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What in the Heaven is Hell?

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Wouldn't it be cool if the afterlife were like an ice cream shop? After you die (and don't kid yourself, one day we are all going to die), you wake up in a huge room with an enormous screen that has all the eternal "menu" items.

Maybe you'd go with a Cookies and Cream Karma with a scoop of Rocky Road Reincarnation and come back as a Liger. (What's a liger? It's pretty much my favorite animal. It's like a lion and a tiger mixed... bred for its skills in magic). Or if you're not into the whole Karma thing, you can choose Neapolitan Nothingness with a Caramel Cosmic Consciousness on top. Oh and don't forget the Truffle in Paradise where the afterlife is whatever you want to make of it. If none of these flavors agrees with you, you can always go with the Oreo® option- that's where you simply get sandwiched between the ground and the sky and cease to exist.

What I like about this idea is that everyone gets to choose what they want. What I don't like about this idea is that it makes this life meaningless. Think about it: if in the end I get to choose my perfect afterlife situation, then what I do during life has no real consequences. I could be Mother Theresa or Adolf Hitler- what does it matter? Either way I end up kicking back into my own handpicked hereafter complete with all the extras...

Woo hoo! It doesn't matter what I do!

Except that it does. Which is why there are no Hollywood fantasy multiple choice afterlife options available. There is a real place called heaven, and a real place called hell.

But don't take my word for it. Take the word of emergency room physician Dr. Maurice Rawlings who regularly sees what happens when people have near death experiences. According to his book "Beyond Death's Door", those who have near death experiences later speak of having experiences of light, lush green meadow, rows of smiling relatives and tremendous peace. But what he found after interviewing 300 people immediately after being brought back from the near death experience is that nearly 50% reported lakes of fire and brimstone, devil-like figures and other sights hailing from the darkness of hell. He says they later changed their story because most people are simply ashamed to admit they may have had a glimpse of hell, they won't even admit it to their families.

Check out his conclusion: "Just listening to these patients has changed my whole life. There's a life after death, and if I don't know where I'm going, it's not safe to die."

No, Dr. Rawlings, it is definitely not safe to gamble on what happens after we go six feet under, which is why I also take the word of the only Person who had a real death experience and came back to prove that He knew what He was talking about. Jesus made it crystal clear that there is a heaven and a hell, and all people are going one place or the other. There are no other choices, no second chances, no "get out of hell free" cards. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

OK, so there's a heaven and a hell, but maybe I don't care about where I'm going. If heaven is just a cloud sitting choir singing harp playing deal, I think I'd rather go to the other place. Besides, I've heard it's much more fun anyway - and I'm pretty sure that's where my friends are headed.

If that's how you feel, you need to know that you've been fed a line of bull straight from Satan who would very much like to take you with him to the real hell. Let's compare the facts about the only two possible destinations after you die, then you can decide where you want to book a reservation.

1. As mentioned before, heaven and hell are both real places. That means that they both have a physical quality that you can see, hear, touch, smell, and feel. Heaven is described as a place of incredible beauty and splendor, incredible magnificence. Imagine the most beautiful thing you have ever seen and multiply it times a million, and you still don't have a clue about how awesome heaven will be. Hell, however, is described as a place of eternal flames. Here's what Jesus said when he talked about Judgment Day:

Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons. (Matthew 25:41)

If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to enter heaven with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to enter heaven with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out. It is better to enter the Kingdom of God half blind than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out. (Mark 9:43-48)

Imagine the worst place you have ever seen and multiply it times a million, and you still don't have a clue about how gruesome hell will be. By the way, did you notice that hell was never created for people in the first place? It was made for Satan and his fallen angels.

2. Heaven is a place of reward, and hell is a place of punishment. In heaven we are rewarded for our faith in the form of perfection (no suffering, no disease, no pain, no tears, no crime, etc.), and we are also rewarded for what we did for Jesus. Listen to this promise:

For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

This is not a judgment that brings any consequences, but more of an "awards" ceremony. We will cheer on each other as people are honored for their hard work for the King and His Kingdom.

Hell, however, is a place of consequences. Jesus tells us that there will be "weeping and gnashing of teeth." I know that weeping and gnashing of teeth sounds like something that happens at the dentist office, but what it actually means is a place of regret. Have you ever felt bad about something and gone "arrrgh!". Again, multiply that times a million and you don't even come close to the emotional/physical/mental anguish that you will feel forever and ever and ever and ever.

What is the regret about? Rejecting Jesus. Everyone in hell will spend an eternity knowing that they had full control over not going there, but they chose to anyway. As C.S. Lewis put it: "Sin is man's saying to God throughout life, 'Go away and leave me alone'. Hell is God's finally saying to man, 'You may have your wish.' It is God's leaving man to himself, as man has chosen."

3. Heaven is a place of relationships, and hell is a place of isolation. Heaven is not one eternal church service, it is one big party! Friends and families gathered together to celebrate good times. We'll serve each other, relate to each other, and take care of each other. We will never be bored or not have things to do. Think back on the happiest you've ever been and realize that your experience is just a shadow of what is to come. Hell, on the other hand, is complete and utter isolation. You won't be partying with friends and watching MTV. Think loneliness, abandonment, desertion, rejection, neglect, and utter forsaking. Now you're just beginning to get the picture.

So are you ready to choose your destiny? No one in his/her right mind would want to go to hell, and no one in his/her right mind wouldn't want to go to heaven. The good news is that booking your reservation in heaven is one of the easiest things on earth. You don't deserve it, you can't earn it, so give up trying and simply put your faith and trust in Jesus' death and resurrection as your only hope of salvation. The moment you do that, your place in heaven is secure. The bad news is that if you haven't done that, your place in hell is reserved. Believe me, you don't want to go there. Believe Jesus, and you won't have to.

Head: What you need to know about this truth

After people die there are only two possible destinations: heaven and hell. Heaven is a physical place of eternal reward and community, hell is a physical place of eternal punishment and isolation. Those who trust in Jesus as their only hope of salvation will spend eternity in heaven, those who reject Jesus will spend eternity in hell.

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

The realities of heaven and hell should have an incredible impact on our emotions. For one, the fact that we have an eternity with Jesus in our future can fill us with unbelievable hope and excitement. As well, knowing that there is a real place called hell waiting for people who rejected Jesus should shock and rock our world. Spend some time this week contemplating the terrible destiny that awaits those who die without Christ. As well, read this letter written by a martyr for Christ:

I'm a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I'm a disciple of His and I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I'm done and finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by Holy Spirit power.

My face is set. My gait is fast. My goal is heaven. My road may be narrow, my way rough, my companions few, but my guide is reliable and my mission is clear.

I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won't give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear!

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

I have a good friend named Danny Oertli whose life motto is "Live for Heaven". When a person lives for heaven, there is no time to waste on selfish pursuits or self-centered activities. Living for heaven means making every minute count for eternity. My challenge to you is to wake up every morning asking God to use you to advance His Kingdom, earn rewards in heaven, and "rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment". (Jude 1:23)