Based on the available biblical data, I do not believe that King Solomon is in hell now. If Solomon, however, were in hell now, his being there would have some very important ramifications.
First, if Solomon were in hell, he would be the only person that we know from Scripture was a man who loved God while he was alive (1 Kings 3:3) and yet ended up in hell. Moreover, Scripture tells us that God loved Solomon (2 Sam. 12:24).
In fact, God gave Solomon the name Jedidiah, which means beloved of the Lord (2 Sam. 12:25). We are also told again that God loved Solomon (Neh. 13:26).
Because only regenerate people love God, Solomon’s being in hell today would mean that he went from being a genuinely saved person to being a lost person. Christians who believe that Solomon is in hell must also believe that people who are truly saved can lose their salvation.
Furthermore, if Solomon were in hell, his dying and going to hell would surely be Satan’s greatest success story (of destroying someone who was a believer). Given all the biblical data that we have about Solomon, especially about God’s love for Solomon and Solomon’s love for God, Solomon’s being in hell would mean that Satan has succeeded in ultimately destroying someone that was very special to God.
Second, if Solomon were in hell, he would be the only man that we would know of who wrote Scripture and yet died as an unholy man. If that were the case, then Solomon somehow would have been a holy man of God (2 Pet. 1:21) who became an unholy man.
Because the only way that a man can be a holy man of God is to be a true believer in God, Solomon’s being in hell now would mean that Solomon lost his salvation. Christians who believe that Solomon is in hell must also believe that true believers can lose their salvation.
Third, in direct conversation with God when He appeared to Solomon, Solomon prayed a prayer that truly pleased God (1 Kings 3:10). God was so pleased with Solomon that He gave him not only what he prayed for but also far more than what he prayed for (1 Kings 3:12-13).
Solomon’s prayer is a prime illustration of seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33-34). No unsaved person seeks God’s interests above his own—Solomon was a true believer. If Solomon were in hell, he would have had to have lost his salvation, and Christians who believe that he is in hell have to believe that true believers can lose their salvation.
Conclusion
Solomon is not an eternal trophy to the devil’s victory over God in bringing about the eternal destruction of someone whom God loved in a special way. Solomon was a true believer who did not lose his salvation; if Solomon did not repent before he died of his sins that he committed as a believer, God chastened him with death (cf. “many sleep,” [1 Cor. 11:30-32]).
Solomon is not in hell now. We will see Solomon in heaven because of God’s faithfulness to His own.
Copyright © 2011-2024 by Rajesh Gandhi. All rights reserved.
