WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? T

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

TThe cold reality of deathconfronts us daily. Theobituary page of the

newspaper is just one of themany reminders that we aredestined to die. Even anutritious diet, regular exercise,super-vitamins, and the bestmedical care won’t preventdeath. But will death mean theend of our existence? Or is there a future life? If so, whatwill it be like? And can we doanything to get ready for it?

This booklet, written by Kurt De Haan, explores thebiblical answers to theseperplexing and troublingquestions. My prayer is thatthese pages will help you live a more fulfilling life andencourage you to be preparedfor what will happen to youwhen you die.

Martin R. De Haan II

Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Photo: Denis Felix/FPG InternationalScripture quotations are from the New King James Version, ©1979, 1980, 1982, ThomasNelson, Inc., PublishersCopyright ©1987, 2001 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

CONTENTSWhistling In The Dark . . . 2

What Will Happen? . . . . . 4DEATH:Door To Another World. . 4RESURRECTION:Dressed For Eternity . . . 9JUDGMENT:Final Exams . . . . . . . . . 14ETERNITY:Good News And Bad News . . . . . . . . . . 19

Through The Tunnel . . . . 29

Looking Ahead . . . . . . . . 32

Q1202LifeAftrDth pp 11/8/04 2:05 PM Page 1

© RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.

WHISTLING INTHE DARK

TThose who talk ofgoing to heaven haveoften been accused

of “whistling in the dark.”Most of us know what thatmeans. We can rememberdark moments during powerfailures, or we recall timeswhen we had to walk down a lonely street in the blackness of night. Wefeared the worst and hopedfor the best. Is that what weare doing now when wethink about hell or speak ofheaven? Or is all the talkabout the terrors of hell andthe joys of heaven just theproduct of overzealousancestors who wanted toscare people into beinggood?

An atheist, of course,would argue that thoughtsof immortality are onlydreams. He would say thatman and beast are products

of chance and destined forthe same fate—extinction.

A skeptic would not be able to come to anyconclusions on this issue,which he feels has noobjective means of positiveverification.

A Marxist would call allreligious explanations of lifeand God mere illusions.Karl Marx, in fact, said that religion was just “theopium of the people”—away of getting us “high” on hope and ignoring thecold emptiness of life and death.

A Hindu thinks of thepresent life as just one ofmany lives in a cycle ofbirths, deaths, and rebirths.When the individualeventually becomes goodenough, he achieves eternalbliss as he is absorbed intothe universal spirit.

A Buddhist lives ahighly disciplined life inorder to extinguish alldesire and to attain a vague

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impersonal existence hecalls nirvana.

A Muslim devotes hislife to the teachings of theprophet Muhammad in anattempt to make himselfworthy of acceptance intoparadise and to escape thetorments of hell.

A hardened criminalmay scoff at the idea ofhell, saying, “I’d just assoon go to hell, since that’swhere all my friends aregoing to be.”

A dog owner, fanaticalabout his pet, may envisionheaven as a place where heand Fido will play frisbeeand tug-of-war forever.

A battered wife maybelieve that she is enduringhell right now.

A playboy laughs at thethought of judgment andlives only for the pleasuresof the moment.

A follower of JesusChrist may sacrifice fame,fortune, and power in thislife, knowing that he will

receive God’s approval inthe life to come.

A college student maybe so overwhelmed by thediversity of religious beliefson campus that he loses allcertainty of where he isgoing in this life or the next.

An 8-year-old probablyworries more about beingpunished by Mom or Dadthan he does his futureencounter with God.

Who’s right? Doesanybody really know howto sort out the fantasy from the reality? Who iswhistling in the dark? Andwho knows what death willbring? In the followingpages, we will search outthe answers given in theBible.

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“You take heaven.I’d rather go to

Bermuda.”Mark Twain



WHAT WILLHAPPEN?

SSome people claim to know what willhappen when they

die. But how can they be so sure? Not through suchthings as space probes orarchaeological digs. Theanswer comes only fromGod—the One who createdlife and holds all peopleaccountable to Himself.He’s the One whose Sondied for us to prepare us foreternity. He has spoken tous through the Bible, abook we can trust. Theauthor, God Himself, is anexpert on life and death.

The Bible speaks of lifeas but a brief moment ofour existence, followed by death, resurrection,judgment, and finally aneternal existence in one of two destinations. In thepages to follow, we will lookcarefully at each of these

four stages of life beyondthe grave.

DEATH:Door To AnotherWorld

People often joke that only two things in life arecertain: death and taxes.But that impression is notaccurate, for many havebeen known to cheat thetax collector and avoidpayment. Death, however,can’t be cheated.

Another inaccurate 4

JUDGMENT

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ETERNITY(Hell)



impression is that deathends all of our problems.While it’s true that after wedie we will not have to facethe tax auditor, listen to anangry boss, or deal withproblem children, we willhave to face God. Death isnot the easy way out. It willbe gain for some and lossfor others. And many peopleare in for a big surprise.

What Is Death? Deathis an ugly beast. It comes at us like a fictional dragonwith snorting nostrils andblazing breath, intent ondevouring us. The Biblespeaks of it as the lastenemy Christ will destroy

(1 Cor. 15:26). There is no use trying to gloss over its awfulness andunnaturalness. After all,God didn’t create man andwoman to wear out and bethrown away like brokentoys. God made us special,with the ability to relate toHim as no animal could.

