praising God for his grace that
delivers us from what we deserve and grants us forever what we don't.
EARTH: THE IN-BETWEEN WORLD
God and Satan are not equal opposites. Likewise, Hell is not Heaven's equal opposite. Just as God has no equal as a person,
Heaven has no equal as a place.
Hell will be agonizingly dull, small, and insignificant, without company, purpose, or accomplishment. It will not have its
own stories; it will merely be a footnote on history, a crack in the pavement. As the new universe moves gloriously onward,
Hell and its occupants will exist in utter inactivity and insignificance, an eternal non-life of regret and—perhaps—diminishing
personhood.
Scripture says of those who die without Jesus, "They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence
of the Lord and from the majesty of his power" (2 Thessalonians 1:9). Because God is the source of all good, and Hell is the
absence of God, Hell must also be the absence of all good. Likewise, community, fellowship, and friendship are good, rooted
in the triune God himself. But in the absence of God, Hell will have no community, no camaraderie, no friendship. I don't
believe Hell is a place where demons take delight in punishing people and where people commiserate over their fate. More likely,
each person is in solitary confinement, just as the rich man is portrayed alone in Hell (Luke 16:22-23). Misery loves company,
but there will be nothing to love in Hell.
Earth is an in-between world touched by both Heaven and Hell. Earth leads directly into Heaven or directly into Hell, affording
a choice between the two. The best of life on Earth is a glimpse of Heaven; the worst of life is a glimpse of Hell. For Christians,
this present life is the closest they will come to Hell. For unbelievers, it is the closest they will come to Heaven.
Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish had done when I come to die . . . . Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act
as I can think should do, if, I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and hell torments.
JONATHAN EDWARDS
The reality of the choice that lies before us in this life is both wonderful and awful. Given the reality of our two possible
destinations, shouldn't we be willing to pay any price to avoid Hell and go to Heaven? And yet, the price has already been
paid. "You were bought at a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20). The price paid was exorbitant—the shed blood of God's Son, Jesus
Christ.
Consider the wonder of it: God determined that he would rather go to Hell on our behalf than live in Heaven without us. He
so much wants us not to go to Hell that he paid a horrible price on the cross so that we wouldn't have to.
As it stands, however, apart from Christ, our eternal future will be spent in Hell.
Jesus asks a haunting question in Mark 8:36-37: "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
The price has been paid. But still, we must choose. Like any gift, forgiveness can be offered, but it isn't ours until we
choose to receive it. A convicted criminal can be offered a pardon by the governor, but if he or she rejects the pardon,
it's not valid. A pardon must be accepted. Similarly, Christ offers each of us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life—but
just because the offer is made doesn't make it ours. To have it, we must choose to accept it.
But is it really possible to know you will go to Heaven when you die? Before diving further into the subject of Heaven, we'll
address this question in the following chapter.
CHAPTER 4
CAN YOU KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO HEAVEN?
Soon you will read in the newspaper that I am dead. Don't believe it for a moment. I will be more alive than ever before.
D. L. Moody
Earth recedes. . . . Heaven opens before me!
D. L. Moody (on his deathbed)
A ncient cities kept rolls of their citizens. Guards were posted at the
delivers us from what we deserve and grants us forever what we don't.
EARTH: THE IN-BETWEEN WORLD
God and Satan are not equal opposites. Likewise, Hell is not Heaven's equal opposite. Just as God has no equal as a person,
Heaven has no equal as a place.
Hell will be agonizingly dull, small, and insignificant, without company, purpose, or accomplishment. It will not have its
own stories; it will merely be a footnote on history, a crack in the pavement. As the new universe moves gloriously onward,
Hell and its occupants will exist in utter inactivity and insignificance, an eternal non-life of regret and—perhaps—diminishing
personhood.
Scripture says of those who die without Jesus, "They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence
of the Lord and from the majesty of his power" (2 Thessalonians 1:9). Because God is the source of all good, and Hell is the
absence of God, Hell must also be the absence of all good. Likewise, community, fellowship, and friendship are good, rooted
in the triune God himself. But in the absence of God, Hell will have no community, no camaraderie, no friendship. I don't
believe Hell is a place where demons take delight in punishing people and where people commiserate over their fate. More likely,
each person is in solitary confinement, just as the rich man is portrayed alone in Hell (Luke 16:22-23). Misery loves company,
but there will be nothing to love in Hell.
Earth is an in-between world touched by both Heaven and Hell. Earth leads directly into Heaven or directly into Hell, affording
a choice between the two. The best of life on Earth is a glimpse of Heaven; the worst of life is a glimpse of Hell. For Christians,
this present life is the closest they will come to Hell. For unbelievers, it is the closest they will come to Heaven.
Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish had done when I come to die . . . . Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act
as I can think should do, if, I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and hell torments.
JONATHAN EDWARDS
The reality of the choice that lies before us in this life is both wonderful and awful. Given the reality of our two possible
destinations, shouldn't we be willing to pay any price to avoid Hell and go to Heaven? And yet, the price has already been
paid. "You were bought at a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20). The price paid was exorbitant—the shed blood of God's Son, Jesus
Christ.
Consider the wonder of it: God determined that he would rather go to Hell on our behalf than live in Heaven without us. He
so much wants us not to go to Hell that he paid a horrible price on the cross so that we wouldn't have to.
As it stands, however, apart from Christ, our eternal future will be spent in Hell.
Jesus asks a haunting question in Mark 8:36-37: "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
The price has been paid. But still, we must choose. Like any gift, forgiveness can be offered, but it isn't ours until we
choose to receive it. A convicted criminal can be offered a pardon by the governor, but if he or she rejects the pardon,
it's not valid. A pardon must be accepted. Similarly, Christ offers each of us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life—but
just because the offer is made doesn't make it ours. To have it, we must choose to accept it.
But is it really possible to know you will go to Heaven when you die? Before diving further into the subject of Heaven, we'll
address this question in the following chapter.
CHAPTER 4
CAN YOU KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO HEAVEN?
Soon you will read in the newspaper that I am dead. Don't believe it for a moment. I will be more alive than ever before.
D. L. Moody
Earth recedes. . . . Heaven opens before me!
D. L. Moody (on his deathbed)
A ncient cities kept rolls of their citizens. Guards were posted at the
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