Setting Sail on a Quest(ion) about Heaven and Hell – You Have a Choice (Part I)
Sermon Title: Setting Sail on a Quest(ion) – Heaven and Hell, An Introduction
Good News Statement: Jesus invites us to choose
Preached: Sunday, June 1st, 2025 at Dogwood Prairie and Seed Chapel UMC
Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.
Scripture (NRSVUE): Revelation 20:10 and Revelation 21:1-10 Heaven and Hell: two words that have captured the curiosity, imagination, and wonder of millions of people across several centuries. One of those words brings forth comfort and peace, an image of green pastures and still waters, and hope and eternal salvation. The other word subjugates fear, darkness, and a feeling of being at the lowest point. Today, we are given a choice. May the hearing and understanding of this scripture add a blessing to your life.
Revelation 20:10
10 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books.
Revelation 21:1-10
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God; 4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”
5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Vision of the New Jerusalem 9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And in the spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.
This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”
The following Sermon Series will be drawn from the words of Biblical Scholar, Alan W. Gomes, who explores 40 Questions about Heaven and Hell in his book 40 Questions about Heaven and Hell.
Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018.
Introduction:
In the ethereal[1] expanse of the cosmos, there exists a realm beyond mortal comprehension: it’s known as heaven. It is not a place dictated by religious dogma or mythical tales but rather a destination for all souls after their mortal journey concludes. In this celestial sanctuary, souls find themselves liberated from the constraints of physical existence: those who were tired, weak, and carrying heavy burdens have found rest (Matthew 11:28). They are met with an abundance of peace, harmony, and boundless opportunities for growth and fulfillment. Yet, amidst this infinite splendor, a conflict simmers—one not of divine decree, but of existential choice. Among the myriad of souls that populate Heaven, there exists a divergence in belief regarding its nature. Some perceive Heaven as a utopia, a paradise where individual desires reign supreme, and personal satisfaction is paramount. Others, however, hold a different perspective. They believe that Heaven’s true essence lies in collective goodwill, in the shared bonds of love, empathy, and compassion. Is that really what Heaven is like?
For some, the opposite of this heavenly celestial sanctuary is Hell: the abode of the “unredeemed dead.”[2] In its archaic sense, the term Hell refers to the underworld, a deep pit or distant land of shadows where the dead are gathered. From the underworld come dreams, ghosts, and demons, and in its most terrible precincts sinners pay—some say eternally—the penalty for their crimes. The underworld is often imagined as a place of punishment rather than merely of darkness and decomposition because of the widespread belief that a moral universe requires judgment and retribution—crime must pay. More broadly, Hell figures in religious cosmologies as the opposite of heaven, “the nadir[3] of the cosmos,”[4] and the land where God is not. Hell itself is the preeminent symbol of evil, alienation, and despair. Is that really what Hell is like?
Heaven and Hell: two words that have captured the curiosity, imagination, and wonder of millions of people across several centuries. One of those words brings forth comfort and peace, an image of green pastures and still waters, hope and renewal, grace and eternal salvation, empathy and compassion. The other word subjugates fear, worry, devastation, darkness, despair, and a feeling of being at the lowest point—walking in the shadows of the valley of death. These two words have caught the attention of both religious and non-religious persons throughout the ages: asking what is heaven like and what is hell like? Even those who have chosen to believe in the words of Jesus Christ wonder about heaven and hell: asking what do I need to do to be in heaven and what do I need to do to avoid hell? Heaven and Hell are two words that certainly have caught the attention of millions of people.
For the next few weeks, with the help of Alan W. Gomes, a professor of theology at Talbot School of Theology, we will be taking time to examine both Heaven and Hell from a biblical perspective. In his book, 40 Questions about Heaven and Hell, Gomes asks questions such as: “What should we conclude about those who claim to have seen heaven or hell?, What will the resurrected body be like?, What is hell like?, What is heaven like?, and How can a God of love send people to an eternal hell?” Most of us are familiar with the concepts of Heaven and Hell, but yet we still have questions. The time has come to examine a few of those questions as we explore the celestial sanctuary and dive into the abode of the unredeemed.