Death crashed Adam and Eve’s garden party themoment they decided todisobey God. The Lord hadwarned our first parents ofthe side-effects of eating theforbidden fruit (Gen. 2:17).But the temptation wasgreat and their resistancewas small—so they fell (3:6-7).

Death came to Adamand Eve in two forms:spiritual and physical. Theyfirst experienced a spiritualseparation from God whenthey sinned. They hid from Him and were soonexpelled from the gardenwhere they had oncewalked and talked with

5

“Of the tree of theknowledge of good

and evil you shall noteat, for in the daythat you eat of it,you will surely die.”

Genesis 2:17



Him. Spiritual deathopened the door to physicaldeath, which came yearslater.

First and foremost, then,death is a separation. In aspiritual sense, it is theseparation of the soul fromGod (Isa. 59:2; Eph. 2:1).In a physical sense, it is theseparation of the soul fromthe body (Mt. 10:28; Rev.6:9; 20:4). The Bible alsotalks about eternal death.This is the irreversiblespiritual death—the second death spoken of in Revelation 2:11 and20:6,14—which follows thefinal judgment.

Here are some thingsthat death is not:• rebirth into another life

form• an unconscious state of

the soul• being absorbed by the

“cosmic consciousness”• the doorway into eternal

bliss for everyone• the end of our existence

Where Do I Go? Ifdeath is not the end of usas distinct personalities,and if it really is thedoorway to a new kind ofcontinuing existence, whatis the first thing that willhappen to us after we die?

Although the Bible offersus only a glimpse of life onthe other side, it doesindicate that there are twovery real places where thedead await the resurrectionand final judgment. Christgave us the most vividpicture of these two placeswhen He told the story aboutthe rich man and Lazarus.

So it was that the beggardied, and was carried bythe angels to Abraham’sbosom. The rich man alsodied and was buried. Andbeing in torments inHades, he lifted up hiseyes and saw Abrahamafar off, and Lazarus inhis bosom (Lk. 16:22-23).Some experts say this

story is simply a parable, 6



while others insist it was anactual incident. Regardlessof who is right, we can besure that Jesus was telling ussome important truths aboutlife on the other side ofdeath. The story tells us thatthere are two destinationsfor the soul at death: a placeof comfort and a place oftorment. In describing lifeafter death in this way, Jesus was filling in the OldTestament picture.

In Old Testament times,the Hebrew term Sheolreferred to the place whereall souls went at death. OurEnglish Bibles translateSheol as “the grave,” “hell,”and “the pit.” (Hades is theNew Testament Greekequivalent of Sheol.) Thiswas the place where God’s children and Hisenemies awaited the finalresurrection and judgment.

In that “waiting room”there were two distinct places with two very differentconscious existences.

Although the Old Testamentpicture may seem fuzzy attimes, it depicts a destinationthat the righteous could lookforward to (Ps. 16:10; 49:15;Hos. 13:14) and the wickedshould fear (Job 24:19; Ps.9:17; 31:17; 49:14; 55:15).

The story Christ told inLuke 16 explains thatpeople will either exist incomfort and blessing orinhabit a place of torment.It also makes clear thatonce we have passedthrough the door of death,we can’t pick up oursuitcases and move out

7

Once we havepassed through thedoor of death wecan’t pick up our

suitcases and moveout because wedon’t like the

accommodations.



because we don’t like theaccommodations.

We need to rememberthat the fuzziness of the Old Testament has beenremoved through whatChrist has said and done.Paul told us that ChristJesus “has abolished deathand brought life andimmortality to light throughthe gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10).

When a Christian dies,his soul goes immediatelyto be with Christ (Lk. 23:43;2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23). The resurrection andglorification of our bodieswill take place at therapture of the church, when soul and body will be reunited (1 Th. 4:13-17).The souls of the non-Christian dead, however,will remain in the “waitingroom” until the time ofresurrection and judgment.

Some people havedifficulty understandingwhat kind of existence wewill have before we get our

new resurrected bodies, yetthe New Testament doesn’tmake it a big issue. We may have some sort oftemporary body, though itwill be an incompleteexistence. When the richman and Lazarus of Luke16 died, they had realbodies that experienced

physical discomfort andsorrow. Another example iswhen Moses and Elijahappeared with Jesus at the transfiguration. Thedisciples saw them with bodies that wererecognizable and real (Mt.17:3). This intermediatestate will last only until thedead rise from the grave

8

“It’s not that I’mafraid to die. I justdon’t want to be

there when ithappens.”Woody Allen



and receive their newbodies.

How Can I Be Ready?It is one thing to realizethat we are all destined foreither heaven or hell; it isquite another thing to becertain that you will go toheaven. One of the clearestdescriptions of what it takesto be ready is John 3:16,which says:

For God so loved theworld that He gave Hisonly begotten Son, thatwhoever believes in Himshould not perish buthave everlasting life.The final choice is yours.

Will you recognize that youare lost without Christ? Willyou trust Him to rescue youfrom sin’s penalty andpower? Will you accept Hisoffer of eternal life?

