Foundations For Our Faith Ministries
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Heaven and Hell
Where will you spend eternity? There are only two options: heaven or hell. There are no additional choices, and there are no second chances. During our life here on earth, we will make many decisions each and every day--Some large and important decisions, and other decisions small and relatively minor in importance. However, the most important decision we will ever make in our lives, with no close second, will be whether we choose to accept or reject Jesus Christ. Solely based on this decision, and this decision alone, each of us will determine for ourselves where we will spend eternity. . It is certain that each one of us has an eternal destination. The question each one of us must ask ourselves is, “Where are we going to spend our eternity?”
But what about these two eternal abodes, that is, what is each one of them like? In this Bible study, we are going to learn about various aspects of these two spiritual locations. Well, let’s dive into our study.
The Scriptures teach us that our souls are eternal, that is, they will exist forever. The only question is where they will spend their eternity, “’And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’” (NKJ: Matthew 25:46) The following are some additional Scriptures supporting the eternal nature of the soul, both for the saved in Christ and the unsaved who rejected Christ:
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” (NKJ: Matthew 11:25-26)
“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (NKJ: II Corinthians 5:1-8)
“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.” (NKJ: John 3:36)
“Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’” (NKJ: Revelation 14:9-11) This passage tells us that the wicked will have no rest; therefore, they must be eternal in that if the wicked are destroyed and taken out of existence, then they would have final rest. Having no rest presupposes existence, and, in this case, eternal existence.
“The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever…. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (NKJ: Revelation 20:10,14-15) & “’Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…” (NKJ: Matthew 25:41)
“…and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation…” (NKJ: John 5:29) The fact that these evil people will be resurrected, that is, they will be raised from the dead, points to an eternal afterlife in hell. For what sense would it make to have these people die, be resurrected, then be taken out of existence.
There is a belief called annihilationism, which teaches that the souls of those who accepted Jesus Christ will go to heaven; whereas, the souls of those who rejected Jesus Christ will be destroyed and cease to exist. However, the doctrine of annihilationism is contrary to Scriptures as we have seen with the previous passages. All souls are eternal, and will spend their eternity in one of two places: heaven or hell.
Reincarnation is the belief that when a person dies, there soul reappears in another and different bodily form. In essence, a soul continues to be born into a body, live in that body until it dies, and then is reborn again into another body. The belief of reincarnation is not Scriptural. When a person dies, the eternal destiny of that soul is determined, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,…” (NKJ: Hebrews 9:27) If a person has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior before they die, then their soul goes to heaven; whereas, if they die in rejection of Jesus Christ, their soul goes to hell, “’And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’” (NKJ: Matthew 25:46)
We are given a very vivid picture of the finality of death in the story of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31). In this story, there are two men--one man Lazarus had faith in God, but the other man, the rich man, did not. When they died, both went immediately to their eternal abodes--one to paradise, or heaven, and one to hell. There were no second chances. There was not a re-creation of the soul placed back on earth in another bodily form. Death’s sentence was final.
Is There a Pergatory, that is, and Intermediate State Between this Life and Eternal Life in Heaven or Hell?
Purgatory is primarily a Catholic doctrine where most Christians must supposedly go after they die to be purified of any remaining sins for which the Christian was not properly punished while they were still alive on earth. The duration of one’s stay in purgatory depends of the amount of purification, i.e. unpunished sins, one has at their time of death. It is also believed that one’s stay can be shortened based on prayers and good works of believers still alive, as well as the sacrifice of the mass. It is even believed by the Catholic Church that the Pope has jurisdiction over purgatory in which he can grant shortened sentences, or even terminate one’s stay in purgatory.
When the doctrine of Purgatory is held up against the Scriptures, we find that it has no basis, and, in fact, we discover that it completely contradicts foundational scriptural doctrines. The following are three reasons why the doctrine of Purgatory is false:
1) Purgatory is An Insult to the Work of Jesus Christ on the Cross
Purgatory is an insult to the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, for it says that His work was not sufficient enough to pay for all our sins, and that we must suffer and be purified in this intermediate state to be able to enter into heaven. If one fully understands the complete work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, then they will immediately and summarily reject the notion of purgatory. For Jesus Christ’s final words on the Cross say it all, “It is finished” (John 19:30), which more literally translated means, “paid in full.” Our sins, past, present, and future were fully paid for by Jesus Christ. There is nothing more that needs to be done, except to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, thus, receiving the gift of eternal life. Absolutely nothing more needs to be done to enter into heaven. To say that there is anything more that needs to be done, is to say that the work of our Lord on the Cross was not sufficient and not enough. Jesus Christ is the all-sufficient atoning sacrifice for our sins:
“By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” (NKJ: Hebrews 10:10-14)
“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” (NKJ: I John 2:1-2)
“…in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (NKJ: Colossians 1:14)
…”but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” (NKJ: Hebrews 9:26)
“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (NKJ: I John 4:10)
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood…” (NKJ: Romans 3:23-25)
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (NKJ: I Thessalonians 5:23)
2) Purgatory Presupposes Works Are Required For Salvation
The existence of a Purgatory would indicate that salvation comes wholly or partially through our own works since additional work or penance is required from the believer before they are able to enter in to Heaven. Since salvation is a gift from God and not in any way earned or deserved by works, such a belief is completely contrary to Scripture:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (NKJ: Ephesians 2:8-9)
“’I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God ; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” (NKJ: Galatians 2:20-21)
“ And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.” (NKJ: Romans 11:6)
“who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began…” (NKJ: II Timothy 2:9)
3) Purgatory Indicates Suffering and Temporary Separation from the Lord After Death
If there is a purgatory, we cannot explain the longing and joyous expectation for death described for us in the Scriptures, and we cannot explain those verses telling us that once we leave this earth, we will be immediately with the Lord?:
“So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’” (NKJ: I Corinthians 15:54-57)
“And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’” (NKJ: Luke 23:43) (Paradise = Heaven: cf. II Corinthians 12:4, Revelation 2:7)
“And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’” (NKJ: Luke 7:59)
“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (NKJ: II Corinthians 5:6-8)
“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.” (NKJ: Philippians 1:21-23)
The doctrine of Purgatory is a false doctrine and contrary to what the Scriptures teach. Those who are saved should have no fear of what lies beyond the grave, for once we depart from this world, we will instantaneously be with our Lord and Savior in heaven.
