* ALL Questions about Heaven, Hell, and Eternity *

[Patriot]

What do I need to do to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant" when I arrive in heaven?​

Answer

In Jesus’ parable of the talents, the Lord tells of two faithful servants who used what they had been given to increase the master’s wealth. When the master returned from a long absence, he rewarded his two faithful servants and said to each of them, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21, 23). Every Christian longs to hear those words from Jesus’ lips someday in heaven.

We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), but we are saved “to do good works” (Ephesians 2:10). Jesus spoke of laying up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20), and His parable of the talents hints at various rewards for those who faithfully serve Him in this world.

To hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” from Jesus, first make sure you are saved. The unbelieving will never hear those words, for “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). And recognize that Jesus is not only your Savior; He is also your Lord (see Luke 6:46). “Serve the LORD with gladness!” (Psalm 100:2, ESV).

Here are some ideas on ways you can serve the Lord:

1. Share the gospel. The Lord Jesus desires us to make disciples, teaching others of the nature and character of God and sharing the meaning of His death and resurrection (Matthew 28:18–20).

2. Help the disadvantaged. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19–31, the rich man is condemned because he doesn’t help Lazarus and because he trusts in his wealth too much. Don’t put self-gratification before the needs of others. First John 3:17 says, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”

3. Forgive others of their offenses. This isn’t the same as reconciliation or trust, but it means you renounce vengeance. The Lord Jesus modeled forgiveness: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to [the Father] who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).

4. View your position of authority as an opportunity to help the people under you, and view your position of subservience as an opportunity to submit to your authority, just as Jesus submitted to the Father’s authority. Either way, you can be Christlike, because Jesus was both master and servant to different people. “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

5. Seek to know the character of God better through church fellowship, listening to sermons, studying the Bible, praying, and chronicling how He seems to have been involved in your life.

6. Recognize that every advantageous position you’re in is because of God, the Source of every blessing: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (James 1:17).

7. Be willing to be unpopular, displaying rare courage like the Good Samaritan in Jesus’ parable (Luke 10:30–37). Do what the Bible says is right, always. “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29, ESV).

8. In introspective moral judgment (evaluating your own character), look at the character of Jesus as a measure rather than rationalize your questionable actions and attitudes. Show humility.

It all comes down to this: love God more than anything, and love others sincerely (Mark 12:30–31). At the judgment seat of Christ, those who are faithful to the Lord who saved them will hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” No true servant of the Lord could ask for more.

For Further Study​

Your Eternal Reward: Triumph & Tears at the Judgment Seat of Christ by Erwin Lutzer

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

 

[Patriot]

What does it mean that hell is referred to as a lake of fire?​

Answer

The lake of fire is a term used in only a few verses near the end in the book of Revelation (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15; 21:8). Jesus refers to Gehenna/hell several times (Matthew 10:28; Mark 9:43; Luke 12:5), as well as an “outer darkness” (Matthew 8:12; 22:13). These all seem to be different references to the same thing. Hell, the lake of fire, and outer darkness are all terms describing the final destination of those who reject Christ. This is a state of complete separation from God, never-ending and inescapable.

According to the Bible, the lake of fire is the “second death.” This is the ultimate consequence of sin, which is to be totally cut off from God. The lake of fire will be a place of perpetual suffering and misery. Scripture indicates that every person whose name is not in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). The lake of fire will also be the fate of the beast and false prophet from the end times (Revelation 19:20), as well as Satan himself (Revelation 20:10). The Bible indicates that both death and Hades—the temporary destination of the unsaved dead—will also be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14).

Even though hell is described using terminology such as fire and flame, it is not meant to be thought of as only a physical place. Hell is described as a place of “torment,” not “torture,” initially intended for purely spiritual beings (Matthew 25:41). In fact, the worst aspect of hell is an eternity of conscious, guilty, shameful separation from God and all forms of goodness. In that sense, hell is far worse than a literal inferno; a purely physical hell is actually not as terrible as what the Bible describes.

In other words, the Bible tells us what hell is “like,” using symbols such as the lake of fire. But Scripture does not tell us too much about what hell “is,” in direct terms.

Fire is often used as a symbol of God’s judgment. The symbolism stems from real-life examples of God’s use of fire to punish the wicked—the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24), for example, and the destruction of Elijah’s enemies (2 Kings 1:12). Prophets associated God or His throne with a stream of fire, a symbol of His holy punishment of sin (e.g., Daniel 7:10; Isaiah 30:33). The fact that the destiny of those who reject God is pictured as a “lake of fire” speaks to how serious the judgment is. When God finally abolishes sin and death, all sinners will be condemned to the worst possible fate, described in the Bible using the most horrific terms.

For Further Study​

Four Views on Hell, Second Edition by Burk & Stackhouse

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

 

[Patriot]

How can a loving God send someone to hell?​

Answer

To address the question of how a loving God can send someone to hell, we need to define a few terms and, most likely, correct a few assumptions. We must first define the term loving. Our culture tends to think of “love” as a completely non-confrontational, tolerant approval of whatever the loved one wants to do. But that is not a biblical definition. Love, according to the Bible, is goodwill and benevolence shown in self-sacrifice and an unconditional commitment to the loved one. Love is action promoting the well-being of another person.

Implied in the question “how can a loving God send someone to hell?” is the assumption that sending someone to hell is unloving on God’s part. But God’s very nature is love (1 John 4:16). He cannot do anything that is unloving because His every action and every thought is an expression of His nature. God alone loves in the highest sense of the word; He loves with perfect freedom and objectivity.

If we say that God is somehow wrong to punish unrepentant sinners in the manner He has chosen, then we have declared that we are more loving than God is—and wiser and fairer and more righteous. But it is impossible for us to be more loving than Love Himself. And our feeble notions of what is “wise” and “fair” will always fall short of God’s perfection.

Another assumption we must guard against in asking the question “how can a loving God send someone to hell?” concerns the word send. Yes, God is the one—the only one—who sends people to hell (Luke 12:5; Revelation 20:15). However, when someone is sent to hell, it is not a unilateral action on God’s part, and the person being sent is not a passive victim of circumstance. God has given human beings freedom to participate in their life choices and eternal destinations (John 3:16–18). God has entrusted personal responsibility to each of us. And, in His love, God sent His only begotten Son into the world to save sinners. “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

“How can a loving God send someone to hell?” Romans 1:18–20 lays the foundation for the answer: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse” (emphasis added).

