Last Sunday in our worship service we had a very good message by
one of our church elders, Ben Gallardo. In his message he
spoke of hell and how different denominations, churches, and
even secular groups view heaven and hell.
Ben mentioned a hoax story which has been on the internet since the 1990s and was even broadcast on Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN).
We know that the distance from the earth's surface to its core is almost 4000 miles. So, a hole drilled 9 miles deep is still virtually on the surface of the earth. This would expel the theory that the Russians found hell in the core of the earth.
This should raise the question: "If hell is not in the center of the earth, then where is hell located?"
This correlates with the teaching we read in Luke 16:19-31, which is Jesus Christ relating the true story (parables do not use real names) of Lazarus and the rich man. Both died and went into Hades, Lazarus into Hades/Paradise (refer also to Luke 23:43, the thief on the cross) - and the rich man went into Hades/Torment.
Hades/Paradise, also called the Bosom of Abraham, was the temporary resting place for Old Testament believers - and Hades/Torment was, and continues to be, the temporary abode for all non-believers until they are resurrected to stand before Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:5a). When Christ was crucified, He descended into Hades from where He led the Old Testament believers out of Hades/Paradise and into heaven (Ephesians 4:8). Since then, all believers go directly into heaven upon death (2 Corinthians 5:8).
"But, Bill, doesn't Revelation 20:5 tell us that ALL the dead will not resurrect until after the 1000 year Millennial Reign of Christ?" Not really. Let's look at this very controversial, and often misread, Scripture passage:
"So, Bill, if hell is not in the center of the earth and heaven not out beyond our universe - where are they?" Glad you asked.
Personally, I believe that our mortal world occupies the same spatial location, i.e., space, as heaven and hell, all three existing within the same space in our universe. Whoa, hold on! No stone throwing, please.
"Bill, please explain this lunacy you propose!" I'll be happy to explain my thinking and why I believe it to be true.
I believe our universe consists of at least ten dimensions, maybe more. Four dimensions make up our known universe: height, width, length, time. Heaven and hell exist in a different set of six dimensions - but in the same spatial location, i.e., same space. Why only six dimensions for heaven and hell? Simple, time is a dimension which God created for our mortal world. We live in linear time. There is no time in heaven and hell, only eternity. So, each only requires three dimensions - height, width, length. Three for heaven and three for hell.
Technically our mortal linear time begins when we are conceived in our mother's womb. Nine months later, we start counting the seconds, minutes, hours, days, years which define our mortal life. Why? Because in this mortal life, since the fall of man, we have have only so many minutes, days, years to live - and then no more, at least not in this mortal body. When we leave this body, we enter into eternity where linear time is irrelevant.
What does this mean? It could mean that our earth and universe, heaven, and hell are all occupying the same space or spatial location - but in different dimensions.
Wouldn't that explain how Jesus could just appear in the room with the apostles - without coming through a door (John 20:19, Luke 24:36)? And, just disappear instantly, as with the two men on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:31)?
Why does this seem plausible to me? In my opinion the Bible teaches it.
Jesus just appeared in the room with His apostles. The door was locked, He did not come through the wall. Wouldn't that imply that He has the ability to travel from one set of dimensions into another?
With the men on the road To Emmaus:
More thoughts on a universe of ten or more dimensions:
If, in the beginning, the dimensions of heaven and earth were integrated, i.e, in the same spatial realm - wouldn't that explain how God could walk in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening (Genesis 3:8)?
Is this, the ten or more dimensions, the only possible explanation of Jesus Christ appearing and disappearing supernaturally or God walking with Adam and Eve? No, of course not. After all He is God. He is Omnipresent (all places present), Omnipotent (all powerful), and Omniscient (all knowing). Being Omnipresent, could He not just appear and disappear - or walk with man? Yes. But, does that disprove the theory of a multi-dimension universe with His being able to move effortlessly between spatial dimensions? Not really.
Let's talk about hell. What can we know about hell from the Bible? Are hell and hades the same? Is anyone in hell today?
I would say no one is in hell, the Lake of Fire, today. The first mention of anyone being cast into the Lake of Fire is in Revelation 19:20 when the Antichrist and the False Prophet are "cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone."
Then, in Revelation 20:10 we read, "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the Lake of Fire and brimstone where the Beast (Antichrist) and the False Prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
After the Great White Throne Judgment, we are told in Revelation 20:14-15, "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."
This is two ways of describing mortal people who died in non-belief: "Death and Hades" means those who were waiting in Hades/Torment for the Great White Throne Judgment and their second death, eternal hell, the Lake of Fire. And, those people are described as those whose names were "not found written in the Book of Life."