Thinking It Over. Sinceyou have only one life tolive, what do you think Godwants you to do with it?What would you like othersto remember about you

after you have finished your life? How would youlive today if you knew itwould be your last? If a person has acceptedChrist’s offer of eternal life, why is physical deathstill necessary? WhichChristians will not have to die? (1 Th. 4:17).

RESURRECTION:Dressed For Eternity

Medical science has donewonders in extending ourlives. Complex procedures

9

JUDGMENT

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JUDGMENT

(Heaven)ETERNITY

ETERNITY(Hell)



bypass clogged arteries, kill rebel cancer cells, filterimpurities from blood, andreplace worn-out joints.Vaccines have nearlyeliminated polio and otherdreaded diseases of thepast. But no one hasdiscovered a vaccineagainst death. Unlike a new car or new appliancethat carries a warrantypromising customersatisfaction, our body is notguaranteed against a majorbreakdown that will cause it to quit before the average70-year lifespan is over. Our body is susceptible tosickness and decay. If weare to live for eternity, weneed a completely newmodel. The Bible tells usthat we will be given a newbody at the resurrection. Itis then that we will be“dressed for eternity.” Tounderstand what the Bibleteaches about resurrection,let’s look at the answers tofive basic questions.

What Is Resurrection?Physical death is theseparation of the body from the soul. This createsa problem, because withoutbodies we are incomplete.Resurrection, whichreunites body and soul, is the solution. It is notmerely the bringing back tolife of a corpse, but ratherthe re-creation of the bodyto make it fit for eternity.

Why Is ResurrectionNecessary? Couldn’t wesimply exist forever asspirits? If man is basically aspiritual being, why do weneed a body? The answer isthat a body is part of ourbasic nature. To ask whyhumans need bodies is toask a question like “Why dofish need gills?” or “Why dobirds need wings?” Bodiesare basic to our nature.

The reason we aredecaying and dying is notbecause we have bodies. Itis because sin has infectedour bodies. God designed us

10



as physical and spiritualcreatures who were to findfulfillment through physicaland spiritual activities. Just as having a physicalnature without a spiritualnature would make man ananimal, so possessing only aspiritual dimension withouta physical shell would makehim more like an angel thana human being.

New bodies are alsonecessary to fulfill God’sperfect justice. The rich man in the story of Luke 16experienced both mentaland physical anguish.Because the Bible teachesthat God will resurrect all ofhumanity and that He willassign many to physicalsuffering in hell, we canconclude that deeds done inthe body can only be dealtwith justly if real physicalsuffering is endured.

How Can I Be Sure OfResurrection? Is there anyprecedent? What right dowe have to believe that all

people will be resurrectedand given new bodies foreternity? The apostle Paulhad to address this issuebecause some people wereapparently denying theresurrection of the dead.

Now if Christ is preachedthat He has been raisedfrom the dead, how dosome among you say thatthere is not resurrection ofthe dead? . . . . But nowChrist is risen from thedead, and has become the firstfruits of those whohave fallen asleep. Forsince by man came death,by Man also came theresurrection of the dead.For as in Adam all die,even so in Christ all shall be made alive (1 Cor. 15:12,20-22).Paul argued that our

faith in God and hope ofresurrection rests entirelyon the reality of theresurrection of Jesus Christ.If Christ did not rise, thenour hope is lost and He is

11



dead and under the samejudgment as we are. ButJesus did rise from thegrave! The empty tomb, the hundreds of people whosaw the risen Christ, thechanged lives of Hisdisciples, and the veryexistence of the Christianchurch testify that Christtruly did rise from the dead.Because He arose, we canbelieve Him when He saidthat all will rise again (Jn.5:28-29). Even before Christspoke about resurrection,the Old Testament assumedit and spoke briefly of it(Job 19:25-26).

Who Will BeResurrected, And When?All people will beresurrected, but not all at the same time. Eventhough the Bible sometimesspeaks of the resurrection of the righteous and theunrighteousness with nodistinction of time, it clearly indicates two main resurrections.

The first resurrection isthat of believers. JesusChrist will return at the endof this age to take all of Hisown, living and dead, to bewith Him. This event,referred to as the rapture,will take place before theterrible outpouring of God’swrath on unbelieving Jewsand Gentiles during thetribulation. The dead inChrist will rise first and begiven new, glorified bodies.Living believers will follow,and their bodies will betransformed. Both groupswill meet the Lord in the air.This will occur suddenly.

We shall all be changed—in a moment, in thetwinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For thetrumpet will sound, andthe dead will be raisedincorruptible, and weshall be changed (1 Cor. 15:51-52).For the Lord Himself willdescend from heaven witha shout, with the voice of

12



an archangel, and withthe trumpet of God. Andthe dead in Christ willrise first. Then we whoare alive and remain shallbe caught up togetherwith them in the clouds to meet the Lord in theair. And thus we shallalways be with the Lord(1 Th. 4:16-17).Old Testament saints

and the martyred believersof the coming tribulationwill be raised at Christ’sreturn to earth at the close of the tribulation(Dan. 12:1-3; Rev. 20:4).

The initial stage of thefirst resurrection, then, will occur when believersmeet Christ in the air. Thesecond stage will take place7 years later, after God haspoured out His wrath onthe rebellious nations andChrist returns to set up Hiskingdom.