There are several key points in this passage. First, people actively “suppress the truth.” Everyone has been given enough truth to know about God and surrender to Him, but they willfully refuse to accept the truth. They love darkness rather than light (John 3:19). Dr. Thomas Nagel, an atheistic professor of philosophy and law, has said, “It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God and, naturally, hope that I’m right in my belief. It’s that I hope there is no God! I don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want the universe to be like that” (The Last Word, Oxford University Press, 1997, p. 130).

Second, Romans 1:19 states that God has “made [the truth about God] plain to them.” In other words, the Creator took the initiative to make His truth obvious to everyone. History has proved this since time began, as every culture and civilization has sought an understanding of a Creator to whom they owe allegiance. The innate understanding that God exists is due to our being created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27).

Third, Romans 1:20 says that people “have no excuse for not knowing God” (NLT). There is no defense, no justification for continuing to reject God’s offer of salvation in Christ. In love, God gave each of us enough truth to turn toward Him rather than away from Him.

When considering the question “how can a loving God send someone to hell?” we must not try to separate God’s love from His justice and righteousness. God’s attributes exist together, and they cannot be plucked out and made to stand alone. God is love, and that shapes His justice; at the same time, His justice affects His expressions of love. Justice requires adequate payment for crimes committed; love requires the extension of grace to the criminal. The cross shows both justice and love. As Jesus died on the cross, He bore the punishment for sin that justice demanded, and He extended the grace of forgiveness to sinners. Thus, both the justice and love of God were at work. “Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed” (Psalm 85:10, NKJV).

The question “how can a loving God send someone to hell?” has a logical counterpart: “how can a just God send someone to heaven?” The answer to both questions is, again, the cross. For those who believe in Christ and accept His loving sacrifice on their behalf, God’s justice falls on Jesus. For those who turn away from Christ and reject His sacrifice, God’s justice falls on them.

Hell was originally created for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). When humans joined the devil’s rebellion against God, hell became their fate, too. But God, in His love, provided a way of escape. He proved His love at the cross of Christ. Those who are in Christ have been forgiven of their sin by the grace of God. But those who reject Christ are spurning God’s love and refusing His offer of salvation. If we decline the payment offered by another, we must pay the price ourselves, and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Sinners are sent to hell, in spite of God’s love, because they reject God’s loving provision of a Savior.

Jesus revealed the heart of the Father when He lamented those who spurned salvation: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37; see also Isaiah 5:1–7 and Hosea 7:13). Hell does not negate God’s love any more than heaven negates God’s justice. “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NLT).

For Further Study​

Four Views on Hell, Second Edition by Burk & Stackhouse

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

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[Patriot]

 

[Patriot]

Is _____ in heaven or hell?​

Answer

Wondering if a certain person is in heaven or in hell is common, especially right after a celebrity or other famous figure passes away. Many times, people also wonder about a deceased friend or relative. Did he or she go to heaven or hell? We should be careful when making assertions about a specific person’s eternal destiny.

It’s impossible to say for certain what relationship another person has (or had) with God. We cannot see the heart, but God can (1 Samuel 16:7). Neither do we possess the ability to peer into heaven or hell to see the residents there. Human beings simply aren’t equipped to make infallible pronouncements on whether someone is in heaven or hell. For this reason, it’s good to speculate less and focus more on a basic understanding of the gospel. What we know for sure is that there are only two destinations for the dead: heaven and hell. Those who have accepted Christ by faith will be with God after death. Those who have rejected Christ will be separated from God forever.

A better question than “is so-and-so in heaven or hell?” is “was so-and-so’s life consistent with saving faith in Christ?” This allows for a more objective answer. Some lives clearly fall on one side or the other of that criterion. Yet, according to the Bible, it’s possible to “put on a show” and still be lost (Matthew 7:21–23). And it’s possible to struggle to apply one’s faith and still be saved (Matthew 21:31). Only God truly knows what goes on in the heart, even when a person seems beyond hope.

Rather than make a definitive claim with respect to an individual’s eternal destiny, our preference is to point to what the Bible says about those who trust in Christ and then allow others to form their own opinion. Realistically, the best we can do is say that someone who has passed away is “probably saved” or “probably not saved.”

Those who publicly profess faith in Christ and whose lives seem consistent with that profession would be on the “probably saved” side of the spectrum. When a person’s words and actions give evidence of faith in Christ, then it’s reasonable to assume that he will be with God when he passes. This conclusion is tempered by the fact that externals are not what actually matter; it’s possible for pious behavior to mask a lost soul (Matthew 23:26–28).

Those who overtly reject Christ would be on the “probably unsaved” end of the scale. Those who make it clear by their words and actions that they reject the gospel give evidence they were not saved and will go to hell when they pass. At the same time, God can save anyone, no matter how close to death he or she is (Matthew 20:1–16; Luke 23:43). We don’t know what may happen in the secrecy of a person’s heart in the last moments before death. Further, there are those who may struggle with habitual sin despite having legitimate saving faith.

One’s public persona, especially for celebrities, often differs from one’s private life. This dichotomy can make it virtually impossible to say what were a public figure’s real views on faith and spirituality. Even if we can make an educated guess, that assumption has to be kept in perspective.

Ultimately, the gospel is the only hope for any of us after this life. Regardless of whether some particular person is in heaven, our personal need for Christ remains. We can confidently say that in Christ there is salvation (John 6:27). If a person accepts the gospel and is born again, he or she will be with God after death. Our focus should be on our own spiritual needs and the needs of those still living.

For Further Study​

One Minute After You Die by Erwin Lutzer

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

 

[Patriot]

What is the purpose of there being rewards in heaven?​

Answer

The Bible mentions rewards in heaven multiple times (Matthew 5:12; Luke 6:23, 35; 1 Corinthians 3:14; 9:18). But why are rewards necessary? Won’t being in heaven with God be enough? Experiencing Him, His glory, and the joys of heaven will be so wonderful, it’s hard to understand why extra rewards would be needed. Also, since our faith rests in Christ’s righteousness instead of our own (Romans 3:21–26), it seems strange that our works would merit reward.

God will give rewards in heaven at the bema, or the judgment seat of Christ, based on our faithfulness in service to Him (2 Corinthians 5:10). The rewards will show the reality of our sonship (Galatians 4:7) and the justice of God (Hebrews 6:10). God will give rewards in heaven in order to fulfill the law of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7–9) and make good on His promise that our labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).

