THE TRUTH ABOUT HEAVEN AND HELL



The world's churches teach the following beliefs -:

1. You have an immortal soul.
   
2. If you are good (or accept Christ with no works involved) then you go straight to heaven when you die.
   
3. If you are bad (or don't accept Christ) then you go straight to hell and burn and burn forever.
   
4. This life is everyone's only chance for salvation.
   

In this lesson we will show how false these teachings are and discover what the real truth is according to the Bible.

1] Do you have an immortal soul?

What happens to man after he dies? Does he have an immortal soul that separates from the body at death? Is there a spirit part of us that continues to have a conscious existence as soon as we die?

“The ancient philosophers taught that man is essentially an immortal spiritual 'soul' housed in a temporary body of flesh—that the real man is not the body, but an invisible, immaterial 'immortal soul' that thinks, hears, sees and will consciously live on forever.

“At death, according to the speculation of the ancients, the soul leaves the body and journeys to a nebulous realm, possibly paradise or a place of punishment. The body, they correctly observed, goes to the grave. Some Oriental philosophers speculated that the souls of the departed go into other bodies after death and live as animals, birds, snakes, even trees or gnats—or perhaps as human beings. This doctrine, called 'transmigration of souls' or 'reincarnation', is currently gaining a renewed popularity” (Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course, Lesson 5, p.3).

What is a soul and is it immortal? In Genesis 2:7 we read the following: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man BECAME a living soul” (KJV). When life entered Adam he became a soul. The Hebrew word that is translated soul everywhere it is found in the Old Testament is “nephesh”. This Hebrew word is defined as “a breathing creature” in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.

In Genesis 1:21, 24, 2:19, 9:10, 12, 15 and 16 the same Hebrew word is used for animals but is translated as creature. It is translated as "dead body" or "the dead" in Leviticus 19:28, 21:1 and 22:4. If the soul leaves the body at death how could the dead body be called a soul? The soul is not separate from the body. It is the body!

Is the soul immortal? In Ezekiel 18:4 we read, “Behold, all souls are Mine. The soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins shall die.” The last sentence is repeated in Ezekiel 18:20 - “The soul who sins shall die.”

What does the New Testament have to say about the soul? The Greek word translated as soul in the New Testament is “psuche”. Its meaning is identical to the Hebrew word “nephesh”. It also means a breathing creature. It is used for animals in Revelation 8:9 and 16:3 where it is translated as creature.

In Matthew 10:28 Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” When Jesus uses the word soul here He is referring to our life. Men can kill our body but God can renew our life by resurrecting us. He says to fear God who can terminate our life for the rest of eternity by wiping out any chance we have of a future resurrection. According to Jesus the soul can be destroyed! It is not immortal.

Where did this idea of an immortal soul come from? Where did it start? In Genesis 3:1-5 we read: “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?' And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'”

Satan told Eve she would "not surely die" — in other words, she had an "immortal soul" that would live forever. This was the origin of the big lie that man has an immortal soul. Below is a little bit of the history of the immortal soul doctrine which shows that it is a pagan belief that was adopted by the Catholic Church:

“Notice what Herodotus, the famous Greek historian who lived in the fifth century before Jesus, admitted: 'The Egyptians also were the first who asserted the doctrine that the soul of man is immortal...This opinion, some among the Greeks have at different periods of time adopted as their own' (Euterpe, chapter 123)…

"'The belief in the immortality of the soul came to the Jews from contact with Greek thought and chiefly through the philosophy of Plato, its principal exponent, who was led to it through Orphic and Eleusinian mysteries in which Babylonian and Egyptian views were strangely blended'…

“Origen, an early Catholic teacher in Alexandria, Egypt, joined the speculations of Plato with certain parts of the Bible and called his philosophy neo-Platonism. Here is what Origen wrote around 200 AD: 'Souls are immortal, as God Himself is eternal and immortal'! He openly professed to be a true 'Platonist, who believed in the immortality of the soul' (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. IV, pp. 314, 402)...

“Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274 A.D.), Italian scholastic teacher and theologian, stamped the doctrine of the immortality of the soul permanently on the Christian-professing world. Fifty years later, Dante Alighieri wrote the immensely famous poem, The Divine Comedy, in which he pictured for the common people his imaginary concepts of hell, purgatory and paradise—which have been widely believed since that time” (Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course, Lesson 5, p.4-5).

Let's look at a few more verses in the New Testament that show that we don't have immortality and that it is something we need to seek from God. In Romans 6:23 we read: “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Eternal life is a gift from God not something that we automatically have. 1 John 3:15 says: “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

In 1 Timothy 6:15-16 Paul says the following about Christ: “He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who ALONE has immortality.” Of all who have been human only Christ has immortality.

In 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 Paul wrote: “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” At the resurrection we will PUT ON IMMORTALITY! What is the point of the resurrection anyway if we already have an immortal soul?

There are many stories about ghosts which can trick us into believing that some people continue to have a conscious state after they die. What does the Bible say? In Ecclesiastes 9:5 we read: “For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing.” In Psalm 115:17 we read: “The dead do not praise the Lord, nor any who go down into silence.” And in Psalm 6:4-5 David wrote: “Return, O Lord, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies' sake! For in death there is no remembrance of You.” Speaking of a dead man Job wrote, “His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; they are brought low, and he does not perceive it” (Job 14:21).

Satan and the demons will do anything in their power to deceive us (Revelation 12:9). Ghosts are a part of their deception plan. One such incident is recorded in 1 Samuel 28. Against God's instructions (Leviticus 19:31) Saul went to a medium or witch to seek guidance. She seemed to conjure up someone who passed on a message to Saul. In verse 14 it says that “Saul perceived that it was Samuel.” Samuel didn't see it. Only the witch saw the image and Saul guessed that it was Samuel. It looked like Samuel but it was merely a demon impersonating Samuel.

What about the spirit in man? If it gives us our emotional self-awareness doesn't that mean it has consciousness? In Ecclesiastes 12:7 we read: “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” At death our human spirit or “spirit in man” returns to God's great data library in heaven.

When Lazarus died Jesus said: “'Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up'. Then His disciples said, 'Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.' However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, 'Lazarus is dead'” (John 11:11-14). Jesus used the term sleep for death from the point of view that those who are dead have no consciousness like a sleep. At the resurrection the dead will be awakened from the sleep (unconsciousness) of death.

Daniel wrote: 'And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall AWAKE, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament” (Daniel 12:2-3). The spirit in man is like a spirit recording everything about us, including our memories and our character, but it has no consciousness, by and of itself. We have no immortal soul. Immortality is a gift from God that He will give us if we have His Holy Spirit in us at the resurrection.

2] Does anyone go to heaven when they die?

Is going to heaven God's reward for the righteous? Is this where we go when we die? You've probably heard that you'll go to heaven if you're "saved". Most people assume that their loved ones "go to heaven" when they die but is this what the Bible teaches.

What did Jesus say about this? In John 3:13 Jesus said: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” The apostle Peter also said that “David did not ascend into the heavens” (Acts 2:34).

Before we look at what the real reward for the righteous is and show that it is not heaven let's see where this teaching of going to heaven originated from.

“The Egyptians believed that before the souls of the dead could reach the Egyptian 'heaven'—the Fields of Iaru—and appear in the presence of Osiris, they must traverse a vast under-world region called the Tuat which was inhabited by gods, devils, fiends, demons, good and bad spirits and the souls of the wicked, besides snakes, monsters and serpents.

