An elderly couple passed away and found themselves at the pearly gates. Peter was there to welcome them. First he showed them their mansion. The man overwhelmed by the sheer luxury of it all asked, "How much does this place cost per night?" Peter replied, "Sir, this is Heaven, it doesn’t cost anything." Then Peter took them to the dining room where table upon table was piled high with the most delicious foods you could imagine. Again overwhelmed by the glory of it all the man asked, "How much for the meals?" Peter said, "You forget, this is Heaven, it’s free." Peter then took them out back where they saw a fantastically beautiful golf course. As the man stood there open-mouthed Peter said, "Now before you ask, there are no greens fees, this is Heaven, everything is free." The man looked at his wife and said, "You and your confounded bran muffins, I could have been here 10 years ago!" Sometimes when people think of heaven they think of it as dull and boring. This joke however captures the promise of eternal life - a place of unbelievable beauty and delight.
Heaven is a great topic, it’s a fun topic to preach about because everyone loves to think about the possibility. Except atheists but if you read the stuff that they write about life and death, even they seem to be open to the possibility, as long as they get to go too. People love to talk about Heaven, what it is, what it could, who will be there. We love it, the flip side is Hell, we’re not so fond of talking about Hell. Hell tends to offend people, and if you talk about it too much you might just flat tick people off. Someone once said, “When you preach on Hell people will either get mad or they’ll get saved.” Hell is not a popular topic to preach on, but it is not only effective, but it is necessary.
It’s necessary because we all have an appointment we will keep one day. That is the language of our key passage today from Hebrews 9:27, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Judgment, it is a word that just sounds so harsh. When we Christians speak about it, people call us things like intolerant, like it’s our idea or something. It’s not our idea, it is God’s mandate, everyone will stand before God and be judged. One day you will stand before God, I will stand before God, everyone in this room will, every person who ever lived, and ever will live will stand before the judgment of God. When our lives begin this appointment has already been booked.
The problem is that there are a lot of people who view it as a popularity contest, it’s not. If people don’t want to believe in God that’s their choice, but have you ever noticed that they have the need to tell other people about it and try and convince them. It’s as if they think if they can get enough people to agree with them, we can just vote God off the island. One of the most common arguments against the existence of God is human suffering. If God exists why do we suffer? As if He promised we never would, I see lot’s of promises in the Bible about comfort during suffering but no promises that on Earth everything will be fine. In Luke 18 Jesus uses an parable to illustrate all of the injustice in the world, the same injustice that people use to question the existence of God, Jesus addresses it but then He asks this question, “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” Not if He returns, or if there’s enough faith, but when He returns, it’s not a matter of whether we believe or not, one day Jesus will return and we will all have to stand before Him.
If the thought of judgment wasn’t scary enough for most people consider that judgment is based on truth. Let that though sink in for a minute. Judgment isn’t based on anyone’s opinion of what we need to do to get into Heaven, it is based on what God said it would take to get into Heaven. Look at what Jesus said in Matthew 7:22-23, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” When you look at that phrase in the Greek “I never knew you” it can more accurately be rendered as “I never approved of what you were doing.” This is a passage that should catch our attention, these are people who were doing works of tremendous religious power. They were prophesying, they were casting out demons, I don’t know if you’ve ever had a power encounter with a demon but it will keep you awake at night. They were doing all sorts of things, in the name of Jesus, but they weren’t following what He said, their basis for power was right, but not Lordship. Judgment is based on whether we accepted Jesus as our Lord or merely as a source of power. Jesus as Lord is the path to Heaven.
We better understand that because, Heaven and Hell are the only possible outcomes, there is no middle ground. The Bible doesn’t give us any basis for a belief in something like purgatory. Even though a recent study said that 26% of the people in America now believe in the possibility of reincarnation scripture says, “It is appointed for men to die once.” We may want other options to exist, we may desire them for others perhaps even ourselves, but the Bible does not leave room for a second chance at life, or an alternative to Heaven or Hell. Those are the destinations, and the choice we make on the Lordship of Christ, not membership in the church, or religious activities, the Lordship of Christ in our lives determines where we will go.
It sounds harsh but as we begin to discuss Hell we need to understand something, Hell was made for Satan not people. God didn’t make Hell for you or me, or anyone else. Matthew 25:41 says, “then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Hell is a dark terrible place that we should wish on no man. It is so terrible because God didn’t prepare it for people He made it for Satan and the demons.
Recently there’s been a trend towards lessening the teaching of the horrors of Hell. Some people say that there aren’t really flames in Hell, that they simply represent judgment. There are others who say that there are levels to Hell, and the level of your stay relates to the level of your punishment. Before we think about teaching or representing a lesser version of Hell consider this, Jesus said, to be afraid of it. Matthew 10:28, “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.”
