HEAVEN OR HELL(Or Weeping, Wailing, and Gnashing of Teeth)

In the old days there used to be a lot of preaching on heaven and hell. Nowadays you don't hear too many sermons about the fire-and-brimstone because preachers are afraid to preach about hell, which is probably an injustice to the brethren.

This fact is even more interesting in light of how often we hear the word HELL used as an expletive in daily conversation. Why do you suppose people use that word so much? Could it be the outward expression of their real inward feeling? People say, "Oh hell" because that is what they feel.

Let me suggest an experiment to try sometime if you are in a crowded elevator, or crowded area:

Get on a crowded elevator and simply cry out "Oh heaven!" When the doors open and people are getting off the elevator, cry out "Heaven!" again. This should surely get folks' attention, because they're used to hearin' about the other place a whole lot more.

A preacher was ending his message on hell one evening. At the peak of his message, he yelled out to the congregation, "And in hell there will be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth!" You could have heard a pin drop. He said again, "Did you hear me? There will be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth!" By this time folks were doing some heavy breathing. Then for the third time for emphasis, he said, "There will be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth!"

An old country farmer in his overalls, who attended church on occasion out of respect for his wife and family, even though he was an unbeliever and a skeptic decided to have a little fun with the preacher. He looked up at the preacher, and said, "But, Preacher, what if you ain't got no teeth?" The Preacher responded with great solemnity, "Teeth will be provided."

We have some idea what hell will be like. The Bible mentions darkness, a lake of fire, a land of weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth(with teeth provided). I know this much, that hell is separation from a loving God. It is a place that God does not intend for any of us to go. It has not been prepared for his children, though it is a place to which one can choose to go. It is my prayer that we would all choose to be with Christ in heaven instead. Sink your teeth into that message.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20.

One of the greatest lay theologians of this century was C.S. Lewis, author of many books for children and adults. In "The Great Divorce", one of his most unusual books, the word divorce does not refer to marriage, but to the great separation between heaven and hell. A group of folks decides to take a bus trip from hell to heaven. First of all, it's hard to get them all together. Rather than being a crowded place, hell is a place where people live at incredible distances from one another. When they do get together, nobody can get along with anybody else. It's a long trip to heaven.

When the bus finally gets to heaven, the real problems begin. The light in heaven is too bright for their eyes. The water in heaven is so substantial that they can walk on it, but not drink it, so they cannot satisfy their thirst. They must watch the citizens of heaven drink the water and wonder why it is too thick for them to drink. The grass in heaven feels like spikes beneath their feet, even though it is soft to the citizens of heaven.

The brilliant point made by Lewis is this: Heaven is ultimate reality; hell is ultimate non-reality. Yes, hell is a real place with eternal consequences for the people who have chosen to be there. But hell is an unreal place for people who never got real about the Lord Jesus Christ. Lewis contends that such people could never stand heaven even if they got there.

Makes you wonder, why would someone who couldn't stand an hour on Sunday praisin' God on Earth want to spend forever and ever doing nothing but praisin' God in a service with no benediction in heaven? That would be hell to them.

Heaven is a place Christians can practice for. Prayer, praise, congregational worship, and fellowship will tune you up for the Big Forever. What the heaven! I can wait.

This article with the exception of a few paraphrases from myself was taken from Dr. Dennis Swanberg's book "Swan's Soup and Salad" (Humorous Stories That Nourish the Heart), Chapter 25. Website: www.dennisswanberg.com Swanberg Christian Ministries, P.O. Box 1495, West Monroe, LA 71294 USA. 318-397-8745(office); 318-399-8743(fax)