To fully understand the basis on which some people will enter Heaven, we must first be very clear on one eternal truth. That one eternal truth is that no one, past, present or future, has or will ever earn or deserve the right to go to Heaven:
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (NKJ: Romans 3:23)
“For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.” (NKJ: Ecclesiastes 7:20)
“For the wages of sin is death (that is, spiritual death in Hell)…” (NKJ: Romans 6:23)
“ knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified . ” (NKJ: Galatians 2:16)
“Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (NKJ: Romans 3:20)
“But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags…” (NKJ: Isaiah 64:6) (Note: The literal interpretation of “filthy rags” is “used menstrual clothes.” God, through Isaiah, wanted to be very clear to us on His view of those supposed “good deeds” that we like to hold up as badges of honor to others, signifying our worthiness of Heaven. Such deeds are disgusting to God. The deeds themselves are not disgusting, but the importance we place on them in contrast to the one true righteous act of God’s Son on the Cross.)
Each one of us must realize our sinful state. Each one of us must also realize that no amount of righteous acts or good deeds will earn us entrance into Heaven. Only then will we be ready to receive the free gift of salvation and eternity in Heaven. For there is only one way into Heaven, and that way is Jesus Christ:
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (NKJ: John 14:6)
“Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’” (John 3:3)
“’For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’” (NKJ: John 3:16)
“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.” (NKJ: John 3:36)
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith (faith in Jesus Christ) for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (NKJ: I Peter 1:3-5)
Jesus Christ, through His Work on the Cross, gave us the one pathway into Heaven. It was God’s gift to us. Everyone who accepts this gift by making Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior of their life will enter into Heaven. Unfortunately, those who reject this gift will not enter into heaven. It is that simple. There is one, and only one, road to heaven, and that is through Jesus Christ. All other roads whether through good deeds, other beliefs, and/or other gods, will lead the traveler to hell. This may seem harsh, but it would be extremely and devastatingly irresponsible to speak otherwise. For one’s eternal destination is the most important decision that anyone will ever make in their life, and to try to water down this truth would be shameful. If you have questions regarding the pathway to salvation, I would recommend reading the Bible study on “Salvation.”
Our Lord has a book that is referred to as “The Book of Life.” This book holds all the names of those who will inherit salvation, that is, all those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Likewise, all those who’s names are not written in this book will not enter into heaven, but will spend eternity separated from God in hell:
“But there shall by no means enter it (Heaven) anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (NKJ: Revelation 21:27)
“And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire (hell).” (NKJ: Revelation 20:15)
I read a story once of a young man who was lying in bed, dieing of an incurable disease. His family was by his side every minute of the day and night, trying to bring as much comfort to him as possible in his last hours here on earth. As death approached, the young man slipped into what appeared to be an unconscious state. He began to murmur in his state of sleep, “Here, here, here.” His father reached over and gently shook his beloved son to bring him back to consciousness. The son slowly opened his eyes and looked to his grieving father’s face. His father gently asked him, “In your sleep, you were saying, ‘Here, here, here.’ What were you dreaming?” The son, in a weakened voice, said to his father, “They were calling roll in Heaven from the Book, and I was answering to my name being called, ‘Here, here, here.’”
Is your name written in the Lord’s Book of Life? Will your name be called in this Heavenly roll call? If you believe not, or if you are not sure, I encourage you to make sure your path to heaven. Just call on the Lord, confess your sins, ask for forgiveness, and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. If you have questions regarding the gift of salvation and/or how to receive this gift, please read the Bible study on “Salvation.” This is the most important decision you will ever make in your life.
