Did King Saul go to heaven or hell? (was King Saul saved?)

I have always been interested in studying the different characters of the Bible. Even in theology school, I focused mainly on understanding those characters that God handpicked to lead his people. One of them that struck my mind with his leadership was King Saul. Despite being chosen by God and expected to obey God’s command, Saul did the exact opposite during his reign. This led me to conduct extensive research about him, and I even visited several nearby churches to get the views of different pastors on Saul’s life and leadership. Afterward, I requested my fellow theologians to form a group where we meet weekly to discuss biblical topics. Last week, one of the members asked if Saul went to heaven or hell. Since I had done extensive research about Saul and where his eternal destination could be, I had the answer at my fingertips. So, did King Saul go to heaven or hell?

No one can determine whether King Saul went to heaven or hell. Despite being disobedient to God and even summoning Samuel’s spirit via a medium (1 Samuel 28), only God knows our hearts, and He alone can tell where Saul went. Therefore, there is not enough biblical evidence to give us a clear picture of the eternal destination of Saul.

Join me as I discuss King Saul. I will examine whether Saul was saved, if he obeyed the Lord during his reign, and whether he went to Paradise even after taking his life. Keep reading to learn more.

Was Saul saved in the Bible?

Many people are usually disturbed by whether Saul was saved or not. However, there can be no definite answer to this question. As the scripture notes in the book of 1 Samuel 16:7, only God can see our hearts. However, there are several guiding factors in the Bible that can help us prospect which side of the coin Saul was, saved or not saved.

A sect of theologians and even Christians believe that King Saul was not saved. This is because of how he conducted himself during his reign. Saul showed no obedience to God nor his commands, as seen in the book of 1 Samuel 15:1-35. His reign was covered with hatred, jealousy, and murder, to the point that he even tried to murder his own son, Jonathan (1 Samuel 28:1-20).

There is another sect that offers King Saul grace and believes that he was saved. This sect does not overlook the missteps of Saul but argues that there is more to him than the mistakes he committed. First, out of everyone God could choose, He chose Saul to lead his people, as recorded in 1 Samuel 9:15-16. They also argue that just like every Christian, Saul’s mistakes were a battle against the flesh. Therefore, that does not make him unsaved (Romans 7:21-23).

Did Saul live his life according to the will and law of God?

Did King Saul go to heaven or hell? 
Did Saul live his life according to the will and law of God? Image source: Pinterest

According to the Bible, Saul did not live according to the will and law of God. King Saul consistently acted against the wishes of God to satisfy his own leadership and desire. In the book of 1 Samuel 13:1-14, Saul offered a sacrifice that was only meant to be offered by priests, clearly depicting disobedience from him.

Saul disobeyed God to the point where God was disappointed in Him. In 1 Samuel 15:10-12, the Lord appeared to Samuel, expressing His regret for making Saul a King, for he did not follow God’s words nor do what He commanded Him to. Evil spirits visited King Saul severally and rather than trying to follow God’s commandments, he was focused on trying to murder David, who was meant to be the next King (1 Samuel 18:10, 23:14). Therefore, Saul was distressed to many for his ways did not align with those of the Lord.

Why did Samuel tell Saul they would be reunited in Paradise even though he was not obeying God?

In 1 Samuel 28:19, Samuel told Saul that he and his sons would be reunited with him. The Bible is unclear why Samuel told Saul these words, despite Samuel knowing that the Spirit of the Lord rejected Saul for disobeying Him. However, there could be several possibilities as to why he said these words.

According to theologians, the first possibility could be that Samuel knew Saul would go to Paradise. This is because we cannot read the hearts of men, and only God can do. So, despite Saul not obeying God, the God who appointed him to be a King is faithful despite our unfaithfulness. Another view could be that Saul and his sons will die and simply be buried. This is because Sheol, as used in the Old Testament, meant the grave. So it is possible they just died and got buried in a grave.

Did Saul still go to Paradise even after taking his own life?

In 2 Samuel 4:1-10, the scripture recounts how King Saul died. After his fall, he knew he could not rise again. So he commanded an Amalekite to kill him. However, the key question is, did he still go to Paradise after committing suicide? As mentioned above, no one can tell the eternal destination of Saul. Saul could be in heaven or hell. His acts were against the will of God, which led to God rejecting him, hence the possibility he could be in hell. However, we cannot ignore that God chose him to lead his people.

Leave a Comment