That better get your attention real quick, Jesus is saying to be afraid, our God is saying there is something to be afraid of. Understand we serve the God of “Fear not.” When angels appear to humans, the most common first line is “Fear not.” When Joshua was to take the people he had just become leader of and conquer nation of nation to control the promised land, he was to be strong and courageous. Through-out the pages of the Bible God tells us not to be afraid of almost everything. He makes the exception of telling us to be afraid of Him, that children should fear their parents, and Hell. That is a short list, think about this, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fearing your parents comes with the promise of a blessing, long days on the earth. But Hell is the only thing in the Bible that we are told to fear without a promise. We are just told to be afraid of it.
Understand that there is a power to the fear of Hell. Look at Hebrews 10:31, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” It’s talking about our pending judgment, it’s talking about hell. Paul wrote this, Paul who doesn’t appear to have been afraid of much. Struck blind by God, he was better for it. Imprisoned? The better to witness to the guard who was chained to him. Beaten, chained, shipwrecked none of it mattered so long as he could proclaim Christ, but the thought of judgment and the hell that awaits those who will not declare Jesus as Lord that was scary. Look even at the language he uses, to fall into the hands of the living God. When were falling we’re out of control, we don’t know what will happen but it’s probably not going to be good. This is a message we don’t need to make more user friendly. Do we need to avoid offending people or save them?
Understand that hell is called the second death. I’m not afraid of death, I know where I am going, I know who I have called Lord, but I’m not looking forward to the experience. It’s one of those things most people would like to skip, and I sure don’t think there’s too many people who would willingly sign up for a second go around, especially one that lasts forever. But look at Revelation 21:8, “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” A couple of things really stand out to me in this passage the first is some of the things on this list don’t look that bad, or they’re things that we’ve all done. I mean the cowardly, really, isn’t everyone afraid of something, if we’re honest. What about all liars, I mean most of us blew this one with our parents long ago.
But then there is the description of Hell, here it says a fiery lake of burning sulfur. But when you get into the language it is actually describing a lake burning with fire and brimstone. It sounds horrible because it is, and those flames that are described, they sound real to me, this doesn’t appear to be a representation of judgment but a description of what happens after judgment.
One of the most terrible things about Hell is its severe character but we allow people to water it down. To make it seem like it won’t be so bad. I think we do that because we all know and love people who have rejected Jesus as Lord. Let me put that accurately, we all know and love people who are going to hell and in the name of not offending them, some try to make it seem not so bad. Let me ask this question, is that for them or our own sense of guilt because we know the truth and we’re afraid to share it. Maybe being cowardly is a really bad thing after all.
Consider Mark 9:43, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed then with two hands go into hell where the fire never goes out.” This sounds drastic and it should, the word for hell there is “Gehenna” it was actually a reference to the Valley of Hinnom. In Old Testament times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech, and it came to be used as a place where human excrement ad rubbish were disposed of and burned. It came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment. It was a horrible place. No one would want to go there to live, no one would want to spend eternity there, but that is the destiny that Jesus said awaited those who refused to follow. The closest picture he could paint for them was a place of refuse and waste on fire, forever. Think about that. Verse 48 of that passage says it is a place “Where the worm never dies and the fire is never quenched.”
That to me is the greatest horror of Hell, once there, there is no escape. I used to enjoy watching the show “Prison Break” and watching them come up with these really bizarre plans to tie a bunch of seemingly unrelated things together to get out, but from hell there is no escape. Once God has judged us as guilty, and we are all guilty apart from the grace of His Son, once we are judged guilty there is no escape, people will be trapped alone in the fire and darkness of hell forever.
It is a terrible fate, but it is also not God’s plan for anyone. When people truly understand the horror of Hell, just how good should Heaven sound? This should be the biggest no brainer in the history of the world. Eternity in torment forever, or eternity in a beautiful, pure city, with God forever.
The Bible doesn’t talk about Heaven much and I’m not even going to try to because of one magnificent truth. The majesty of Heaven is beyond comprehension. Look at 1 Corinthians 2:9, “However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” It makes me feel like Han Solo in Star Wars, “I can imagine quite a bit.” I think if we just sat around and dreamed of what Heaven will look like we could spend and unlimited amount of time and money on it to try and match the reality of what this passage says but we still wouldn’t even come close. Heaven is so great that we can’t even imagine it.
We know from scripture that Heaven wasn’t made with human hands, that it never wears outs, that it has so many people in it that they can’t be numbered, the streets are made of gold and the walls of jasper. That’s what it has, this is what it doesn’t have, no hospitals, cemeteries, prisons, or mental institutions, no crime, pollution, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes or fires.
A poet once wrote”
Think of stepping on a shore,
And finding it is heaven!
Think of taking hold of a hand,
And finding it is God’s hand!
Think of breathing new air,
And finding it is celestial air!
Think of feeling invigorated,
And finding it is immortality!
Think of passing from storm and tempest
To an unknown calm!
Think of waking up,
And finding it heaven!