First and foremost, it must be understood that God sends no one to hell, rather people send themselves to hell. To begin with, our God is a perfectly righteous God, and cannot be in the presence of sin. God does not tolerate sin, and will punish sin accordingly. Let’s take a look at a few examples of God’s View Towards Sin:
Passage The Sin The Penalty
Genesis 19:26 Lot’s wife looked back at Sodom and Gomorrah She was turned into a pillar of salt
Numbers 3:4 Nadab and Abihu worshiped incorrectly God killed them
(cf. Leviticus 10:1-2)
Joshua 7:24-25 Achan stole a rob, silver, and gold He and his family stoned and burned
II Samuel 6:6-7 Uzzah steadied the ark with his hand God struck him dead
Acts 5:1-10 Ananias and Sapphira lied to the apostles God struck them dead
The biblical view of sin is that it is rebellion against God and His righteousness. Such behavior against the God and Creator of the Universe warrants extreme punishment. This is evidenced by the examples above. If the actions noted above warrant such severe punishment, then how infinitely more punishment is deserved for those who reject God’s Son and Savior of the World, Jesus Christ.
We are sinful by nature, that is, we are not sinners because we sin, but we sin because we are sinners. Because of our sin, we cannot enter into heaven and the presence of God in our current condition. Fortunately, God loves all of us with an infinite love, and His desire is that everyone would spend eternity in heaven with Him:
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (NKJ: II Peter 3:9)
“God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (I Timothy 2:3-4)
Because God loves us so much, He provided a way for our sins to be washed away, and for us to be made pure. This way was His Son, Jesus Christ, and His Son’s work on the Cross. Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross, we have been given the way to eternal salvation. The only requirement for us is to receive the gift by taking it. This gift is right there for our taking, but we must receive it. We receive it by believing in Jesus Christ and making Him the Lord and Savior of our lives. Nothing more. How easy is that. But there are those who will reject this gift, and will choose to live their lives according to their own desires and lusts. This rejection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and His work on the Cross will ultimately bring upon a person God’s wrath:
“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” (NKJ: Romans 5:9)
“For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.” (NKJ: I Thessalonians 5:9-10)
“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.” (NKJ: John 3:36)
Their temporal decision to reject the Lord and Savior of the world, and to turn their back on His work on the Cross, where He spent six excruciating hours nailed to a wooden cross, will bring upon themselves God’s wrath. For on that cross, Jesus Christ bore all the sins of every human being that will ever inhabit this earth, paying for all our sins with His death that we may have the gift of eternal life. A person’s decision to reject this free gift, thus rejecting Jesus Christ, and going after one’s own worldly desires and lusts, will seal their eternal fate.
This decision to reject Jesus Christ will not be made unknowingly, for God has made Himself known to everyone, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (NKJ: Romans 18-21) As the passage states, they will be “without excuse.” How God will reach out to every heart is not completely clear, but He says He will, and that means, through His infinite resources, He will, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men…” (NKJ: Titus 2:11)
One may then ask, why did God not make us all just automatically love Him? That way, we would all go to heaven, and there would be no one in hell. The answer is God’s desire for true love, that is, His desire that those who come to Him would do so motivated by true love for Him. God created all of us with “free will”, or the ability to choose for ourselves what paths we will take in life. God’s ultimate desire was to have a true-love relationship with each of us. A relationship where we would not come to Him as preprogrammed robots with no true will of our own, but would come to him based on our own free-choice to have a relationship with Him. However, in giving us the ability to choose to come to Him, He also gave us the ability to reject Him. For true free will brings with it the possibility of rejection as well as acceptance.
God has reached out His loving arms to each and every person that has every lived, and will continue to do so through the end of time. He offers the free gift of salvation to everyone, and He will do whatever it takes to bring a person to Him. However, ultimately, it is the decision of each individual person whether they will accept God’s love, given to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, or whether they will reject God’s love. God has never sent anyone to hell. Everyone who has and will ever end up in hell, will do so based solely on their own personal decision to reject God’s Son, Jesus Christ. If you were to die today, where would you spend eternity?
This is an often asked and tough question. Unfortunately, it is an area in which the Scriptures are, at best, vague. The primary two verses pointed to as indicating that infants do go heaven when they die are as follows:
“’But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.’” (NKJ: II Samuel 12:23)
“But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.’” (NKJ: Mark 10:14-15)
In the first verse, quoted from II Samuel, King David’s infant child has just died. David states that, since his son is now dead, his son is no longer able to physical come to him. However, David states that he will be able to go to him. The inference made here is that David’s son has gone on to heaven, and that David will eventually be able to join his son in heaven. Biblical scholars are divided on the proper interpretation of this verse, and it is definitely not a verse in which this doctrine may be built.
The second verse, quoted from Mark, has our Lord, Jesus Christ, telling His disciples that they must be like little children in their faith if they are to inherit salvation. The inference is made by some scholars that this passage indicates that infants will go to heaven. But again, biblical scholars are also divided on the interpretation of this verse.
