “Well at my church…”. Suddenly I was a Methodist and a member of my Grandma’s church. Now in the back of my mind, for many years, I believed that I had pleased God with this one and only morning of attendance. That simply showing up had paved the path for my entrance into Heaven upon the start of my forever sleep. Later on in life, as a teen, I was heavily into Death Metal. If they wanted to dismember God then they were my band. Because, as you may recall from the page “My Story” on this website, I was in a season of hating God and wanting to kill Him. However, there was a saving grace during this era: an oxymoron that was a Christian Death Metal band called Mortification. I believed that even though I hated God, listening to this band would please Him and ensure me a special place in Heaven. A place where I could sit and play guitar with Jimi Hendrix. Because, like many have revealed recently with the soul of Ozzy, everyone goes to Heaven. And you can still be of The World when you get there.

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

-Paul, to The Church at Corinth

After the death of both men, memes littered the internet of both ascending into Heaven. Hulk stood before other wrestling legends that had passed before him. Andre The Giant, The Macho Man, The Ultimate Warrior, and more. Many of which never made a profession of Faith or spoke the name of Jesus. That had made it clear in their final days that they did not know God. Ozzy stood before Randy Rhodes (his former guitarist), Dimebag Darrell, and Lemmy Kilmister. Lemmy was the more striking suggestion. The Motörhead frontman was notorious for his drug and alcohol abuse. He even bragged about sleeping with thousands of women, two of which birthed two illegitimate children. He never married. Because to settle down would have been a hindrance to his wild lifestyle. Many comments have come into the light of Ozzy’s immortal actions upon the streets of gold. That he is having “a pint” with Lemmy. That he is playing his classics with Rhodes. Or simply having a massive rock jam with Elvis and Freddy Mercury. Yet, to the common man, all of these men are in Heaven. Maybe we assume that they are there because of their contributions to culture? In the movie “Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey”, the only people that entered Heaven were those that were “enlightened”. Geniuses, philosophers, and musical prodigies.

To say that the sole purpose of Salvation is to get to Heaven is to cheapen what it truly is. Many treat it as a “Get Out Of Hell Free” card. That an action such as attending church once or a thousand times can save you. That baptism in and of itself can save you. That carrying a Bible or wearing a crucifix can save you. When we look at Ozzy’s “testimony” (or lack thereof), we begin to have hope that he is saved because he carried around a Bible that was gifted to him. However, it should be said that Ozzy was also superstitious. Early in his career with Black Sabbath, he and the band wore large crosses around their necks. Some of which still do. The story goes that they were scheduled to perform at some sort of Satanic witch festival of some sort. When the band had backed out of their commitment, the witch people supposedly placed a curse on them. So they had one of the band member’s father (who was a blacksmith) fashion crosses that they wore to ward off the evil spirits. However, wearing crosses is not evidence of Salvation. Just like carrying a Bible is not as well. To many (as in Black Sabbath’s case) it is a good luck charm. Especially if he who wears it shows no evidence of Redemption. So then the question remains…

What is Salvation?

“… If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

-Romans 10:9

It is not complex. Romans (10:9-13) tells us that one simply has to agree that Christ died and had risen. Many believe that. I call them “Agreeing Christians”. They have no relationship with Christ. They do not show any fruits of The Spirit. No evidence of a renewed Self. Most of the time they do not attend church. They live like The World by proudly displaying foul language and sinful behavior (which many Christian’s are beginning to do as well and try to justify. But that is a discussion for a different day). They do not show that they are being guided by The Spirit of Christ, but display lost tendencies. At the day’s end they really have no idea what they believe. But when the food is served and Grandpa leads prayer, they bow their head. They will tell you correctly why we celebrate Christmas. They will tell you correctly why we observe Easter. They may even attend church once a year on Easter morning. But that is as far as it goes. They believe that they are saved because of a single or continuous action that has taken place. Maybe even bowing their head at dinner is the confirmation. Maybe it was a song that they sang once. Maybe they truly believe that Salvation is theirs because they attended church with Grandma. Once. Or even that Grandma’s Salvation has somehow covered them as well. That by their own hands they have chiseled their names into the Book of Life, only to turn away and embrace their old ways.

