* ALL Questions about Heaven, Hell, and Eternity *

[septuagint]

 

[Patriot]

What does the Bible say about soul sleep?​

Answer

“Soul sleep” is a belief that after a person dies, his/her soul “sleeps” until the resurrection and final judgment. The concept of “soul sleep” is not biblical. When the Bible describes a person “sleeping” in relation to death (Luke 8:52; 1 Corinthians 15:6), it does not mean literal sleep. Sleeping is just a way to describe death because a dead body appears to be asleep. The moment we die, we face the judgment of God (Hebrews 9:27). For believers, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23). For unbelievers, death means everlasting punishment in hell (Luke 16:22-23).

Until the final resurrection, though, there is a temporary heaven—paradise (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4) and a temporary hell—Hades (Revelation 1:18; 20:13-14). As can be clearly seen in Luke 16:19-31, neither in paradise nor in Hades are people sleeping. It could be said, though, that a person’s body is “sleeping” while his soul is in paradise or Hades. At the resurrection, this body is “awakened” and transformed into the everlasting body a person will possess for eternity, whether in heaven or hell. Those who were in paradise will be sent to the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1). Those who were in Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). These are the final, eternal destinations of all people—based entirely on whether or not a person trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Present-day defenders of soul sleep include the Seventh Day Adventist church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christadelphians, and others.

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 does the Bible say about when God will judge us?​

Answer

There are two separate judgments. Believers are judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10-12). Every believer will give an account of himself, and the Lord will judge the decisions he made—including those concerning issues of conscience. This judgment does not determine salvation, which is by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), but rather is the time when believers must give an account of their lives in service to Christ. Our position in Christ is the “foundation” spoken of in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. That which we build upon the foundation can be the “gold, silver, and precious stones” of good works in Christ’s name, obedience and fruitfulness—dedicated spiritual service to glorify God and build the church. Or what we build on the foundation may be the “wood, hay and stubble” of worthless, frivolous, shallow activity with no spiritual value. The Judgment Seat of Christ will reveal this.

The gold, silver, and precious stones in the lives of believers will survive God’s refining fire (v. 13), and believers will be rewarded based on those good works—how faithfully we served Christ (1 Corinthians 9:4-27), how well we obeyed the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), how victorious we were over sin (Romans 6:1-4), how well we controlled our tongues (James 3:1-9), etc. We will have to give an account for our actions, whether they were truly indicative of our position in Christ. The fire of God’s judgment will completely burn up the “wood, hay and stubble” of the words we spoke and things we did which had no eternal value. “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12 ).

The second judgment is that of unbelievers who will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). This judgment does not determine salvation, either. Everyone at the Great White Throne is an unbeliever who has rejected Christ in life and is therefore already doomed to the lake of fire. Revelation 20:12 says that unbelievers will be “judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Those who have rejected Christ as Lord and Savior will be judged based on their works alone, and because the Bible tells us that “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified” (Galatians 2:16), they will be condemned. No amount of good works and the keeping of God’s laws can be sufficient to atone for sin. All their thoughts, words and actions will be judged against God’s perfect standard and found wanting. There will be no reward for them, only eternal condemnation and punishment.

For Further Study​

Your Eternal Reward by Erwin Lutzer

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

 

[Patriot]

How can heaven be perfect if all of our loved ones are not there?​

Answer

The word perfection carries the idea of wholeness and a lack of nothing. If something is perfect, then it’s complete. So how can heaven be perfect if some people are missing? Wouldn’t it be better if all our loved ones were there?

God is perfect (Psalm 18:30). God’s dwelling place is perfect. God’s plan of salvation is perfect. In God’s plan (which is perfect) He extends the righteousness of Christ to all who trust in Him. What happens to those who do not trust in Christ? They are rejecting perfection, rejecting God’s dwelling place, and rejecting God Himself. As John 3:18 says, “Whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” To force people to believe, to ignore their sin, or to bypass Christ would be to destroy the perfection of heaven.

When we arrive in heaven, our perspective will change. Our limited, earthly perspective will be replaced by a holy, heavenly perspective. Speaking of the eternal state, Revelation 21:4 says that God “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.” Missing our loved ones would presumably fall under the category of pain or mourning. Perhaps we will have no knowledge or remembrance of them at all. Perhaps we will have come to understand how our loved ones’ absence glorifies God. “Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us” (1 Corinthians 13:12, CEV). In the meantime, we accept by faith that what God says about heaven is true and that we will experience perfection for all eternity.

For a brief description of eternity, see Revelation 21—22. Everything is made new; everything is splendid, glorious, and blessed. That will include us. Our bodies, souls, and spirits will be completely blessed. Sin will no longer be a factor, and our thoughts will be in agreement with God’s (1 John 3:2). God has a plan to comfort His people (Isaiah 40:1), to perfect His redeemed (Hebrews 10:14), and to provide for them for all eternity (Psalm 23:6).

