Heaven and Hell
This morning, in our Back to the Basic’s series, we are going to be talking about heaven and hell. Like we have said before, in order to have a true understanding of something, we need a source of truth. The source of truth for this church is this little pamphlet right here – in it you will find all the… No. Our source of truth is nothing other than the very Word of God, the Bible.
So this morning, as we consider the topic of heaven and hell, we turn to the Word to find our answers. The first thing we are going to do this morning is answer two important questions. Is heaven real? It is an actual place? And secondly, is hell real? Important questions.
So… do you want the good news or the bad news first? I am going to give you the bad news first and save the good news for last. The bad news – “yes, Virginia, there is a hell.”
1. The Bad News – there is a hell.
There are three main words in the Bible that are translated as hell – referring not only to the place of the dead, but the place of punishment of the dead.
A. Sheol – the grave / hell
The O.T. Hebrew word for hell is Sheol. It is defined as the place of the dead and is translated as ‘the grave’, ‘hell’, or even ‘the pit.” So you see two rather different ideas. One is the grave. You live, then you die and go to the grave. You’re dead. Everyone does this – unless God chooses to take you right up to heaven and skip death, like he did with Enoch and Elijah – or unless Jesus comes again, everyone will go to the grave.
1 Samuel 2:6
“TheLordsends deathand he brings to life.
He sends people to the grave, and he raises them to life again.
Here we see the word Sheol meaning - dead in the grave.
The second meaning to this word Sheol is “hell” – as in a place of punishment for the wicked.
Psalm 9:16-17
16TheLordhas made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. 17The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
So the O.T. uses this one word, Sheol, to describe both the grave and hell. In the N.T. we see two separate Greek words that we translate into English as the word hell - Hades and Gehenna. And both of these words have an understanding of punishment not just death, or the grave.
B. Hades
Let’s first look at the word Hades and see how it is used in the Bible. In Matthew 11 and again in Luke 10 – Jesus gives a condemnation to the people of Capernaum…
Matthew 11:23-24
23And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to Hades! For if the miracles done among you had been done in Sodom, it would have continued to this day.24But I tell you, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you!”
Even the town of Sodom, the city that God destroyed with fire because of their wickedness, will be better off than the city of Capernaum – who’s inhabitants will be thrown down to Hades – an obvious place of punishment.
In Luke 16 Jesus tells a parable of a rich man living in luxury and a beggar man named Lazarus living in poverty.
Luke 16:22-24 (NIV)
22“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.23In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.24So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham,have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
25“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things,but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
Do you see the picture Jesus is painting for us?
The poor man dies and goes to sit beside Abraham (we’ll talk about that a little later) and the rich man dies, is buried in the grave and then goes to Hades – which Jesus describes as a fiery place of torment. Those who are there long to get out, but they cannot.
C. Gehenna
The third word we see in the Bible for the word hell is Gehenna.
It is the word used 11 times by Christ to describe a place of everlasting punishment. It is often used with the word fire, as in “hell fire”.
Matthew 10:28 (NLT)
“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna).
LIST on screen ONLY:
Matt 5:22 – whoever curses is in danger of Gehenna fire
Matt 5:29,30 (Mark 9:43,45) – better one arm than to be cast into Gehenna fire
Matt 10:28 (Luke 12:5) – fear him that is able to destroy soul and body in Gehenna
Matt 18:9 (Mark 9:47) - better one eye than to be cast into Gehenna fire
Matt 23:15 – you make them twofold more the child of Gehenna than yourselves
Matt 23:33 – you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of Gehenna
Jms 3:6 – tongue is a fire… set on fire of Gehenna
In several passages Jesus warns, if your eye causes you to sin cut it out, if you arm causes you to sin, cut it off – it is better to go enter eternal life maimed than to be thrown into the fire of Gehenna. Jesus warns us to watch our tongue. In Matthew 5:22 – if you curse someone you are in danger of fires of Gehenna The Apostle James adds to that in James 3:6 – your tongue can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by Gehenna itself.
Sheol, Hades, Gehenna – all can be translated as hell and are descriptive of what hell is like.
The most common description of hell involves fire. There are other descriptions – outer darkness, weeping and gnashing of teeth, but by far the most common description involves fire.
D. Lake of Fire
In the end of time, on judgment day, Satan, along with death and Hades will be cast into what the bible calls the Lake of Fire.