"But, Bill, doesn't the Bible, in Jude, tell us that some fallen angels were cast into hell?"
What does Jude 1:6 tell us? "And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day."
I would suggest that the "judgment of the great day" refers to the time of the Great White Throne Judgment - but not for the fallen angels. It is the day, when, after the Great White Throne Judgment all non-believers are cast into the Lake of Fire to join Satan, his Antichrist, and his False Prophet. At that time all the fallen angels will also be join them in eternal judgment. There is no judgment for the fallen angels, for there is no salvation for the fallen angels. When they chose to follow Lucifer/Satan and turn against God - that sealed their eternal fate.
Jesus Christ came to earth in full humanity, to offer forgiveness and eternal life to mankind. We are told in Hebrews 2:17 that He came as our High Priest, to make propitiation for all people - but nowhere are we told that fallen angels can be restored to God.
Moving on, there are several other lines of false teaching related to hell which we should mention: Universalism , Annihilationism, and Soul Sleep. All three are unBiblical, but let's take a moment to look at them individually:
Universalism is the teaching that all people will eventually go to heaven. Obviously this teaching denies the presence of hell and teaches something similar to Roman Catholicism's Purgatory. Universalist churches such as the Unitarian Universalist teach this false theology. And it would seem that Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston - Mark Driscoll, former pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle - Rob Bell, founder and former pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan - along with many Emerging Church leaders embrace some form of Universalism.
To deny the existence of hell is to deny the Word of God. To teach that non-believers will have a second chance to repent after death - is giving them false hope. Hebrews 9:27 makes it clear that man will die once - and then face judgment. Until that last mortal breath, man can repent and be saved. Once he has breathed that last mortal breath - his next breath is in eternity, heaven or hell, and, after death, there will be no second chance to repent (Hebrews 9:27, 2 Corinthians 6:2, Luke 16:19-31).
Annihilationism is the teaching that no one is condemned to eternal hell. Churches such as the Herbert Armstrong's Worldwide Church Of God, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others teach some form of this false doctrine. It is also the belief (or maybe better described as "hope") of atheists. It teaches that, upon death, or after some time of punishment non-believers all are annihilated, poof, no longer existing. No hell, no suffering, just nothing.
Basically, you might say that both Universalism and Annihilationism would fit in well with the "Feel Good" Churches - those churches which will not teach about sin, hell, or anything which might make folks feel uncomfortable. After all, if we make folks uncomfortable with our teachings - they might not come back to church. Then, how would anyone build a megachurch?
Soul Sleep is the teaching that, at death, the person just goes to sleep and knows nothing until the resurrection and final judgment. Yet, 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (and Philippians 1:23) tells us that when we are absent from this mortal body, i.e., dead - we are at home with the Lord. At our last breath in this mortal body - our next breath will be in heaven. This is another false teaching of the Worldwide Church of God and its offshoot churches.
Pastor David Guzik, Calvary Chapel, in his Philippians Study Guide tells us:
Folks, if what we teach about God and the Bible, about heaven and hell, does not make a non-believer uncomfortable - we are NOT doing our job as Jesus commanded us. We are not fulfilling His Great Commission to "Go, Make disciples, Baptize them, TEACH them. . . Be My witnesses in all the world" (Matthew 29:19-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15).
These are my thoughts on heaven and hell. I pray this has been helpful.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
Ben mentioned a hoax story which has been on the internet since the 1990s and was even broadcast on Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN).
The Well to Hell Hoax
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Well_to_Hell_hoax
The "Well to Hell" is a putative borehole in Russia which was purportedly drilled so deep that it broke through into Hell. This urban legend has been circulating on the Internet since at least 1995. It is first attested in English as a 1989 broadcast by a U.S. domestic religion-based TV broadcaster, Trinity Broadcasting Network. The legend holds that a team of Russian engineers purportedly led by an individual named "Mr. Azzacov" in an unnamed place in Siberia had drilled a hole that was 14.4 kilometres (8.9 mi) deep before breaking through into a cavity.
Intrigued by this unexpected discovery, they lowered an extremely heat-tolerant microphone, along with other sensory equipment, into the well. The temperature deep within was 1,000°C (2,000°F) - heat from a chamber of fire, from which (purportedly) the tormented screams of the damned could be heard. However, the recording was later found to be looped together from various sound effects, sometimes identified as the soundtrack of the 1972 movie Baron Blood.
