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Heaven is a place where the Redeemed of the Lord will go after they die. The true Christian lives in tension between the “already” and “not yet” of the Kingdom of God. On one hand, the Kingdom of God is here and now through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. At the moment of Christ’s death, He said, “It is finished”, which ushered in the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is also not yet in that Christ has not yet returned. Christians are to regularly fill their minds with Heaven through the means of Scripture, gathering in the context of the local church as members, under godly qualified leadership, to serve the Lord whole heartedly, and grow in His grace.
With that said, there are lots of people who refuse to worship Jesus. They refuse to believe in the Savior who bled, and died for them. Even so there are still people who have not yet heard the gospel. There is still a Savior and Lord who has bled, died, rose again, and serves as our exalted High Priest, Mediator, Intercessor, and Advocate before the Father in Jesus. King Jesus is returning to rule and reign over the throne of King David in Jerusalem. This King will judge the living and the dead—those who haven’t received Him.
Hell is a place for those who have not yet received Jesus. There is only one chance in this life to either accept Jesus or reject Him. After one closes his/her eyes, has his/her last breath, and his/her last heart beat there is not another chance to be born again. Hell is a place where people will experience unending, unrelenting, conscious punishment.
People today say their lives are “hell”, and by that they mean that their lives are in disarray. If people truly understood that Hell is a place where the worship of God cannot take place, then they wouldn’t say “my life is hell”. Instead they would acknowledge that Hell is a real place where people are really headed.
In this issue of Theology for Life, you will be challenged to see people as God sees them, created in His image, but lost if they don’t know Jesus the Son of God who saves. This issue will prayerfully help you to see the lost as God does so that you might have compassion on the lost, and truly care about them enough to share Christ with them. Heaven and Hell are real; it’s not a joke. Heaven is a place where true Christians will go to worship their King and Lord Jesus Christ for all eternity. Hell is a place where the unsaved will experience unending, unrelenting conscious punishment for their entire lives.
As you read this issue I encourage you to share it with your friends. Heaven and Hell are weighty theological concepts, but often are devalued in the Church today. There are many people who question whether Hell is a place of unrelenting, unending, conscious punishment. The Kingdom of Jesus is exclusive. In order to be part of His Kingdom, you must be born again. Jesus is only the way to God and only by believing in Him can one be saved and escape the fires of Hell. Through Jesus, He makes all things new. He redeems man by reconciling man to Himself. He gives man a new future, full of hope, a hope grounded in His death, burial, and resurrection. I encourage you as you read this issue to prayerfully reflect on what you’re reading. My prayer is that your faith would be strengthened, and that the gospel might take deeper root in your life as a result of your reading of this issue on Heaven and Hell.
In Christ Alone,
Dave Jenkins
Executive Editor, Theology for Life Magazine
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