Q: Are we going to heaven?
...and another related question is often asked:
Q: Will we be sent to hell? What will it be like?
Despite all the talk about a secular society, God still plays a big role in the lives of most Americans. We all seem to have a sense that there is an after life, and worry about the consequences of heaven and hell.
The popular notion of these two places is so far removed from the Bible as to be comical. There are great extremes as to what they are like. Some have rationalized the scriptures to the point of saying they don’t exist while others have turned them into a glorified Disney Theme Park.
First, heaven is not the state of living forever. If you are worried that won’t live forever, relax, everyone does. Christians and Jews have believed for thousands of years that all humans are created eternal, which means that we have a beginning and no end. Our bodies may die but our souls live on. Almost all world religions teach this in various forms. Heaven is not simply the state of existing, or you would be there right now.
Second, hell is not primarily a place of punishment and anguish. You have punishment and aguish right now and the Bible describes hell as something very different from this experience. Just as happiness is not heaven but one of the effects of heaven, so suffering is not hell, but one of the results of its experience.
So what is heaven and hell in the scriptures? Heaven is simply that place after life where we can live with God forever. Heaven is all about God and not about us. Conversely hell is primarily described as an eternal separation from God. Hell is all about us and has nothing to do with God.
If we could describe heaven and hell in these terms, where would you feel the most at home? I have heard people sit around describing heaven. They will say things like, “There must be golf in heaven. I love golf so much, I couldn’t imagine there not being a golf course in heaven. It just wouldn’t be heaven to me if I could play golf.” People who think of heaven as being a five star accommodation for their likes and dislikes would not like the real heaven. God is at the center of heaven and everything about it centers of the worship of God.
Answer: Yes we are all going to go to heaven. We all go there to be judged. Those who are known by Jesus Christ as one of His disciples will enter heaven forever and the rest will enter hell.
“What! How judgmental can you get! How can God be a loving God and send anyone to hell for eternity?”
Yes, yes, I know. I have heard it many times before but we completely miss the point. When God created you and me he created us eternal. That means we have a beginning and no end. Now, that is a great gift or a great curse, and the person who decides is you. You can choose to live for God, or you can choose to live for yourself. Which ever choice you make will sort you out in the end. All decisions are made final upon your death, for eternity.
There is no sin so great that can keep you from entering heaven, and no good work so wonderful to keep you from the pits of hell.
Why? Because our future is not determined by how good we are, because we all fail miserably. We enter heaven on the basis of the Grace of Jesus, His forgiveness. We get that by repenting, asking for forgiveness and learning to Love Jesus Christ. He will forgive any sin if we will love Him with our whole heart. There will be many people who had done good things who will be sent to hell because their goodness was all about them and not about a love for God.
Personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way. God tells me by this action that what I do on this earth matters for eternity. Every little thing matters and affects my eternal destiny. If there were no consequences to our actions, then what’s the point of this existence? I like this too, because it doesn’t put the emphasis on performance but on the sincere commitment and love of God. I don’t have to be perfect, just devoted while doing my stumbling best.
What do you think? Which eternal place would fit you better? With God getting all the attention, or you?