My desire is that I could lay out an air-tight argument in favor of the belief that all infants go to heaven, but that is unfortunately not the case. It is a gray area in the Scriptures. These Scriptures provide us hope that infancy salvation is the case, and, as such, should be used to bring comfort to those parents who have lost a little one. However, we will only know for sure when we reach our final eternal destination.
The Bible does indicate that there will be different levels of punishment and suffering in Hell based on one’s actions here on earth, and the amount of light that was given one via the gospel message. In the following verses, we can see that the Bible indicates different levels of judgment and punishment based on one’s actions and the related level of enlightenment received while here on earth:
“’Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.’” (NKJ: Matthew 11:21-24)
“’And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few.’” (NKJ: Luke 12:47-48) In this parable, the inference made by many biblical scholars is that the beating is symbolic of the punishment received in hell for those who reject Jesus Christ.
“But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds” : (NKJ: Romans 2:5-6)
Though there will be different degrees of punishment in hell, one must remember that hell will be a terrible place for all its inhabitants who chose to reject Christ and suffer the wrath of God in hell.
It is important that we distinguish between “salvation” and “rewards.” Salvation is a gift from God, and cannot be earned, but is received freely from God (cf. Ephesians 2:8-9). Rewards, on the other hand, are additional benefits received in heaven based on one’s actions here on earth, “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.” (NKJ: Matthew 16:27) (cf. Revelation 22:12) The Bible gives us various examples of those actions that will earn us rewards in heaven:
“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great…” (NKJ: Luke 6:35)
“’Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven…’” (NKJ: Matthew 5:11-12)
“’Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.’” (NKJ: Matthew 6:21)
Based on our actions in following the will of the Lord in our lives, we will receive rewards in heaven. However, and I repeat, these rewards are completely separate from the gift of salvation. Once we are saved through accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, our eternal salvation is received and is eternally secure, that is, we cannot lose it (see Bible study on the “Security of our Salvation”). Once saved, we are able to save up for ourselves rewards in heaven based on our actions here on earth. Some of us will earn significant rewards, some will earn few rewards, and some will earn nothing, “…the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” (NKJ: I Corinthians 3:13-15) It should be noted in the following verse that, unfortunately, some Christians’ lives will earn no rewards in heaven. Their lives were lived completely outside the will of God. However, it must be noted that though no rewards will be received in heaven, they will still be saved, “as one escaping through the flames.”
Exactly what these rewards will be is not made clear in the Scriptures. At times, people will try to speculate on what these rewards will be. However, such conjecture is never wise. For when the Scriptures are silent on certain issues, we should be silent. If our Lord wanted us to know exactly what these rewards were to be, then He would have told us directly in His Word. But He did not; therefore, we will not know until we pass from this earthly life and enter into our eternal life with our Lord in heaven.
Both heaven and hell are spiritual locations, that is, they are generally considered not to be resident in our tangible Universe. One item to note about these locations, though, is that when heaven is referred to, it is always in an upward fashion, for example:
“ No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” (NKJ: John 3:13)
“ Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (NKJ: Revelation 21:2)
“Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us, just as You swore to our fathers, “a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ (NKJ: Deuteronomy 26:15)
“ Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.” (NKJ: Deuteronomy 4:39)
Conversely, when reference is made of hell, it is generally from a downward perspective, for example:
“...That he may turn away from hell below.” (NKJ: Proverbs 15:24)
“Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death.” (NKJ: Proverbs 7:27)
“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell…” (NKJ: II Peter 2:4)
Heaven is generally thought to be existing outside of our universe, and is sometimes referred to as the third heaven with the first heaven thought to be the atmosphere of earth, and the second heaven being the universe (cf. II Corinthians 12:2). The general concept here of heaven, in that it is portrayed as some place above the earth, is that it is apart from and not of this world. It is a spiritual location where our righteous God abides, separate from our sinful world. On the other hand, with hell, we have concept of downward which would intimate somewhere in the center of the earth. Hell’s location is portrayed in opposition to that of heaven in that it appears to be located somewhere below the earth’s surface in the center of the earth, and is attached to our sinful world. This, however, is highly debated among biblical scholars, that is, whether the location of hell is actually within the earth or is some outer spiritual realm. There has been much conjecture regarding the actual location of hell, but, for the purpose of our studies here, we will not delve any deeper into this discussion on the possible locations of hell since this topic is not part of what would be considered foundational scriptural doctrine.
Heaven, the eternal home for those who receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. For those of us who belong to Him, this earth is just a stopping-off point on our journey to our true homeland, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” (NKJ: Philippians 3:20) And, as the above verse states, we will not only receive an eternal home, but a new eternal body—a body just like that of our Lord and Savior. For the Scriptures tell us that in heaven, we will have wonderful new bodies:
“ For we know that if our earthly house, this tent (body), is destroyed, we have a building (body) from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (NKJ: II Corinthians 5:1)
Our Bodies Will Be Like our Lords
“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (NKJ: I John 3:2)
Our Bodies Will Never Experience Death or Pain
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (NKJ: Revelation 21:4)
Our Bodies Will Never Experience Hunger or Thirst
“They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (NKJ: Revelation 7:16-17)
What a wonderful eternal body we will receive. Our eternal bodies will never experience any of the pain or discomfort that plague our current earthly bodies. Neither will our eternal bodies ever grow old or wear out. They will be perfect for eternity.