The second resurrectionwill occur 1,000 years after the first resurrection

(Rev. 20:1-15). The subjectsof this resurrection, all theunbelievers throughouthistory, will come fromHades, the place oftemporary suffering. Theywill be given bodies inwhich they will face God’sjudgment and finalsentencing.

What Kind Of BodyWill I Have? When we areresurrected, will our bodiesbe like they are now, or willthey be entirely different?The scriptural answer tothis question seems to bethat our bodies will besimilar in some ways anddifferent in others. Also, the bodies of believers willapparently be different fromthose of unbelievers. Theresurrected body of abeliever is described in thefollowing ways:• Flesh and bone, but

dramatically changed(Lk. 24:39; 1 Cor. 15:50).

• Like Christ’s resurrectedbody (1 Cor. 15:49;

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Phil. 3:21; 1 Jn. 3:2).• Incorruptible

(1 Cor. 15:42,50).• Awe-inspiring

(1 Cor. 15:43).• Having new abilities

(1 Cor. 15:43).• Suited for heaven

(1 Cor. 15:47-49).• Spiritual (1 Cor. 15:44).

That last point may raise some questions inyour mind, How, you mayask, can a physical body becalled a “spiritual” body?The term simply points outthe imperishable and perfectnature of the new body. Itwill be able to stand in thepresence of and relate toGod who is spirit. It is abody designed for life inheaven for all eternity.

What about the bodies of nonbelievers, who mustface judgment and hell? TheBible doesn’t tell us. But theyare not promised a body likeChrist’s glorious body. Weassume that their bodies willbe capable of sensing God’s

judgment on sin, thoughthey will never die.

Thinking It Over. Bothbeliever and nonbelieverwill be resurrected to allowGod to dispense perfectjustice on all mankind. Areyou ready? Do you knowwhich body will be yours?When will you beresurrected? What are youlooking forward to aboutthe resurrected body?

JUDGMENT:Final Exams

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JUDGMENT

RESURRECTION

DEATH

RESURRECTION

JUDGMENT

(Heaven)ETERNITY

ETERNITY(Hell)



When I was in school, Itried not to think about testsuntil I absolutely had to.After all, thinking abouttests would have spoiledmany a night of watchingTV or talking with friends.Likewise, I have the feelingthat most of us would rathernot think about the finalexam when we will standbefore God. That wouldcramp our style, wouldn’t it?It would make us take lifemore seriously and be moreconscious of wasted time.

No, God’s judgment isn’t usually talked about at coffee breaks. We wouldrather discuss sports, theweather, or the new carmodels.

But just because the topicmakes us uncomfortable,and just because we wouldrather not think about ituntil we are forced to, doesnot mean it is wise to ignoreit or to delay facing the facts.We will all be judged—believer and nonbeliever

alike—but we will not all bejudged alike. Although thetwo judgments are different,both are serious occasions.And the time to get ready forthem is now.

Why Is JudgmentNecessary? If God is a God of perfect justice, thenHe must judge us after thislife. The inequities andinjustices of earth must beresolved. God will not letthose people who haveignored His laws since theywere children get away withit. And Christians, whohave been entrusted withgifts to use for God’s glory,will give full account oftheir use and be rewardedaccordingly.

Who Will Be TheJudge? God Himself will be our Judge (Heb. 12:23).He will judge us throughHis Son. Jesus told us, “TheFather judges no one, buthas committed all judgmentto the Son” (Jn. 5:22; cp.Acts 17:31).

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Who Will Be Judged?No one will be excusedfrom God’s “final exam.” It will take place in twoparts: (1) the judgment ofbelievers, and (2) thejudgment of unbelievers.

Believers: At TheJudgment Seat Of Christ.Believers will be judged at “the judgment seat ofChrist” (Rom. 14:10). Paulreferred to this judgmentwhen he wrote:

We must all appear beforethe judgment seat ofChrist, that each one mayreceive the things done inthe body, according towhat he has done, whethergood or bad (2 Cor. 5:10).This is not a judgment to

determine whether a personis going to heaven or hell.That issue was settled bythe person’s acceptance orrejection of Christ duringhis earthly life (Rom. 5:1-2).Christ Himself assured usthat we cannot lose oursalvation:

He who hears My wordand believes in Him whosent Me has everlastinglife, and shall not comeinto judgment, but haspassed from death intolife (Jn. 5:24).At the judgment seat of

Christ, believers will eithersuffer loss or be rewarded,depending on theirfaithfulness. Although we are saved by faith, ourworks will be tested (1 Cor.3:13-15; 4:5; 9:16-27).Christ told three parables toillustrate our accountabilityto God for the use of allthat He has given to us (Mt. 25:14-30; Lk. 16:1-13;19:11-27). Some believerswill enter heaven by theskin of their teeth. Theymay get there through a“deathbed conversion” (likethe thief on the cross in Lk.23:39-43). And many willbe there who never maturedbeyond spiritual infancy.

The New Testamentmentions that rewards and

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crowns will be given tothose believers who earnthem. For example:• The incorruptible or

imperishable crown forthose who build theirlives with works thatplease God (1 Cor. 3:12-14; 9:25-27).

• The crown ofrighteousness for all who long for Hisappearing (2 Tim. 4:8).