One reason for the rewards in heaven is the fact that Jesus shares His reward with us. Paul said, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Our lives are “hidden” with Christ, who is seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1–4). We die with Him and we live with Him and we share in His joy (Romans 6:8; Matthew 25:21). In heaven we will dwell with Him (John 14:1–3). Our lives are inextricably linked with Christ’s. The reward He receives is shared with all of us: “If we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory” (Romans 8:17).

Our rewards in heaven depend on the goodness and power of God. Through Christ’s resurrection we gain an inheritance in heaven; on earth our faith is tested and results in praise and glory and honor when Christ is revealed (1 Peter 1:3–9). The things we do in this life are only permanent (that is, carried with us into heaven) if they are built on the foundation, which is Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11–15).

The rewards we gain in heaven are not like the rewards we earn here on earth. We tend to think in material terms—mansions, jewels, etc. But these things are only representations of the true rewards we will gain in heaven. A child who wins a spelling bee treasures the trophy he receives not for the sake of the trophy itself but for what that trophy means. Likewise, any rewards or honor we gain in heaven will be precious to us because they carry the weight and meaning of our relationship with God—and because they remind us of what He did through us on earth.

In this way, rewards in heaven glorify God and provide us with joy, peace, and wonder as we consider God’s work in us and through us. The closer we were to God during this life, the more centered on Him and aware of Him, the more dependent on Him, the more desperate for His mercy, the more there will be to celebrate. We are like characters in a story who suffer doubt, loss, and fear, wondering if we will ever really have our heart’s desire. When the happy ending comes and desire is fulfilled, there comes a completion. The story would not be satisfying without that completion. Rewards in heaven are the completion of our earthly story, and those rewards will be eternally satisfying (Psalm 16:11).

For Further Study​

Your Eternal Reward: Triumph & Tears at the Judgment Seat of Christ by Erwin Lutzer

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

 

[Patriot]

 

[Patriot]

What is the second heaven?​

Answer

The second heaven is not called such in Scripture; rather, the existence of the second heaven is inferred from the fact that the Bible speaks of a “third heaven,” and, if there is a third heaven, there must be a first heaven and second heaven, too. The idea that more than one type of “heaven” exists is confirmed in Hebrews 7:26, which says that Jesus, our High Priest, is “exalted above the heavens”; in other words, Jesus is in a heaven beyond other heavens.

The third heaven is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 12:2. Paul says, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.” In verse 4, Paul equates the third heaven with “paradise,” the realm where God dwells. If the third heaven is God’s dwelling place, then we could consider the second heaven to be “outer space,” the realm of the stars and planets; and the first heaven to be earth’s atmosphere, the realm of the birds and clouds.

The term heaven is used in Scripture to refer to all three realms. Psalm 104:12 speaks of “the birds of the heavens” (ESV)—this would be the first heaven, the atmosphere of Earth. In Isaiah 13:10 we find “the stars of heaven and their constellations”—a reference to the second heaven, outer space. And Revelation 11:19 describes the opening of “God’s temple in heaven”—the third heaven, or God’s dwelling place.

Some Charismatic groups use the term second heaven in reference to Satan’s domain and anything that comes from there. They take biblical descriptions of Satan being “the ruler of the kingdom of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) and demons being “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12) and develop a theology of spiritual warfare. According to these groups, “second heaven revelations” are false visions coming from Satan in an attempt to deceive God’s prophets on earth. Prophets must learn to distinguish between “second heaven revelations” (from the devil) and “third heaven revelations” (from God). These same groups also sometimes teach a hierarchy of demonic power, with the first-heaven (earth-bound) demons being of lesser authority and power than the second-heaven demons.

Categorizing demons into first-heaven and second-heaven types goes beyond what the Bible says. Again, the Bible does not include the term second heaven anywhere. Those who look for prophecies or new revelations from God set themselves up for deception. God has spoken, and the Bible’s canon is closed. We do not need a “new word” from God; we need to obey His “old word.”

For Further Study​

Heaven and the Afterlife: The Truth About Tomorrow and What It Means for Today by Erwin Lutzer

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

 

[Patriot]

What is the Abyss?​

Answer

The word abyss simply means “a deep hole”—so deep that it seems bottomless or immeasurable. The word is often used in modern contexts to describe the sea.

In the Bible and in Jewish theology, the Abyss is often a metaphorical reference to the place of evil spirits. Sometimes the Abyss is pictured as a deep or bottomless hole in the earth. This is the background for the New Testament usage. The King James Version usually translates the Greek term abyssou as “bottomless pit” (e.g., Revelation 9:2).

In Luke 8, Jesus cast the Legion of demons out of a man, “and they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss” (verse 31). The Abyss is obviously a place that the demons fear and try to avoid.

In Revelation a number of times we see the Abyss as a place of confinement for evil spirits:

Revelation 9:1–3, 11 — “The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss. And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. . . . They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).”

Revelation 11:7 — “Now when [the two witnesses] have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.”

Revelation 20:1–3 — “And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended.”

In all of these instances, the Abyss is a place for the containment of evil spirits. Many Bible scholars believe that this is the same place referred to in 2 Peter 2:4 as “hell,” where some evil spirits are “in chains of darkness to be held for judgment.” The word hell here is a translation of the Greek tartarus, which can be thought of as the “deepest pit” or the “lowest part of Hades.”

It is clear from Scripture that God has ultimate power over all evil spirits. Some of the demons have been consigned to the Abyss and held captive there, while others seem to be able to move more freely upon the earth. Ultimately, all evil spirits will be consigned to the lake of fire, along with all unbelievers (see Revelation 20:10–15).

For Further Study​

Four Views on Hell, Second Edition by Burk & Stackhouse

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

 

[Patriot]

Can I ask God to deliver a message to a loved one who has died?​

Answer

Some people who have lost loved ones deeply desire to speak with them again. Some wonder if it is okay to ask God to give a message to their loved one in heaven. To be clear, there is no specific Bible verse that speaks directly for or against this idea. However, there are some biblical principles to consider.

First, Scripture says we are not to attempt communicating with the spirits of the dead. According to Old Testament law, attempting to do so was punishable by death (Deuteronomy 18:11). God judged Saul for this practice (1 Samuel 28). Since we are not to speak with spirits or attempt to contact the dead, it is wrong to pray directly to departed loved ones. It would also seem that asking God to speak to the spirits of loved ones on our behalf is neither helpful nor necessary.

