Heaven or Hell? (They are both real.)
Something dawned on me this morning while I was filling out a “life timeline” Olivia gave me for Mother’s Day.
Because my grandfather and mom both came from large families, I had a lot of great aunts and uncles and other relatives pass away when I was a child. I wasn’t close to most of them because I was so little. Getting babysitters just wasn’t a thing when I was growing up so if my parents went to a funeral, we ALL went to the funeral.
As I sat thinking about this this morning, I wondered if that has something to do with my faith. I have always known that “life is short” even from a young age. I also heard the message over and over that people don’t just die and that’s it. There is an eternity in which we live after we die: heaven or hell.
I knew the realities of heaven and hell based on scriptures in the Bible and I knew that if someone lived without Jesus, hell would be their final destination forEVER!
We live in a world now where death is glamorized in video games or movies...even in the news. Most don’t even cringe when a person is shot or is suffering with their last breath. Many will search and look for videos of current events when people die because they want to “see what happened.” We’ve become numb to it and the fact that there is indeed an afterlife.
We also live in a world where many think hell is pretty much a party place. OR...many deny the fact that a lot of people (the Bible actually says MOST) will go there. Matthew 7:13 says: You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.
I’m not sure what my point is in this post other than maybe helping someone realize that this life on earth is fleeting. We don’t stay here forever and there IS an eternal heaven and hell after we die.
Many will ask, “How can a good God send people to hell?” Well, hell was not created for humans. It was created for the devil and the other rebellious fallen angels. God gave mankind a choice to go with the rebellion or to submit to Him and follow Christ. Nothing impure and sinful can exist in the presence of God and since we ALL have imperfections and sin, our sins have to be punished.
Jesus, in all humility and love took the punishment for our sins so we could live forever with Him in heaven. He died and even went to hell to get the keys to hell so we wouldn’t have to. (You can read all about that in the Bible, too.) Now heaven is a place where we get to go all because of Jesus! He made a way where there was no way.
When we accept Jesus into our lives, we admit that we are sinners in need of a Savior. We ask Him to literally live in our hearts by His Spirit...called Holy Spirit. We follow Him and learn His ways. We agree with what the Bible says about sin and we trust that God will transform us into Christlikeness as we grow and mature in our walk with Him.
Heaven and hell are real. A life with Christ is real. A life separated from Him for all eternity is real. I am praying that someone who hasn’t invited Him in their lives would ask Him today. And I pray that the blessing and gift of heaven would be given to their entire household through accepting Jesus.