Right now, our focus should not be on how we can enjoy heaven or the eternal state without all of our loved ones there; rather, we should focus on how we can point our loved ones to faith in Christ—so that they will be there.

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]

How can heaven be perfect if all of our loved ones are not there? | GotQuestions.org​

Got Questions Ministries




How can we be happy in heaven if our loved ones are not there? What will we do in heaven? What is heaven like if the people we love are not there? Can Heaven be perfect if we are unhappy? The Bible does not offer all the facts about Heaven, but it does tell us that there will be joy in heaven. How can there be no tears in heaven even if we miss people or know that loved ones are in hell? In this video, Pastor Nelson with Bible Munch answers the question, “How can heaven be perfect if all of our loved ones are not there?”.

*** Source Article: https://www.gotquestions.org/Heaven-p...

*** Check out, Bible Munch! ‪@BibleMunch‬ / biblemunch

 

[Patriot]

How is eternity in hell a fair punishment for sin?​

Answer

Many people are uncomfortable, to say the least, with the idea of an eternal hell. This discomfort, though, is often the result of an incomplete understanding of three things: the nature of God, the nature of man, and the nature of sin. As fallen, sinful human beings, the nature of God is a difficult concept for us to grasp. We tend to see God as a kind, merciful Being whose love for us overrides and overshadows all His other attributes. Of course God is loving, kind, and merciful, but He is first and foremost a holy and righteous God. So holy is He that He cannot tolerate sin. He is a God whose anger burns against the wicked and disobedient (Isaiah 5:25; Hosea 8:5; Zechariah 10:3). He is not only a loving God—He is love itself! But the Bible also tells us that He hates all manner of sin (Proverbs 6:16-19). And while He is merciful, there are limits to His mercy. “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).

Humanity is corrupted by sin, and that sin is always directly against God. When David sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba and having Uriah murdered, he responded with an interesting prayer: “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight…” (Psalm 51:4). Since David had sinned against Bathsheba and Uriah, how could he claim to have only sinned against God? David understood that all sin is ultimately against God. God is an eternal and infinite Being (Psalm 90:2). As a result, all sin requires an eternal punishment. God’s holy, perfect, and infinite character has been offended by our sin. Although to our finite minds our sin is limited in time, to God—who is outside of time—the sin He hates goes on and on. Our sin is eternally before Him and must be eternally punished in order to satisfy His holy justice.

No one understands this better than someone in hell. A perfect example is the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Both died, and the rich man went to hell while Lazarus went to paradise (Luke 16). Of course, the rich man was aware that his sins were only committed during his lifetime. But, interestingly, he never says, “How did I end up here?” That question is never asked in hell. He does not say, “Did I really deserve this? don’t you think this is a little extreme? A little over the top?” He only asks that someone go to his brothers who are still alive and warn them against his fate.

Like the rich man, every sinner in hell has a full realization that he deserves to be there. Each sinner has a fully informed, acutely aware, and sensitive conscience which, in hell, becomes his own tormenter. This is the experience of torture in hell—a person fully aware of his or her sin with a relentlessly accusing conscience, without relief for even one moment. The guilt of sin will produce shame and everlasting self-hatred. The rich man knew that eternal punishment for a lifetime of sins is justified and deserved. That is why he never protested or questioned being in hell.

The realities of eternal damnation, eternal hell, and eternal punishment are frightening and disturbing. But it is good that we might, indeed, be terrified. While this may sound grim, there is good news. God loves us (John 3:16) and wants us to be saved from hell (2 Peter 3:9). But because God is also just and righteous, He cannot allow our sin to go unpunished. Someone has to pay for it. In His great mercy and love, God provided His own payment for our sin. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross for us. Jesus’ death was an infinite death because He is the infinite God/man, paying our infinite sin debt, so that we would not have to pay it in hell for eternity (2 Corinthians 5:21). If we confess our sin and place our faith in Christ, asking for God’s forgiveness based on Christ’s sacrifice, we are saved, forgiven, cleansed, and promised an eternal home in heaven. God loved us so much that He provided the means for our salvation, but if we reject His gift of eternal life, we will face the eternal consequences of that decision.

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 is eternity in hell a fair punishment for sin? | GotQuestions.org​

Got Questions Ministries




Is hell fair? How can eternity in hell be fair for only a lifetime a sin? How is eternity in hell a fair punishment for sin and what does the bible say about hell and eternal punishment / Eternal Torment? In this video, Pastor Nelson with Bible Munch answers the question, “How is eternity in hell a fair punishment for sin?”.

*** Source Article: https://www.gotquestions.org/eternal-...

*** Check out, Bible Munch! ‪@BibleMunch‬ / biblemunch