Revelation 20:13-15
13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hadesgave up the deadthat were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.14Then deathand Hadeswere thrown into the lake of fire.The lake of fire is the second death.15Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Elsewhere hell is referred to a Fiery furnace – Matt 13:42
Unquenchable fire – Matt 3:12
Lake of burning sulfur – Rev. 19:20
Matt 25:41 – everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
Side note – notice that hell was not created for mankind. It was created for the rebellious angels - their prince being Satan. It was not created for people. God’s desire is that no one should perish and suffer hell. But the bad news is - man may choose to rebel against God and follow after the devil. And that path leads straight to hell.
[Show pic of road to hell]
But the world does not like to hear this - so they refuse to believe in hell. There are even many who believe in God – but not in hell. They can’t believe that a loving God would send people to a fiery torment. So they make up their own version of God – ignoring the truth found in the Word of God. This is basically what cults have done.
[Show pic of Mormon way]
This is the Mormon version of eternity. Not only do they offer three different types of heaven, but notice in particular what they do with hell. For the Latter Day Saints, hell is real – but if you end up there you can repent and get out, if you don’t repent it is only going to last for 1000 years and then you can get out. Only the really, really wicked people, like Cain and Judas, will actually end up spending eternity in hell with Satan.
I see why people want to be Mormons. That’s sounds pretty good doesn’t it? If I were to make up my own religion it probably would be something like that. Where its real easy to get to heaven and very hard to get to hell. The only problem with that is… its not true!
Jesus tells is Matthew 7…
Matthew 7:13-14
13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.14For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Whether you like it or not, the bad news is – there is a hell.
But praise the Lord for his mercy, the good news is - there is a heaven.
2. Good News – there is a Heaven.
According to both the O.T. Hebrew and the N.T. Greek –
A. Heaven(s)
the word heaven or heavens can refer to one of three places. 1) They sky, the clouds; 2) The stars, the universe; 3) the dwelling place of God and other heavenly beings
1) First heaven
The atmosphere, or stratosphere is the first heaven.
Matthew 6:26
Look at the birdsof the heaven (your translation may read sky or air, but it is the Greek word for heaven) Look at the birdsof the heaven — that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns. And your heavenly Father feeds them. Areyounot worth morethanthey?
2) Second heaven
The second heaven refers to outer space – it includes the sun, moon, stars, galaxies. Now this heaven is immense, even immeasurable by mere humans; but it is only the second heaven. It’s like the mama bear of the three bears.
Deuteronomy 4:19
When you look to the heavens and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the stars in the sky—do not be led astray to bow in worship to them and serve them.TheLordyour God has provided them for all people everywhere under heaven.
3) Third heaven
The Bible refers to a third heaven, or the heaven of heavens.
The Apostle Paul saw a vision of this heaven.
I Corinthians 12:2-4
2I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows.3Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know4that I was caught upto paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.
And Stephen, just before he became a martyr, also saw a vision of the heaven of heavens.
Acts 7:55
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
Though God is not limited to one geographical place, this third heaven is a place where God resides. When we die we are not going to be reincarnated back into creation or absorbed into a mystical force. We do not depart from this earth to become a star in the sky or some spirit floating around the air. No when we leave this earthly body, when we die, we will be at home with Lord.
Paul tells us that in…
2 Corinthians 5:7-8
7For we live by believing and not by seeing.8Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.
This is the third heaven - the eternal dwelling place of God– along with the faithful angels, the faithful dead, those saints who have gone before us. Remember the beggar Lazarus. He was seated in heaven at Abraham’s side. Quite the place of honor. I hope I get such an honor. Oh, to sit next to a saint like Abraham, David, Moses, Elijah, or one of the Apostle’s like Paul or John or Peter. How I would love to be seated next to Billy Graham, Dwight L Moody, Rich Mullins. How I long to converse with some of our own godly leaders who have gone before us - Bob Sprinkle, Tom Elliot, Hale Brewer, Earl Dillon, Paul Hilsmier, Lou Shafer, Wayne Lydy, Eric Vitz, Ralph Gunner – and so many others I could go on and on. You could do the same. This third heaven is going to be grand reunion.
B. New Heaven and Earth
The Word of God tells us that this world as we know it is going to end. The first and second heavens, along with the earth will be no more. And there will be new heavens and a new earth.
2 Peter 3:12-13
12on that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.
13But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.
Isaiah 65:17
Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore.
Revelation 21:1
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.
This is mind boggling for us who are finite beings. But this new heaven and this new earth will be so wonderful in comparison to our current dwelling place. We will be so caught up in the glory of our new place – that we won’t even think about it anymore.
C. New Spiritual Bodies
There will be a new heaven and a new earth – and we will enjoy them with new resurrected spiritual bodies.
1 Cor 15:35-36,42-44
35But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have?”36What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesn’t grow into a plant unless it dies first.
42It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever.43Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.44They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies.