Q : Did King Solomon of the Old Testament go to hell because of lack of repentance at the end of his earthly life?
A : There is no one clear Scripture that points to King Solomon of Old Testament going to hell. First of all if the Bible does not say something clearly, we cannot preach a doctrine out of it. Instead we should understand that God does not save us by our works. If we ever dare to say that King Solomon of the Old Testament went to hell, then Jesus would have at least given us all a hint about such a sad event when He came two thousand years ago. Instead Jesus spoke about Solomon with great honor for His godly wisdom. Jesus not even one time refers to some hell going person as some great example to be considered in His gospels (Matt 6:29). Jesus pointed only Himself as the one person who is greater than Solomon himself, no other person was spoken with such a great honor for their wisdom from God (Matt 12:42). If queen of Sheba was saved through the anointed message of Solomon, how much more Solomon the anointed King who was called by God as "My son" and was chosen sovereignly to build His temple must have been saved by God apart from works (1 Chron 28:6). God has told clearly that if Solomon steadfastly observes His commandments, He will reward his obedience with a earthly inheritance, which is to give all the land that Solomon ruled, for his generation of children (1 Chron 28:7-8).
What can we learn from this? We as believers are saved by our faith apart from our works, but are rewarded with a spiritual inheritance for our children on earth and for eternity, for our work that we do for the Lord in our lifetime (Titus 3:5-8). To maintain good works after salvation is important to become God's heirs. Or else immature children of God will just enter heaven as servants without rewards (1 Cor 3:15). We as believers are said to run the race for heavenly reward just as Solomon was promised with an earthly reward for His obedience to the commandments of God (1 Cor 9:24-25). We now are blessed with all spiritual blessings as a motivation for more ahead, the Old Testament saints were blessed with all earthly blessings in their lifetime and was promised more accumulated blessing for their succeeding earthly progeny of theirs (Eph 1:3; Deut 28:1-14).
Another important thing that we should understand is, the Old Testament saints were saved on the same basis of the Sacrifice of Jesus as we are in the New Testament. The only difference is they looked forward and we look backward in faith. Right from Adam to the last man Jesus Christ who died up to the time of Jesus' resurrection were all raised up in their glorious body by what Jesus had done for them personally on the Cross (1 Cor 15:45; Matt 27:52-53; Isa 26:19; 1 Peter 3:18-19). All of us as believers in one degree or the other we sin in our lives and no one is sin free (Eccl 7:20), but God saves us not on the basis of our works but based on His work done in Christ Jesus for us (Eph 2:5-6). No human on earth can ever be just before God based on their own work, as God considers the righteousness of all humans as worthless filthy rags (Isa 64:6). If Solomon was not saved because of lack of repentance, just think about it, repentance itself has become an work which might not fit in to salvation equation of only by faith apart from any works of ours, which is the only mandatory scriptural rule (Eph 2:8-9). Clearly God has revealed that the result of Solomon's idolatry and disobedience resulted in the tearing of His kingdom which was given to him (1 Kings 11:9-11). In spite of all these things, God still showed mercies to Solomon for the sake of his father David, and God did not divide the kingdom in the lifetime of King Solomon but only at the time his son became a king (1 Kings 11:12-13). In God's anger our loving God still shows mercy to His children (Hab 3:2; Mic 7:18). So the crux of the matter is, Solomon must have been saved by faith as like all other saints of the Old Testament times and not based on his works.
A : There is no one clear Scripture that points to King Solomon of Old Testament going to hell. First of all if the Bible does not say something clearly, we cannot preach a doctrine out of it. Instead we should understand that God does not save us by our works. If we ever dare to say that King Solomon of the Old Testament went to hell, then Jesus would have at least given us all a hint about such a sad event when He came two thousand years ago. Instead Jesus spoke about Solomon with great honor for His godly wisdom. Jesus not even one time refers to some hell going person as some great example to be considered in His gospels (Matt 6:29). Jesus pointed only Himself as the one person who is greater than Solomon himself, no other person was spoken with such a great honor for their wisdom from God (Matt 12:42). If queen of Sheba was saved through the anointed message of Solomon, how much more Solomon the anointed King who was called by God as "My son" and was chosen sovereignly to build His temple must have been saved by God apart from works (1 Chron 28:6). God has told clearly that if Solomon steadfastly observes His commandments, He will reward his obedience with a earthly inheritance, which is to give all the land that Solomon ruled, for his generation of children (1 Chron 28:7-8).
What can we learn from this? We as believers are saved by our faith apart from our works, but are rewarded with a spiritual inheritance for our children on earth and for eternity, for our work that we do for the Lord in our lifetime (Titus 3:5-8). To maintain good works after salvation is important to become God's heirs. Or else immature children of God will just enter heaven as servants without rewards (1 Cor 3:15). We as believers are said to run the race for heavenly reward just as Solomon was promised with an earthly reward for His obedience to the commandments of God (1 Cor 9:24-25). We now are blessed with all spiritual blessings as a motivation for more ahead, the Old Testament saints were blessed with all earthly blessings in their lifetime and was promised more accumulated blessing for their succeeding earthly progeny of theirs (Eph 1:3; Deut 28:1-14).
Another important thing that we should understand is, the Old Testament saints were saved on the same basis of the Sacrifice of Jesus as we are in the New Testament. The only difference is they looked forward and we look backward in faith. Right from Adam to the last man Jesus Christ who died up to the time of Jesus' resurrection were all raised up in their glorious body by what Jesus had done for them personally on the Cross (1 Cor 15:45; Matt 27:52-53; Isa 26:19; 1 Peter 3:18-19). All of us as believers in one degree or the other we sin in our lives and no one is sin free (Eccl 7:20), but God saves us not on the basis of our works but based on His work done in Christ Jesus for us (Eph 2:5-6). No human on earth can ever be just before God based on their own work, as God considers the righteousness of all humans as worthless filthy rags (Isa 64:6). If Solomon was not saved because of lack of repentance, just think about it, repentance itself has become an work which might not fit in to salvation equation of only by faith apart from any works of ours, which is the only mandatory scriptural rule (Eph 2:8-9). Clearly God has revealed that the result of Solomon's idolatry and disobedience resulted in the tearing of His kingdom which was given to him (1 Kings 11:9-11). In spite of all these things, God still showed mercies to Solomon for the sake of his father David, and God did not divide the kingdom in the lifetime of King Solomon but only at the time his son became a king (1 Kings 11:12-13). In God's anger our loving God still shows mercy to His children (Hab 3:2; Mic 7:18). So the crux of the matter is, Solomon must have been saved by faith as like all other saints of the Old Testament times and not based on his works.
Much Blessings...
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