The Truth About Heaven and Hell
You may be aware of the recent publicity given to a report produced by the Church of England, the aim of which was to clarify the church's understanding about heaven and hell.
It is perhaps symptomatic of our age that people should consider turning to a report, rather than reading for themselves what God says, in His word, the Bible, about this subject. It is true that many people have a totally wrong understand about hell, yet the Bible is quite clear - it tells us that hell is the grave to which all dead people go. It is not a place of everlasting torment or any such thing.
Indeed God makes in plain in His word:
"Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom"
The truth of the matter is that the grave is the common destiny of all:
"Man's fate is like that of the animals...as one dies so dies the other,...all go to the same place; all come from dust and to dust all return."
So what of heaven and the idea that some hold that it is where the "good" go upon their demise. That is clearly not what the Bible says, as it makes it plain to us that heaven is the dwelling place of God and that no man has ascended up to heaven except...the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ and the disciples who saw him ascend into heaven were told by the angels at that time:
"This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
And why should that be?
Because God has explained in His word, it is on the earth that God's kingdom will be set up when Jesus returns, when in that day God's "will shall be done in earth as it is in heaven".
What happens if we die before Jesus returns to the earth? Our only hope of getting out of "hell" or the grave, as we should call it, is to share in the resurrection promised to all those that believe in God and His Son Jesus and try to obey His commands. Now is the time to reflect on the future and think about what we believe.
You may be aware of the recent publicity given to a report produced by the Church of England, the aim of which was to clarify the church's understanding about heaven and hell.
It is perhaps symptomatic of our age that people should consider turning to a report, rather than reading for themselves what God says, in His word, the Bible, about this subject. It is true that many people have a totally wrong understand about hell, yet the Bible is quite clear - it tells us that hell is the grave to which all dead people go. It is not a place of everlasting torment or any such thing.
Indeed God makes in plain in His word:
"Whatsoever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom"
The truth of the matter is that the grave is the common destiny of all:
"Man's fate is like that of the animals...as one dies so dies the other,...all go to the same place; all come from dust and to dust all return."
So what of heaven and the idea that some hold that it is where the "good" go upon their demise. That is clearly not what the Bible says, as it makes it plain to us that heaven is the dwelling place of God and that no man has ascended up to heaven except...the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ and the disciples who saw him ascend into heaven were told by the angels at that time:
"This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
And why should that be?
Because God has explained in His word, it is on the earth that God's kingdom will be set up when Jesus returns, when in that day God's "will shall be done in earth as it is in heaven".
What happens if we die before Jesus returns to the earth? Our only hope of getting out of "hell" or the grave, as we should call it, is to share in the resurrection promised to all those that believe in God and His Son Jesus and try to obey His commands. Now is the time to reflect on the future and think about what we believe.
