Today we are going to compare the glory of Heaven and the horrors of Hell. We will first present a scriptural presentation of Jesus Christ and a historical review of the Creation story. All of this is important so that each individual can make an informed decision about whether or not they will accept or reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It will also help individuals to make an informed choice between Heaven and Hell as their final destination.
Hello to my brothers and sisters. I’ve got good news for you. Jesus lives! Everything else pales in comparison to that glorious fact. Some of you know who Jesus is and have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior. Please allow me to introduce Him, based on the Scriptures, to those who do not know Him or who may not know Him as well as they should.
Jesus, the Christ, is the second member of the Godhead. He is the precious Son of God. God Himself testified that he is indeed His Son.
Matthew 3:17 (KJV)
17 And lo a voice from Heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
According to Song of Solomon 2:1, He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the valley
1 I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
Jesus calls Himself the bright and morning star in Revelation 22:16 (KJV)
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Apostle John, in John 1:1, identifies Him as the Word of God.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jesus presents Himself as the bread of life in John 6:35 (KJV)
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
And as the way, the truth, and the life in John 14:6 (KJV)
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
He is our only access to God and how we must be saved. Acts 4:12 says
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
A brief review of the Creation Story
The war in Heaven, Satan’s expulsion, and the ultimate destination of him and his rebellious angels.
In eternity past, Satan’s “job” was to lead in the “worship service” of God but he was “fired” because sin was found in him. There was a war in Heaven in which Satan and a third of Heaven’s angels attempted to overthrow God’s kingdom. Satan, a created being, tried to exalt himself above God, but the result was that he was overcome and kicked out of Heaven. Falling to earth, He became and is considered the “god of this world.”
2 Corinthians 4:4 (KJV)
4 In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
According to Revelation 20:10, Satan is destined for Hell and the Lake of fire because of the rebellion against God.
Revelation 20:10 (KJV)
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Following the disturbance in Heaven, God decided to re-construct the Heaven and earth. After that reconstruction, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit had a conversation and decided to make man.
The creation of man
Genesis 1:26 (KJV)
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Adam, God’s man, was handmade and custom-built. God made him and breathed breath into him, and man became a living soul. God placed him in a beautiful place called the Garden of Eden. A few significant responsibilities were given to him, such as dressing the Garden and naming the animals. Man’s primary responsibility, however, was to obey God. God placed a tree in the Garden called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam had full access to every other tree in the Garden for food except that one tree.
The fall of man
God then gave Adam a helpmeet, a woman, and her name was Eve. Unfortunately, in the form of a serpent, Satan deceived Eve and convinced her to disobey God by eating the forbidden tree. She then convinced Adam to do the same. Adam and Eve and the serpent were banished from the Garden and given severe penalties for their sin. Worst of all, Adam, Eve, and all of their offspring (which includes you and me), were separated from the Holiness of God. All were on a downward spiral to Hell, right along with Satan and his followers.
God’s Plan for man’s salvation
But God, in His infinite love, wisdom, and grace, developed a plan for man so that they could be saved from destruction. The Plan would appease the anger of God against sin, as well as God’s Holiness and His Justice. The only problem with the Plan was that it would cost God Heaven’s best. When God looked around to see who could stand in for man and die in man’s stead, the only person who was able to do it was Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son.
Jesus accepts the challenge
In obedience to His Father, Jesus agreed to come to earth to be born of a virgin named Mary, to walk the earth as a man, and to personally prepare twelve men who would spearhead the spread of the message of salvation. But most of all, Jesus agreed to demonstrate holiness, then die at the hand of cruel men and women. He would go into the belly of Hell and take the keys to death, Hell, and the grave from Satan, thereby defeating that devil. Then He would be raised by His Father, ascend into Heaven and show evidence through his blood sacrifice that He had fully obeyed God.
Jesus accomplished His assignment and received His reward
Jesus accomplished all that was given for Him to do. In so doing, God awarded Jesus the soul of every man, woman, and child who would accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Jesus bought us with His own blood. To be saved, all that we have to do is to accept Jesus as our sacrifice and our Savior. Jesus took every bit of the work out of salvation; all we have to do is believe it, receive, and it’s ours.
Man’s rewards for accepting Jesus
Now, what do you get if you accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? First, you are removed from Hell’s “hit list” and your name is written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life. No longer are you destined for Hell, you are on your way to a glorious place called Heaven when you die. The main reward for those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will be the privilege of entering and abiding in Heaven, then enjoying the gift of fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The Bible lets us know that exceeding joy awaits those who attain Heaven, as stated in Matthew 5: 12.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in Heaven.
Apostle John’s description of Heaven
Apostle John in Revelation 21:1-27 had an experience while out on the Isle of Patmos when he was given a glimpse of Heaven. The following are some excerpts of what he saw.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first Heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from God,
Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.
And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones.
And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.
And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
Heaven will be so wonderful that it defies description in terms that we can understand (1 Corinthians 2: 9).
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Now, let’s compare that beauty and glory and splendor with the horrors of Hell for those who will reject Jesus.
Bible Descriptions of Hell
Several Scriptures describe Hell in a way that makes us aware that it is a place to avoid. Thank God that He gave His Son so that we could avoid it. The Scriptures that follow provide a graphic presentation of Hell.
And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night (Revelation 14:11).
Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. (II Thessalonians 1:9)
And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be abhorring unto all flesh. (Isaiah 66:24)
(Speaking of Hell), Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:44)
Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 22:13)
And, as though Hell is not awful enough, it is just a holding tank because Hell, along with everything that winds up in that place, will be thrown into the Lake of fire following the Great White Throne Judgment and the Second Death.
Rev. 20: 11-15 describes the Great White Throne Judgment and the Second Death:
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the Heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and Hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and Hell were cast into the Lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the Lake of fire.
Do You want to go to Heaven?
So, we have looked at the virtues of Heaven and compared them to the horrors of Hell. Hopefully, you understand that we need a Savior to take the dead weight of sin from us so that we can go to Heaven. Prayerfully you also know that the only one who can deliver us from the horrible fate of Hell is Jesus Christ. It all boils down to the simple fact that if you want to go to Heaven, then accept Jesus. If you choose Hell and the Lake of fire, then reject Jesus. I feel that anyone who rejects Jesus has got to be crazy, but that’s my opinion. Each individual is given a choice.
So, some of you get it, and you want to accept Jesus? Jesus has already done the hard work. All you have to do is recognize that you are a sinner, repent of your sins, and with a broken heart and contrite spirit, ask Jesus into your life. Ask Him to save you, and He will. To be saved, or born again, simply requires that we repent and pray a simple but sincere prayer in obedience to God.
Romans 10: 8-10 says
8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
When an individual prays the following prayer (or one that uses similar words) and means it with all of his heart, that individual is saved.
The Sinner’s prayer
“Father, I’m sorry for the sins that I have committed. Forgive me for all of my sins. Save my soul and give me the power to live holy. If you save me, I’ll live for you.”
Then receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost
Then ask God to baptize you with the Holy Ghost so that you can live according to God’s mandates until you die. Ask: “Father, fill me with the Holy Ghost”. Our comforter, keeper, and guide, the Holy Ghost, is the third member of the Godhead. Being filled with the Power that He brings helps us to make it safely into the Kingdom of God. Accept Jesus and live! God bless you.