Body:
Most of us have grappled with the idea of Heaven and Hell. For many people around the world, religion is something ingrained from a young age and the notion that good people get good things, i.e. go to Heaven, and bad people get bad things, i.e. go to Hell, is something also solidified by society. But yet, what do we really know about Heaven and Hell? What is Heaven like? What is Hell like? Did Jesus really descend into Hell from the time of his crucifixion until he resurrected? We have all asked questions about Heaven and Hell. And quite frankly some of the questions we ask—maybe even all of the questions we ask—can’t be confirmed until we get there. But it doesn’t hurt to wonder or even to be curious (as the angels are told to be in 1 Peter 1:12[5]).
In 2018, Alan W. Gomes published a book that examined forty popular questions focused on Heaven and Hell by which people are curious about. Gomes surveys the Old and New Testaments to present a comprehensive picture of the afterlife. Gomes brings to life the words of Revelation 20 and Revelation 21 through his research. Revelation 20:10 says this about Hell, “And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” And Revelation 21:1-5 talks about Heaven this way, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and be their God; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’ And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”
Heaven and Hell are places mentioned in the Bible, but what about them has caught our attention? Our study of Heaven and Hell begins simply by understanding how scripture identifies each of them. And, how we have a choice to make: are you living a life today that will get you to heaven or not?
Movement One: What is Heaven?
For starters, “What is heaven?” The Bible speaks a great deal about heaven. Sometimes it does so using words in the original biblical languages that we translate explicitly with our English word “heaven.” In other instances, the biblical writers use synonyms for heaven, which we render with words or expressions such as “paradise” or “Abraham’s bosom.” The Old Testament word rendered “heaven” in our English translations is the Hebrew word shamayim. In the Greek New Testament, as well as in the Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament—the world translated “heaven” is ouranos. According to Gomes, “Both words carry the same three primary meanings.”[6]
The first meaning of “heaven” is what we might call the sky or atmosphere. This is the air around us, in which we find clouds, birds, the wind, and so forth. For example the Bible refers to “the birds of the heavens” (1 Kings 21:24), “the rain from heaven” (Deuteronomy 11:11; Acts 14:17), and also snow (Isaiah 55:10), dew (Daniel 4:23), frost (Job 38:29), wind (1 Kings 18:45; Psalm 78:26), clouds (Psalm 147:8), thunder (1 Samuel 2:10), and hail (Revelation 16:21) from heaven. Heaven is that which is around us.
The second meaning of “heaven” is the expanse in which the celestial bodies are located, including the sun, moon, planets, and stars. Passages found in Genesis 1, Jeremiah 33, Nahum 3, Acts 7, and Hebrews 11 illustrate this use. In Psalm 8:3, the psalmist wrote, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place…” Heaven is not just around us, but it is beyond us: out there where the finger of God created the cosmos; out there where about 300 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy shimmer at night; out there where between 100 billion to 2 trillion galaxies seek exploration; and out there where curiosity reigns supreme. Heaven is truly out of this world. It’s no wonder we don’t know everything about heaven.
Third, and lastly, the meaning of “heaven” is God’s abode, “the place where God reigns, from which He governs the universe,” according to Pache. The apostle Paul speaks of this third sense of heaven as, appropriately enough, “the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). The writer of Hebrews calls it “heaven itself,” the place of God’s presence (Hebrews 9:24). Gomes notes that God is not alone in this heaven: Angels also inhabit “heaven” which explains biblical phrases such as “angels of heaven” and “angels in heaven”; the resurrected Jesus abides in “heaven” because it is said that Jesus, being eternally God, preexisted in heaven with the Father before the world existed, Jesus came to earth from heaven when he took on flesh in the incarnation, Jesus returned to heaven after his resurrection, and Jesus ascended to heaven where he is presently seated at the Father’s right hand (Acts 3:21); and the departed saints who await their own resurrection are also in “heaven.”[7]
The Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible states that heaven is “the ultimate home of Christ’s disciples.”[8] The Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible similarly declares, “All believers will ultimately dwell in heaven in their resurrection bodies, which they will receive when the Lord comes for them from heaven.”[9] And among the definitions of “heaven” given in the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, the fourth entry reads, “The eternal home of the believer.”[10] Heaven is the location in which the believer seeks to be in because it is where God directly manifests His presence and in which He reigns, which is why the Lord’s Prayer begins with these words, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9).
