Let’s Talk About Heaven and Hell (Part 1)

Let’s Talk About Heaven and Hell (Part 1)
By Tommy Franks

The language of heaven and hell as well as the doctrines associated with them has their origin in the Abrahamic tradition…Judaism and Christianity. The philosophical issues surrounding these doctrines have a much wider significance. Certain benefits are given to any person who has made a decision to go to heaven. Also, certain costs are incurred by the recipient.

The doctrines of heaven and hell are doctrines concerning the afterlife. Some deny existence beyond the grave or any type of after life. Heaven has an eschatological significance and effect on our present lives beyond the grave. Our way of thinking concerning “heaven and hell” plays an important social function in our lives as well.

In Christianity, the topic of heaven or hell proceeds in terms of contrasts between punishment and reward…between grace, mercy, and justice. Hell deals with punishment…Heaven with reward. Is this a fair assumption?

Question: Is it fair for someone to be sent to hell and a Christian to heaven? The Bible says it is fair and just. Bad behavior without repentance warrants it. Another question: How long is hell in reference to time? The Word says that hell is eternal with unending existence.

In accordance with the Word, between the time of Jesus' death and His resurrection, He went to hell and preached to the “Old Testament Saints”. Some believe that this was a compartment of hell…perhaps Paradise or Abraham’s bosom in which the Old Testament Saints were held captive until Jesus arrived. Some believe otherwise. Most believe that this was a special one time event. Regardless, most scholars do believe that the ones who accepted His message went to heaven with Christ after His resurrected. This concept implies that Paradise is now empty. This belief in no way suggests that residents of hell have another chance or have an escape mechanism. There is no Scripture to support this theory! Hell has no emergency exits…no parole system…no court of appeals…No ACLU to litigate people’s wrongs…no environmentalists for climate control…no “Get Out of Hell Free Cards”, and no escape clause. To my knowledge, no one has ever successfully made a “hell break”.

Some have asked the question, “Does hell involve the same punishment for all or are there differences in the degree of punishment?” Personally, I believe there are different levels of hell because the Bible talks about the “lowest pit” and the “lowest hell”…the “depths of hell” (Ps.86, Ps.88, Deut.32:22, Prv.9:18). “Hell has enlarged herself” (Isa.5:14).

When you take a closer look at the mitigation process and the “Rule of Law”, I believe that some people deserve harsher treatment (punishment) for their crimes than others. Where did our “Rule of Law” originate? It came from God. Therefore, if I may be so bold, I believe that this principle also applies to hell. Again, let me reiterate…In my study of Scripture, this is my personal theological view.

In hell, ownership and responsibility are key. Everyone will be responsible for their past…and will own their past as well. No blame games will be allowed. Some believe that all people will go to heaven on the grounds that a loving God could not allow anyone to suffer the disaster of hell. Others believe in the Annihilation Theory…people in hell will just be burned up and disappear forever. This is viewed as the cessation of existence concept. It has no credence in Scripture.

Some modernists believe in the “Second Chance” concept. They believe that hell is too severe and harsh. Therefore, their theory is: People deserve a second chance... even after death. If I could be so bold again…Why not give them a third or fourth chance? Why not? Why not give them a million years of appeals? I’ll tell you why. “Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven” (Ps.119:89).

Now here is a distinguished eschatological viewpoint for you. Some individuals believe that going to hell can be postponed, delayed, or deferred. Some call it the Doctrine of Limbo. I must tell you, I have difficulty with this one. The Pope is trying to get this belief overturned and abolished in the Catholic Church. It has been around since medieval times. Limbo is traditionally held to be the place where the souls of children go if they die before they can be baptized and so freed from original sin. Some believe that it is also the fate of “holy people” such as the prophet Abraham, who lived before the time of Jesus Christ, who Christians believe offered mankind redemption through His death and Resurrection. I personally believe that when we die, we either go to heaven or to hell.