• The crown of life for theperson who perseveresin trials (Jas. 1:12; Rev. 2:10; 3:11).

• The crown of glory forgood shepherds of thechurch (1 Pet. 5:4).

• The crown of rejoicingfor those who leadothers to Christ (Phil.4:1; 1 Th. 2:19).Unbelievers: At The

Great White Throne.All unbelievers will bejudged at the great whitethrone. This will occur afterthe 1,000-year reign ofChrist on earth (Rev. 20:7-

15). At that time, theunsaved dead of all theages will stand before God’sthrone. It will not be a timeof rejoicing. Every personwho stands before the Lordat the great white thronewill be declared guilty.

Then I saw a great whitethrone and Him who saton it, from whose face theearth and the heaven fledaway. And there wasfound no place for them(Rev. 20:11).

The unsaved will bejudged on the basis of theirrelationship to Jesus Christ,and also on the basis oftheir deeds (Rom. 2:5-11).Since these people have

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“One might bettertry to sail the Atlanticin a paper boat thanto get to heaven on

good works.”Charles Spurgeon



rejected the light they hadabout Christ, they will beexcluded from heaven.Their names are notincluded in the book of life (Lk. 10:20; Rev.3:5;13:8; 17:8; 20:12,15; 21:27).On the basis of what theyhave done on earth, theywill suffer varying degreesof judgment in hell (Lk.12:47-48; Rev. 20:12-13).

This discussion aboutjudgment should beupsetting. Hebrews 10:31tells us that “it is a fearfulthing to fall into the hands

of the living God.” Wecannot afford to take thatwarning lightly. And wecannot live without caringabout the eternal destiny ofthose whose lives we touch.Only a cold and callousedheart will hoard the life-giving news about salvation.And only a shortsightedperson will refuse the loveChrist displayed on thecross and pursue thepassing pleasures of sin.

Thinking It Over. If aChristian no longer has tofear judgment for sin, whyshould he be concernedabout facing the judgmentseat of Christ? Should aperson be content to get toheaven “by the skin of histeeth”? What “crowns” doyou think you will receive?Could it be wrong to thinktoo much about what youwill get for serving Christ?Take a moment to thankGod for providing a way of escape from the penaltyof sin.

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“If we would trulyknow God, and beknown of Him, weshould ask Him toteach us here andnow to reckon withthe solemn reality

of His wrath.”J. I. Packer



ETERNITY:Good News And Bad News

Have you ever gone to yourdoctor, dentist, or automechanic and heard goodnews and bad news at thesame time? The good newsmay have been that youwere still alive, but the badnews was that it would takemajor surgery to keep youthat way. Or perhaps youlearned that your daughterdoesn’t have any cavities,but she’s going to need

braces. Or it may be thatwhen you took your car in for a routine brakeinspection, the mechanictold you that the brakeswere fine but that theengine was ready to fall out.

Good news and badnews is not only a part oflife, it is also a part of deathand the hereafter. The goodnews is that many peoplewill enjoy heaven; the bad news is that many willagonize in hell. The decisionmust be made in life.

Heaven:The Good NewsIt sounds almost too goodto be true. It’s better than amouse getting locked in acheese-processing plant. It’s better than a beggarinheriting a million dollars.It’s better than a lazyperson finding a job as amattress tester. It’s betterthan winning the NobelPrize. We are talking about

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JUDGMENT

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DEATH

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(Heaven)ETERNITY

ETERNITY(Hell)

(Heaven)ETERNITY



heaven, and it’s far betterthan any earthly joy we canimagine. Our minds cannotbegin to comprehend aperfect environment wherewe will be united with Godand no longer have toendure the struggles of life.

What Will Heaven BeLike? The Bible does tell us some things about oureternal existence with God.After He creates the newheaven and new earth,there will be:• No more sorrow,

tears, pain, or death(Rev. 21:4).

• No more night (Rev. 21:23-25).

• No more evil (Rev. 21:27).

• No more curse (Rev. 22:3).

And in heaven we will:• Serve God (Rev. 22:3).• Reign with Christ forever

(Rev. 22:5).• Live in a place prepared

for us by Christ Himself(Jn. 14:2-3).

• Have perfect knowledge(1 Cor. 13:8-12).

• Be united with theredeemed of all time (1 Th. 4:17; Rev. 21:12,14).

• Have glorified bodieswith powers and abilitiesbeyond our imagination(1 Cor. 15:35-49; Phil.3:21).

• Live in beautifulsurroundings thatinclude magnificentbuildings and wonders of nature (Rev. 21–22).What a wonderful future

awaits us in heaven! Theanticipation should causeus to live right now ascitizens of heaven, aschildren of the King. Godshould be ruling in ourhearts, even though thisworld is still under thecontrol of the wicked one.The apostle John wrote:

Beloved, now we arechildren of God; and ithas not yet been revealedwhat we shall be, but weknow that when He is

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revealed, we shall be likeHim, for we shall see Himas He is. And everyonewho has this hope in Himpurifies himself, just asHe is pure (1 Jn. 3:2-3).Who Will Be There?