Second, there’s no need to relay messages to people in heaven because those loved ones who are now with the Lord are not separated from us forever. Believers will one day reunite with loved ones in heaven. Instead of attempting to communicate a message to them now, we can look forward to something much better—seeing them again face-to-face in the presence of the Lord. Revelation 21:4 promises that in the end, “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Third, we can always come to God with our hurts and pains, knowing He perfectly understands how we feel. When we lose a loved one, the pain can be overwhelming. We may want to communicate with the person or reconnect in some way because things are just not the same without him or her. God calls us to turn to Him in these times of pain. He is our comforter and healer. When we trust in Him, He can provide the help we need to carry on despite the painful loss of a loved one. We can rest assured that God is comforting our loved ones in heaven with a perfect consolation; any supposed comfort they may derive from our personal messages would pale in comparison.

It does not seem fitting to ask Jesus to be our telephone operator or personal courier. After all, He has already promised believers will be together again someday. It is best to deal with separation from our loved ones in a way that honors Christ and gives Him all glory. There is no reason to ask God to deliver messages to loved ones in heaven.

For Further Study​

Heaven and the Afterlife: The Truth About Tomorrow and What It Means for Today by Erwin Lutzer

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

 

[Patriot]

Will we sleep in heaven?​

Answer

Sleep is a physical necessity for our earthly bodies. Without sleep, our brains stop working correctly, and our bodies refuse to cooperate. The sleep-wake cycle is just another of the many cycles God has put into place on the earth—others include the cycle of the changing seasons, day and night, and the water cycle. These cycles are part of life on this planet. However, after death, we will be in a different realm. Upon death, those who are “in Christ” will be immediately with Him (2 Corinthians 5:8) but will not yet have their completely restored bodies. We must wait for the resurrection to receive those (1 Corinthians 15:40; 2 Corinthians 4:14; John 5:28–29). Most likely, in the interim, after death and before the resurrection, our souls will not need sleep; rather, we will enjoy unbroken worship and joy in the presence of the Lord.

“Sleeping” in heaven—the spiritual realm where we await the resurrection—may not even be possible or necessary. Jesus described the temporary resting place for the righteous as being near Abraham (Luke 16:23). We will have some type of body, and we will recognize each other (Luke 16:22–24). We might have some knowledge of the affairs on earth (Luke 16:27–28; Revelation 6:9–10). But we should take careful note of the reactions of human beings who saw God in His glory as did Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1–5), Moses (Exodus 33:20–23), and John (Revelation 1:17). Living in the manifest presence of the Lord God Almighty will change everything. The things of earth, including sleep, will no longer have the same value to us.

However, God created human beings to inhabit a physical realm. He intends to restore all things (Acts 3:21). At the resurrection our spirits, which have been with Christ, will be reunited with our restored bodies. We will then inhabit the new, completely restored earth with Jesus (Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:1–2). Eternity will be spent living in perfect bodies on a perfect earth with Jesus as our undisputed King. In the eternal state, sleep may again be part of our experience, as could eating and drinking (Luke 14:15; Revelation 19:9). But sleep will not be necessary due to exhaustion or weakness because our bodies will be perfect like Jesus’ body after His resurrection (Luke 24:41–42).

The fact is that we don’t know enough from Scripture to state definitively whether we will sleep in heaven, in the millennium, or in the eternal state. That’s one of the thousands of questions we will have answered in heaven. One thing is for sure: when we first see Jesus, sleep will be the last thing on our minds.

For Further Study​

Heaven and the Afterlife: The Truth About Tomorrow and What It Means for Today by Erwin Lutzer

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

 

[Patriot]

When was hell created?​

Answer

Scripture speaks of two locations as places of torment. Both places are commonly called “hell.” Hades is the current place of departed spirits who are not with the Lord, that is, those who never accepted the forgiveness that God offers in Jesus Christ. The rich man in Luke 16 describes his current location as a place of torment as the result of fire (verses 23–24). The second place of torment is Gehenna or the lake of fire, which will be the final place of punishment for those who die in their sins. Of course, whatever the differences between Hades and the lake of fire, one will probably be no better than the other for those who are experiencing them. In popular usage, hell is somewhat of an amalgamation of the two biblical terms.

If, when speaking of “hell,” one is thinking of the current holding place of the unrighteous dead, Scripture simply does not tell us when that place was created. Presumably it would not have been needed until the first unrighteous person died. Obviously, God may have had this place prepared some time in advance, but we simply don’t know.

If by “hell” one is thinking of the final place of punishment, the lake of fire, then we are given a little more information, but not very much. In Matthew 25, Jesus speaks of a time of final judgment. To those who are finally condemned He says, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (verse 41). If this refers to the lake of fire, then we know that it was created primarily for the spirit beings that rebelled, and their rebellion may very well have taken place long before the actual creation of the world.

When we think of God and time, it is always a bit confusing because God is not bound by the constraints of time, as we are. God does not have to “wait and see” in order to respond to a situation. From our time-bound perspective, it makes sense to think that the lake of fire was created after the rebellion of Satan but before the rebellion of human beings or else it would have been created for Satan, his angels, and people who follow in that rebellion. Although God knows the end from the beginning, there is some sense in which God did not create the lake of fire for people, even though those who refuse to bow the knee to Him will go there anyway.

The most important question is not when hell was created but how to avoid it. Those who have been born again by the power of the Holy Spirit will not be affected by the second death (Revelation 20:6). To avoid hell, cast yourself upon the mercy of Christ, the One who died to pay for the sins of all who would trust in Him.

For Further Study​

Four Views on Hell, Second Edition by Burk & Stackhouse

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​

 

[Patriot]

What is Judgment Day?​

Answer

Judgment Day is the day of God’s final, ultimate judgment on sinful mankind. There are a number of passages in Scripture that refer to the final judgment after death at the end of time when everyone will stand before God and He will render final judgment on their lives.

The Bible warns us of Judgment Day. Malachi the prophet wrote, “‘Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘Not a root or a branch will be left to them’” (Malachi 4:1). John the Baptist spoke of the need to “flee from the coming wrath” (Luke 3:7). Paul wrote to the unrepentant: “Because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done’” (Romans 2:5–6; cf. Psalm 62:12). Judgment Day is a sure thing.