It’s no wonder people have a difficult time describing or defining heaven. Even the Bible has a tough time narrowing down one definition for heaven which is why the Bible also provides us with synonyms to help us understand what heaven is and could be. First, heaven is associated with Abraham’s bosom. This expression occurs in only one passage in the New Testament: Luke 16:22. In this passage Jesus shares a story about a rich man and poor man, Lazarus, and how the actions taken by the rich man landed him in “Hades” while the poor man, because of his faith, ended up in heaven. Pache asserts that the Jews equated paradise with Abraham’s bosom, which refers to the place where the believing dead reside awaiting their resurrections.[11]
Second, we read in Revelation 21 of a New Jerusalem, a place where the twelve gates were of twelve pearls and the street of the city was pure gold, as pure as transparent glass (Revelation 21:21). In several passages, Scripture refers to a place called “the heavenly Jerusalem” (Hebrews 12:22; 11:10, 14-16; 13:14). Paul speaks of this heavenly Jerusalem as “the Jerusalem above” (Galatians 4:25-26). Ultimately, this heavenly Jerusalem is going to descend from heaven as a city designated “the New Jerusalem” and abide on a new earth (Revelation 21:2, 10).
Third and the final synonym of heaven is the word “paradise.” This word derives from the Persian root Pairi-daeza, which means “a park surrounded by a wall,” “a walled enclosure,” or “wooded park-like garden.” Coming into the Greek language as paradeisos, it carries the general sense of a “garden, park, or paradise.” In the New Testament, one finds only three references to paradise: Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:3; and Revelation 2:7. Jesus mentions paradise in his promise to the thief on the cross, when he states, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).[12] Paul equates paradise with heaven even more explicitly in 2 Corinthians 12:2-3. In verse 2, he states that he was “caught up to the third heaven,” which in verse 3 he calls “paradise.”
The Bible speaks a great deal about heaven. But what is heaven? Based upon what we have heard so far, heaven is around us, heaven is above us and out there, heaven is God’s abode, heaven is inhabited by angels, heaven is where Jesus descended from and ascended to, heaven is a place where the departed saints await their resurrection, heaven is Abraham’s bosom, heaven is associated with the New Jerusalem, and heaven is paradise extended to all people. Heaven is the location in which the believer seeks to be in because it is where God directly manifests His presence and in which He reigns. In the words of Todd Burpo, “Heaven is for real.” But what about hell?
Movement Two: What is Hell?
So, we have talked about heaven, so know it seems appropriate to talk about Hell. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “The Old English hel belongs to a family of Germanic words meaning ‘to cover’ or ‘to conceal.’”[13] This notion of concealment ties in with its common definition, which the Oxford English Dictionary gives as “the dwelling place of the dead; the abode of departed spirits; the infernal regions regarded as a place of existence after death; the underworld; the grave; Hades.”[14] Gomes goes so far as to state that hell is the place of the “wicked.” In the Bible, “hell” is often associated with words such as sheol, grave, hades, gehenna, the Lake of Fire, and tartarus.