“The Egyptian sacred book, The Book of the Dead, prescribed spells, incantations, prayers, charms and amulets to help the dead man overcome the dangers of the Tuat and to reach Sekhet Aaru and Sekhet Hetep—other names for the Egyptian heaven—to take his place among the subjects of Osiris in the 'Land of Everlasting Life' (E. A. Wallis Budge, The Literature of the Ancient Egyptians, pp. 40-41)…

“When the verdict was unfavourable, the poor sinner experienced the 'second death'. His dismemberment followed, and the fiercest tortures awaited him, including burning by hot coals, plunging into deep waters, or cutting the body into pieces by sharp swords. Says Kohler, 'We have here the very origin of the Inferno and Paradise' ([Heaven and Hell in Comparative Religion],p. 23)…

"'The dominant view in the early church seems to have been that until the return of the Lord upon the clouds of heaven to raise the dead, those who had died were asleep, and that they would be suddenly awakened to be given their new bodies, after which they would reign with Him on earth for a thousand years...' (The New International Encyclopaedia, art. 'Heaven,' vol. 9, pp. 700-701).

“The early Church clearly did not teach the concept of 'going to heaven.' Such teachings did not become popular until long after the death of the apostles! Notice, however, what gradually happened: 'But, largely under the influence of Greek thought, other conceptions [gradually] prevailed.

“The fate of the patriarchs, prophets, and pious men of the old dispensation naturally occupied much attention and led to the idea that they [the…'immortal souls' of the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets] were detained in a preparatory abode which the fathers called limbus patrum [purgatory], awaiting the advent of the Redeemer. The general belief of Christians has been that since the resurrection of Christ [in A.D. 31] the just who are free from sin are admitted immediately after death into heaven, where their chief joy consists in the unclouded vision of God'(ibid.)” (Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course, Lesson 7, p.5).

Let's now look at what the reward of the righteous really is. In Genesis 13:14-15 God said to the Old Testament patriarch Abraham: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.” Abraham and his descendants were offered the land of Canaan or Palestine as an inheritance forever. Since the inheritance is to be an ETERNAL inheritance, it includes eternal life!

So who are Abraham's seed who will inherit these promises? In Galatians 3:16 and 29 we read: “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made…And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” So christians will inherit the same land that God has given to Abraham as an inheritance.

Is the land of Palestine all there is to this promise or is there more? In Romans 4:13 we read: “For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” Paul here shows that the promise to Abraham and to his seed – true christians – has expanded to include the whole world.

King David knew what the reward for the righteous would be when he wrote: ”The meek shall inherit the earth…For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 37:11, 22). Jesus said much the same thing in the Sermon on the Mount when he said: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

Mark wrote that “after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God” (Mark 1:14). The gospel or good news was about the Kingdom of God. So what is the kingdom of God and where will it rule?

When Daniel explained to King Nechadnezzar the meaning of the great dream that he had Daniel said: “You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled THE WHOLE EARTH…And in the days of these kings [the last of the four Gentile kingdoms] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45).

We see here that the Kingdom of God will be a world-ruling government over the whole earth! In Revelation 20:6 we read: “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Also in Revelation 5:10 that those of us who are true christians will be “kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”

We have seen above that we don't have an immortal soul and that those who have died and had God's Holy Spirit will be resurrected when Christ returns to earth. When Christ returns they will reign with Christ on earth for a thousand years.

“William Tyndale, the printer of the first New Testament in English and another of the Reformers, wrote: 'In putting departed souls in heaven, hell, or purgatory you destroy the arguments wherewith Christ and Paul prove the resurrection...The true faith putteth the resurrection; the heathen philosophers, denying that, did put that souls did ever live...If the soul be in heaven, tell me what cause is there for the resurrection?'" (Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course, Lesson 5, p.6). That's a very good question! 

Let's look at a few verses which appear, at first glance, to support the idea of going to heaven when we die.

In Matthew 5:3 we read: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” When it says that the kingdom is the kingdom of heaven it is talking about ownership. If the Bank of America opened a branch in Sydney, Australia we can see that the branch is not in America, the branch is owned by people in America. Likewise, the kingdom of heaven is not in heaven but owned by someone in heaven.