And what will life be like in heaven? Well, first, you won’t have that pesky job to go to for there will be no work in heaven, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.” (NKJ: Hebrews 4:9) Labor, stress, frustration, worry, and all those other things that drain us of our energy will be gone. Heaven will be a place of eternal joyful rest. Joyous because there will also not be any sadness at all, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (NKJ: Revelation 7:17) The Lord, our comforter, will take away all that would bring us even the slightest bit of sadness, and will fill our eternity with only joy and happiness.
This brings us to the most wonderful aspect of heaven, that is, we will be there with our Lord, fellowshipping with Him and worshipping Him continually, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” (NKJ: Revelation 7-9-12) How wonderful it is to give worship to our Lord here on earth, but in heaven, we will be able to behold His face and worship Him face to face, “…we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (NKJ: I John 3:2) To behold the actual face of our Lord, and be able to sing our praises to Him--how awesome that will be.
Not only will we be with our Lord, the Scriptures tell us, but we will be like Him in our nature, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (NKJ: I John 3:2) We will all be like God , and God is love; therefore, perfect love will abound in Heaven, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (NKJ: I John 4:7-8) In heaven there will be no pride, or jealousy, or anger, or evil thoughts, or coveting, or any other destructive emotions that are contrary to the nature of true love. One’s emotions will be filled up with love for the Lord, and love of others.
In heaven we will all be one family as children of God. And the Bible even tells us that we are not only children of God, but, being His children, we are joint heirs with Christ, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (NKJ: Romans 8:16-18) In Heaven, there will be no poverty for all the riches of God will be accessible to everyone there.
What a wonderous and beautiful place heaven will be, with marvelous sights to behold, “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month.” (NKJ: Revelation 22:1-2) Imagine the magnificence of this river, it’s perfect clarity, and the marvelous trees that will line that river, giving their fruit year round. But even more wonderous is the picture that is painted of new Holy city in Heaven:
“Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.
Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” (NKJ: Revelation 21:11-23)
What an awesome site this city will be. Even more awesome is the fact that there will be no need for a light source, such as a sun or moon, because the glory of God and Jesus will provide light to all of heaven. What a glorious light that will be. Our earthly senses cannot even come close to envisioning the actual awesomeness of heaven. Our comprehension and imaginations of heaven pale in comparison to the actual place. Only when we have passed from this earth to our eternal home, and we leave behind our earthly bodies to receive our new eternal bodies, will we actually realize the gloriousness of our new eternal home. Hallelujah.
A friend of mine recently sent an e:mail to me with the subject line reading, “What a wonderful way to explain this.” I read the brief story attached, and thought it gave a great insight into heaven, and how we should so eagerly look forward to arriving there. The short story went as follows:
A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.” Very quietly, the doctor said, “I don’t know.” “You don’ know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?” The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side of which came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness. Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing…I know my Master is there and that is enough.”
Though we are given some insights in the Scriptures on what heaven will be like, there are still so many unanswered questions. But never let any of these mysteries frustrate or disappoint you. For the one thing on which the Scriptures are very clear is that heaven is where our Lord dwells, and this knowledge alone should give us such joy and an eagerness to enter into that eternal place.
The Bible is also clear, though, that the only inhabitants of heaven will be those who’s name is written in the book of life, “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (NKJ: Revelation 21:27) And those names in the Book of Life are only those who, while here on earth, accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their life. All others, that is, those who rejected the call of the Lord while here on earth, will be outside of heaven for eternity. They picked their own destiny to reject an eternity in a wonderful and glorious place, and to spend their eternity in the most horrid of places, hell.
Is your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? I pray that it is, but if you are not sure, there is no time like the present to make your salvation sure. Accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life, and make your salvation sure. If you are questioning your salvation, please read the Bible study on “Salvation.”
Hell is a real place, and those who reject the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will sadly spend eternity there. There will be no second chances, nor will their interment in hell be temporary, that is, there will not be an eventual end. Hope will be lost. Think about that. The one thing that all of us cling on to in troubled times is the hope that things will or may eventually change. No matter how remote the chances, we can still cling to that hope that somehow, someway, our situation will get better. It’s that hope that is clung to which allows even the most miserable and destitute person to still have some level of happiness in their lives, but for those sentenced to eternity in hell there will be no hope. They will realize that their situation will never improve, and will never end. Such a devastating thought to even imagine.