First, hell is called “sheol.” “Sheol” is a Hebrew word used in a variety of passages to describe the fate of the dead, or at least the fate of some of the dead. One possible meaning of sheol is “the grave.” “This is the grave,” according to Gomes, “in the abstract sense, referring to the condition of physical death and not to a particular cemetery plot or physical tomb.”[15] Another possible meaning is “the spirit world” or “realm of the dead.” This refers to a place of disembodied existence, where the spirit resides after bodily death. Furthermore, the King James Version uses the word “grave” thirty-one times to translate sheol. First Samuel 2:6 reads, “The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.” Hence the words from Robert Lowry, “Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior! Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord! Up from the grave he arose….”[16] Likewise Psalm 89:48 presents a clear parallel between sheol and physical death. Reflecting on the shortness of his time on earth, David asks, “What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?” Prior to this verse, we read how the psalmists equates drawing near to sheol with “going down to the pit (Psalm 88:3-5), which he further describes as lying in the “grave.”
Over the centuries, sheol has become the place of the wicked. Psalm 49 and 73 make this truth evident. In these texts, the psalmist wrestles with the question of divine justice and why the wicked often seem to fare better than the upright. In Psalm 49:8-13, the psalmist observes that all men without exception, the fool and the wise alike, to the grave and that there is no deliverance from that certain fate. But then, in verse 15, the writer expresses confidence in God’s ultimate deliverance after death saying, “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.” Now Psalm 73 makes the same point, though this psalm does not use the word “sheol.” Though the wicked may prosper for a time, and even have a superior lot to the righteous in this present life, their ultimate end will not be the same. The righteous will eventually be “received…into glory” (Psalm 73:24), which is “heaven” (v. 25), where they will have God as their “portion forever” (v. 26). Not so for the wicked, who will be “destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!” (v. 19). Therefore, based upon Scripture, sheol—the grave, the pit—is the place of punishment reserved for the wicked and not for the righteous.
Besides sheol, “hades” is also used to describe hell. We find the Greek word hades both in the New Testament and in the Septuagint (LXX). Though the word itself “is taken over from Greek mythology, in which Hades was the god of the lower regions” or according to the 1997 Disney movie “Hercules”, Hades was the god of the “underworld”, the New Testament connects its use with the meaning of the Old Testament sheol. And like sheol, hades carries the same meaning: the grave or a place of punishment for the wicked only. Acts 2:27-31 asserts, “For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption…[David] foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.” In the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16, hades is presented as a place of punishment for the wicked, which is why Woudstra shares, “Hades is associated with being in torment”[17] and in an act of suffering, perhaps what the rich man was experiencing and why he was crying out for Lazarus to “dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames” (Luke 16:24). Hades, another name for hell, is the place of punishment for the wicked possibly consumed in agonizing flames.
The New Testament also relates hell to “gehenna” and “the Lake of Fire.” The word “gehenna” appears twelve times in the New Testament: eleven times in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and once in the epistle of James. In the Gospels, Jesus is always the one who speaks of it. The word comes into Greek from the Aramaic gehinnam, which in turn derives from the Hebrew gehinnom, meaning the “Valley of Hinnom.” Gomes observes that this despicable place was known by Jews as a Tophet meaning “abomination, desolation,” a garbage dump which was consumed by continual fires.[18] It has been noted that Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, hung himself in a place called the “Field of Blood” or Akeldama located in the Valley of Hinnom.
Jesus makes plain that gehenna is a place of embodied punishment for wicked human beings (Matthew 5, 10, 18 and Mark 9). This shows that gehenna is the final place of punishment for the wicked, occurring after the resurrection that takes place at the last judgment. Consequently, it is equivalent to “the lake of fire” mentioned in Revelation 19 and 20: a lake of fire and sulfur, “where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
The last word we find in the New Testament to describe hell is “tartarus.” In 2 Peter 2:4 we find a form of tartaroo, which means, “to cast into Tartarus” or “to cast into Hell.” Gomes asserts, “Certain Jewish works…draw upon this word and use it to designate a place of punishment and/or detention for a certain class of wicked angels.”[19] These specific wicked angels have been committed “to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until judgment.”[20] Thus, it appears that for these particular angels, Tartarus is their place of confinement, where they await their future punishment in gehenna, and “being held there, God limits their ability to wreak havoc on earth.”[21]
Hell: whether Sheol, the grave, gehenna, the Lake of Fire, or Tartarus, is a place of punishment for the wicked who are either human or angelic in form. Hell is the place that we, as Christians, strive to avoid throughout our life, but yet is on our mind when we feel distant from God. Hell is out there but should not be within us.