“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

-Romans 10:10,13

So to agree that Jesus walked the earth, was crucified, died, was buried in the tomb, and rose on the third day is the simple part. Anyone can follow that. Now what I am going to tell you is blasphemous. They say that our Salvation is only by “faith in Christ alone”. That there is nothing that we can do, or have to do, to save ourselves. Many say that the saying “God only helps those that help themselves” is unbiblical and is untrue to the nature of Salvation. However, they are wrong. It is true that we cannot save ourselves apart from Christ. But there is something that we must do. A work that is required of us in order to accept The Atonement of The Cross and be sealed by The Holy Spirit. That work is to confess our Sins. Or more accurately put- to Repent. In many Christian’s (and especially “Agreeing Christians”) lives this is the missing element. It is also the most crucial. The word “confess”  does not mean to “speak of” in and of itself. It means to “agree”. To agree that while we are ALL broken sinners. That the only way to be forgiven and saved is to accept the death and resurrection of Christ as our atonement. He loved the world so much as to die in our stead on Calvary’s Tree. Bearing our Sin that Death may pass over our doorpost. That He died and had Risen, that we too have died to our old worldly and decaying fleshly selves and have been resurrected into new life.

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

-The Apostle John

The issue with many is that they focus on the agreement that Christ existed, died, and rose again. But they do not turn their eyes inward to look at The Demons within. They do not agree with their own Sin. They may even deny its existence in their life. Maybe they do not see it. Or maybe they choose to ignore it because of their deep and profound lust that they have for it. The true paradox here is that we have people that profess the name of Christ, yet do not even know Him. They walk the earth with a halo on fire. With one foot in Hell and the other in Heaven. Completely unaware that the whole of them are in fact in the outer darkness where the weeping reside.

But why did Jesus have to die for our Salvation?

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

-Paul, to The Church at Rome

“…[Jesus] does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself (7:27). And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission (9:22).”

-From The Book of Hebrews

The foundation of The Atonement is the fact that something must die in order for us to be forgiven. Because the wages of Sin is Death. Since the beginning it was prescribed that an animal was to be sacrificed upon the altar for the Sins of Man. Instead of God visting the wages upon Man, He allowed him, through Grace and Mercy, to put to death a sacrifice, without blemish, in his place. When Christ chose to breathe His last upon The Cross, He became the final sacrifice for all of Man. If we look upon Him and agree that His death was the final sacrifice and permanent atonement for Sin, then that is the first half of our part in our Salvation story. The second half, again, is the acknowledgement of our own Sin and that He rose again, just as we had risen again to new life. To stand above the grave of our old broken selves. To give our own eulogy and to rewrite our epitaph. To Repent. That we may taste Forgiveness, Redemption, Justification, and Sanctification. This is the purpose of water baptism. A symbolic expression of the drowning death of our sins and cleansing resurrection. I remember, as my Grandpa was in the final hours of his life, asking my Dad if he was saved. He responded by saying “He was baptized as a little boy.” That was not the answer that I was looking for. I did get the chance to hold Grandpa’s hand, tell him that I love him, and then I shared The Gospel with him. My prayer was that if he indeed was not saved, that he was lucid enough to accept Christ had he not already. Knowing that at that moment was the only moment because Death was sitting on the other side of the bed. Watching. Waiting. Because baptism in and of itself does not save us. Unfortunately, though, there are many preachers and denominations speaking the blasphemy that it does. That even infants are being saved through a measly sprinkling. A lie that no matter how far into the pit of Hell that you fall in life, you are still Heaven bound. Even if your blackened heart has an unbridled hatred for God for the entirety of its beating.

“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.”

-Paul, to The Church at Rome

There are many beliefs regarding who gets into Heaven, as well as excuses as to why we do not need Salvation this day (or any day for that matter). 

“And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’  But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided? So is he who lays up treasure for himself,and is not rich toward God.”

-From The Gospel of Luke

Many will say “I am not ready to accept Christ (or ‘to be saved’). I’ll come to Him when I’m good and ready!” (translation: “I love my Sinful wild lifestyle. I’ll trade it in for a boring Christian life when I’ve had my fill”). However, if you have heard The Gospel, and yet claim that you are “not ready”, then you never will be ready. Because you need to be broken of Sin before you can understand your need to be fixed. If you love your brokenness then you will never understand the grip that it has on you and the damage that it causes. You will always be blind and never see. You will always be lost and never found. Plus, no man (with the exception of Christ) has ever known which breath was his last. From the accident victim to the man dying of cancer. So how far will you delay coming before The Cross? Will Death be more swift? 