God will be in heaven, ofcourse, as its primary focus.With Him will be all theOld Testament saints(believing Israelites andbelieving Gentiles), thechurch (Jew and Gentilesalike who trusted Christ forsalvation), those who putfaith in Christ during thegreat tribulation, JesusChrist in all His glory, and the multitude of goodangels (Rev. 5:11-14; 7:1-17; 20:4; 21:12,14,22).

Who On Earth HasEver Seen Heaven? Hasanyone ever had a sneakpreview? Yes. In fact, threemen have given us firsthandinformation about whatheaven will be like. One ofthem could hardly talk abouthis experience, but another

man wrote a book about it.And the other person, theone who knew the most,gave us only limitedinformation.• Paul: He mentioned a time when he was “caughtup to the third heaven” or“Paradise”—the dwellingplace of God (2 Cor. 12:2-4;cp. Lk. 23:43). But he did nottell us any specifics aboutthat experience, except thathe had heard “inexpressiblewords, which it is not lawfulfor a man to utter.”• John: While in exile onthe island of Patmos, Johnsaw heaven in a vision andwrote down what he saw(Rev. 4–22).• Jesus: He left heaven to live and die on earth (Jn. 3:13-17; 6:32-58). Hethen ascended to heaven,where He will be until Hereturns in power (Acts 1:11;2 Th. 1:7-10; Rev. 19:11-21). Jesus assured us of the reality and glories ofheaven (Jn. 14:1-6).

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What Is The NewJerusalem? In his visionrecorded in the book ofRevelation, John said thathe saw “the holy city, NewJerusalem, coming downout of heaven from God,prepared as a bride adornedfor her husband” (21:2).The holy city will appearafter everyone has beenresurrected and judged, andafter the creation of a newheaven and a new earth.The city will be the capitalof heaven, the place ofGod’s special presence. Itwill be the primary dwellingplace of the redeemed. The city is said to have 12 gates symbolizing thepresence of the 12 tribes of Israel (v.12) and 12foundations representingthe presence of the churchof the 12 apostles (v.14).John described it as beingan immense jeweled city ofgreat beauty.

Hebrews 11 tells us thatAbraham was willing to live

in tents during his lifebecause he knew that oneday he would live in “thecity which has foundations,whose builder and maker is God” (v.10). This is thesame city that believersanticipate as their eternalhome (13:14).

Thinking It Over. Willany people who arrive inheaven miss their old lifeon earth? What questionsare you looking forward tofinding answers for whenyou get to heaven? If we arealready citizens of heavenas Christians, how shouldthat affect the way we livehere on earth? What will be

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“Though Christiansbelieve in heaven,

sometimes they actas though going

there were acalamity.”

Henry Jacobson



our greatest joy in heaven?Why do you suppose Godgave us so little specificinformation about heaven?

HELL:The Bad NewsThe first reaction to badnews is often a refusal toaccept it. A person who istold he has a terminalillness, for example, may gothrough a stage of denialbefore he comes to termswith reality. Many react tothe bad news about hell ina similar way. They feel it isjust too awful to be true.They think God is tooloving to create such aplace. They say eternalpunishment based on arelatively brief life spanwould be like sentencing aperson to the electric chairfor a parking ticket.

Why Would A Good And Loving GodCondemn People To Hell?We must not underestimate

the seriousness of rejectingGod. It is not merely amatter of doing something alittle wrong and then havingGod overreact. The sin wecommit by rejecting Him isa monstrous crime (Rom.1:18; Col. 1:21; Heb. 10:29-31). It is a crime so greatthat the only way Godcould rescue us from itspenalty was to sentence His own Son to die on ourbehalf (Col. 1:15-22; Heb.9:11–10:18). It is only as we realize the significanceof Christ’s death for us that we begin to realize theimmensity of our guiltbefore God.

Our good and lovingGod is also a God ofholiness and justice (Ps.33:5). He cannot ignore sin.He will not tolerateimperfection in His holypresence (Heb. 12:14). Toexecute His justice, Hecreated a real place calledhell, originally for Satanand his angels (Mt. 25:41).

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ETERNITY(Hell)



What Will Hell BeLike? As with heaven, theBible gives us only generaldescriptions of what hellwill be like. Although somepeople have questioned theliteralness of a physical hellfilled with fire and smoke,

we must remember thatunbelievers will beresurrected with some sortof body that can endurephysical torment. Theessence of hell is eternalseparation from God; evenso, its inhabitants willendure varying degrees of physical suffering (Mt. 11:20-24).

Some people want tobelieve that Jesus is so

loving and merciful that He would never sendanyone to a place like hell. But when Jesus taught, He spoke more about hellthan He did about heaven.

Whereas the Old Testamenthad revealed very littleabout the eternal conditionof those who reject God,Christ described hell as:• A place of fire (Mt. 5:22;

7:19; 13:42,50; 25:41;Mk. 9:43-48).

• A place of bodilytorment (Mt. 5:29-30).

• A place separated from God’s presence (Mt. 7:23).

• A place of darkness (Mt. 8:12; 22:13).

• A place of weeping and gnashing of teeth(Mt. 8:12; 13:42,50;22:13; 25:30).

• A place of varyingdegrees of punishment(Mk. 12:40; Lk. 10:13-14; 12:47-48).The apostles described

hell as:24

“Almost everynatural man that

hears of hellflatters himself thathe shall escape it.”

