Heaven and hell
What is heaven and hell? Do all people go to heaven? How can a good God send people to hell?
Heaven and the New Jerusalem
Heaven is usually understood as a place where people are happy and have a good life because they were good. Hell, on the other hand, is a place where people suffer and are tortured because they are evil. But this is not quite true.
The book of Revelation describes heaven with different metaphors: In chapter seven, you see the saints being comforted and in chapter 21, the New Jerusalem, describing heaven in a more extended way. Both of these descriptions have one main point: They are closely related to the fellowship with God.
Furthermore the New Jerusalem is described as the Bride of Christ which gives even a more intimate aspect to the subject.
In addition, the language in chapter 21 is very much related to the temple, the place where Israel had fellowship with God. The temple, on the other hand, is a reflection of Eden. Not only that, but the shape of the New Jerusalem is a cube. The only object in the Old Testament that has this shape is the Holy of Holies, the place where God lives. A place so intensely filled with God’s presence that only the high priest was allowed to enter this place once a year.
So the New Jerusalem or Heaven is described as the place of most intimacy with God.
Commitment
The theme of the temple is also reflected in chapter eleven, where this place is associated with worship, which is a description of faithfulness even unto death, if you read the chapter to the end.
While the New Jerusalem is described as this cube, the whole place outside is described as hell. So you are either all the way in or all the way out. Isn’t that a bit extreme?
Not really. Because he is talking about priority. If you are not fully committed to something, there is something more important and/or you do not fully trust it. And in any relationship, this is the key.
What is hell about?
Hell can be described very simply. It is the place where there is no relationship with God.
But why is it such a bad place? Because everything good has it’s origin in God. And I am talking about things we take for granted or think we can control or produce, like hope, joy, peace, purpose, or forgiveness. We experience them here on earth because this is the place where God is courting us. But this time will end and then we are with God or without God.
Without God there will be a downward spiral or unforgiveness, bitterness, hopelessness and fear.
God will not force anyone to have fellowship with Him. If we don’t want to be fully with him, he will let us go. But the consequence is a life without Him and therefore without His gifts, which leaves our life in the realm of hell.
Hell is often used as a thread to create fear: If you do not repent and become a Christian, you will go to hell. Well, according to what we have seen above, this is not really wrong, but the point is that fear and manipulation are attributes of the beast (in Revelation), but the attribute of the church is mainly her testimony as witness.