Will King Solomon be in Heaven?

“For it was when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.” I Kings 11:4

King Solomon “surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom” during his reign as king over Israel (I Kings 10: 23). Yet we are told that “when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David” (I Kings 11:4). Even though God had warned Solomon not to marry foreign wives because they would turn away his heart after their gods (11:2), Solomon disobeyed the Lord and “had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart” (11:3). Solomon did not just worship their false gods, he also built worship centers for the people of Israel to worship the false gods of his foreign wives (11:7-8). As a result, God “became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after others gods; but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded” (I Kings 11:9-11). 

As a result of Solomon’s idolatry, God would tear the kingdom away from his son except for one tribe for the sake of His servant David (11:11-13). Because of Solomon’s sin, God disciplined him through many adversaries, including Hadad, Rezon, and Jeroboam (11:14-40). So Solomon died as an idolater (11:41-43). 

Will King Solomon be in heaven even though he finished his life as an idolater? Was Solomon even saved? Some believe Solomon was not a believer because they think all true believers persevere in faith to the end of their lives. Others teach that Solomon was a believer, but he lost his salvation because he did not finish his life in fellowship with the Lord.  But what does the Bible teach about this?

First of all, the Bible tells us that Solomon was a child of God. God said to David, “It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father” (I Chronicles 28:6). God declared that Solomon would be His son and He will be Solomon’s Father. Hence, Solomon is a believer in the coming Messiah because he is a child of God (cf. John 1:12; I John 5:1). Also, God used Solomon to author three books of the Bible: Proverbs (Solomon was the principal author), Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes. The Bible says that the human authors of the Bible were “holy men of God” who “spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Even though Solomon was an idolater, the Bible says he was a “holy” man of God. How can this be? He is “holy” in God’s eyes because he has been set apart from his sin and shame by virtue of his faith in the coming Messiah who would die for all of his sins -including the sin of idolatry (cf. Isaiah 53; Colossians 2:13-14; Hebrews 10:10, 14). 

Since Solomon was a believer in the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ, he had everlasting life which can never be lost (John 3:15-16). If it could be lost, it would not be everlasting. He had passed from death into life and would not come into judgment for his sins because Christ was judged for his sins on the cross (John 5:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 3:18). And no one could snatch him out of God the Father’s and God the Son’s hands (John 10:28-29). He was secure forever. Therefore, king Solomon will be in heaven. 

What determines a person’s eternal destiny is their response to Jesus Christ, not their works. He or she either believes in Him or they do not believe in Him. The Bible says, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and  he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). A person’s works determine their degree of rewards in heaven if they are a believer in Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:8-15; Revelation 22:12) or the degree of their punishment in the lake of fire if they do not believe in Jesus (Revelation 20:11-15). 

When God appeared to Solomon a second time, He told Solomon if he would walk before God as his father David walked in integrity of heart and in uprightness, then God would establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever. But then God warned the king if he or his son turned from following Him and did not keep His commandments, but would go and serve other gods and worship them, then God promised He “will cut off Israel from the land which” He “had given them” (I Kings 9: 1-7). God did not tell Solomon he would go to hell if he turned away from the Lord to serve other gods. But God did warn Solomon that the nation of Israel would lose the rights to their land which God had given them. When Solomon disobeyed the Lord and committed idolatry, God said He would “tear the kingdom away from” Solomon and give it to his servant (I Kings 11:11). So Solomon would lose authority and privileges as a king for misleading the nation to worship other gods, but there is no mention of him losing his position as a child of God and going to hell. 

This is consistent with the New Testament which distinguishes “entering” the kingdom from “inheriting” the kingdom. We “enter” the kingdom of God by faith alone in Christ alone (Matt. 18:3; 19:14; Mark 10:15; John 3:5, 15), but we “inherit” the kingdom of God through faithful, sacrificial service and suffering for Christ (Matthew 19:27-29; Romans 8:17b; I Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21b; Ephesians 5:3-5; Colossians 3:23-24; Hebrews 1:2, 5, 9, 13-14; 6:12, 17; 9:15). 

For example, “entering” my house is different than “inheriting” my house. Entrance into my house is free. But if you want to inherit or possess my house, you must pay for it. When you pay for it, then you are entitled to certain privileges or authority. When you inherit my house, you can decide how to arrange the furniture and what colors to paint on the walls. But if you just enter my house, you don’t have those privileges. The same is true in the spiritual realm. You enter the kingdom of God through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. But you will not have all the privileges or authority that come with inheriting the kingdom. You must earn those privileges through faithful service to Jesus.

When I Corinthians 6:9-10 warns that “idolaters…will not inherit the kingdom of God,” this means that believers who finish their lives as idolaters, like Solomon did, will forfeit the right to rule with Jesus Christ in His coming kingdom (Matthew 19:27-29; Romans 8:17b; I Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21b; Ephesians 5:3-5; Colossians 3:23-24; Hebrews 1:2, 5, 9, 13-14; 6:12, 17; 9:15). They will still be in the kingdom through believing in Christ alone for salvation (John 3:5, 16), but they will forfeit the privilege of ruling with Christ in His government administration.  

Like many Christians today, Solomon failed to see how living his life on earth would affect his eternal rewards in the future. Just because Christians have eternal life now which can never be lost (cf. John 3:16; 10:28-29), does not mean they can live however they want on earth without facing any consequences. God wants believers to live like the “saints” that they are (I Corinthians 1:2) by virtue of their position in Christ lest they experience grief and shame because of the loss of rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ (cf. Matthew 25:24-30;  I Corinthians 3:8-15; 6:9-10; I John 2:28). 

Conclusion: Solomon will be in heaven by virtue of his faith in the coming Messiah, but he will not have the reward of ruling with Christ in His coming Kingdom because he did not remain faithful to the Lord to the end of his life. Christians can learn from Solomon’s life by focusing on the Judgment Seat of Christ so they can prepare to face Jesus  and receive eternal rewards from Him on the basis of how they lived for Him on earth (I Corinthians 3:8-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 22:12).