Jeffrey Dahmer - NOT Saved, NOT a Christian, and NOT in Heaven!

Jeffrey Dahmer has been revisited in the news lately because his killer, Christopher Scarver, has gone public with his testimony of how and why he killed Dahmer. I thought this deserved some attention because there are many ignorant Christians out there who say we'll see Dahmer in heaven one day. There's a famous interview Dahmer gave the media, and here's a snippet below of his saying he accepted Jesus Christ:

There you have it. He must be a Christian, right? The Bible does say in Romans 10:9, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Just because a person said he "accepted Jesus Christ" does not mean he confessed Jesus Christ. A confession is different from merely saying something. I can say that the sky is purple, but I would be telling a lie because I don't believe that. Thus, a confession are words backed up by belief, as indicated in Romans 10:9. A confession is simply your faith verbalized. It's important to note that just because a person says he has accepted Jesus Christ, it does not always mean that's the case.

Let's begin to establish why Dahmer is not in heaven. There are a succession of points that need to be made.

Point 1: Dahmer Was a Reprobate

Rape, murder, torture, and sodomy - all done repeatedly - are symptoms of being severely reprobate. Dahmer can check all of those off, and more. A reprobate is someone who has been rejected by God, as defined in Jeremiah 6:30: "Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them." The famous section of Romans 1:18-32 reads,

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: and likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

What are the symptoms of being given over to a reprobate mind? A darkening of the heart, boasting against God, vile and unnatural affections, sodomy/homosexuality, murder, hatred of God, and invention of evil things. Doesn't that sum up Jeffrey Dahmer exactly? Unmerciful. He showed no mercy for his victims. And not only that, he was implacable; he wasn't satisfied until he had killed again and again and again; there was no end in sight for his sick, murderous rampage. Normal, non-reprobate sinners fall into normal temptations, such as lusting, lying, or stealing. He derived pleasure from murdering, torturing, raping, and dismembering his victims. These are not symptoms of a normal sinner. These are symptoms of someone who has been given up by God.

2 Corinthians 13:5 states,

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

If you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, you are saved. You're not reprobate. But all reprobates are not saved. That is what this verse is implying, right? Need more proof?

Jude 1:19, a chapter devoted entirely to false prophets and reprobates, says,

These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

Reprobates don't have the Holy Spirit within them. The Bible says when we've placed our faith in Jesus Christ, "after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." The Holy Spirit seals all believers. It's an assurance that you are saved - permanently. But reprobates do not have the Holy Spirit... and never will. The word "saved" is past tense, indicating an action that has been completed. When an individual is rejected, he becomes reprobate. "Rejected" indicates a past tense, meaning God has given that individual up. Hebrews 6 says,

For it is impossible... If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance... But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.

And Jude, speaking of these reprobates, states,

... Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

A reprobate's end is met in hell. Once reprobate, always reprobate. There is nothing that can change the fact that once a person is rejected by God, his eventual destination is the lake of fire. Dahmer exhibited all symptoms of reprobation - and more. Can anyone legitimately dispute any of the violent, twisted acts that he committed? Do these wicked acts fit the bill?

Point 2: Dahmer Believed a False Gospel

The majority of reprobates outright reject Jesus Christ and the Bible. But some will claim they believe in Jesus Christ. They are either lying or have believed a false Christ. For example, many homosexuals that say they've "found Jesus" believe that they must give up their life of homosexuality in order to be saved - which would be works salvation. It's typical for a reprobate to be roped into a false gospel message. 2 Timothy 3 says concerning reprobates,

...[they are] ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

...having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. 

...so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

Reprobates can come close to the truth, but never able to actually acknowledge it and believe solely on Jesus Christ to be saved. They resist the truth and believe a lie instead. Dahmer believed a false gospel while in prison.

The man that presented the "gospel" to Dahmer while in prison was Roy Ratcliff (what an appropriate last name). You can find his Wikipedia page here. Here's what it says,

In 1994 he formed a friendship with the converted serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, eventually baptizing Dahmer just eight months before Dahmer was killed in prison in Portage, Wisconsin.

Ratcliff definitely needs to find new friends other than serial murderers. He is a minister out of the Mandrake Road Church of Christ. The name of the church should tip you off that they strongly teach baptismal regeneration, which is the false doctrine that states you must be baptized in water in order to have your sins forgiven. What are the core teachings of the "Church of Christ" denomination? They teach that one must believe, turn from his sins, and get baptized to have his sins forgiven. But it doesn't stop there. They also teach that one may lose his salvation from backsliding or falling into serious sin. So you'll also have to maintain your salvation. In short, the Church of Christ teaches a completely false gospel. And Dahmer believed it. 2 Timothy 3, quoted earlier, says that reprobates can never come to the knowledge of the truth, the truth of the gospel. Instead, God sent him a very strong delusion through the false teacher Roy Ratcliff.

