|
Home > Featured Articles
Heaven or Hell?
Perhaps you are familiar with the words of the traditional spiritual entitled "That Lonesome Valley." There have been many variations made of the words, and numerous verses to the song, but all of them echo the following theme:
"You must walk that lonesome valley.
You must walk it by yourself.
Oh, nobody else can walk it for you;
You must walk it by yourself."
What is the "lonesome valley" that is referred to in this song? It is none other than the valley of death. Certainly this is a "valley" that every one of us will cross when the heart stops ticking and the lungs are no longer able to draw another breath. As with any valley, there is a place on the other side to which the traveler will go. There are only two destinations on the far side of death. The Bible makes it clear that every person has two choices—he may pass through one of two gates, and Christ made it clear which one is more desirable:
"Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it." Matthew 7:13,14
Mind you, this article is not meant to be an exhaustive discussion of heaven and hell. To be very honest, it is only intended to be, as it were, a flashing neon signal to urge you to give serious thought to this most important question: "Where will you spend your eternity—in heaven or in hell?" Both places are real. Both places will exist forever. God has declared this to be so.
"For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not condemned; he who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:16-18
You see from this passage of Scripture that hell requires no change of direction. If you have not believed in Jesus Christ God's Son, you—right now—are on your way to hell.1 If death came upon you right now, you would find yourself there. Now without question, hell is a very unpleasant thing either to write or read about, but the Bible's truth must be put into very plain terms so that no one could miss its meaning. If I saw flames ascending through the roof of the house across the street, do you think I would calmly ring the doorbell and timidly say to my neighbor, "I believe the operation of combustion is proceeding in this dwelling"? No, I would scream at the top of my lungs, "Fire, fire!!!" Anyone inside would know exactly what I meant and catch the urgency in my voice. The Bible does not give a lot of details about hell, but what it does say is put in very plain terms.
HELL
What exactly has God written in the Bible about hell? He has warned us that hell is a literal place. It is painful, (physically, mentally and emotionally), and it is final—forever. Now before you make a quick exit and search for something more palatable to read, please think again. To refuse to accept God's description of hell is like a criminal refusing to accept the penalties of the laws of the land. He may reject the laws, but he suffers the penalty just the same. Note, then, the following three descriptions of hell given in the Bible:
Cast into a Lake of Fire — Hell is a literal place of torment
- Revelation 19:20: "...cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."
- Revelation 20:10: "...cast into the lake of fire and brimstone…and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.
- Revelation 20:15: "And whoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
Picture for a moment a person who has lived his life only for the present, giving no serious thought for eternity. He has spurned the Bible and called it a man-made book for weaklings to read. He has laughed at the idea of a heaven or hell. Suddenly, he finds himself standing before God. The book of life is opened, but his name is not found, for he never trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation. Then comes the ruling, "Cast him out!" Where is the strength of this person now? Where is his boasting? Seeing the lake of fire below, he may shriek and cry and beg for mercy, but the time for changing his mind had ended along with his life on earth.
Outer Darkness with Weeping, Wailing, and Gnashing of Teeth — In hell, people will be entirely conscious, and they will be experiencing grief and pain unlike anything known on earth.
- Matthew 8:12: "...shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
- Matthew 13:42: "...shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
- Matthew 22:13: "...bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Darkness speaks of utter hopelessness. People cast into hell will find it to be a place where there is no hope. There is not a person alive right now who has no hope. Some may have very little indeed, but only a shred of hope is needed to keep on living. Yet in hell, even that shred is gone. Weeping and gnashing of teeth for us represent the utmost depths of human agony, despair, sorrow, and frustration. And yet, eventually it passes. In hell, there will forever be weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Where the Worm Dies Not and Fire Is Not Quenched — Hell is final and it is forever.
- Mark 9:48: "...where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched."
On earth, when worms feed on decaying matter, eventually that matter is entirely consumed. A fire can burn only as long as there is material to keep it going. Those in hell have not even the hope of dying—the hope of being annihilated. They are forever—forever—forever—lost! If one could find in the Bible that hell would one day be burned out, and that those who were lost might be saved, there would be jubilee in that place at the very thought of it. But it cannot be. On the contrary:
"...it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." Hebrews 9:27
HEAVEN
Let us turn a corner and ponder the alternative, a much more pleasant theme. When it comes to describing heaven, there is nothing that man can liken it to. The imagination of man could never even conceive what heaven will be like. It is easier to tell what will not be there.
[God] shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4
Heaven will be a place of total peace and happiness, enjoying the presence of God.
Among which company of people will you find yourself? Glance once again at the words to the song with which we began this discussion:
"You must walk that lonesome valley.
You must walk it by yourself.
Oh, nobody else can walk it for you;
You must walk it by yourself."
This song speaks only of those who die in their sins, those who have never sought forgiveness as provided by the Lord Jesus. There is an essential difference between the death of those who are forgiven by God and the death of those who are not. Death comes to the unbelieving man as the sealing of his doom. To the one who believes in Christ, death is merely a summons to his Father's palace. Death, to the unforgiven, is the king of terrors; death to the forgiven is the end of terrors, the commencement of full joy and peace. Psalm 23 states,
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me…surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Let's take a quick look at another verse of that song:
"Jesus walked that lonesome valley.
He had to walk it by Himself
Oh, nobody else could walk it for Him.
He had to walk it by Himself."
Yes, Jesus Christ came to this earth with one purpose in mind. He, being the holy and perfect Son of God, was the only One who could provide the way for us to be spared hell and invited to enjoy eternal life in heaven. After having been beaten mercilessly, He walked toward Calvary, carrying His cross until He had no more strength to do so. The soldiers that nailed his hands and feet to the wooden beam did not have to struggle against Him. Jesus willingly offered his life as a sacrifice for sins. He never uttered any word of rebuke or protest; there was not the least bit of anger. He came to this earth expressly to bear the punishment for your sins and mine so that we would not have to. When He rose again, triumphant over death, He proved that the price had been paid in full for all who would believe.
Think of these words, in closing, as a personal invitation to you by Jesus Christ who spoke them:
"The one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out." John 6:37
|
