Heaven And Hell Truly Exist
In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. : John 14 : 2
Not everyone who calls themselves Christians will enter heaven. There are Christians who serve the Lord but still sin and do not want to confess their sins and repent. The Lord Jesus says: ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23). The word lawlessness used in this context is anomia, which means unwilling to live under God’s law.
Heaven, as illustrated in Revelation 21:1-16; 14:13 is:
- A blue sky, new earth, holy city (new Jerusalem)
- A bright place, where there is no night, because God’s glory gives light.
- A place full of eternal joy and happiness; there is no more sin, sorrow, crying, pain or death.
Who can enter heaven?
- Those who received Jesus as their Lord and Savior, because of grace and through repentance, and experienced being born again through water and spirit (John 3:3; 1:12, 1 John 5:11).
- Those who continually repent, confess their sins each time they fail and fall into sin; because forgiveness comes from confession (1 John 1:19).
- Those who do the will of the Father in heaven (Matthew 7:21).
A few misconceptions about Hell:
- First: Hell is merely a bad dream (John Hicks).
- Second: How could God give His only begotten son to die for our sins because of His love for people, then create a place of great torture to punish those who reject Jesus with eternal suffering (Clark Pinnock).
- Third: Hell is only shown as a “condition” or “situation” separated from the Lord; not a “place” that is truly for punishment. Modern version of hell is not a place of blazing fire, but an unpleasant condition/situation of suffering.
The true understanding of Hell:
- A condition that is separated from the Lord forever (Matthew 24:41)
- A special place for Satan and angels who rebel (Matthew 25:41)
- A place of eternal punishment that is illustrated by Jesus as a place of eternal blazing fire (Matthew 25:41, 46).
Who are the habitants of Hell?
- Those who reject God’s grace by not willing to repent until the end of their lives (John 3:16, 18)
- Those who deny Jesus (2 Timothy 2:12b)
- Believers who were previously God’s people but compromised with the world and sin and unwilling to repent until the end of their lives (Mark 8:35).
Those who have been born again and become God’s children, work out the salvation God has graced with fear and trembling. For those who have not, open up your heart today and ask God for forgiveness and receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If you ever fall in this life, repent without delaying (1 John 1:9). If you do these things, heaven will surely be yours. God bless.
Adapted from the Central Article 2016, GBI Gatot Subroto Jakarta