Worthy – Heaven & Hell

Worthy

You were there in the beginning; you spoke the world into being
You watched as our rebellion broke your heart
Though sin would separate us, you would not let us go
And you had a plan to save us from the start

You left your realm of glory to come into our presence
You took on flesh and bore the trials of man
You gave your life as an offering, the sinless Son of God
Then you were raised up to Glory once again
Now we’re singing, “Worthy is the Lamb!”

You knew me from the beginning; you spoke my life into being
You died that I could live with you on high
My life is yours forever, and when you call my name
I will leave this world and fly to your side.
And we’ll be singing, “Worthy is the Lamb!”

Worthy is the Lamb, Worthy is the Lamb, Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain,
Who was raised again!
Worthy is the Lamb, Worthy is the Lamb, Worthy is the Lamb Who was slain
And forevermore will reign!

He reigns!  Amen – He reigns!  Amen
Amen

Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven, and the same voice I had heard before spoke to me like a trumpet blast. The voice said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” And instantly I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it. The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow. Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.

In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty – The one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”

Revelation 4:1-8

Do you ever think about Heaven?  How do you picture Heaven?  What will we be doing there?  Is your view of Heaven people sitting on clouds with wings and harps?  Something like this maybe?

Do you think of Heaven as boring?  Read the description of Heaven that John gives us above in Revelation 4.  We see brilliant colors, awesome creatures, thrones, beautiful gems, thunder, and perfect worship!  

In this section, we will be talking about both Heaven and hell that we see later in the book of Revelation, but for an excellent discussion of Revelation 4, please read or listen to Ray Stedman’s sermon on this topic. You can find it here:  https://www.raystedman.org/new-testament/revelation/supreme-headquarters

But let’s go back to your view of Heaven.  I have heard people say, “I’d rather party with the Devil in hell than sit around being bored in Heaven.”  This is a gross misconception and a lie of Satan. Satan doesn’t “rule” hell… he will be banished there. 

“Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”  

Revelation 20:10

And there certainly isn’t any partying. 

Let’s take a brief look at what the Bible says that hell really is.

• It was created for Satan and the demons when they rebelled against God. (Matthew 25:41)
• It is a place of torment (Matthew 13:50 & Revelation 14:10)
• It is forever (Revelation 14:11)
• It is the sad fate of anyone who does not accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.  (John 14:6 & Revelation 20:11-15)
• This life is your only chance to choose Jesus.  There is no second chance or “purgatory”.  (Hebrews 9:27-28)
• It is often referred to as “Gehenna”, which translates to a burning dump.
• There is a chasm between Heaven and hell, and you cannot cross between them.  (Luke 16:19-31)
• It is separation from God (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
• It is utter darkness.  (Jude 1:13)

We can see that hell is not a place to party, but a place to suffer for all of eternity.  But is that really fair?  Would a loving God really send someone to hell?  The truth is that, if we choose to live in active rebellion against God and do not accept the gift of forgiveness and grace, we choose hell.  But, in order to fully understand this concept, we need to look at what Heaven is.

First, we need to clarify that there are two versions of “Heaven” that are pictured in the Bible.  Revelation talks both about Heaven and about the 1,000-year reign of Jesus on the new earth.  These are two separate things.  

With regard to the 1,000-year reign of Jesus, we see these descriptions:

• It begins after the final battle of the 7-year tribulation. (Revelation 19 & 20)
• Satan will be locked up and unable to deceive anyone during this time. (Revelation 20:2-3) 
• Jesus will rule during this time. (Isaiah 11:1-5, 1 Corinthians 15:24-25)
• The animal kingdom will be changed to one of peace, and there will be no fear between people and animals.  (Isaiah 11:6-8, Isaiah 65:25)
• There will be peace and safety (Isaiah 11:9-16, Isaiah 65:25) 
• Those who remain faithful to the reign of Jesus will have unnaturally long lives such that even 100-years-old will not be considered old.  (Isaiah 65:20)
• There will be clear communication with God (Isaiah 65:24)
• There will be no weeping or crying (Isaiah 65:19)
• There will still be rebellion, but now people will not have Satan to blame, since he has been removed.  (1 Corinthians 15:25-28, Revelation 20:7-10)
• Satan will be released at the end of the 1,000 years to lead a final rebellion before being eternally condemned to hell.  (Revelation 20:7-10)

It is generally suggested that people who have come to know Jesus during the tribulation and remain alive at the end will populate the earth during this time.