Scripture records several times when God passed judgment on individuals and nations. For example, Isaiah 17 — 23 is a series of judgments pronounced against Damascus, Egypt, Cush, Babylon, Egypt, Arabia, Jerusalem, and Tyre. These localized judgments serve to foreshadow the judgment to come (Isaiah 24 describes the judgment of God over the whole world). Often there is a temporal judgment on sin that occurs in this life, but the final judgment will occur at the end of time. Revelation 19:17–21 records a great battle in which the enemies of God are slaughtered (and this may well be the image that most people think of when they think of Judgment Day). However, this is only a temporal judgment on the people alive at the time of the great battle. The final judgment will encompass everyone who has ever lived and will consign people to their final destiny.

Revelation 20:11–15 contains one of the most vivid descriptions of Judgment Day: “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

In this passage, we see that God is the final judge. According to Jesus, it is the Son who will render final judgment, so it must be He who is sitting on the throne (John 5:16–30; cf. Revelation 7:17).

Also, we see that this judgment is comprehensive. This is all who have ever died, small and great (insignificant as well as significant). No one escapes Judgment Day.

The judgment of Judgment Day is carried out according to what individuals have done in their lives—they are judged according to their works. A person will not be judged according to what others did or didn’t do; he stands judgment alone, responsible for his own actions.

Although the judgment is based on works, it is not a weighing of good deeds against bad. Ultimately, our entrance into heaven or hell is based on whether or not our names are recorded in the book of life. Those who are not recorded in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 21:27 reiterates that only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will enter the new heaven and new earth.

In light of the high stakes involved (eternal destiny) it would behoove one to make sure that he or she is prepared for final Judgment Day in advance. How can a guilty sinner (and we all are guilty) have his or her name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and therefore stand before Him in final judgment and be pronounced “not guilty”? How can a sinner be justified before a holy and righteous God and avoid His wrath? The Bible gives us a clear answer.

“Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1, NASB). The person who has faith in Christ has already had judgment rendered. That person has been justified—that is, declared righteous—by God on the basis of Christ’s perfect work on his behalf. It is as if the final judgment that would have happened on Judgment Day has been rendered in advance. All who have faith in Christ are declared righteous, and their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. They have nothing to fear on Judgment Day because their punishment has already been borne by Christ on the cross (Romans 8:1). For those who have faith in Christ, Judgment Day will be the day of final salvation when they are rescued from all of the adverse effects of sin (Malachi 4:2–3).

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:27–28).

For Further Study​

Your Eternal Reward by Erwin Lutzer

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[Patriot]

What is the biblical view of mortality?​

Answer

Mortality is the state of being subject to death. Since Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden, all earthly life became subject to death (Genesis 2:16–17; Romans 5:12). Now, “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The biblical view of mortality is that it is an inevitable part of the curse. The death that comes is the wages of sin (Romans 3:23), but death is not the end of our existence.

All mortals die, and death ends the earthly phase of existence. But according to Scripture, when our bodies die, our spirits are instantly transferred to another place. There are only two possible destinations for our souls after we die physically: heaven and hell. Jesus’ story in Luke 16:19–31 plainly shows the difference between those destinations. Those who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are, upon death, immediately in a place of comfort and rest in the presence of God until the resurrection of their bodies (2 Corinthians 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:16–21). Those who rejected Christ’s sacrifice for sin or trusted in something other than the grace of God to save them (Ephesians 2:8–9) will, upon death, enter a place of torment commonly called hell. At the final judgment, all who died in their sin will be cast forever into the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8; Matthew 25:41).

The Christian is aware of his or her mortality and is at peace with it. Death is not to be feared. Physical death merely ushers us into the presence of Christ (Philippians 1:23; Luke 23:43). We should live in a state of prepared expectancy, investing our lives in that which is eternal (Matthew 6:19–20). We will give an account for what we did with what we were given (2 Corinthians 5:10). God wants to reward His faithful servants who invested their time, passions, and resources in His work (Matthew 5:12; Luke 6:23, 35; 1 Corinthians 3:14; 9:18). For the Christian, physical mortality merely results in a change of address, as we move from the tent to the place of permanence (see 2 Peter 1:13–14).

For unbelievers, however, mortality opens the doorway to the worst part of their lives. Those who reject, ignore, or substitute something else for Christ have already lived their “best lives now.” Regardless of how miserable their earthly lives may have been, they face greater suffering when the righteous judgment of God falls upon unrepentant sinners (Mark 9:44–49; Revelation 14:10–11; Matthew 25:46). According to the Bible, there are no second chances after death. No purgatory. No possibility that those still on earth can “pray them into heaven.”

Some people are terrified to consider their own mortality, but ignoring it won’t make it less of a reality. Wise people consider their own mortality and adjust their lives so that they are prepared for it. “The prudent see danger and take refuge” (Proverbs 22:3). We don’t know how many days God has appointed for us (Psalm 90:12; 139:16). No one is guaranteed a long earthly life, nor are we guaranteed more opportunities to repent before we die (Hebrews 12:17). The biblical view of mortality is that all human beings will die physically, but only those who are not in Christ will also die spiritually.

For Further Study​

Heaven and the Afterlife: The Truth About Tomorrow and What It Means for Today by Erwin Lutzer

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

​

 

[Patriot]

What is the moment of death according to the Bible?​

Answer

The Bible says death is irreversible without a divine miracle (Hebrews 9:27; 1 Corinthians 15:22). What it does not say, explicitly, is when death becomes “official.” Medical developments have provided means to resuscitate those previously beyond hope. That has led to the question of where, exactly, the line is drawn between being “alive” and being “dead.” It has even raised the debate of whether a person’s body can be medically alive, while the soul and spirit have permanently departed. Such circumstances are rare but puzzling. While Scripture provides guidance, we cannot find absolute, black-and-white identifiers for declaring a person “really” dead.

From a biblical perspective, “real” death occurs when the soul and spirit leave the physical body. Obviously, this is not an event that can be observed with the eyes or measured with medical equipment. Rather, a biblical approach would be to compare physical signs to the functions of the soul and spirit. When a person seems to irreversibly lose those functions, it’s reasonable to believe he or she is truly dead.

There are many examples of those in a coma or persistent vegetative state who recovered, and even in the coma they sometimes showed signs of awareness. Biblically speaking, such persons were never “truly dead.” Spiritually, they were in a similar condition to someone who is sleeping: the soul is present but not actively aware of its surroundings. Those diagnosed with “brain death,” on the other hand, appear to be biologically alive, with cells that continue to function, but their brain has ceased all activity, and they lack any awareness of spirit; therefore, they are most likely devoid of a soul or spirit.

