I Recently concluded a radio series on the
subjects of heaven and hell. Below are
some bible verses to help you study the
subject matter. I’ve included a few
thoughts along the way.
TRUTH:
If Heaven is real, Hell is real!
BIBLE VERSES ON
HEAVEN
In my Father's
house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to
prepare a place for you?
He will wipe
away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall
there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have
passed away.”
Then the angel
showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the
throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city;
also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of
fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the
throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.
They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will
be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be
their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
And he said to
him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
And I saw no
temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God
gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk,
and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will
never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it
the glory and the honor of the nations.
But as it is,
they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not
ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
But, as it is
written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
And the twelve
gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the
street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass. And I saw no temple in
the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the
city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it
light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the
kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be
shut by day—and there will be no night there.
No one has
ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
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.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you
loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Keep in mind
that the Subject of heaven is heavy. But
this is important to always remember: A
place called heaven is less about a location and more about company. Heaven is where God is.
SCRIPTURES ON HELL
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile,
the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the
idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning
sulfur. This is the second death."
"Then they will go away to eternal
punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
They will be punished with everlasting
destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of
his power
and throw them into the fiery furnace, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It
is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell,
where the fire never goes out.
In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the
surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They
serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
The path of life leads upward for the wise to
keep him from going down to the grave.
"Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the
devil and his angels.
But the beast was captured, and with him the
false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these
signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped
his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning
sulfur.
For if God did not spare angels when they
sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for
judgment;
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 he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into
the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both
soul and body in hell.
Often hear criticisms from individuals directed for God
statements like these: “if God is love
why would he send someone to hell?”
Keep in mind, that hell was not created for humanity. Hell was created for Lucifer who rebelled and for all the angels that followed
him. When we as humans choose to rebel
and remain in our rebellion, and if we
die and are rebellion, hell will be the
place that in God’s justice he sends
us. Please remember that God is
not some mean celestial being who is looking for a way to zap us. The lovingly provided a way for us through
His SON, Jesus Christ!
What can we conclude?
1.
Believers can face death without fear.
Even though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your
staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4
2.
Believers enter the Lord’s presence at death.
2 Corinthians 5:8 Yes, we
are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for
then we will be at home with the Lord.
3.
Believers dwell with God forever
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6
1 Thessalonians 4:17 “After that, we who are still alive and are
left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
4.
Jesus prepares a special place for believers in heaven.
John 14:1-3 "Do not let your hearts
be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many
rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. 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."
5.
Non-believers are sent to an
eternal place of punishment and separation
In Matthew
25:31-46 Jesus told of the Sheep and goats being separated. The sheep are granted eternal life with the
king, and the goats are separated away into eternal punishment.