Revelation 20 goes on to tell us that after the 1,000-year reign, Satan leads the final rebellion, fails, and is sent to eternal torment.  Then, there is a final judgement, and anyone not found in the Lamb’s book of life (the book that lists all who have chosen to follow Jesus) is condemned to hell for eternity.

In Revelation 21, John goes on to describe a new heaven and a new earth.  It is described like this:

• Jerusalem will be at the center and will be beautifully remade.  (v2)
• God will personally live with people. (v3)
• There will no longer be death, sorrow, crying or pain. (v4)
• Jerusalem will be lavished with gemstones and will sparkle like a diamond.  It will be roughly the size of the moon and will likely be shaped like a cube or a pyramid. (v10-21)
• There will no longer be a temple, because Jesus will be the temple.  (v22)
• There will be no need for the sun or moon, because the glory of God will be the source of light. (v23)
• No evil will be allowed.  Only those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ will be there.  (v27)

The description continues in Revelation 22:

• There will be a crystal-clear river flowing through the city and fruit trees that give life on either side.  (v1-2)
• Like the original garden of Eden, there will not be a curse on the people or the land. (v3)
• Everyone there will worship God, and there will be no more sin. (v3-4)
• There will be no night. (v5)

The Bible also suggests that we will have perfected and ageless bodies and minds, jobs to do that are not dulled by the curse, animals that are not bound by the curse, clearer understanding, and that we will recognize those around us.  But in all honesty, it is difficult to determine what any of this will look like.  There is a lot we don’t know about heaven, including where believers go between now and the events that Revelation describes.  I think there are probably two main reasons for this.

First, God is beyond our comprehension, and so are Heaven and the new earth.  Our brains cannot fully comprehend the magnitude and magnificence.  John was so overcome by what he saw that he fell to the ground and stumbled for words to even begin to describe this experience.  

Second, God exists outside of time, and so does Heaven.  We see things in a linear fashion, but that simply isn’t the case with God.  Ray Stedman believes that when a believer dies, they go to the New Heaven described in Revelation, even though in our minds, it hasn’t occurred yet!  (You can listen to his sermons under the resources section.). 

So that brings us back to this question:  Would a loving God really send people to hell?  Jesus had an answer to this question:

Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.

“Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”

Matthew 13:37-43

Why will they remove everything that causes sin and all who do evil?  Because Heaven is pure joy and no pain.  Sin causes pain, and it simply cannot be allowed.  That is why those who make the decision to choose sin and rebellion over Jesus have already condemned themselves.  That is why people who want nothing to do with God will get their wish.

We all deserve hell.  We have all sinned.  Praise God that he sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins!  Praise God for his free gift of grace!  Praise God that we can spend eternity with Jesus in perfect communion with him and with all of humanity!  

Related Devotional

What Happens When We Die?

“Heaven” by Randy Alcorn gives a wonderful overview of Heaven.  You can purchase it on Amazon and you can read a sample of the book here: Heaven Sample

“The City of Glory – Revelation 21:1-22:21” with Ray Stedman The City of Glory

“The New Earth – Revelation 20-22” with Ray Stedman The New Earth

“What is Hell Like?” by Emily Hall What is Hell Like?

“Love and Hell Don’t Mix, Do They?” by Rob Shiflet with Josh McDowell Ministries Love and Hell Don’t Mix, Do They?

“Is Everyone Punished the Same in Hell?” with John Piper Is Everyone Punished the Same in Hell?

Music and lyrics by LuAnne Barnet.  Copyright (c) 2005 LuAnne Barnet.  All Rights Reserved

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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