Movement Three: We Have a Choice…
So, the question before us, after hearing all this information pertaining to heaven and hell is “What does this mean for us today?” My simple answer is “This means you have a choice.” Let me explain by using the story of the rich man and Lazarus, which is found in Luke 16:19-31:
Jesus said, “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus in like manner evil things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
The two men in Jesus’ story approached life very differently. We know little about how Lazarus lived; we know only the tragic way in which he died. The rich man, however, gave himself to two priorities to the exclusion of everything else. He lived to acquire more wealth and then to enjoy it fully. Nothing wrong with earning wealth and enjoying it. The problem was priority. While he lived a sumptuously, a man lay helpless and dying at his gate, but he didn’t care.[22]
Both men eventually died. Lazarus did not even have the honor of a burial in this life, yet heaven honored him, being carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom–heaven. The rich man had the honor of a burial, but no angelic escort or pleasant destination. In this story Jesus described a place he called Hades or Hell, which seems to have been the common abode of the dead, the wicked. The rich man and Lazarus were not in the same place, but they were not far from each other. It may be best to say that they were in two areas of the same place (Hades), one a place of torments and the other a place of comfort (the bosom of Abraham).
Through his earthly life the rich man enjoyed all the good things of life; yet did not share them or use them to prepare for the life to come. Now the rich man cared about others not going to torment. If he himself could go to his brothers, he would; but he seemed to understand that this was also impossible, so much so that he did not even ask for it. The rich man knew what his brothers must do, and what he did not do: repent. The rich man had a choice, and he chose the path of wickedness and by the time he realized it, it was too late. He had the opportunity to live a life of Lazarus: a faithful life in God. He had a choice.
You have a choice to live like Lazarus or to live like the rich man. You have a choice to live a “heavenly” life or a “wicked” life. A life focused on Christ or a life focused away from Christ. A life in which you decide to follow Jesus or a life in which you decide to turn your back toward Jesus. A life that overcomes temptations or a life that gives into temptations. A life that seeks repentance or a life that continually and perpetually lives in sin. You have a choice.
A life composed of the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—or a life composed of the works of the flesh—impurity, idolatry, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, and envy (Galatians 5:19-23). A life in which you treat others the way you want to be treated (Matthew 7:12) or a life of judgment. A life where wholesome talk builds others up or a life where unwholesome talk tears people down. You have choice.
A life when humility puts others above yourself or a life when selfish ambitions and vain puts you on a pedestal (Philippians 2:3). A life in which is focused on the practices of kindness and being compassionate, forgiving others, or a life in which is focused on holding onto grudges (Ephesians 4:32). A life devoted to loving one another or a life devoted to ignoring one another (Romans 12:10). A life of salvation and grace or a life devastation and fear. Or a life of repentance or a life of remorselessness. You have a choice.
And it’s not just you who has a choice: we, as a church, have to make choices as well. We can either worry about the unknown or live in the moment. We can either let things go until disrepair or repair things today. We can either put things off or make plans today for tomorrow. We can either ignore the needs of those before us or embrace those needs and do something about those needs. We can either say “Let’s think about it” or say “Let’s do something about it.” We have a choice.
We can make excuses or we can engage in discussion. We can either remain comfortable or embrace change. We can either sit still or create a movement. We can either have a steady heartbeat or a heartbeat sustained by revival. We can either be in a state of homoeostasis or in a state of bringing the word of God to action, to life. We can either cast our nets in shallow water or in the deep water. Or we can either be a church who is lukewarm (as John notes in Revelation 3:14-22 when discussing the Church of Laodicea) or we can be a church that builds the kingdom of God on earth for all people (as John notes in Revelation 3:7-13 when reflecting on the Church of Philippi). We have a choice.