Revelation describes Heaven as being 1500 miles, High, deep, wide and across, it’s huge. Some architects with entirely too much time on their hands did a study and said, that’s not physically possible. Okay neither was creation from nothing, but it happened regardless of whose theory you believe. But that’s not the point, I don’t believe that John walked all of those miles in his dream, I believe he was telling us that Heaven is really big, it’s beyond our imagination. I mean think about the entire state of Arizona, cubed and that’s a neighborhood. John was telling us that Heaven is beautiful and large beyond our comprehension. Large enough that everyone can go there even though everyone won’t.
Why not? Well there is another attribute of Heaven that sounds great to some people, but not to others. It’s purity flows from the presence of God. Revelation 21:3, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people. And God himself will be with them and be their God.” God is pure and He is holy, where He dwells, sin is banished. We understand intellectually that this should be true of our lives here on earth, but in Heaven it will be a reality. I believe that most people would like to be better to be more pure in our actions and our motives. I saw a shirt that said, “I want to be the person my dog thinks I am.” In Heaven we will be that person, the presence of God ensures it. He also promises that He will transform our very nature.
This sounds great, but it also limits the number of people who want to get into Heaven. C.S. Lewis said, “Heaven offers nothing that that mercenary soul can desire. It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart would want too.” Purity sounds good to us, but there are some people who are so caught in the grip of sin that given the choice they would choose it. Sure this drug, this sin, this addiction is destroying my life, but it’s my life, and I would rather go to hell than to give it up. Yes it’s making my life hell here on earth, but it that just prepares me for what’s ahead.” Heaven is a place a beauty and purity. That might drive some away, but we still have a duty to share with them. We tell people not to drink and drive, we tell people not to use drugs, we warn about the dangers of illicit sex, but Heaven and Hell are more serious still, will we act that way?
The beautiful thing about heaven is that it is a place beyond pain. Revelation 21:4 says, “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.” This is a passage that easy for those who don’t know the bible to misunderstand the Bible. For those of you who may question the concept of people not wanting to go to Heaven, I ran across an interesting website this week. It compared the author’s interpretation of Heaven to the Borg on Star Trek, a bunch of mindless, emotionless zombies without any will of their own. He loosely based it on the Borg ship being a cube of 1500 units and Heaven being the same, then he compared some of the titles, but the passage that he really wanted to get to was this one. Look he said, the description of Heaven is one of people without emotion they can’t feel pain or sorrow, therefore they’re really not human anymore.
He thought he made a lot of sense but that isn’t what the passage says. Note the first part, God Himself will wipe away every tear from their eyes. If God is wiping away tears then that mean there are tears. I don’t know exactly when this scene takes place, I’m going to assume it is sometime after the judgment, if so the sorrow may be over the people that aren’t there, maybe over the opportunities that we missed to share the gospel, I don’t know all that is involved, all I know is that there will be tears but then God, the maker of the universe, our Father will reach out His hand and personally dry every tear from every eye, and then as a good Father does when His kids are crying He will whisper in our ears, “It’s alright.” When God says. “It’s alright” it is. Then it doesn’t say that we won’t be able to feel pain or sorrow but that God will take away death and the things that cause pain and sorrow will cease to exist. Heaven isn’t the home of a bunch of zombies, it is the place where God, makes us holy as He is holy and then He watches over us, allowing us the freedom to experience all of the joy of eternity with Him, while removing the very possibility of pain.
We are not a bunch of drones wandering around saying you will be assimilated. We are those who have discovered God’s grace to accept us as we are, with all of our differences and still love us enough to help us become the best version of ourselves. Our mission is to tell the people around us about it. It’s not just about Sunday Morning or Wednesday Night, it is about everyday looking for opportunities to tell the people right around us that they need Jesus so that they can have what we have. Heaven is a great place where people from different backgrounds and nations will come together because we have found and accepted the grace of God and now He chooses to call us His children and welcome us into His presence forever. That is what Heaven is.
That does sound like a place I think everyone would want to go and that is the good news, you can choose to go. Yes Hebrews 9:27 says that everyone will one day stand before God’s judgment but Hebrews 9:28 says, “So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” For some people what I’ve just described from the Bible seems too good to be true. Can Heaven really be true a place where it’s not our emotion and will that has been removed, but pain and suffering themselves, it seems too good to be true. Then the Bible declares that the price to enter this perfect place was already paid by God. But that is what it says.
See people who think that when Bible speaks of Hell, it is too extreme miss the context of those statements. Take our central verse today, it is appointed once for man to die and then comes judgment, but right after it says that Christ came to bear all of our sins. Your sins and mine, all of the sin, for all people, who ever have lived and ever will live, if they will just believe and call Him Lord. It sounds too good to be true, but it is, just as sure as a man named Jesus lived, die and then rose 3 days later changing the course of history and splitting our calendar it is true.
The question is what will you do with it? See there are three choices you don’t get in life, to be born, to die, and to enter eternity. There is one choice you do get, where will you spend it.