The medical community considers death a process, rather than a single moment. Measurements used to diagnose death have varied throughout history. For many centuries, breathing was considered the litmus test for life. Those not apparently breathing were declared dead. As medical equipment improved, that standard shifted to the heartbeat. Today, it’s possible to measure breathing, heartbeat, and brain activity on a scale imperceptible to the unaided eye. As a result, medical professionals today distinguish between “clinical death,” “biological death,” and even “legal death,” depending on the topic of conversation.

We can be certain that death, when it truly occurs, cannot be undone by medicine or technology. Once a person is “truly dead,” his soul and spirit are entirely separated from the body. That separation can only be undone by the direct intervention of God in a true miracle. So, when people speak of being “brought back” from death in an ambulance or being “dead for ten minutes,” they are using biblically inaccurate terms. In such cases, those persons came very close to death, but they were not truly dead.

Humanity has long recognized the complexity of recognizing when real death occurs. To the casual observer, it’s possible for a person to appear dead but actually be alive. That awareness is reflected in prophecy and miracles in the Bible. For example, Jesus deliberately delayed resurrecting Lazarus until the fourth day after his death (John 11:17). This delay precluded any possible claim that it was a trick or that Lazarus was merely in a coma or sleeping. In fact, by the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus’s family was concerned about the stink of decomposition (John 11:39).

Likewise, Jesus prophesied that He would be in His grave for “three days and three nights,” since that was the customary waiting period after which death was considered official (Matthew 12:40). Not that this was absolutely necessary—Jesus was killed by professional executioners (John 19:13–18), stabbed through the heart (John 19:33–34), and buried in a guarded tomb (Matthew 27:62–66). The three-day time period, in Jesus’ case, was more for prophetic reasons than “proof” reasons.

In the cases of Jesus and Lazarus and most people in history, defining the exact moment of death is unnecessary—they were unmistakably dead. Debates over when exactly death occurs involve a very thin “gray” area and don’t apply to most of human experience. Most controversial are instances when a person’s body exhibits biological signs of life but there is doubt about brain function. Comas, vegetative states, and “brain death” encroach into this territory.

For the most part, those in comas and vegetative states are still considered “alive,” albeit with limited awareness. Allowing such a person to die by removing life support or withholding care would presumably cause the separation of the soul and spirit from the body; that is, it would cause “true” death. A body exhibiting brain death, on the other hand, would appear to be one that the soul and spirit have already left behind. Removing mechanical support from a body diagnosed with brain death would not appear to cause death, in the biblical sense, since that line has already been crossed.

For this reason, most Christians are opposed to ending the life of a person in a coma or vegetative state. In cases of brain death, or when life is only possible with extreme measures, Christians are often split on the morality of allowing a person to die naturally. Living wills were created specifically to address these concerns. Obviously, this is a topic open to considerable differences of opinion. When discussing or deciding such a topic, Christians should prioritize the sanctity of life while being graceful with and forgiving of others.

For Further Study​

Heaven and the Afterlife: The Truth About Tomorrow and What It Means for Today by Erwin Lutzer

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[Patriot]

Will heaven be on earth?​

Answer

People may speak of spending eternity with God in heaven, and they may also speak of eternal punishment in hell. There has been a recent wave of theologians who deny that punishment for sin is eternal, and a number of others have written books countering that wave with titles such as Whatever Became of Hell and Erasing Hell. Technically speaking, heaven and hell are not places of eternal blessing or eternal torment. Heaven and hell refer to the places of the dead at this moment.

The word hell is often used to translate a number of terms (sheol in the Old Testament, and gehenna, hades and tartarus in the New Testament.) These terms usually refer to a “holding place” for the dead. Gehenna certainly adds the concept of torment. In Revelation 20:14 we see that death and hell are cast into the lake of fire. Technically, the lake of fire, not hell, is the place of eternal torment, but in modern usage most people think of it as hell. The concept of eternal punishment and separation from God is probably more important than whether the name attached to it is technically correct.

Likewise, “heaven” is not the final destination for believers in Christ. In the Old Testament, heaven usually refers to “the heavens,” that is, the sky or maybe what we would call space—some place “up there.” This came to be associated with where God is. In Revelation, we see worship of God taking place in heaven (chapters 4—5), but the word heaven can also refer to “the sky.” When Jesus ascended, He ascended “into heaven” (Acts 1:11), but this may simply mean that He went up, without specifying that He went to a place called heaven. Likewise, when He returns, he will descend from heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16). In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul relates the experience of being caught up into the “third heaven,” which is the very abode of God. Likewise, Hebrews speaks of Jesus’ ministry in heaven (Hebrews 1:3; 8:1; 9:24–25). Since 2 Corinthians 5:8 says that if believers are “away from the body,” that is, dead, they are “at home with the Lord,” then it is accurate to say that a Christian who dies “goes to heaven.”

However, heaven is not the eternal home of the Christian. Second Corinthians 5 also points out that while in heaven, away from the body, we look forward to our resurrection body. Too often, eternity with God is pictured as sitting on clouds and playing harps. Human beings were created with physical bodies, and those who have become children of God by faith in Christ are waiting for new physical, material bodies. We also know that the current heavens and earth (as referred to in Genesis 1:1) will be destroyed and replaced with new heavens and a new earth “where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:12–13).

The new heavens and earth are the eternal home for the believer. The imagery in Revelation 21—22 seems to point to Eden-like conditions. Once again God will dwell among His people. Adam and Eve were given the job of tending the garden and subduing the earth before the fall, and there is every reason to believe that the people of God who inhabit the new earth in resurrection bodies will continue the work of Adam and Eve before the fall, enjoying the work they do and the unhindered fellowship with God. On the new earth, we will continue to work, learn, grow, develop, and accomplish things. Since there were animals in Eden, there may very well be animals on the new earth as well.

An old song says, “This world is not my home; I’m just a-passing through,” and a few lines later, “If heaven’s not my home, then, Lord, what will I do?” It is true that this world is not our home. But it would be technically correct to say that heaven is not our home, either. When we die and go to heaven, it, too, will be a place that we are just “passing through” as we await our new bodies made to live, work, worship, and fellowship on the new earth. In this sense, what we think of as heaven—a place of full enjoyment of the presence of God—will not be in heaven but on earth—the recreated new earth.

