Eagle Brook Church Blog

Supernatural: Heaven & Hell

On April 16/17, Senior Pastor Bob Merritt concluded the “Supernatural” series with a message on heaven and hell.

“What I want to do today is give you a biblical view of heaven and hell,” Pastor Bob said.

What happens after death? Is there a heaven and hell? Who goes where, and for how long? The good news is that we don’t have to fear death, but we do need to make a choice before death.

The Bible teaches that God is going to create a new heaven and a new earth.

“I see a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,” Rev. 21:1. See also 1 Peter 3:13.

Three questions:

1. Will we know each other in heaven? Yes. When Jesus was resurrected and was walking around in a glorified body, people knew him.

2. Will there be marriage in heaven? No.

The people in this age marry and are given in marriage, but in the age to come we will neither marry nor be given in marriage. (Luke 20:35). Perhaps relationships will be so rich in heaven that we won’t need marriage.

3. What about universilism (everyone is in) and nihilism (this life is it)? Both are man-made conepts, and the Bible supports neither ideology.

See Matthew 25:31-46.

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

And what about hell?

There is a 100 percent chance that we are all going to die.

It is destined that each person dies only once, and after that comes the final judgment, (Heb. 9:27).

Death is coming.

We know that there will be a judgment. (See again Matthew 25 above.) And that hell is eternal separateion from the precsence of God.

God will punish those who do not know Him and do not obey the gospel of Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord (2 Thess. 1:8).

Question: How can a loving God send people to hell?

He doesn’t.

God wishes that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9).

I stand at the door of your heart and knock; if you would open the door and let me in I will come in and we will be eternal friends (Rev. 3:20).

Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).

Open the door!

All suffiencient payment was given on the cross by Christ.

God so loved the world that he sent Jesus to die for our sins—that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his son Jesus. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:11-13).

Watch the message online now.