To be in heaven is to be present with God. To be in hell is to be eternally separated from God. Someone recently said, “Hell will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and charge you more than you want to pay.”
Billy Sunday once said, “If a man goes to hell, he should be there or he wouldn’t be there!”

Hell is more than just mere punishment. One of the fundamental purposes of hell is to honor a person’s choice. Heaven is a calculated choice. Hell is a deliberate choice. God honors our choices. We choose our own destiny. God will NOT force Himself on anyone who does not want Him. Therefore, God allows individuals to be free from His Presence. This is the same as being “eternally separated from God”.

In our study of soteriology, we know that Christ brought about our salvation, forgave us, justified us, and made us worthy for heaven. This doctrine presents the summary of the Christian faith...that through the saving grace and work of Jesus Christ, our broken relationship with God has been restored. Result: The redeemed will come to share His Presence in heaven. The doctrine of justification claims that God is perfectly righteous, just, and holy…and that human beings are born sinners who need a Savior. Upon our acceptance of His Son, God justifies us…grants us heaven…even though we do not deserve it within ourselves. We owed a debt we could not pay. He paid a debt He did not owe. Our reward: Heaven.

God's fundamental motive for both heaven and hell is love as well as justice. Love explains the incredible acts of God in creation and redemption.

Where is Heaven? Heaven is the residence of the Godhead. The Hebrew name for heaven is derived from a word meaning "on high". Heaven is the most upper region of the world as we know it. The Bible speaks of heaven as the dwelling place of God. Although God is omnipresent, He makes His Home in Heaven. Millions of angels and celestial bodies are there as well.

Heaven is a very real place. The existence of heaven is denied by atheists, materialists, and pantheists…and others who deny the existence of God or the immortality of the soul. God made all things for His honor and glory. Man is capable of becoming the likeness of God. Therefore man is created to know God and to love Him. This knowledge and love is eternal. To know God and to love Him is the noblest occupation of the human mind and consequently its supreme happiness. Therefore, man is created for eternal happiness. God made all things for His glory…which also consists in the love shown to Him by His creations. Furthermore, it is God’s plan that man is destined to know and love God forever… unless he forfeits his eternal happiness by sin and unbelief.

The soul is immortal. As experience teaches us, the virtuous do not obtain a sufficient reward here; therefore, she will be recompensed hereafter…and the reward will be everlasting…since the soul is immortal. God, in His wisdom, has set certain moral laws which are sufficient and efficacious. Hence, each man or woman is rewarded according to the measure of his/her good works. Rewards, not given here, will be given hereafter. God has attempted to instill in the heart of every person a love of virtue and a love of happiness. Why? Because we are made in His image. Does man always accept God’s plan? No.

As Christians, we are destined for happiness that is perfect and will be ours eternally…The unrepentant sinner has chosen to forfeit heaven by his own sin of unbelief. You and I are born for higher things…for the possessions and heritage of God. This earth can not satisfy us. We need Heaven! Our hearts rest in God. We are created for wisdom, truth, and eternity. God made us for holiness, enthusiasm, virtue, and heaven. You and I are created for love and friendship. A joyful and everlasting reunion awaits us beyond the grave.

Very few people actually deny the existence of heaven. The Book of Revelation vividly proclaims the existence of heaven. In heaven the just will see God by direct intuition, clearly and distinctly. Here on earth we have no immediate perception of Whom God actually is. We see Him in the mirror of creation.

Scripture says that the blessed see God face to face. The happiness of heaven is essentially unchangeable. The blessed ones experience special joy. The philosophical issues surrounding the doctrine of the “afterlife” have a tremendous significance on our soul and psyche.

Based on the teachings of Jesus and the Book of Revelation, Christians believe that God created human beings to live eternally in fellowship with Him. The future as described in the Bible includes the resurrection of all people…a judgment, and eternal life in either heaven or hell. (Part 2 will follow later.)