Hell is a place of eternal torment for those who rejected God’s gift of salvation through His Son’s sacrifice on the Cross. Hell’s torment is described from various aspects:
The Torment will be Eternal
As we have previously discussed, those sentenced to hell will be there for eternity. Though there are a few theologians that point to words like “consuming” and “destruction” to try and support a belief that those sent to hell will be destroyed and just go out of existence (this belief is referred to “annihilationism”), the Bible is very clear that the duration of one’s stay in hell will be eternal and never ending:
“…wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” (NKJ: Jude 1:13)
“… to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’” (NKJ: Mark 9:44)
“’Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…” (NKJ: Matthew 25:41)
“Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.’” (NKJ: Revelation 14:9-11) This passage tells us two things. First, that fire symbolizes torment and not destruction. Second, that the wicked will have no rest, which refutes annihilationism in that if the wicked are destroyed and taken out of existence, then they would have final rest. Having no rest presupposes existence, and, in this case, eternal existence.
“The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever…. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (NKJ: Revelation 20:10,14-15) Linked to the following verse, “’Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…” (NKJ: Matthew 25:41) The same eternal fire that will torment the devil, the beast, and the false prophet, will torment those who reject Jesus Christ in this life.
It is very clear, based on the above Scriptures, that hell will be eternal for its inhabitants.
Tormenting and Unquenchable Fire
Hell is compared to being in fire. This is probably not a literal fire as we know fire, for we will see later that hell will also be a dark place, but such a reference to fire is symbolic of torment and suffering possibly from heat and burning:
“…are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” (NKJ: Jude 1:7)
“…to be cast into hell fire.’” (NKJ: Matthew 18:9)
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (NKJ: Revelation 21:8)
“…where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’” (NKJ: Mark 9:44)
“’Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…” (NKJ: Matthew 25:41)
“…to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched.” (NKJ: Mark 9:45)
“The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.” (NKJ: Matthew 13:41)
“He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone…” (NKJ: Revelation 14:10)
Such pain that fire brings is unimaginable when thought of as lasting forever.
Darkness
Hell will be a dark place in contrast to heaven that will be eternally lit with the light of the Lord (cf. Revelation 21:23, 22:5). There will be no light, but only a lonely darkness:
“’But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (NKJ: Matthew 8:12)
”’Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness…’” (NKJ: Matthew 22:13)
“’And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness’” (NKJ: Matthew 25:30)
Extreme Torment
Those in hell are described as eternally weeping and gnashing their teeth. Such actions speak of extreme sorrow, remorse, and suffering:
“’And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (NKJ: Matthew 8:11-12)
”’Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (NKJ: Matthew 22:13)
”…and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth..” (NKJ: Matthew 24:51)
“’And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (NKJ: Matthew 25:30)
‘”There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.” (NKJ: Luke 13:28)
“Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (NKJ: Matthew 13:40-42)
During one of His discourses, Jesus tells a parable or story (some belief that this is an actual story since a proper name is used for the beggar, Lazarus, which is never done in Jesus’ parables, and the typical symbolic lesson that is taught by every other parable is absent from this passage) about a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). In this story we are given a glimpse of what hell is like. In reviewing this passage, we will gain some interesting insights regarding hell. The following is a quick synopsis of this passage, highlighting some key points:
19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.
We are first introduced here to the “rich man” in the story. This is a man of great wealth. In particular, the mention of “clothed in purple” is in reference to clothing that was dyed with dye typically obtained from shellfish through a very expensive process. References to people wearing purple is always an indication of great wealth in the Bible. This was a man who was extremely wealthy to the point of great excess.
20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
In drastic contrast to the rich man, we have our second person in Jesus’ story, Lazarus the beggar. Whereas the rich man was about as rich as anyone could be, Lazarus was about as poor as anyone could be. His body was devastated with painful sores, and the statement “who was laid at his gate” would indicate that Lazarus could not walk or was at least severely disabled. His longing desire was just to be able to eat that which was discarded from the eating table of the rich man—a desire that was probably never fulfilled. Lazarus had nothing, and the rich man appeared to never even take note of this man in great need right outside his home. The rich man was too caught up in his wealth and worldly lifestyle to be bothered with the plight of his fellow man.
22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
So now the time came for both of these men to depart from this earth. However, they do not both go to the same location. The beggar was “carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom.” This would indicate that he was taken to heaven, a place where Lazarus found comfort and rest. The rich man, on the other hand, was “buried.” We will later learn that he was sent to Hades, that is, hell.
As in their lives on earth, what a contrast we have here for both of their eternal abodes. Lazarus, though he had a miserable life while here on earth, finds himself in an eternal home with great comfort and joy. However, with the rich man, he will find himself in hell for eternity with great pain and anguish.
One should note here that worldly trials or worldly wealth here on earth are not necessarily an indicator of one’s heavenly status and/or of their righteous behavior. The rich man was not placed in hell due to his wealth, but due to his apparent rejection of God evidenced by his neglectful treatment of Lazarus. Though the rich man had excessive wealth, he chose not to use such resources for the good of other people, but chose to ignore even the anguish of other people located right at the gate of his home. His hardened heart towards other people was evidence of his decayed and God-rejecting soul. Wealth is not a sin, but the love of money over God is a sin, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (NKJ: I Timothy 6:10)
In contrast, Lazarus, from a worldly standpoint, had nothing, but from a heavenly standpoint, he was rich because of his faith and trust in the Lord. As with the rich man, Lazarus’ position in the world had no relation to his eternal life.
