Lesson 03
Eternity

Heaven or Hell

There is only one of two places in eternity that we can go: heaven or hell. Each one of us will be placed in one of these two places on judgment day to be there forever and ever.

Our Lord in speaking of eternity says,

Matthew 25:46
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Notice that the duration of the lost in Hell is exactly the same as the duration of the saved in Heaven, "forever and ever". It is hard for us as mortals to grasp how long eternity will be, but after we have been there a billion years, eternity will have just begun.

Hell

We do not like to think about eternal punishment. For a few moments let us consider what the Lord says about eternal punishment and then we will turn our attention to a more pleasant thought, heaven. Our Lord described how horrible that hell will be for the many who will end up going there in Matthew 13:41-42

Matthew 13:41-42
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

This definitely will be a horrible and terrible place beyond description. Jesus talked about those who are lost in Mark 9:42-48

Mark 9:42-48
42 And whosoever shall offend one of theselittle ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

There will be no reprieve or appeal to a higher court, because we are being judged by the highest. The Lord is trying to get our attention and to give us fair warning. He is pleading with us not to go there, but we make the choice. The choice is ours. We will bear the responsibility and the consequences.

In Luke 16:22-26, Jesus is describing a man who went to hell and is pleading.

Luke 16:22-26
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

How much relief, and how long would a drop of water last on the tongue of those who are being tormented forever? It would not last even one second. We must wake up and heed our Lord’s warning!

The many who end up in eternal punishment will not be there alone. They will have company.

Revelation 20:10,
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Not very good company to be in. Notice that the torment goes on "day and night forever and ever".

There are many people who scoff at the idea of eternal punishment, but they are scoffing at what God says. The fire will burn forever and those who are lost will be there in it for eternity whether they want to believe it or not.

In eternity their scoffing will quickly change to weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. We must take what our Lord says in the Bible seriously. Hell is real! There is no way for the horrors of hell to be adequately described in human language.

This is very serious!

Revelation 14:9-11
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

But reading further we see that it is imperative that our name be found in the Book of Life. Is your name in that book? Do we know for sure, or are we making an assumption? It will be too late on the Day of Judgment to find out that it is not there.

Revelation 20:15,
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Heaven

Now let us turn our attention to something more pleasant, heaven.

John 14:2-3
2 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.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Heaven will be a very wonderful place. For the few who go there it will be beyond their wildest dreams and they will be totally surprised and amazed. There is no way that the glories of Heaven can be adequately described to us mortal beings. The only way will be to see it.

Heaven will be the very opposite of eternal punishment.

Revelation 21:4
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

There will be no weeping, and no wailing, and no gnashing of teeth as will be happening in eternal torment. There will be joy, and peace, and happiness, beyond description. What a wonderful place Heaven will be. But again, the choice is ours. We cannot escape the consequences if we make the wrong choice. We will not accidentally end up in Heaven. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people.

Matthew 6:33
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Going to Heaven has got to be our number one goal in this life.