Heaven and Hell

Do you believe in a literal heaven and hell? What happens to people who die without a saving knowledge of Christ?

Lets take this one step at a time; do I believe in a literal heaven? If I didn’t I would be living for nothing. I would have absolutely no hope for life after death. Everything that it stands for to be a Christian, everything that I am striving to be, would have no purpose, no meaning.

If there weren’t a literal heaven then the Christians on the earth wouldn’t need morals or values. Because lets face it, if this life is as good as it will ever get, why in the world would we be storing up treasures in some place that we are never going to go? I would be living it up here on earth without any restrictions.

But as a believer in the living God, I know that there is without a doubt something even greater than life on this earth. Praise God for eternity in heaven. I think I would have a very sad life if this weren’t true.

Going to heaven and living life with Jesus worshiping God the Father is what makes this life worth living for. It is what provides joy in times of sorrow, and hope in times of despair.

At the same time Revelation paints a picture of hell that is undoubtedly real. And unfortunately if we aren’t willing to recognize the truth, which is Jesus, then we aren’t going to go to heaven. And if we aren’t going to heaven then the Word makes it clear, we are going to go to hell.

I would love to be an optimist and say that no everyone gets into heaven and the awful place known, as hell isn’t real. But the fact of the matter is, the Bible makes this clear, if you don’t believe that as humans we sin, and that we need the blood of Jesus to be forgiven and clean in God’s sight then we don’t get to spend eternity in the presence of Christ.

So those without a saving knowledge of Christ then ultimately, you go to hell. While it may sound as though we have a harsh God who sends people to a place with eternal flame. To be truthful, hell is a terrible place that we all deserve. It was by His grace that we were given life to seek truth in the first place. Being human and even our entrance to life here on this earth makes us automatically sinners, who deserve nothing. But by recognizing His grace we receive everything. This includes a hope for life after death and eternity in heaven.