Revelation 21:1–5 records this scene: “Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death” or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’”

It is important to note that “heaven comes to earth” only through God’s miraculous intervention and re-creation. No amount of human effort, as noble is it may be in some cases, will ever be able to create “heaven on earth.” We cannot manufacture utopia. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Christians have access to God and experience freedom from many of the effects of sin, but we still only have a glimpse of what is yet to come.

For Further Study​

Heaven and the Afterlife: The Truth About Tomorrow and What It Means for Today by Erwin Lutzer

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

 

[Patriot]

Is God sovereign over death?​

Answer

We know that God knows the exact number of our days (Psalm 39:4). He does not share that knowledge with us, as it would not be good for us to know. The day of our death is one of “the secret things [that] belong to the Lord our God”(Deuteronomy 29:29). We also know that, being sovereign, God is in control of the day of our death.

Some circumstances, such as murder, give rise to questions about God’s sovereignty over death. A murderer seemingly cuts short the number of a person’s days. Has the murderer successfully wrested control from God and determined for himself the time and manner of one’s death? If so—if the murderer overpowered the will of God—then God was not sovereign over death in that instance. We reject that conclusion. But then we are faced with another question: if God remained sovereign, then did He cause the murder? The tension between the sovereignty of God and the free will of man becomes evident.

We must understand that God’s sovereignty is not incompatible with the actions of human agents (including evil actions). Several passages of Scripture bear this out—see Genesis 50:20 and Luke 22:22. In His perfect knowledge, God can know the exact number of our days. In His sovereignty, He can even determine that number. At the same time, He can allow for the actions of evil people without being the cause of evil. His plan will be accomplished, even as “the power of darkness” is given its “hour” in which to work (Luke 22:53, ESV).

God’s sovereignty means He is in absolute control over all things (Colossians 1:16–17; Psalm 90:2; 1 Chronicles 29:11–12). Nothing can affect or hinder God. In the most basic sense, God causes all things to be (Hebrews 1:3). By His eternal decree everything else exists and has its being. There is a radically contingent nature to all things outside of God. Even the subatomic particles comprising individual physical objects (and the circumstances to which they pertain) must be made to exist, and God is the cause of their existence.

Yet this does not mean God deterministically causes all things. An engineer who designs a machine can follow one of two paths. Either he can allow the machine to function with foreknown variations, or he can interfere to “force” a certain event. In either case, the engineer is in total control—he is “sovereign” over the machine he made. In only the latter case, however, is the engineer the deterministic cause of the event.

The fact that God is sovereign means He is entirely beyond the power of any other influence—He cannot be “stopped” or overcome in any way, shape, or form. That does not mean that God “must” do certain things. He is free. God’s sovereignty is related to but separate from His omnipotence. Omnipotence is the power to do anything that power can accomplish. Sovereignty is the absolute, unfettered right to decide when and how—and if—to use that power.

In other words, God’s sovereignty allows Him to not act—to allow—just as much as it allows Him to act. The choice to act or not to act is part of His sovereign nature. So, God can “allow” certain things to occur and not be a deterministic cause of those events. Yet all these things are under His sovereign control (Ephesians 1:11). According to His sovereign choice, God has willed that events come to pass in accordance with the nature/essence of moral agents. Some of those events God simply “allows,” knowing as He does that everything will ultimately lead to His intended conclusion. Thus, God can will events to come to pass—either directly or indirectly—using the non-coerced, freely willed acts of responsible moral agents.

The importance of God sovereignly “allowing” actions cannot be overstated. God’s providing the “setting” for an act to occur does not mean He is a responsible moral agent for the act. The moral responsibility for intentionally evil acts falls on those who themselves commit the acts. Evil is like rust in metal or rot in a tree. God “causes” the tree and thus provides the setting that “enables” the rot. But, in this analogy, God does not make the rot. God knows the tree will rot, He “allows” the tree to rot, and He chooses not to stop the rotting process, all for His own purpose—perhaps knowing the rot will prevent a greater disease later on. In a similar way, God does not make evil, although He “allows” a certain amount of it for His own purposes. He keeps His own counsel in such matters.

God knows things by virtue of His own nature. In a simple eternal act, God perfectly knows Himself. By knowing Himself, God knows all that He causes. Because the nature of God is immutable (Malachi 3:6), the concepts of “before” and “after” do not apply to Him. God’s knowledge is not temporal, sequential, or time-bound. In comparison, consider a piece of sheet music. The song inscribed on the page is bound to the two dimensions of symbols and paper. But the person who wrote the music is bound neither by those dimensions nor the “tempo” of the song. The composer can see and understand all of his composition at once, without restriction. He can change what he wants in the music—or not change it, as he desires. In a similar way, that which is past and future to us is eternally present to God. God does not “foreknow” things as we might say of a prophet; God simply knows.

Human beings, as free moral agents, act without extrinsic moral coercion. And it is God who causes humans to have that freedom to act. God knows all mankind’s choices in advance and either “allows” them or interferes with them as He sees fit. Through it all, humans are held responsible for the choices they make.

So, God wills that man make non-deterministic moral choices. Since God’s knowledge is not time-bound, He knows when a person will die and how that person will die. A person’s death falls within God’s sovereign control. We can say that God wills all events in an existentially basic, causal way, but not all of them in a morally causal way. It is possible for God to “allow” acts that He would not directly cause or even prefer (Matthew 23:37). A human being acting with malice is fully culpable from a moral standpoint; God cannot be the substantial or accidental cause of evil.

Properly distinguishing between God “knowing,” God “allowing,” and God “causing” helps us understand the normative predication of both human and divine action.

For Further Study​

Heaven and the Afterlife: The Truth About Tomorrow and What It Means for Today by Erwin Lutzer

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[Patriot]

Do gay people go to heaven?​

Answer

The question of whether gay people go to heaven or hell is much discussed today, and there is confusion surrounding the issue. On one side are churches that teach that homosexuality is blessed by God. On the other side are churches that condemn all homosexual thoughts and actions as deserving of eternal judgment. Is being gay a ticket to heaven or hell?

First, a clarification. Our world labels people according to their weaknesses, sin tendencies, addictions, or sexual inclinations. When we do that, we create an adversarial, “us vs. them,” position. We begin to see people in categories, rather than as individuals, and this is dangerous. When we ask if gay people go to heaven or hell, we may be using the label gay rather than considering the individual who may be struggling with temptation or confused about his or her sexual identity. For the purposes of this article, we will define gay as “practicing a homosexual lifestyle.”