In 1 Peter 1:4 Peter wrote that our reward is “reserved in heaven for you”. It is not heaven. It is only reserved there for the time being. In Revelation 22:12 Jesus said: “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” Christ is bringing our reward with Him when He comes back to earth.

In Philippians 1:23-24 Paul wrote: “For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.” Did Paul believe that he would be with Christ in heaven at the moment that he died? Shortly before his death he wrote: “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). Paul knew that he would have to wait until Christ's second coming to be with Christ. From his perspective, though, it will seem like the next second of his consciousness after he died, even though 2000 years will have passed.

In 2 Corinthians 12:1-7 Paul wrote about a dramatic experience that he had. He said: ”It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—how he was caught up into Paradise…And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to et me, lest I be exalted above measure.” Did Paul really go up to heaven? If you read it carefully again you will notice that he is talking about a vision that he had of heaven similar to the vision of God's throne that John had when he wrote the Book of Revelation.

In Luke 23:42-43 we read of a conversation between the thief on the cross and Jesus when they were being crucified: “Then he said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.' And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.'” The Greek text that Luke wrote did not have punctuation, such as commas, so it may be better punctuated as “I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise.” In the next second of his consciousness the thief will wake up 3 000 years later in the second resurrection. At that moment after the millennium the earth truly will be a paradise.

In John 14:1-3 Jesus said: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” What is the Father's house where these many mansions are?

In Revelation 21:1-3 we see that it is the New Jerusalem which will descend to earth. “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, COMING DOWN OUT OF HEAVEN from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God'”.

We are not going to heaven – HEAVEN IS COMING DOWN TO EARTH! God the Father will eventually bring the New Jerusalem to earth and the earth will become the headquarters of the universe!

In the faith chapter Hebrews 11 we read, “By faith he [Abraham] dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God…These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth…But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” (Hebrews 11:9-16).

We have seen above that the promised land to Abraham and his seed has expanded to include the whole earth. Will it continue to expand further? Speaking of the Kingdom of God, we read in Isaiah 9:6: “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.”

In Hebrews 2:8 we read: “For in that He put all in subjection under him [man], He left NOTHING that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him.” As we saw in the last lesson, all things means the WHOLE UNIVERSE! We also saw in Romans 8:18-23 that the universe is currently in a state of decay and is eagerly awaiting our birth into God's family so it can be set free from that decay.

In the movie "Contact" someone asked the question whether we are all alone in the universe. The answer that was given to the question was, "If we are all alone it seems like an awful waste of space". That comment highlights why the popular concept of going to heaven when we die mocks God's creation. If we spend all of our time in heaven when we die then the rest of the universe seems like a waste of space.

3] Does anyone go to hell when they die?

Many who profess to believe in God and the Bible believe that the wicked will burn forever in hell. This teaching, which many feel the Bible teaches, causes a great deal of anguish and heartache for many people who have lost relatives and friends who never “accepted Christ” when they were alive. They fear they may be burning in torment forever in hell.

This belief makes God sound like that He has no mercy. Would a merciful God inflict terrible pain and torment on human beings for millions of years throughout all eternity? How can such a belief match up with the Bible's description of a God who is infinitely loving and merciful?

What does the Bible have to say about hell? What is the fate of those who reject God's offer of salvation?

First of all, we need to look at the Hebrew and Greek words for hell. The word hell is translated from only one Hebrew word in the Old Testament. That word is “sheol”. In the New Testament there are three Greek words that are translated as hell – “hades”, “tartaros” and “gehenna”.

“The original Old Testament Hebrew word sheol and the New Testament Greek word hades mean the same thing—simply the grave. These original words have been translated 'grave' in many places in the Bible.