We know that the distance from the earth's surface to its core is almost 4000 miles. So, a hole drilled 9 miles deep is still virtually on the surface of the earth. This would expel the theory that the Russians found hell in the core of the earth.
The average distance to the centre of the Earth is 6,371 km or 3,959 miles. In other words, if you could dig a hole 6,371 km, you’d reach the center of the Earth. At this point you’d be in the Earth’s liquid metal core. (http://www.universetoday.com/48919/distance-to-the-center-of-the-earth/)
This should raise the question: "If hell is not in the center of the earth, then where is hell located?"
Various theories on the location of hell have been put forward. A traditional view is that hell is in the center of the earth. Others propose that hell is located in outer space in a black hole. In the Old Testament, the word translated “hell” is Sheol; in the New Testament it’s Hades (meaning “unseen”) and Gehenna (“the Valley of Hinnom”). Sheol is also translated as “pit” and “grave.” Both Sheol and Hades refer to a temporary abode of the dead before judgment (Psalm 9:17; Revelation 1:18). Gehenna refers to an eternal state of punishment for the wicked dead (Mark 9:43). (https://www.gotquestions.org/where-is-hell.html)
This correlates with the teaching we read in Luke 16:19-31, which is Jesus Christ relating the true story (parables do not use real names) of Lazarus and the rich man. Both died and went into Hades, Lazarus into Hades/Paradise (refer also to Luke 23:43, the thief on the cross) - and the rich man went into Hades/Torment.
Hades/Paradise, also called the Bosom of Abraham, was the temporary resting place for Old Testament believers - and Hades/Torment was, and continues to be, the temporary abode for all non-believers until they are resurrected to stand before Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:5a). When Christ was crucified, He descended into Hades from where He led the Old Testament believers out of Hades/Paradise and into heaven (Ephesians 4:8). Since then, all believers go directly into heaven upon death (2 Corinthians 5:8).
"But, Bill, doesn't Revelation 20:5 tell us that ALL the dead will not resurrect until after the 1000 year Millennial Reign of Christ?" Not really. Let's look at this very controversial, and often misread, Scripture passage:
Reading of Revelation 20:4-6 (nkjv):
Revelation 20:4, "And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:5, "But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Revelation 20:6, "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."
A better reading of this Millennium passage:
Revelation 20:4, "And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years."
Who is sitting on the thrones and judging?
But who are these kingly judges, and who are they to judge? In terms of the narrative just preceding, there can be only one answer as to the identity of the judges. They are the same saints, dressed in fine white linen, appropriate not only for the wedding feast but also for judicial robes, who comprised the armies accompanying Christ as He returned to earth (Revelation 19:8, 14, 19). All those who had been redeemed by His blood, resurrected from the grave, raptured into His presence, and evaluated for their rewards at His judgment seat will apparently be assigned individual thrones of authority and judgment, unless they are deemed undeserving of any reward at all (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).
This remarkable situation is promised in many Scriptures, both directly and in parables. “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?” (1 Corinthians 6:2). “Judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom” (Daniel 7:22)
"The Revelation Record" by Dr. Henry Morris, Institute For Creation Research - https://thebookofrevelationartist.com/Page_150.php
Revelation 20:5b, ". . . This is the first resurrection."
Revelation 20:6, "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."
Bill Gray Note: Actually Revelation 20:5b should be viewed as the continuation of the First Resurrection - which began with Jesus Christ's resurrection - then will continue at the Rapture when all New Testament and Old Testament saints are resurrected into their glorified immortal bodies fit for heaven (1 Corinthians 15:50).
"Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness" refers to all the Tribulation believers who died during the seven year Tribulation, having missed the earlier Rapture because of their previous unbelief. They now are resurrected into their glorified immortal bodies. And, we all - Old Testament saints, New Testament saints (Bride of Christ), and Tribulation saints - will accompany Jesus Christ as He comes again in His Victorious Second Coming.
Revelation 20:5a, "But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. . ."
Bill Gray Note: This, I believe, is speaking of all non-believers - Old Testament, New Testament, Tribulation - who have been waiting in painful existence in Hades/Torment (Luke 16:23-24). After the 1000 year Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ on earth, those non-believers will be resurrected into their immortal bodies to stand before Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne Judgement, the judgment of eternal punishment. From there, they will go directly into the Lake of Fire, which is hell, the eternal abode which God created for Satan and his demonic angels - but, after the fall of man (Genesis 3), also became the eternal abode for all non-believing humans.
"So, Bill, if hell is not in the center of the earth and heaven not out beyond our universe - where are they?" Glad you asked.