Ratcliff is a hell-bound false prophet who tried to "save" Dahmer. In Luke 6:39, Jesus said:

Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

The blind cannot lead the blind to heaven. There is no way. An unsaved person cannot get a lost person saved, no matter how hard they try. If you don't know the way to heaven, you won't be able to give anyone else directions either. Despite Ratcliff's best attempts, he was not able to save Dahmer because he himself is on his way to hell for teaching a doctrine contrary to the free gift of salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ. The sad part is both of them will be burning and writhing in hell for all eternity.

Here's what the heretic Ratcliff had to say about Dahmer's baptism,

Jeff had nothing to gain in this life by being baptized; he had everything to gain in the next life. He was baptized for the same reason anyone else is baptized. In the light of the Bible, he surveyed his life and concluded that he needed to be saved.

We're baptized in order to go to heaven? Does the Bible say, "for by grace are ye saved through baptism"? Or, "He that gets baptized hath everlasting life"?  Baptism does not equal salvation. But that's what Ratcliff taught Dahmer eight months before he was killed in prison. A false gospel will take anyone to hell that doesn't believe in salvation by grace through FAITH!

Point 3: Dahmer Was Still Depraved After His "Conversion"

Ratcliff and the Church of Christ teach that a sinner must "repent of his sins" in order to go to heaven. They'll teach that there must be a genuine turning from sins or an outward change to evidence true faith. However, the Bible states in Romans 4:5,

But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Let's play devil's advocate. Let's assume, for sake of argument, that repenting of your sins is necessary to go to heaven. If that were the case, there would have had to been a change in Dahmer's life, correct? Let's examine how he acted after he "turned from his sins" and got baptized. The following statements and testimonies are from Christopher Scarver, a fellow inmate who eventually did Dahmer in. (Taken from a New York Post article)

Christopher Scarver — who fatally beat the serial killer and another inmate in 1994 — said he grew to despise Dahmer because he would fashion severed limbs out of prison food to taunt the other inmates. He’d drizzle on packets of ketchup as blood. It was very unnerving. “He would put them in places where people would be,” Scarver, 45, recalled in a low, gravelly voice. “He crossed the line with some people — prisoners, prison staff. Some people who are in prison are repentant — but he was not one of them.” 

A fellow inmate testified of the unrepentant, disgusting actions that Dahmer took. Dahmer was a supposed "Christian" at this time. Here are some more testimonies of Dahmer's "Christian" behavior:

Scarver, who arrived at Wisconsin’s Columbia Correctional Institution around the same time as Dahmer in 1992, knew right away to keep a safe distance from the serial killer. Scarver said the madman had a personal escort of at least one guard at all times when he was out of his cell because of his friction with other inmates. “I saw heated interactions between [Dahmer] and other prisoners from time to time,” Scarver said, adding that he didn’t think much of Dahmer... Like a lone wolf, Scarver watched Dahmer from afar on the prison yard, but never approached him, because he did not want to become a target of his sickening humor. “I never interacted with him,” he said.

Even Dahmer's behavior was sickening to a person in jail. This is not normal prison behavior, it's reprobate behavior. All of Dahmer's actions, from turning prison food into images of mutilated corpses to constantly fighting other inmates, indicates that there was no repentance in his life whatsoever. To suggest otherwise would be totally ignorant. The Church of Christ, baptismal-regenerationist website "Bible.ca" says,

Will Dahmer go to heaven? No one knows except God. It will be based upon the genuiness[sic] of Dahmer's repentance and conversion. But I would personally like to think he is. In fact I would like God to use Jeffery Dahmer as an example of His divine forgiveness. 

Based on the "genuineness" of his repentance, it doesn't appear he really repented of his sins after all. It appears that he still had an appetite for killing and mutilating people. Of course, repenting of sins is not a requirement to go to heaven at all. But these false teachers which push "repentance of sins" are willfully ignorant of the fact that Dahmer did not repent one bit. Oh, but Roy Ratcliff was totally convinced of Dahmer's "genuine" conversion! Read on,

I cannot know the condition of another person's heart unless I listen to his or her words. I listened to Jeff's words, and I watched his eyes and his body language. I listened to the tone of his voice and observed his mannerisms, and I am convinced that he was totally sincere in his desire... Jeff was beginning to embrace the Christian spirit. His father and several pen pals saw a major transformation in who he was after he became a Christian. (source)

Ask Christopher Scarver about the major transformation in Dahmer's life. Or ask any of the other inmates who witnessed Dahmer's disgusting antics while in jail. This expose from Scarver helps to paint an accurate picture of what Dahmer was... a reprobate. Once reprobate, always reprobate. The Bible in 2 Timothy 3 is right about people like Dahmer,

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

I thank God for Christopher Scarver. I'm glad he had the guts to do what the government wouldn't: end that sick, demented reprobate's life.