“Immediately [Saul/Paul] preached Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed, and said, ‘Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?’  But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.”

-Luke, from The Book of Acts

Many will say “I’ve done too many bad things. They’ll never let me into Heaven.” First, “who”? Despite what the misguided of the world may say, there is no one standing guard at the gates of Heaven with lock and key. Peter is not standing behind a podium with the Book of Life, saying who may or may not pass. It is true, though, that your actions may bar you from Eternity in the presence of Christ. But your “bad things” cannot prevent you even if you accept Salvation. May we remember that Paul was once a man named Saul. A man that had the early Christians arrested and put to death. A man that enjoyed watching their persecution as he thought that he was doing God a favor. A man, although highly educated in theology, did not truly know Him the way that he had thought. Otherwise he too would have recognized Christ as Savior without having to be knocked from his high horse. Quite literally. Yet, after he had an encounter with Christ en route to Damascus, he planted the early Church and wrote the majority of The Epistles. There is no Darkness so great that His Light cannot permeate. 

“Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’”

-From The Gospel of Luke

Many will say “I am far in years. It is too late for me to know Salvation”. The thief hung on his cross just over the shoulder of Jesus. He recognized his brokenness as he came to the realization of Who it was that was hanging before him. And in his eleventh hour, he was promised Paradise. Wasted years of Sin wiped clean for just a few hours of a new life. He only knew “Heaven bound”. He never tasted the sweetness of a life with Salvation. He never knew being blessed by the fellowship of other believers. He never blessed or served others. He never lived through the ongoing process of Sanctifying Grace. He never walked with God in prayer. The only reassurance that he had was the promise given to Him by The Savior. A reassurance that he held deep within his heart as he struggled to breathe through the agonizing pain. Even though his moment with Salvation was brief, the bittersweet moment that he had been blessed with is that he had never known it to its fullest. Many seek it only to remove their names from Hell. This is why so many are falsely converted. As I had mentioned earlier- to search for Salvation only to stay out of Hell cheapens it. It is like searching for riches and settling for a bucket of pennies when you can have a pot of gold.

“So Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.’”

-From The Gospel of Mark

“They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

-Paul, to The Church at Rome

These excuses are plentiful. However they pale in comparison to the greatest one of them all: “I haven’t done anything bad. I haven’t killed anyone or robbed a bank. I haven’t cheated on my wife. I’m sure that my good deeds outweigh my bad deeds. So yeah, I’m pretty sure that I’m going to Heaven.” First, to say this, assumes that there is a judge that will examine and discern those deeds. Second, Who do you think is holding the scales? We can assume that since one is thinking of Heaven, that they acknowledge that God is The Judge. The average Unregenerate that believes in Heaven’s afterlife at least acknowledges His existence to some degree. Therefore God must be the One weighing the good and the bad. Yet, can one define what is “good” and “bad”? They may say “But I have never murdered anyone!” But He who holds the scales says that if anyone hates his brother, then he has already killed in his heart. They may say “But I have never cheated on my wife!” But He who holds the scales says that if you have even looked upon a woman with lust, that you have already committed adultery in the heart. “But I have never robbed a bank!” Oh no? Did you ever covet? Lie? I think that we all have built a life upon breaking God’s commandments. Which is why no matter how hard we try to be good, we will never be able to cleanse ourselves of the stain of Sin. And “goodness” is in the eye of the beholder. If a man cheats on his wife and believes deep within his heart that his mistress is his “soulmate”, will he then justify his actions as “good”? He may even go as far as to say that God brought her into his life. Therefore, in his eyes, it is only right to divorce her who he vowed never to leave. There must be a standard that rests outside of Man’s opinion on right and wrong. The Word holds the answers to that standard. 

Only by our acceptance of The Final Sacrifice, and confession of our brokenness and need for Salvation through His death and Resurrection can The Atonement be fulfilled. And of course…

“Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

-Peter, from The Book of Acts

So then, who can be saved?