23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Now, we are going to get a glimpse of what it will be like for those who reject our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and, thus, send themselves to hell.
First, we learn that those in hell are “in torment.” Remember, our decisions here on earth permanently and irrevocably determine where we will spend eternity. This torment, of which is being spoken, will last for eternity. There will never be any relief or discontinuance of this torment. It will be forever.
Second, the rich man’s eyes are lifted up and he “saw.” Human senses, or something very similar, are still applicable in hell. Here, we learn that the rich man still has the sense of sight, or something very similar to it. Whether this was actual sight, or some other similar sensory knowledge, the rich man has sensory perception of, and probably will for eternity, the wonderful place that he could have enjoyed himself had he believed in and submitted his life to the Lord.
24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’
The rich man is now being tormented through other senses as well as sight. He is terribly thirsty, and is sensing extreme heat on his spiritual body. Think about a time when you were parched and so thirsty. The thought of a cold glass of water sounded so wonderful. Now imagine having that thirst forever without the possibility of ever having it quenched.
25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.
Abraham now points to the rich man’s memories of all the wonderful things he had when he was alive on earth, and, then in contrast, also points to the opposite situation for Lazarus. Here we learn that those in hell retain memories of their life while here on earth. All the pleasures they will never ever experience again will echo inside of them for eternity. Even worse, they will remember all the times they could have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, but did not. How agonizing our memories can be at times, but the memories of those spending eternity in hell will tear at their souls for eternity.
Also, as we have previously discussed, we are reminded again that our worldly position has no bearing on our spiritual position after we pass from this world. Evil people will sometimes prosper in this life here on earth, and, likewise, righteous people (that is, righteous through Jesus Christ, and Him alone) will sometimes go through many trials in their lives here on earth (see the Bible study on “Trials in the Life of a Christian”). But when we pass from this temporal life into our eternal life, only those who believed in Jesus Christ and accepted Him as Lord and Savior of their lives will spend eternity in heaven. All those who die in rejection of Jesus Christ will live eternity separated from God in hell.
26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’
Once we pass from this earth, and are received into our eternal home, whether heaven or hell, that is final--there will be no changing one’s mind. If a person dies in rejection of Jesus Christ, their fate has been sealed and there are no second chances. The “salvation decision” is not something to take lightly for it will determine one’s eternal destiny.
27-28 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’
The rich man, realizing the enormous error that he made while on earth in rejecting God and His Word, desires to have Lazarus come back from the dead, and to talk to his five brothers. His hope is that his brothers, seeing the risen-from-the-dead man, would somehow realize the truth that there is a God, and that they would change their ways and believe in God; thus, sparing them from hell and its torment.
29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’
In response to the rich man’s plea to send Lazarus to his brothers, Abraham reminds him that his brothers have the writings of Moses and the Prophets, that is, the Old Testament, from which to receive all the guidance they need to find and believe in God. The inference here is that the five brothers are rejecting the message of Scriptures, and are choosing to follow the path of sin.
30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”
These are the words that speak so deep to my heart. The rich man declares that surely if someone comes back from the dead and appears to his brothers, this would be proof enough to his brothers that there is a God, and that this would bring them to their knees in sorrowful repentance of their sins and to acceptance of God. However, Abraham’s response to the rich man is that if one’s heart is hardened enough to reject the Word of God given through the Scriptures, then even seeing a person that has been risen from the dead would not be enough to convince that person to turn from their sin and accept God.
How often have we thought that if someone close to us could just see a miracle, some tangible proof of God, that they would most assuredly accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and would receive the gift of salvation. Unfortunately, the Scriptures themselves are proof that this is not the case. Jesus Christ raised Lazarus from the dead, but many stilled remained in disbelief, and some even plotted to kill Lazarus (John 11:1-53). Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, was risen from the dead, and still there many who would not believe in Him. To a willfully unbelieving heart, even a miracle such as someone actually coming back from the dead will not make one turn from their disbelief and rejection of our Lord
God’s desire is that every one of us be saved, “…God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (NKJ: I Timothy 2:3-4) (cf. II Peter 3:9), and He has reached out His hand to each and every one of us through different means whether it be, for example, through church, friends, evangelists, or even his testimony through creation itself (cf. Romans 1:20). But the ultimate decision to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior lies individually with each person. Furthermore, the decision on where one will spend their eternity, either in heaven with God or in hell apart from God, is a decision not made by God, but is a personal decision made by each of us.
The parable of Lazarus and the rich man gives us various insights into the place known as hell. We learn that it is a place of eternal torment for those who die in rejection of the Lord. Once one dies in rejection of the Lord and is sent to hell, they do not have a second chance to accept the Lord, and there is no means for them to subsequently get into heaven. There appears to be equivalent senses in hell to those here on earth where we can see and feel. Finally, memories of this life remain with those in hell, adding to their torment in recalling the pleasures they had here on earth, and the opportunities that were missed to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, which would have enabled them to escape their eternal torment in hell, and to receive eternal joy in heaven with the Lord.