"'Hell' is an old English word, and over 350 years ago when the Authorized Version [the King James Bible] was translated, the people of England commonly talked of 'putting their potatoes in hell for the winter'—a good way of preserving potatoes—for the word then meant merely A HOLE IN THE GROUND which was covered up—a dark and silent place—a grave! But pagan teachings gaining popular acceptance have caused people to misapply the old English word 'hell' to the lurid imaginations of Dante.

“The second Greek word, tartaros, which has also been translated into the English word 'hell', occurs only once in the New Testament, (2 Peter 2:4) and does not refer to humans, but to the restrained condition of fallen angels. Its meaning, translated into English, is 'darkness of the material universe', or 'dark abyss', or 'prison'.

“But what about gehenna? This Greek word, as all authorities admit, is derived from the name of the narrow, rocky Valley of Hinnom which lay just outside Jerusalem. It was the place where refuse was constantly burned up. Trash, filth, and the dead bodies of animals and despised criminals were thrown into the fires of gehenna, or the Valley of Hinnom. Ordinarily, everything thrown into this valley was destroyed by fire—COMPLETELY BURNED UP. Therefore, Christ used gehenna to picture the terrible fate of unrepentant sinners!” (Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course, Lesson 6, p.6-8).

This word “gehenna” is used by Christ and translated as hell in Matthew 10:28. “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The very first thing that should leap out at us when reading this verse is that Christ said that God will destroy both the soul (life) and body of the wicked in hell. They won't burn and burn forever! They will be destroyed!

In its article on hell the Encyclopaedia Americana tells us the following about the teaching on hell: "As generally understood, hell is the abode of evil spirits; the infernal regions...[where] lost and condemned souls go after death to suffer indescribable torments and eternal punishment…This has been the idea most generally held by Christians, Catholics, and Protestants alike. It is also the idea embodied in the Mohammedan's conception [Islam]....The main feature of hell as conceived by Hindu, Persian, Egyptian, Grecian, and Christian theologians are essentially the same."

We saw before that the ideas of hell originated in Egypt and spread to other nations such as Greece. The early Catholic teachers were heavily influenced by Greek teachings including the common teachings of heaven, hell and the immortality of the soul.

“Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), wrote a tremendously popular poem, La Commedia, in three parts—Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise. Although Dante's purpose for writing his Commedia was to ridicule the religious concepts of hell which were prevalent during his day, his writing nevertheless tremendously influenced popular thought and teaching” (Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course, Lesson 6, p.4).

In his poem Dante takes an imaginary journey of hell and its different levels and sees scenes such as condemned souls writhing eternally upside down in burning potholes. It was from his work where we get the phrase - “All hope abandon…ye who enter here!” Dante was actually trying to ridicule these religious teachings, not support them. It was like the science fiction of its time. He based his work on ideas taught by Greek philosophers Plato and Virgil. Because the Catholic clergy held Plato's and Virgil's ideas in such high esteem they used Dante's descriptions to support their teaching.

The Catholic Church has softened its view on hell in recent years. Pope John Paul II has "declared that hell is 'not a punishment imposed externally by God' but is the natural consequence of the unrepentant sinner's choice to live apart from God" (U.S. News & World Report, Jan. 31, 2000, p. 48).

Let's back now to what the Bible really teaches about hell. In Romans 6:23 we read: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The wages of sin is DEATH, not eternally suffering in hell (or separation from God)!

In Luke 13:3 Christ said: “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Those who reject salvation will PERISH – they will cease to exist any longer. In the golden verse, John 3:16, we read: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Eternal life is a gift. Those who reject salvation will perish.

In Matthew 3:12 and Matthew 13:30 the wicked are described as chaff after winnowing wheat and tares collected after the harvest, both of which will be burned up.

In Mark 9:47-48 Jesus said: “If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'” What does He mean when He says the fire is not quenched? Does it burn forever? No! If men don't put out the fire, the fire will only burn until there is nothing left to burn and the fire dies out naturally. The worms that don't die are maggots which feed on the dead bodies. Maggots eventually turn into flies.