Personally, I believe that our mortal world occupies the same spatial location, i.e., space, as heaven and hell, all three existing within the same space in our universe. Whoa, hold on! No stone throwing, please.
"Bill, please explain this lunacy you propose!" I'll be happy to explain my thinking and why I believe it to be true.
I believe our universe consists of at least ten dimensions, maybe more. Four dimensions make up our known universe: height, width, length, time. Heaven and hell exist in a different set of six dimensions - but in the same spatial location, i.e., same space. Why only six dimensions for heaven and hell? Simple, time is a dimension which God created for our mortal world. We live in linear time. There is no time in heaven and hell, only eternity. So, each only requires three dimensions - height, width, length. Three for heaven and three for hell.
Technically our mortal linear time begins when we are conceived in our mother's womb. Nine months later, we start counting the seconds, minutes, hours, days, years which define our mortal life. Why? Because in this mortal life, since the fall of man, we have have only so many minutes, days, years to live - and then no more, at least not in this mortal body. When we leave this body, we enter into eternity where linear time is irrelevant.
What does this mean? It could mean that our earth and universe, heaven, and hell are all occupying the same space or spatial location - but in different dimensions.
Wouldn't that explain how Jesus could just appear in the room with the apostles - without coming through a door (John 20:19, Luke 24:36)? And, just disappear instantly, as with the two men on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:31)?
Why does this seem plausible to me? In my opinion the Bible teaches it.
John 20:19, "Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, 'Peace be with you.'"
Jesus just appeared in the room with His apostles. The door was locked, He did not come through the wall. Wouldn't that imply that He has the ability to travel from one set of dimensions into another?
With the men on the road To Emmaus:
Luke 24:30-31, "Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight."
Luke 24:35-39, "And they (Emmaus road men speaking to the apostles in Jerusalem) told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread. Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, 'Peace to you.' But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, 'Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.'"
John 20:26-28, "And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, 'Peace to you!' Then He said to Thomas, 'Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.' And Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'"
More thoughts on a universe of ten or more dimensions:
The ancient Hebrew scholar Nachmonides, writing in the 12th century, concluded from his studies of the text of Genesis that the universe has ten dimensions: that four are knowable (our mortal universe) - and six are beyond our knowing (heaven and hell). Particle physicists today have also concluded that we live in ten dimensions. Three spatial dimensions and time are directly discernible and measurable. . . .
Fracture in Genesis 3? - There is a provocative conjecture that these ten (or more) dimensions were originally integrated, but suffered a fracture as a result of the events summarized in Genesis Chapter 3 (fall of man). The resulting upheaval separated them into the "physical" and "spiritual" worlds. ("Quantum Physics: The Boundaries of Reality" by Chuck Missler - http://www.khouse.org/articles/1998/62/)
If, in the beginning, the dimensions of heaven and earth were integrated, i.e, in the same spatial realm - wouldn't that explain how God could walk in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening (Genesis 3:8)?
Is this, the ten or more dimensions, the only possible explanation of Jesus Christ appearing and disappearing supernaturally or God walking with Adam and Eve? No, of course not. After all He is God. He is Omnipresent (all places present), Omnipotent (all powerful), and Omniscient (all knowing). Being Omnipresent, could He not just appear and disappear - or walk with man? Yes. But, does that disprove the theory of a multi-dimension universe with His being able to move effortlessly between spatial dimensions? Not really.
Let's talk about hell. What can we know about hell from the Bible? Are hell and hades the same? Is anyone in hell today?
I would say no one is in hell, the Lake of Fire, today. The first mention of anyone being cast into the Lake of Fire is in Revelation 19:20 when the Antichrist and the False Prophet are "cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone."
Then, in Revelation 20:10 we read, "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the Lake of Fire and brimstone where the Beast (Antichrist) and the False Prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
After the Great White Throne Judgment, we are told in Revelation 20:14-15, "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."
This is two ways of describing mortal people who died in non-belief: "Death and Hades" means those who were waiting in Hades/Torment for the Great White Throne Judgment and their second death, eternal hell, the Lake of Fire. And, those people are described as those whose names were "not found written in the Book of Life."
"But, Bill, doesn't the Bible, in Jude, tell us that some fallen angels were cast into hell?"
What does Jude 1:6 tell us? "And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day."
I would suggest that the "judgment of the great day" refers to the time of the Great White Throne Judgment - but not for the fallen angels. It is the day, when, after the Great White Throne Judgment all non-believers are cast into the Lake of Fire to join Satan, his Antichrist, and his False Prophet. At that time all the fallen angels will also be join them in eternal judgment. There is no judgment for the fallen angels, for there is no salvation for the fallen angels. When they chose to follow Lucifer/Satan and turn against God - that sealed their eternal fate.
