Heaven: The
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” —John 14:1-4 NIV
Hell:
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” —Matthew 13:40-43 NIV
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” —John 14:5-6 NIV
The life I live
The “goal” is not to
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” —Revelation 21:1-8 NIV
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. —Revelation 19:7 (NIV)
1. Ephesus: Return to your
(Revelation 2:1-7)
“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” —Revelation 2:4-5 (NIV)
2. Smyrna: Remain
(Revelation 2:8-11)
“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” —Revelation 2:10 (NIV)
3. Pergamum: Reject
(Revelation 2:12-17)
“Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. —Revelation 2:14 (NIV)
4. Thyatira: Remove
(Revelation 2:18-29)
“Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.” —Revelation 2:20 (NIV)
5. Sardis: Renew your
(Revelation 3:1-6)
“Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.” —Revelation 3:2-3 (NIV)
6. Philadelphia: Revere the
(Revelation 3:7-13)
“…I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” —Revelation 3:8 (NIV)
7. Laodicea: Repent of
(Revelation 3:14-22)
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” —Revelation 3:15-17 (NIV)
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” —Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
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You Asked for it – Part 3 – Heaven and Hell
Heaven and Hell – two very different eternal destinations that most every culture and religion have a form of. There are a lot of misconceptions around what they are, where they are, and how a person arrives there. Heaven is the eternal dwelling place of God and Hell is place of eternal separation from God. Too often we think that we are sent to Heaven or Hell, but it is the life we live and choices we make that determine where we go.
Heaven is a place for those who have chosen to believe in and follow Jesus. They have accepted his free gift of salvation and walked out the journey of sanctification throughout their life, which is the process of becoming more like Jesus.
Hell is for those who choose to pay for their own sins. It is a door locked from the inside as C.S. famously describes in “The Great Divorce”. People don’t choose the torment and suffering of Hell and willingly go there; they choose Hell because they are choosing to reject God.
Make it Practical
Throughout the Bible, the Church is referred to as “The Bride of Christ”. When you read the book of Revelation, it builds to a finale of a New Heaven and New Earth where everything is finally made right, and God dwells with His people forever. This day is often compared to a grand wedding day.
With that analogy in mind, there are seven ways we can prepare ourselves for this wedding day. In chapters two and three of Revelation there are letters written to seven churches that reveal these practical steps:
1. Ephesus: Return to your first love. (Revelation 2:1-7)
2. Smyrna: Remain faithful. (Revelation 2:8-11)
3. Pergamum: Reject doctrinal extremes. (Revelation 2:12-17)
4. Thyatira: Remove impurity. (Revelation 2:18-29)
5. Sardis: Renew your purpose. (Revelation 3:1-6)
6. Philadelphia: Revere the Word of God. (Revelation 3:7-13)
7. Laodicea: Repent of lukewarmness. (Revelation 3:14-22)
(Revelation 19:7 NIV) Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
Take time to evaluate your life and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal if there are any of these seven areas you need to improve on.
Talk About it
1. In 30-45 seconds describe what picture comes to mind when you hear the word “Heaven” and “Hell”.
2. How were you raised to believe that you go to Heaven? How do you get in?
3. What do you think about the idea that Hell is not place we banished to as an eternal punishment, but rather a place we choose to go because we are choosing to reject God? How does the idea of Hell being an “eternal separation from God” (and still torment and suffering) change your perspective?
Leader Tips
Depending on their church background, members of your group may have very different views, ideas, or theologies of Heaven and/or Hell. This might be a lively conversation. Be sensitive to this and try to not condemn what you might view as “wrong”. Gently remind your group members that it is only through faith in Jesus that we are saved and granted eternal life.
Ask each member to share, if they are comfortable, about one of the seven churches that speaks to their life. Close the group time in prayer asking God to help each member of the group to become more like Jesus and prepare themselves for the wedding of the Lamb.