In Matthew 25 Jesus when describing the end of the age said: “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:41, 46). What did He mean when He said everlasting fire and everlasting punishment? In Jude 7 we read that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by “eternal fire”. The fire that destroyed those cities is not still burning. It means a fire who's results are permanent. Everlasting punishment means much the same thing. Notice it is everlasting punishMENT not punishing!

Paul wrote in Hebrews 10:26-27: “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.” The fiery indignation will devour those who reject salvation. They won't continue burning forever.

In John 5:28-29 Jesus said: “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” Those who aren't “saved” in this life when they die don't go straight to hell. They await a future resurrection.

This future resurrection is described for us in Revelation 20:12-15. “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Notice for those who reject salvation, being cast into the lake of fire is called the second death. They die! They don't continue burning in this fire for all eternity.

The Old Testament also spoke of this event. In Malachi 4:1-3 we read: “'For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,' says the Lord of hosts, 'that will leave them neither root nor branch…You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet.”

In God's mercy all mankind will be given every opportunity to repent and become a part of God's family. Those who still rebel against God will not burn forever but will die very quickly.

4] Is this life everyone's only chance for salvation?

Is God trying to save the world now? What about all the millions who live in places like China and India. What hope do they have? If God is trying to save the world now He is not having a good success rate. In the UCG booklet “Heaven and Hell” we read:

“Only a minority of the earth's population lays claim to being Christian. Those who profess Christianity total only some 28 percent of the world's population. Vast numbers of the other 72 percent have never had the opportunity to genuinely repent and accept Christ simply because of where they live. Millions more through the centuries likewise never had the opportunity because of when they lived. Would it be just and right for God to subject them to the same punishment He will give to those who reject Him and make themselves His enemies?” (p.4).

God says that He is not a respecter of persons (Romans 2:11, Acts 10:34) If God is truly a God of justice then justice requires that all human beings be given an equal opportunity for salvation. Is God trying to save the world now? Is this life everyone's only chance for salvation? Let's see what the Bible really teaches.

In John 6:44 Christ said that: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” No one can become a true christian unless God the Father draws him.

In 1 Corinthians 1:26 Paul wrote: “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise.” God is not trying to save all of mankind now. He has chosen to be a part of the church only a few at this time.

God says that you have to repent and be baptized to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38) and that the Holy Spirit is given only to those who obey Him (Acts 5:32). In Acts 2:17 we read: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh”. There is a time coming when all mankind will receive the Holy Spirit – when God will be calling all people on the earth to salvation.

In the millennium Isaiah says that “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). God's truth will be taught over all the world when Christ returns to take over the government of the whole world and then everyone will be called to salvation.

But what about all those in these past 6 000 years who have not received salvation? Will they get another chance – a first real chance at salvation?

In 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 we read: “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order.” ALL mankind shall once again be made alive – be resurrected!

Paul said in Hebrews 9:27 that “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” What is judgment? Does it just mean being sentenced? Peter wrote that judgment is now on the house of God (1 Peter 4:17). Judgment in biblical terms means a period of trial and testing. With that point in mind let's see what happens at the end of the millennium.

In Revelation 20 we read: “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them… And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection…And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works” (Revelation 20:4-5, 12-13).

All who have died will be resurrected and judged according to their works. A period of trial and testing will have begun. They will be judged according to what's written in the books – the Bible. The word Bible itself comes from the word “biblios” which means a library or a collection of books.

In Ezekiel 37 the prophet Ezekiel describes a resurrection to physical life (not spirit) for all the Israelites who have died and not received salvation. He wrote: “The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the op ey; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' So I answered, 'O Lord God, You know.' Again He said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! Thus says the Lord God to these bones: 'Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.' So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.

“Then He said to me, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' 'Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: 'Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed It,' says the Lord'” (Ezekiel 37:1-14).

