TOPIC: What the bible says about heaven and hell
SCRIPTURE: 1 Peter 1:3-9
AIM: To have my hearers be clear on the biblical concepts of heaven and hell, and to do something positive to be sure that their destiny is heaven.
INTRODUCTION.
Do you want the good news or the bad news first? Let me give you the good news ... the Bible tells us clearly that there is a place called heaven. Now the bad news ... the Bible also tells us of a place called Hell! But there is some more good news ... no-one need ever go to hell. The gospel ... which literally means ‘good news’ ... tell us that God wants us all to go to heaven - but he has left the choice up to us.
This morning we are looking at what the bible says about heaven and hell. It is a subject that has many misconceptions surrounding it, and in our modern world, a general lack of understanding about the significance of a heaven/hell theology. And yet the bible is very clear that there exists both places - heaven and hell, and what is more, the ultimate destination of all people is for one or other of these places.
1. The attitude of the world
a. Illustration: In his book "Growing strong in the Seasons of Life", the author Charles Swindol tells a story about the 19th Century agnostic Thomas Huxley (some of you might know that it was Huxley who promoted Darwinism and Humanism in his attacks on Christianity). The story goes like this - Huxley was in Dublin and was rushing to catch a train. He climbed aboard one of Dublin’s famous horse drawn taxis and said to the driver -"Hurry, I’m almost late ... drive fast". Of they went at a furious pace and Huxley sat back in his seat and closed his eyes. After a while Huxley opened his eyes and glanced out the window to notice that they were going in the wrong direction. Realising that he hadn’t told the driver where to take him he called out ‘do you know where your going’. The driver replied "No your honour, but I am driving very fast’.
Its a good story - but its also a good illustration of the reality of many people who live in our world today. Life is lived at a fast pace, full of activity and things ... but direction-less ... many many people who have not yet discovered what life is all about or where they are going.
The problem is, they are heading for a destination whether they know it or not. Heaven and Hell are the destinations of all people. The Bible tells us this ... but many people do not acknowledge it.
b. Hugh Mackay, the Australian social researcher collected some interesting information about Australian attitudes to this subject. In 1999, 74% of Australians indicated a belief in God of some sort (although no attempt was made to clarify their idea of God). But to the more specific question of the divinity and resurrection of Jesus, 43% of Australians said they believed. But (and this is an interesting comparison) only 33% believed there was a Devil.
On the question of heaven and hell - 53% believe in heaven ... only 32% believe in a hell.
2. The description of hell
a. I think hell is disbelieved because of two reasons - firstly is the unpopular nature of the idea of hell. Its an unpleasant thought and so rather than worry about it, its much easier to pretend its not there and hope it will go away. Its much easier to understand hell in a third world country were life isn’t as sweet ... but here in Australia its too much of a threat to the pursuit of happiness.
The second reason is one of the illusions of Satan -and that is to trivialise it. We are constantly confronted with comical figures of Satan with his long tail, pointy beard and pitch fork. He is usually red and sits in a lake of fire or something like that. These days we see Hollywood (hardly the example of upright morality and truth) giving the world movies in which the devil and demons are depicted as mischievous creatures trying to create a little bit of good natured chaos. And hell is depicted as not much more than a place where the wicked just keep enjoying the things they did on earth.
Such images are a million miles from the truth. They may have taken their ideas from some of the imagery of the Bible, but they have missed the significance of the imagery and created fiction which is a lie.
b. The Bible’s description of hell is a dreadful place. The word Gehenna is used to describe hell. This word has a very literal origin - it refers to the valley of the son of Hinnom, a valley which ran down the south-west wall of Jerusalem. It had a bad reputation. There were times in Israel’s past when she was rebelling against God that the valley was used for human sacrifice. King Ahaz and King Manasseh had sacrificed their sons to the pagan God Molech there. It became known as a place of death. In later years, it came to be used as Jerusalem’s rubbish tip. Its bad reputation increased because of the filth, the smell and the constant smoke from the fires burning the rubbish. Gehenna was not a pretty place. And when the ancient people wanted to describe the very worst place on earth - reference to Gehenna was the way they did it.