Jonathan Edwards



• A place of indignation,wrath, tribulation, andanguish (Rom. 2:8-9).

• Flaming fire andeverlasting destructionaway from God’spresence (2 Th. 1:6-9).

• Eternal judgment (Heb. 6:2).

• Fiery indignation, whichwill devour God’senemies (Heb. 10:27).

• A place of fire(Jas. 3:6; Jude 6-7).

• The final expression of God’s judgment (2 Pet. 2:4-9).

• A fiery place where thesmoke of suffering willrise forever (Rev. 14:11).

• A lake of fire, the seconddeath (Rev. 20:14-15).Why Not Annihilation?

“Would God be any lessjust,” some ask, “if Hesimply ended the existenceof the wicked after they arejudged and found guilty?”Perhaps not, but theterminology of Scriptureclearly says that hell, like

heaven, is a real place thatwill exist for all eternity(Mt. 18:8; 25:41,46; 2 Th.1:9; Heb. 6:2; Jude 7,13;Rev. 14:11). When the Bibleuses words like cut off,death, and destruction, itdoes not mean theextinction of the soul.

What AboutPurgatory? Some peoplebelieve that even those whoare saved by grace willendure some sort of “hell”before they enter heaven.

They say that prayers forthe dead, acts of devotion,and gifts of money to thechurch will help shorten aperson’s stay in purgatory.There is absolutely nobiblical support of this view.In fact, it deprecates the

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“It is a fearful thingto fall into thehands of the living God.”

Hebrews 10:31



effectiveness of Christ’sdeath on the cross byimplying that He did notfully pay the price tocleanse us from all our sins.

Who Will Be There?Will only the worst ofhumanity be in hell? Willpeople like Hitler, Judas,Jezebel, child molesters,murderers, rapists, and drugpeddlers be the only onescondemned? No.

Most people like tobelieve they are not badenough to go to hell. Theylike to think that when God

balances their good deedsagainst their bad, the goodwill outweigh the bad andthey will go to heaven. Butthat’s not what the Biblesays. It tells us thateveryone has fallen short of God’s entrancerequirements (Rom. 3:23).No one has the properpassport to get throughheaven’s gates on his own.

Only those who havepersonally trusted Christ fortheir salvation will escapehell. Those who heard thegospel but scoffed at it, aswell as those who neversearched out the truth theirconsciences spoke to themabout, will be there. Thecitizens of hell will be thosewho have taken the broadroad, the road that deceivestravelers into a false senseof security (Mt. 7:13).

Satan himself will be the host of hell. He will bejoined by his cohorts:Antichrist, the false prophet,and all his demons. It will

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“The safest road to hell is the

gradual one–thegentle slope, softunderfoot, withoutsudden turnings,

without milestones,without signposts.”

C. S. Lewis



be a gathering of the “Who’s Who Of Evil.”

Hell is a difficult topic to think about. Even so, itis a reality. In His teaching,Jesus often pointed to hell’sterrors with one hand while

pointing to the joys ofheaven with the other. Hesaid we will all go to oneplace or the other. There is no escape. We can’tstraddle the fence, and we can’t wait to make adecision until after we havepassed through death’sdoor. Scripture does notallow us to believe in a“second chance” for those

who reject Christ. True, it would be nice to believethat everyone willeventually be saved—but that is not what theBible tells us will happen.

Yes, according to theBible, hell is real. Thisthought should cause us to make sure of heaven and to help others escapehell’s terrors.

Thinking It Over. Whydo some people reject theidea of a literal, eternalhell? Why must we believein hell even though wewould rather not? Howshould a knowledge ofhell’s awfulness affect ourheart? For believers, how is the idea of purgatorydifferent from the biblicalpicture of the judgment seatof Christ? Why is it thatmany people don’t like totalk about sin and hell? Ifunbelievers are going tohell, what can you do tohelp them get off the roadto destruction?

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We can’t straddlethe fence, and wecan’t wait to make

a decision untilafter we havepassed throughdeath’s door.



ONLY TWO OPTIONS

Imagine yourself standingat the door of an openelevator. How do youdecide whether or not to get on? Your choice isinfluenced by two factors:the elevator’s direction, and where you want to go.You wouldn’t want to endup in the basement if youintended to go to the topfloor.

Now imagine yourselfstanding at the doorway toeternity. Where will you go?

Will it be heaven—or hell?The decision you makenow, before you die, willdetermine whether you areheaded for the resurrectionof the righteous or theresurrection of thecondemned, whether your judgment will be joyfulor miserable, and whetheryou will spend eternity withGod or eternity separatedfrom Him. The choice isyours. There are only twooptions.

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JUDGMENT

RESURRECTION

DEATH

RESURRECTION

JUDGMENT

(Heaven)ETERNITY

ETERNITY(Hell)

Imagine yourselfstanding at the

doorway to eternity.Where will you go?Will it be heaven–

or hell?



THROUGH THETUNNEL

Joseph Bayly was a respectedauthor and speaker on thesubject of death. In thisexcerpt, he wrote of thedifficulty we have when wetry to understand therealities of the life to come.

I cannot prove theexistence of heaven. I acceptits reality by faith, on theauthority of Jesus Christ: “In My Father’s house aremany mansions; if it werenot so, I would have toldyou. I go to prepare a placefor you” (Jn. 14:2).