The whole House of Israel who died without receiving God's Holy Spirit will be resurrected to physical life. God says that He will place His spirit in them. This indicates that they will be converted at this time in the future. They will have their first real chance at salvation along with the rest of all mankind who have died and not “been saved“.

Jesus also spoke of this time of the Great White Throne Judgment period when He said: “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here” (Matthew 12:41-42). He also said that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 10:14-15) and Tyre and Sidon (Matthew 11:20-24) would be resurrected for their first real chance at salvation at this time. Isaiah 65:20 seems to indicate that everyone at this time will live for a full hundred years where they will be offered salvation.

With Jesus Christ ruling the whole world at this time and those of His spirit-born family helping teach all mankind the right way to live, everyone will finally have a equal and fair chance at receiving salvation which very, very few will reject in the end. One would have to be truly rebellious to reject salvation after a full 100 years when God's kingdom is here on earth and Satan is no longer around to deceive them.

These are wonderful truths when you compare them with what the world's churches believe. The world's churches have a hard time explaining away Matthew 7:14 where Jesus says: “Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it.” They don't understand that God is only calling a few now and the rest of mankind after Christ returns.

Because they think that God is trying to save the world now and don't understand the truth about the Last Great Day they have tried different attempts to get around it. The Catholics have invented the concept of purgatory so those who don't accept Christ and make it in this life can be purged of their sins after death and still make it to heaven.

Many Protestant churches, on the other hand, have lowered the bar of what people need to do so as many people as possible can “get into heaven”. They preach that obedience to God's laws is not required to be saved – you only have to academically believe Jesus is your Saviour without any change from one's sinful lifestyle. Jesus and the apostles NEVER taught this! One has to obey God and keep His laws to receive AND retain the free gift of the Holy Spirit to be saved (Matthew 5:17-20, 19:16-19, Acts 2:38, Romans 6:1-2, 1 Corinthians 9:27, James 2:14-26).

If you have been raised up in the church never take these precious truths for granted. For those who have worried about family and friends, learning the real truth about heaven and hell is wonderful and life-changing. God truly is a God of justice and fairness who doesn't want anyone to perish but have everlasting life!


Summary

1] Do you have an immortal soul?

·   In Genesis 2:7 we read that when God created Adam he became a soul. The Hebrew word that is translated soul everywhere it is found in the Old Testament is “nephesh”. This Hebrew word means “a breathing creature” and is also used to describe animals Genesis 1:21, 24, 2:19, 9:10, 12, 15 and 16 and even a dead body (Leviticus 19:28, 21:1, 22:4). The soul is not something in the body. It is the body!
·   The Bible says that souls are not immortal. In two places in the Bible it says that souls can die (Ezekiel 18:4 & 20).
·   The Greek word translated as soul in the New Testament is “psuche”. It also means a breathing creature and is applied to animals (Revelation 8:9, 16:3).
·   According to Jesus the soul can be destroyed by God (Matthew 10:28).
·   Satan told Eve she would "not surely die" (Genesis 3:1-5) — that she had an "immortal soul" that would live forever. This was the origin of the big lie that man has an immortal soul.
·   The teaching that man has an immortal soul which either goes to heaven or hell at death can be traced back to Egypt. From Egypt the belief was passed onto the Greek philosophers. The early Catholic teachers were heavily influenced by pagan Greek ideas and this is how this teaching became Catholic and Protestant doctrine.
·   Eternal life is a gift from God (Romans 6:23) not something that we automatically have.
·   At the resurrection we will PUT ON IMMORTALITY! (1 Corinthians 15:51-53) There is no point to the resurrection if we already have an immortal soul.
·   The spirit that is in every human acts as a (Job 32:8, 1 Corinthians 2:9-11). It preserves the human's memory, his character, his form and shape. The flesh and blood physical body, after death, decomposes and decays, but the spirit that was IN that body, like the sculptor's , preserves all the form and shape, the memory, and the character intact.
·   The resurrected being will be COMPOSED of SPIRIT, not matter as the human model was. In the resurrected SPIRIT form he will suddenly come ALIVE. It will seem like the next flash of a second from his loss of consciousness at time of death. The spirit in man has no consciousness of itself.
·   Those who are dead have no consciousness between their death and the resurrection (Ecclesiastes 9:5, Psalm 6:4-5, 115:17, Job 14:21, John 11:11-14, Daniel 12:2-3).