The information presented above should entice you to begin to think about the choices God needs us to make so that we are able to one day live in the New Jerusalem, Abraham’s Bosom, and in God’s abode—to live in heaven—so that we are able to avoid sheol, gehenna, the lake of fire, tartarus, or hell in our life. We are given choices every day that either draw us toward or push us away from heaven. You are challenged every day to not live like the rich man—although that life seems wonderful and rewarding—but to live like Lazarus—full of love, faith, and trust in God. You have a choice to make: live with love in your heart and repentance on your mind or live a life of wickedness. The choice is yours.
Conclusion:
The choice is yours. We have been given free-will—the ability to make our own decisions, to discern the path before us, to discover what it takes to live like Christ, to make our heart right with God before it is too late. We have merely scratched the surface of how the Bible defines and displays heaven and hell. We will never know everything there is about heaven or hell. However, what we do know is that they are each real, and that how we live our life today as a person, as an individual, as a disciple, and as a church will let Jesus know where we want to spend eternity—which I hope is in heaven.
But, please note that it takes work, commitment, dedication, risk, faith, prayer, worship, praise, and a great amount of repentance to live a life headed toward heaven. The disciples didn’t live a perfect life, but they chose to seek forgiveness, they chose to treat others the way they wanted to be treated, they chose to make mistakes, they chose to take risks, they chose to be uncomfortable, they chose to be with others not like themselves, and they chose to follow someone who they didn’t really know or understand. They chose a life by which lead them to heaven. They had a choice, and they chose to do what they could today so that they could be in heaven tomorrow. What do you need to do today to make sure that you can be in heaven tomorrow?
Heaven and Hell remind us we have a choice to make, and the choices we make today do in fact impact tomorrow. As my Junior High Principal used to say, “The choice is yours….”
Let it be so…
Holy Communion
Closing Prayer:
Let us Pray… Dear Jesus, as we come to live into the life that God has created for us, help us to make decisions by which draw us closer to you, guide our wisdom to make choices that build your heavenly kingdom on earth, and bless us in ways that leads our discernment of faith toward of life of a heavenly abode. In your name we pray, Amen.
Benediction:
Heaven and Hell, two words that the Bible highlights and two words that invite us to make choices. Nurture us today, O Lord, as individuals and as a church to make the right choices so that we live a life reflexive of your ways, your teachings, and your love. May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth making choices that lead toward a heavenly tomorrow. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.
[1] Ethereal: extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world.
[2] Carol Zaleski, “Hell,” Britannica Online, updated 16 May 2025 and accessed 28 May 2025: https://www.britannica.com/topic/hell/Greece-and-Rome
[3] Nadir: the lowest point in the fortunes of a person or organization
[4] Carol Zaleski, “Hell,” Britannica Online, updated 16 May 2025 and accessed 28 May 2025: https://www.britannica.com/topic/hell/Greece-and-Rome
[5] 1 Peter 1:12, “It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look!”
[6] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 61.
[7] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 62-65.
[8] Ibid. pg. 65.
[9] Ibid. pg. 65.
[10] Ibid. pg. 65.
[11] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 67.
[12] Granting that this promise would be fulfilled before the thief’s—or even Jesus’s own—resurrection, it is clear that in this verse “paradise” refers to the intermediate state between death and resurrection (Gomes, pg. 67).
[13] Carol Zaleski, “Hell,” Britannica Online, updated 16 May 2025 and accessed 28 May 2025: https://www.britannica.com/topic/hell/Greece-and-Rome
[14] “hell: noun & interjection,” https://www.oed.com/dictionary/hell_n?tl=true
[15] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 70.
[16] Hymn, “Up from the Grave He Arose” by Robert Lowry
[17] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 74.
[18] Ibid., pg. 75.
[19] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 76.
[20] Ibid., pg. 76.
[21] Ibid., pg. 76-77.
[22] Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s New Testament Insights: Insights on Luke, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, pg. 402.