When God created human beings, He designed them male and female, in His own image (Genesis 1:27). Adam and Eve were created perfect, and God blessed their physical union in the first marriage (Genesis 1:28). Homosexuality was not part of God’s creation. When the first man and woman chose to disobey God’s command, sin entered the world (Romans 5:12). With that sin came brokenness of all kinds: thorns, tornadoes, drought, sickness, disease, cruelty, and sexual distortions.

Since that time, every human being has been born with a sin nature. Our natural selves demand the right to be our own gods. When we desire something contrary to the will of God, the desire itself becomes sinful (James 1:13–15). We may sin in different ways, but it is all sin. Some have an overwhelming desire to lie. Some are unfaithful to their spouse. Some may overcome outward sins—and are puffed up with arrogance. And some may be tempted to engage in sexual acts with their own gender. It’s all sin. It is all unacceptable to God. And we all need a Savior.

God, our Creator, could have wiped out the human race and started over. He owes us nothing. Because of our high treason against our Creator, we all deserve hell. Heaven is perfect, and we are not; we are disallowed from God’s presence. In His great love, God made a way that we sinners can be made righteous (Ephesians 2:4–5). Jesus, the Son of God, offered Himself as our substitute on the cross, thereby taking the punishment we deserve (John 10:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21). God poured out His wrath against sin upon His own Son so that those who trust in that sacrifice can have their sins transferred to His account (Colossians 2:14). In exchange, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. God then declared that whosoever trusts in Jesus as their Lord and Savior be granted eternal life in heaven (John 3:16–18).

That divine exchange—our old life for His new one—brings about a transformation from the inside out. Second Corinthians 5:17 says that, if anyone is in Christ, he or she becomes a new creature. All the sin, selfishness, pride, and perversion that were part of our lives before that moment are wiped clean, and we are pronounced righteous before God (Psalm 103:12). God then takes on the task of conforming us into the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29). We are not saved from hell to continue in the same sins Jesus died for. We are saved so that we can become all God designed us to be (Ephesians 2:10). That includes renouncing our past and our sinful tendencies and embracing the wholeness we were created to experience.

In answering the specific question about whether gay people go to heaven or hell, we can substitute the words gay people with other sin groups. Do adulterers go to heaven or hell? Do kleptomaniacs go to heaven or hell? Do prostitutes go to heaven or hell? Paul answers these questions clearly in 1 Corinthians 6:9–10. People who live in unrepentant sin have no place in God’s kingdom. Those who practice sexual sin, including homosexuality, are on that list. Paul, anticipating objections, says, “Do not be deceived” about this (verse 10).

But then Paul goes on: “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). Notice the abrupt turnaround with the word but. The church Paul was addressing had members who in the past had practiced those very sins—BUT when they trusted Jesus, everything changed. Their loyalty changed. Their nature changed. Their actions changed. No one is exempt from God’s righteous judgment on sin (Romans 6:23). And no one is exempt from His offer of forgiveness and transformation. When we surrender our lives to Christ, we must let go of all that defined us in our sinful state. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). We must die to our old sinful lifestyle. We must die to our right to be our own boss. And we must die to those desires in us that violate God’s righteous decrees.

Gay people go to either heaven or hell on the same basis that drunkards, liars, haters, and self-righteous church people go to either heaven or hell. Our final destination depends not on what we’ve done but on how we responded to Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. Unrepentant sinners will die in their sin and be judged accordingly. Repentant sinners are forgiven in Christ. When we receive Him as Lord, He becomes our final authority.

To be a Christian means that we now strive to model our lives after His perfect one. We want to please Him more than we want to please ourselves (Matthew 10:37–38). And there is no question that homosexual acts are displeasing to Him, just as heterosexual sin is displeasing to Him. If we insist on living a gay lifestyle, as if being gay was our identity, we are turning our backs on Christ’s sacrifice. We cannot expect God to simply overlook in us the very sins that put Jesus on the cross.

Many people who are same-sex attracted have come to faith in Christ and, in doing so, surrendered that particular temptation to Him. Some go on to marry and live in Christ-honoring, heterosexual marriages, and others choose celibacy, finding the fulfillment they need in intimacy with God and with meaningful, loving—but not sexual—relationships within the body of Christ. So same-sex attracted Christians go to heaven the same way heterosexual Christians go to heaven: by exercising faith in Christ, renouncing their past, and embracing the life of holiness God desires for His children (1 Peter 1:15–16; Hebrews 12:14).

For Further Study​

Holy Sexuality and the Gospel: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God's Grand Story by Christopher Yuan

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[Patriot]

What does it mean that Paul went to the third heaven?​

Answer

Paul describes a time when he was caught up to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2–4). He mentions himself in the third person: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.”

The word heavens can be used to refer to different realms. Heavens can refer to the sky and the earth’s atmosphere, making it the “first heaven” (Deuteronomy 11:11; Psalm 104:12; Isaiah 55:10). It can also refer to outer space, where the stars and planets are—the “second heaven” (Psalm 8:3; Isaiah 13:10). And it can refer to God’s dwelling place, which is beyond the other “heavens,” a place known as the “third heaven” (Psalm 33:13–14; Isaiah 66:1; Matthew 6:9; Hebrews 7:26; Revelation 11:19). When Paul says that he went to the third heaven, he means that he went to the place where God dwells.

Interestingly, Paul uses the phrase caught up to refer to how he was transported to heaven; it’s the same Greek word used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 to refer to the rapture of the church. Following his list of “boasts” in 2 Corinthians 11:22–33, Paul further verifies his apostolic office by including his “visions and revelations from the Lord” (2 Corinthians 12:1). The apostle is unsure whether he was physically in the body or apart from the body when he experienced heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2–3). While there, he heard and saw things that he couldn’t describe and was forbidden to relate (verse 4). Some believe this event occurred during Paul’s first missionary journey, when he was stoned and left for dead in Lystra, but we can’t be sure. The privilege of seeing heaven no doubt gave Paul courage to face his later trials and suffering (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Christians today may have not seen the third heaven as Paul did, we can be just as confident of our future in heaven because we are in Christ. The Bible does not tell us everything we might like to know about heaven, but we know that it will be a wonderful place where we will dwell with Christ (John 14:3). Paul knew that being with Christ is far better than anything he could experience on earth (Philippians 1:21–23). Until the day we eternally enter God’s presence, we can state with confidence along with the apostle Paul, “For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:7–8).

For Further Study​

Heaven and the Afterlife: The Truth About Tomorrow and What It Means for Today by Erwin Lutzer
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