We Must Preach the Truth About Hell
“On 12 December 1984 dense fog shrouded M25 near Godstone, in Surrey, a few miles south of London. The hazard warning lights were on, but were ignored by most drivers. At 6:15 a.m. a lorry carrying huge rolls of paper was involved in an accident, and within minutes the carriageway was engulfed in carnage. Dozens of cars were wrecked. Ten people were killed. A police patrol car was soon on the scene, and two policemen ran back up the motorway to stop oncoming traffic. They waved their arms and shouted as loud as they could, but most drivers took no notice and raced on towards the disaster that awaited them. The policemen then picked up traffic cones and flung them at the cars’ windscreens in a desperate attempt to warn drivers of their danger; one told how tears streamed down his face as car after car went by and he waited for the sickening sound of impact as they hit the growing mass of wreckage farther down the road.” (John Blanchard, “Whatever Happened to Hell?”, page 297)
We are all driving on the highway of life. As with any highway, the highway to life goes in two directions with two ultimate destinations. Some of us are driving on this highway heading for a most wonderful destination where we will arrive into eternal life and happiness. However, others are driving on this highway, like the one described above, heading towards destruction and death. Are those of us driving on the highway towards eternal life trying to warn those going in the opposite direction, as the officers above, concerning the ultimate peril they are in, or are we just driving along content with the knowledge that we heading in the correct direction. As Christians, we should model ourselves after the officers above, doing whatever it takes to get the attention of those on the highway leading to death and destruction. Like the one officer above, our hearts should be breaking and tears streaming down our face each time a person does not heed our warnings, and sails on past us down that terrible highway. Likewise, our hearts should rejoice each time a person heeds our warnings, and changes their direction to that of the way towards eternal joy.
As Christians, we are all in the missionary field of saving souls. In the book of II Corinthians, Paul says the following about those Christians in Corinth, and Christians in general, “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (NKJ: II Corinthians 3:2-3). As the saying goes, “We may be the only Bible some people ever read.” We are called by the Lord to preach His Word and His message of salvation. Part of this message is to warn people of their impending destiny should they choose not to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. In fact, the Lord is very serious about us not withholding warnings to others concerning hell. The Lord is so serious that He declared that those that believed in Him who do not give proper warning to those who were heading to hell, would be held responsible for those people’s destruction:
“‘When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand. So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.” (NKJ: Ezekiel 33:2-9)
“Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.’” (NKJ: Ezekiel 3:16-21)
Jesus Christ, in the gospels, spoke far more about hell than He did of heaven. His message of salvation included warnings to the listener of what their alternative was to heaven. He did not shy away from the subject, or fear that it was too harsh, but used the reality of hell to help guide people into heaven. If our Lord deemed it proper to speak of hell in his message of salvation, so much more should we.
I have to admit that this has been the most difficult of Bible studies to prepare. I have always believed in hell, and have understood that there are those who will reject Jesus Christ, and will thus sentence themselves to hell. But I have never endeavored to study this place called hell in such detail. Maybe subconsciously I did not want to face the absolute horridness of hell; however, through my research, I have become all too familiar with this place. I have found myself thinking of hell, and then switching to thoughts of those who are close to me who have not yet accepted Jesus Christ. The thought of them in this terrible place for eternity eats away at me. But I have also found a renewed conviction to reach out to the lost—those who are traveling through life on a road to hell. And I believe this may have been one of the reasons Jesus Christ spoke so much about this place. Thoughts of hell will spur on the saved to reach out to the lost, and will spur the lost into reaching out to our Lord.
On a personal note, I was recently greatly blessed to be able to be used by the Lord to lead a dear friend to the Lord. I had been sharing the Lord and the path to salvation to this friend for a little while, but what finally brought her to her knees in tears, wanting to accept the Lord, was my answer to a question she had asked me. What was that question? She had asked me to tell her about what the Bible tells us about future events and of our eternal destinies. By the time I had finished my answer, she was in tears, fearful of the prospect of these future events including spending eternity in hell. She accepted the Lord that night. And I am happy to say that she is growing stronger in the Lord each day. In fact, she shared the Lord with her two children, and they accepted the Lord. Then, her seven-year old son began to share the Lord with his friends from school. After school, he would bring them with him to his mom’s car to have her tell his friends more about Jesus Christ and how they too can be saved. The genesis of all of this was from an impromptu sermon on hell.
Heaven truly will be a wonderful place, and those in pulpits speak much of this wonderful place. But there is another side to the coin, that side being hell. Unfortunately, many pulpits have become silent on this topic, not wanting to preach on something so negative that may upset their congregation. I believe this is a very sad turn of events for the Church. Our Lord and Savior spoke much more about hell than He did of heaven. Following His example, our pulpits should not shy away from preaching on hell, but should regularly have mention of it in their sermons. Some people will be drawn and pulled to the Lord with the prospect of spending eternity in heaven with the Lord, while others may need a little additional fiery push.
God Bless