And so the tradition rose in Jewish writing that Gehenna became the description of hell, the place of eternal punishment after the judgement at the end of the world.
Jesus uses the word Gehenna 11 times in his recorded teaching. Other words such as ‘fiery furnace’, "fiery lake", "lake of burning sulfur" and "eternal fire" were also used - and when we understand the origin of the symbols - a burning putrid rubbish dump - we can understand how these descriptive words began to be used.
b. But these descriptions are not meant to be literal. We run the risk of trivialising hell if we limit the idea to some physical fire and pain. They are simply an attempt to put into limited human language a description of something that is far more terrible than we can imagine.
Its the nature of hell that holds its worse terror. It is described as a place of eternal punishment - last Sunday night we looked at the poem of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25. Those who helped ‘the king’ when he was hungry and in prison etc. received an eternal reward. Those who didn’t went to eternal punishment ... hell (Matt 25:46). In the little NT book of Jude, the nature of hell is described as a place of darkness and everlasting chains. In Matthew 8:12, Jesus talks about those who fail to reach the Kingdom of God as being thrown into the outer darkness where there will be weeping a ‘gnashing of teeth’.
c. How do we make sense of these descriptions in a way we can best relate to ourselves? After all, we do not have a valley of Hinnon to refer to. And the images of lakes of fire do not really convince us.
The best understanding in contemporary thought is that hell is an existence without God. To me, the thought of living in a place where the grace, love and the intervening presence of God does not exist is a horror beyond any physical description. We witness in our world the actions of Godless people … how much worse a Godless place! Any thought of an existence separated from God brings on the dread of hell.
The theology runs like this - because of sin, humanity is alienated from God. Jesus Christ came to overcome this alienation and make a way for each of us to be reconciled with God. We each must make that decision and it happens through faith in Jesus Christ. If a person does not make that decision, they remain separated from God. And that might be tolerable in this life and in a world that enjoys God’s mediation. But to die in a state of separation means eternal separation, this time in a place where God has withdrawn his presence ... and that place is called hell.
3. The description of heaven
a. On the other hand, to live in the presence of a God who is the creator of perfect love sounds to me like heaven. The Bible tells us that faith and obedience in Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, will ensure our eternity in heaven. Those who accept Jesus know the joy he brings in this life. Imagine the infinite joy to come in heaven when we are freed from the limitations of our humanity.
And so how do we describe this places called ‘paradise’ in scripture? The Apostle John attempted to put it into words in Revelation 4. Listen to what he came up with ...
Revelation 4:1-10.
After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other
thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the centre, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."
Whenever the living creatures give glory, honour and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever.
b. That was quite a trip he was on. I’m not sure we are any more clearer about the exact nature of heaven except for two important things. (1) it is where God has his throne ... God is there. (2) to describe its magnificence is beyond us ... mere human words only confuse the description, because it is a place that is too wonderful for word.
The Bible uses many descriptions - a garden, a place of rest, a kingdom, a heavenly country, a house with many rooms, a place of joy. These description all try to convey the wonderful truth that heaven is a place where those who have a relationship with
God will spend eternity in his presence.
c. It is the place of destiny for all who believe in Jesus Christ. In our reading earlier from 1 Peter, the apostle reminds us that for those who are faithful , there is "inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you (us) ". And listen to the words he uses to describe this reality ... "you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy". The bible tells us that heaven is our destiny through faith in Jesus Christ.
CONCLUSION:
There is no doubt in the bible that heaven and hell are considered real. For those who deny Christ and do not reconcile with God, hell is their destiny ... and it doesn’t matter whether they believe in it or not! The 67% of Australians who do not believe will one day find out. It is our mission as the church to help as many of them as possible discover heaven before arriving in hell and finding they were wrong.
But for those who accept Jesus and live their lives in obedient faith, the promise of the Bible is that our destiny is heaven - an eternal existence in the presence of a God who is perfect love. This sounds like heaven to me.