Jesus Christ came to earth in full humanity, to offer forgiveness and eternal life to mankind. We are told in Hebrews 2:17 that He came as our High Priest, to make propitiation for all people - but nowhere are we told that fallen angels can be restored to God.
Moving on, there are several other lines of false teaching related to hell which we should mention: Universalism , Annihilationism, and Soul Sleep. All three are unBiblical, but let's take a moment to look at them individually:
Universalism is the teaching that all people will eventually go to heaven. Obviously this teaching denies the presence of hell and teaches something similar to Roman Catholicism's Purgatory. Universalist churches such as the Unitarian Universalist teach this false theology. And it would seem that Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston - Mark Driscoll, former pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle - Rob Bell, founder and former pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan - along with many Emerging Church leaders embrace some form of Universalism.
Christian Universalist disagree on whether or not Hell exists, however they do agree that if it does, it is not Eternal, that the punishment there in hell is "disciplinary," and not eternal. "Patristic Universalism" or "Purgatorial Universalism" was the belief of some of the early church fathers such as Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Gregory of Nyssa. It asserts that the unsaved will undergo hell, but that hell is remedial (neither everlasting nor purely retributive, that post-mortem [after death] conversion is a possibility) according to key scriptures and that after purification or conversion all will enter Heaven. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Universalism)
To deny the existence of hell is to deny the Word of God. To teach that non-believers will have a second chance to repent after death - is giving them false hope. Hebrews 9:27 makes it clear that man will die once - and then face judgment. Until that last mortal breath, man can repent and be saved. Once he has breathed that last mortal breath - his next breath is in eternity, heaven or hell, and, after death, there will be no second chance to repent (Hebrews 9:27, 2 Corinthians 6:2, Luke 16:19-31).
Annihilationism is the teaching that no one is condemned to eternal hell. Churches such as the Herbert Armstrong's Worldwide Church Of God, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others teach some form of this false doctrine. It is also the belief (or maybe better described as "hope") of atheists. It teaches that, upon death, or after some time of punishment non-believers all are annihilated, poof, no longer existing. No hell, no suffering, just nothing.
Question: "Is annihilationism biblical?"
Answer: Annihilationism is the belief that unbelievers will not experience an eternity of suffering in hell, but will instead be “extinguished” after death. For many, annihilationism is an attractive belief because of the awfulness of the idea of people spending eternity in hell. While there are some passages that seem to argue for annihilationism, a comprehensive look at what the Bible says about the destiny of the wicked reveals the fact that punishment in hell is eternal. A belief in annihilationism results from a misunderstanding of one or more of the following doctrines: (1) the consequences of sin, (2) the justice of God, (3) the nature of hell. (https://www.gotquestions.org/annihilationism.htm)
Basically, you might say that both Universalism and Annihilationism would fit in well with the "Feel Good" Churches - those churches which will not teach about sin, hell, or anything which might make folks feel uncomfortable. After all, if we make folks uncomfortable with our teachings - they might not come back to church. Then, how would anyone build a megachurch?
Soul Sleep is the teaching that, at death, the person just goes to sleep and knows nothing until the resurrection and final judgment. Yet, 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (and Philippians 1:23) tells us that when we are absent from this mortal body, i.e., dead - we are at home with the Lord. At our last breath in this mortal body - our next breath will be in heaven. This is another false teaching of the Worldwide Church of God and its offshoot churches.
Pastor David Guzik, Calvary Chapel, in his Philippians Study Guide tells us:
Philippians 1:21, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
i. Paul's death at the time would be a gain in two senses - First, his death for the cause of Christ would glorify Jesus, and that was gain - Second, to be in the immediate presence of the Lord was gain for Paul.
ii. The idea that Paul could consider death a present gain argues against the idea of "soul sleep." This false teaching says that the believing dead are held in some sort of suspended animation until the resurrection occurs. His understanding that his death might be considered gain also argues against the idea of "purgatory" which says that the believing dead must be purified through suffering before coming into the presence of God.
Folks, if what we teach about God and the Bible, about heaven and hell, does not make a non-believer uncomfortable - we are NOT doing our job as Jesus commanded us. We are not fulfilling His Great Commission to "Go, Make disciples, Baptize them, TEACH them. . . Be My witnesses in all the world" (Matthew 29:19-20, Acts 1:8, Mark 16:15).
These are my thoughts on heaven and hell. I pray this has been helpful.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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