I have dearly missed writing posts and it has been quite some time since I have written on here. However, God has made a path for me once again to continue this ministry and continue to seek the lost and hopefully lead people to Christ by the power of His Holy Spirit. Pray for me as I continue to seek His will for my life and this ministry. Either way, I am excited for what God has! I hope you like what you read.
Tonight, I was blessed to attend a fantastic sermon about Heaven and Hell. The question posed was, “Heaven and Hell – is eternity real?”
The answer is absolutely yes. How do we know? Because the Bible confirms the existence of both a great number of times. The following will go through the realities of both Heaven and Hell, and what determines your final eternal destination in either place. It can only be one or the other. Where will you choose to spend eternity? The choice is in your hands.
Hell (also called “Gehenna” by Jesus) is the absence of God’s presence and where those who never trusted in Jesus Christ for their salvation will experience the fullness of God’s wrath of all of eternity. Hell is eternal darkness and punishment. Now, Gehenna was a small valley outside the city of Jerusalem that was used as a landfill. Trash, fifth, flesh of dead criminals, etc. were burned there day and night. What is also important to note is that is was outside the Holy City of Jerusalem. Now, I believe Jesus uses this term “Gehenna” for hell because it is a real life example that alludes to the far worse reality of eternal separation from God. Hell is reserved for all those who do not have a place in the eternal paradise of Heaven. It is reserved for those who do not put their Hope, Faith, and Trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation. They will spend the remainder of time in the lake of fire, which was originally reserved for the devil and his angels.
But you do not have to spend a second there. If you place your Hope, Faith, and Trust in Jesus Christ for your salvation, you will inherit eternal life spent in Heaven. Trust in God, and he will keep you safe. The point as to why we should have fear and reverence of God is succinctly outlined in the following scripture:
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” ~Matthew 10:28 NIV
Not only can he destroy both your body and soul in Hell, but by his Grace through His Son Jesus Christ, he has the power to save you from this eternal damnation and torment.
If you choose to trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, you have the eternal paradise of Heaven to look forward to. This New Heaven and New Earth is outlined in scripture:
“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'” ~Revelation 21:1-4 NIV
If you read further in Revelation 21, you will be even more amazed at the blessings God has for those who believe in Him, through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.
Aside from this scripture of prophecy, how else do we know that Heaven is reserved for those who trust in Jesus? Because Jesus himself told us when He comforted His disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” ~John 14:1-4 NIV
With all of this laid out for you, what will you choose? The obvious choice would be Heaven. But for some, it is not that simple. The worries and material possessions of this world distract so many from the freedom that comes through knowing Chris Jesus. I pray that if you don’t know Jesus, that you would invite Him in, and begin the clock of Eternal Life for yourself now. You just have to trust Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins by his death on the cross and His resurrection to show that death will not hold us down either. If you already know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please, PLEASE, with all that you are, seek those who do not know Jesus and share Him with them.
With that, I hope you have learned more about the realities of the two permanent destinations for eternity. Do whatever you can to make sure as few people as possible spend it in Hell. Our love for God means our love for others must overflow to fulfill the purpose of the Great Commission to reach the lost for Christ and save them from eternity in Hell. Thus, until Jesus returns to make all things new, go out and make disciples of all nations for Jesus!
Luke 21 Ministries 