Misconceptions About Heaven and Hell
Pastor Kyle Wendel
“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15
Very common misconceptions about what happens after death concern Heaven. Many people believe in Heaven. Many would even believe that everyone goes to Heaven when they die. Many people would say that if you are a good person you can make it to Heaven. These are all untrue.
Another misconception I see often relates to that of Hell. Many say they would not believe Hell is real. Others might say it is a place you spend some time at but then can make it to Heaven. Some might even say it is a fun place to be at or that the punishment is not that bad. These are all far from the truth.
If we look at Revelation chapter 20, we see that everything we do is judged by the Lord. If we are judged for everything that we do on Earth, we have no chance of making it to Heaven. No matter how good we think that we are, the scales are not judged in that way. Our sin would greatly outweigh our “good.” However, it simply comes down to one question, “Have you sinned?” In Romans chapter 3, we see that all have sinned and have fallen short of God’s standard. We all have sinned. We have no chance if it is up to us. Heaven is something we cannot obtain by our power. The only way we can be in Heaven and have eternal life after we die is by Jesus alone. Jesus was the sinless sacrifice that was made for us. He was perfect and willingly died in our place so that if we believe in Him, we can inherit eternal life. It comes down to that alone.
If we do not choose to believe and trust in Jesus’ sacrifice, the Bible is very clear about what happens. We will go to Hell for eternity. There is no swapping where you will go. You will be in Heaven or Hell for eternity. Hell is described as a Lake of Fire or eternal death. That is the punishment because of our sin. The worst part is eternal separation from the presence of the Lord. That might seem like a tough pill to swallow at first, but once we recognize the reality and weight of our sin against God, we understand that Heaven is not a place we belong or have the right to be. It alone is by the work and blood of Jesus that we can be saved from our sin.
Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
What do you believe about Heaven? Can you back it up with what Scripture says? What about Hell? Can you back up what you believe with Scripture? Scripture alone is where we should go to find these truths. The world will mess these important truths up greatly. Most would not want to accept these biblical truths as well. Let us hold fast to the word of truth and hold fast to the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior.
Pastor Kyle Wendel
“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15
Very common misconceptions about what happens after death concern Heaven. Many people believe in Heaven. Many would even believe that everyone goes to Heaven when they die. Many people would say that if you are a good person you can make it to Heaven. These are all untrue.
Another misconception I see often relates to that of Hell. Many say they would not believe Hell is real. Others might say it is a place you spend some time at but then can make it to Heaven. Some might even say it is a fun place to be at or that the punishment is not that bad. These are all far from the truth.
If we look at Revelation chapter 20, we see that everything we do is judged by the Lord. If we are judged for everything that we do on Earth, we have no chance of making it to Heaven. No matter how good we think that we are, the scales are not judged in that way. Our sin would greatly outweigh our “good.” However, it simply comes down to one question, “Have you sinned?” In Romans chapter 3, we see that all have sinned and have fallen short of God’s standard. We all have sinned. We have no chance if it is up to us. Heaven is something we cannot obtain by our power. The only way we can be in Heaven and have eternal life after we die is by Jesus alone. Jesus was the sinless sacrifice that was made for us. He was perfect and willingly died in our place so that if we believe in Him, we can inherit eternal life. It comes down to that alone.
If we do not choose to believe and trust in Jesus’ sacrifice, the Bible is very clear about what happens. We will go to Hell for eternity. There is no swapping where you will go. You will be in Heaven or Hell for eternity. Hell is described as a Lake of Fire or eternal death. That is the punishment because of our sin. The worst part is eternal separation from the presence of the Lord. That might seem like a tough pill to swallow at first, but once we recognize the reality and weight of our sin against God, we understand that Heaven is not a place we belong or have the right to be. It alone is by the work and blood of Jesus that we can be saved from our sin.
Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
What do you believe about Heaven? Can you back it up with what Scripture says? What about Hell? Can you back up what you believe with Scripture? Scripture alone is where we should go to find these truths. The world will mess these important truths up greatly. Most would not want to accept these biblical truths as well. Let us hold fast to the word of truth and hold fast to the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior.
Posted in Revelation
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