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

-John (3:16-17)

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

-The Apostle Peter

If the question of “What is Salvation?” takes us to Romans, then the question of “Who?” takes us to the Gospel of John. Verse 3:16 tells us that God loves the world and has chosen Man for Redemption through Salvation. The World as in “everyone”, not just a select few (sorry Calvinists). But like The Thief that was running out of time, we need to recognize our broken Sinful state and that Jesus is The Messiah and The Only One that can save us from ourselves. From Eternity in outer darkness that will follow when Death inevitably has its way with us. From Eternal Death to Life Everlasting in His presence once our shells have expired. It is detrimental that we recognize Who Jesus is and what He accomplished from The Cross when He said “It is finished!”. However, it is of greater significance that we recognize who we are in our mortal and sinful selves and that there is only One that can save us. I recall during the years that I was dating her, as well as a few years after she became my bride, attending church and Christian concerts. Anytime that there was an invitation to accept Salvation, I would catch her from the corner of my eye looking at me as if she was saying “Well…?”. I would shoot her a smug look as if I was saying “I don’t need it…”. Because in my mind I was Heaven bound. Destined for Paradise with The Thief. I was a good person. I followed in prayer when someone said “Let us bow our head…”. I even led myself in prayer, not knowing what it was that I needed or even Who I was speaking to (most of the time it was to ask for something that I wanted such as things and money). I attended church on occasion. I occasionally listened to a Christian song. Mortification saved me. That one Sunday with Grandma saved me. Even my own mother saved me because she started talking about The God that I used to hate with all of my mind, body, soul, and strength. So, no I did not need to accept Salvation on God’s terms. Because I had already done it myself. Until that one day in July 2004. I found myself on the receiving end of the written words of Billy Graham. Salvation was the topic this day. I had come to realize that I was a sinner. Born into Darkness and predestined for an eternity drowning in its cold dead grasp. I exited the confines of the womb and into the bondage of Sin’s chains. My heart was as black as the darkest of Midnights. Lust, Hate, Greed, Anger, Fear, Hopelessness, and Despair had become that which defined me. My life and tongue a perfect representation of what I was. A broken man, condemned to the open grave that I was staring into. And my casket was open and calling my name. In the living room on that third floor apartment, late at night, I fell to my knees. The rest is history. My story. The next morning I arose to the Sonshine upon my face as Mercy had been renewed, and I had been Redeemed. I felt bulletproof. I have fallen here and there. Yes. I have also learned the hard way that my Flesh is my own worst enemy. But I have never turned from Him who bought my life with The Blood that ran down The Cross and upon my brow as I bowed at His feet, begging “Father, forgive me, a sinner…”. 

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

-Jesus, from The Gospel of John

We must remember that The Disciples never raised a hand, walked down an aisle, filled out a card, or even prayed “Jesus, come into my heart…”. They simply realized that He was the Son of God that had everlasting life and that there was nowhere else to go. No one else to follow. No other way. And they realized that their Sinfulness cast them to be unworthy in His Holy presence. Unless Salvation begat Redemption. They realized that He is The Way.

“Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ (6:68-69). [Then Jesus said] ‘Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.’ Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’(14:1-6)”

-From The Gospel of John

So back to the original question. Was Hulk Hogan and Ozzy Osbourne saved and did they go to Heaven? Did Hogan have a testimony? Yes. Did his language change to praising and confessing the name of Jesus as Lord and Savior? Yes. Are there witnesses to this? Yes, not just from those that were close to him, but globally from those that bore witness to his public statements online and beyond. Did Ozzy have a valid testimony? No. Did his language change? No. Are there witnesses that claim that he had accepted Christ as Lord and Savior? No. Can the works of attending Sunday School as a boy and carrying a Bible in hand save you? No. Therefore we can deduct from what The Word says regarding Salvation, that Hulk Hogan was saved and is currently in the presence of Jesus. Ozzy was not saved and is in the realm of outer Darkness, apart from God. The “Immortal One” is in the halls of The Immortal. The “Prince of Darkness” is at home.

However, here is the plot twist. What if Hogan did it for show, and Ozzy accepted Christ five seconds before his final Midnight? Unless you and I are washed by The Blood of The Lamb, then we will never know the answer.

“Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

-The Apostle John