Heaven and Hell – Ramblings

For two thousand years people have debated what heaven and hell is going to be like and just who will go to heaven and who will go to hell for eternity.

Matthew recorded what Jesus taught us about the Great White Throne Judgment:

Matthew 25:31-34, 41 -- ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;


So Here are the Questions

When the Great White Throne Judgment occurs, who will be sent to populate heaven and who will be sent to populate hell and what is heaven and hell like?

There is very little in the Bible describing heaven and hell other than “paradise” versus the “fiery pit”. John describes the heavenly throne room in Revelations but that’s about it. I guess God doesn’t feel it necessary for us to know for sure leaving it to our own imagination. It really doesn’t matter, we will all find out soon enough.

The following rambling is one interpretation that my scrambled brain has been playing with. I certainly am not saying that these are the answers to the questions but I do believe they are worth thinking about. After all, God has left it to our imagination and God encourages us to discover His secrets.

Deuteronomy 29:29 -- The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children for ever, to observe all the words of this law.

Proverbs 25:2 -- It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.



My Ramblings

Psalm 19:14 -- Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

We all were created in the image of God and since we were created in His image, we all have been imprinted with His basic moral commands or codes – Don’t steal, lie, cheat, kill, covet, etc.
Since we were also given free will, it is up to us as individuals to either obey these commands or not. All of the major religions have adopted these basic imprinted behavioral laws and have, as is discovered in the Old Testament, for thousands of years. (Cain knew it was wrong to murder Able.)

The vast majority of the people in the world belong to, or claim to belong to, one or another of the world’s major religions. I wonder how many of these people really worship God as opposed to just “belonging” to the congregation and how many of these folks observe, or attempt to observe, the basic imprinted moral commands, that is, live a righteous life? A significant portion of the population doesn’t even believe in a god but are still imprinted with God’s behavioral commands. I wonder how many of these folks observe the basic moral commands? I wonder, given the world’s total population since the beginning, what proportion of all of these people observed these imprinted commands? Based upon all of the turmoil that has always occurred in the world I would guess not many.

Hosea 14:9 -- Those who are wise understand these things; those who are discerning know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them.

Okay, here I go out on a limb again. I have discussed this before and every time I do I cringe a bit because it bumps up against the basic Christian believe that, unless you accept Jesus as your redeemer and savior you cannot inherit His kingdom. This belief is based upon Jesus’ words that John recorded in his testimony.

John 14:6-7 -- ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also.

This has always implied to us that the only way into heaven is by accepting Christ as our Savior. But is that really what he is saying? Yes, He does say, “If you know me, you will know the Father also.” This, I believe, means that if you follow Gods laws, accept Jesus as your savior, give control of your life over to God, and let the Holy Spirit guide you through life you will earn a place in God’s kingdom. But he also says, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” Does this imply that, as long as Jesus believes that you are, or will be, worthy, He will allow you to know the Father? (Okay, I am going way out on a limb here, but I can’t help but wonder.)

Consider this verse again:

Deuteronomy 29:29 -- The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children for ever, to observe all the words of this law.

In this verse, God tells us that what is written in the Bible is everything we need to know in order to live a righteous earthly life and then to inherit eternal spirit life in Heaven. He is also telling us that He has secrets that we don’t need to know about. These secret things are for Him alone to know.

Now consider this. A person is standing in front of Jesus at the White Throne Judgment who has not accepted Jesus as the savior and is looking Jesus in the eye. Jesus then says, “I have known you since you were conceived in the womb. I know that you have not yet accepted me as your Lord and Savior but you observed my imprinted moral codes as best you could and lived a really good and righteous life. I also know that once you experience me as your Lord and King you will be a faithful servant and will contribute to the building up of our Heavenly kingdom. Since I am the only judge and the only way to the Father I judge you worthy. Welcome to My kingdom.”

I know I know. This is a stretch. There is absolutely nothing in the Bible that would support this and I am not implying that I believe it to be true. It is only my rambling thinking. But just for the fun of it let’s head down this path.

Who Would Populate Heaven? People who accepted Jesus as their savior and redeemer and turned control of their lives over to God will be accepted into heaven. Also included would be all of the other people who attempted to live their lives following their imprinted moral code. Jesus would judge these people worthy of eternal life in heaven since He knows they lived a righteous life on earth and that they will work toward profiting God’s kingdom once they experience Jesus as their Lord and King.

Who Would Populate Hell? Those people who disregarded their imprinted moral code and lived their lives by the flesh, working toward profiting their own “kingdom” seeking wealth, possessions, power, control, etc.

What Would Heaven be Like? If heaven is populated only with really good, righteous people who ultimately accepted God as their king and who continued to worship God and profit His kingdom heaven would be a wonderful place to spend eternity. Heaven would be a true Theocracy. There would be no need for a government, God would be king and rule heaven with his merciful love. Each individual would love and worship God and love their fellow man. There would be no wars, or conflicts. Not a tear would be shed. Complete harmony.

What Would Hell be Like? Being populated with selfish, self-righteous, self-serving people it would be a horrid place to spend eternity. Consider what the governing authorities would do with their power grabs and their disregard for the population. The place would be in total chaos with no hope in sight for eternity. Imagine all of the conflicts and wars. Murders would be a part of life. Gang wars resulting in constant fighting in the streets. On going terrorist attacks. Rape, stealing, and sexual promiscuity would be accepted as common. It would be a very dangerous, nasty, Godless place. (It all sounds like fire and brimstone to me.) The Bible does tell us that Satan will rule over hell.


I am sure that this scenario doesn’t come close to being accurate but it was fun to play with it a bit. I personally am taking the prescribed route to heaven using God’s word given to us in the Bible as my guide. I am building my relationship with God. I continue to learn what God expects of me. I have accepted Jesus into my heart and know that he is my savior and redeemer. I constantly listen for the Holy Spirit to guide me and correct me. If I am successful I will earn a place in heaven with God for eternity.



.