2] Does anyone go to heaven when they die?

·   Jesus said that no man has gone to heaven except Himself (John 3:13).
·   Christians are called Abraham's seed in Galatians 3:16 and 29 and will inherit the same land that God has given to Abraham as an inheritance. Paul said in Romans 4:13 that the promise to Abraham and to his seed – true christians – has expanded to include the whole world.
·   Those who have died and had God's Holy Spirit will be resurrected when Christ returns to earth. When Christ returns they will reign with Christ on earth for a thousand years (Revelation 5:10, 20:6).
·   We are not going to heaven – HEAVEN IS COMING DOWN TO EARTH! God the Father will eventually bring the New Jerusalem to earth and this will become the headquarters of the universe (Revelation 21:1-3)!
·   The promised land to Abraham and his seed, which has expanded to include the whole earth, will continue to expand and include the whole universe (Isaiah 9:6-7, Hebrews 2:8, Romans 8:18-23)!

3] Does anyone go to hell when they die?

·   The word hell in the Old Testament is translated from the Hebrew word “sheol” which means the grave.
·   In the New Testament there are three Greek words that are translated as hell – “hades”, “tartaros” and “gehenna”. Hades means the grave. Tartaros means a place of restraint or prison for the fallen angels (2 Peter 2:4). Gehenna is derived from Valley of Hinnom which lay just outside Jerusalem. Trash, as well as the dead bodies of animals and despised criminals, were thrown into the fires of gehenna, or the Valley of Hinnom.
·   Christ used gehenna to picture the terrible fate of unrepentant sinners in Matthew 10:28. Christ said that God will destroy both the soul (life) and body of the wicked in hell. They won't burn and burn forever! They will be destroyed!
·   Those who aren't “saved” in this life when they die don't go straight to hell. They await a future resurrection (John 5:28-29).

4] Is this life everyone's only chance for salvation?

·   In God's mercy all mankind will be given every opportunity to repent and become a part of God's family. Those who still rebel against God will not burn forever but will die very quickly – the second death (Revelation 20:12-15). They will perish – cease to exist (Luke 13:3, Matthew 3:12, Hebrews 10:26-27, Malachi 4:1-3, Romans 6:23).
·   God is not trying to save all of mankind now. He has called and chosen to be a part of the church only a few at this time (John 6:44, 1 Corinthians 1:26, Mark 4:11-12).
·   All people who have not received salvation up to Christ's second coming will get another chance – a first real chance at salvation when God resurrects them at the end of the millennium (Revelation 20:4-5, 12-13, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Matthew 10:14-15, 11:20-24, 12:41-42). This is the Great White Throne Judgment period. God's Holy Spirit will be offered to them (Ezekiel 37:14) and they will probably have a full 100 years to repent and be converted (Isaiah 65:20).
·   God is truly is a God of justice and fairness who will give everyone a full and equal chance at salvation. He does not want anyone to perish but to have eternal life and be born into His family (John 3:16)!


Further Reading about Heaven and Hell

·   UCG booklet – Heaven and Hell
·   UCG booklet – What Happens After Death?
·   Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course – Lesson 5: “What is Man?”
·   Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course – Lesson 6: “What is Hell?”
·   Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course – Lesson 7: “Will You Go to Heaven?”
·   Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course – Lesson 21: “Is this the Only Day of Salvation?”
·   Old WCG booklet – Is God Trying to Save the World Now?