For that matter, if I werea twin in the womb, I doubtthat I could prove theexistence of earth to mymate. He would probablyobject that the idea of anearth beyond the womb wasridiculous, that the wombwas the only earth we’dever know.

If I tried to explain that

earthlings live in a greatlyexpanded environment andbreathe air, he would onlybe more skeptical. After all,a fetus lives in water; whowould imagine its being ableto live in a universe of air?To him such a transitionwould seem impossible.

It would take birth toprove the earth’s existenceto a fetus. A little pain, adark tunnel, a gasp of air—and then the wide world!Green grass, laps, lakes, the ocean, horses (could a fetus imagine a horse?),rainbows, walking, running,surfing, ice-skating. Withenough room that you don’thave to shove, and auniverse beyond.

What is heaven like? For the tired, it is a place ofrest. For the sorrowing, aplace where “God will wipeaway every tear from theireyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, norcrying; and there shall be nomore pain” (Rev. 21:4).

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Or war or greed or evil of any kind. It is a place of totalhappiness: “In Your presenceis fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasuresforevermore” (Ps. 16:11).

Heaven is also a place of activity, of work (butwithout the curse of toil and sweat and barrenground), of sharing in theresponsibility of divinegovernment.

I sat with a friendrecently in his hospitalroom. The diagnosis isterminal cancer. If deathcomes, it will interrupt adistinguished career as aleader in training youngmen to serve Jesus Christ.“When we think ofheaven,” he said, “I don’t think we give enoughconsideration to what we’retold in Revelation, that ‘Hisservants shall serve Him’(22:3), and that theirservice is ‘day and night’(7:15). We talk too muchabout rest—our rest will be

found in serving God.”In heaven we will be

freed from our presentfragmented intellectualknowledge, and see truthand beauty with greatlyexpanded vision. “Now Iknow in part, but then Ishall know just as I also am known” (1 Cor. 13:12).

Heaven will besupremely beautiful. Thebiblical descriptions includewalls of precious stones,gates of pearl, streets ofgold. (My mother used tosay that she didn’t find anyparticular attraction ingolden streets. I had noanswer for her until I read a comment by F. B. Meyer,that in heaven all earth’svalues are turned upsidedown. “What do we countmost valuable on earth?” he asked. “Gold. Men livefor gold, kill for it. But inheaven gold is so plentifulthat they pave the streetswith it . . . .”)

“But,” someone says, 30



“how could I enjoy such aplace? I’m not made for it.”Neither is the fetus made forearth until he goes throughthe tunnel. Is there anotherplace? Yes, but if the realityof heaven is questionedtoday, the reality of a placeof eternal separation fromGod (hell, as it is usuallycalled) is ignored. I acceptits reality by faith, on theauthority of Jesus Christ: “I say to you, My friends,do not be afraid of thosewho kill the body, and afterthat have no more that theycan do. But I will show youwhom you should fear: FearHim who, after He haskilled, has power to castinto hell; yes, I say to you,fear Him!” (Lk. 12:4-5).

Jesus Christ described it as a place of “weepingand gnashing of teeth” (Mt.25:30), of remembering the past with its lostopportunity to repent andturn to God, of the loss ofthose gifts men enjoyed on

earth without a thought oftheir Source: “From himwho does not have, evenwhat he has will be takenaway” (Mt. 25:29).

Jesus Christ definedhell’s reality in strongerlanguage than any otherperson in the Bible. But Healso had compassion on themultitudes, wept over anunbelieving city, anddefined His mission ascoming not to condemn,but to bring life.

Reprinted from The Last Thing We TalkAbout by Joseph Bayly ©1973 by David C. Cook Company. Used by permission.

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“But,” someone says, “how could I

enjoy such a place?I’m not made for it.”Neither is the fetusmade for earth until

he goes through the tunnel.



LOOKING AHEAD

DDo you know whereyou are going after

you die? Or are youlike the pilot who lost hisnavigation equipment,became disoriented, andthen announced to thepassengers, “Ladies andgentlemen, the bad news is that we don’t know where we are going. Thegood news is that we’remaking great time.”

Is your life flying bywithout real direction andpurpose? Do you haveserious doubts about whereyou will spend eternity? Ifso, remember these wordsof Jesus: “All that the Fathergives Me will come to Me,and the one who comes toMe I will by no means castout” (Jn. 6:37). The choiceis yours. If you seek God’sforgiveness through Christ,you will be forgiven. You will spend eternity inheaven. You will no longer

have to fear the grave.But what if you are

sure that you are headed for the resurrection of therighteous? Then you mustremember the judgment seatof Christ. You must so livethat you will reap a harvestof eternal gain rather thanloss. You must immerseyourself in God’s Word toknow what He values most.You must even now beconcerned about imitatingChrist in your attitudes andactions (Eph. 5:1-7).

Christ wept over the lostcondition of mankind. Hegave His life for sinners. Hislove and compassion wereobvious to all who came incontact with Him. Whatabout you? Do peoplesense your concern for thelost? Are you willing to giveof yourself that others maycome to know God?

May God help us knowwhere we are going whenwe die—and to be faithfuluntil we arrive.

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