I am not surprised to read about heaven and hell in the newspaper, or rather part of the newspaper.

But I am surprised, that I don’t hear more about heaven and hell in the church.

The magazine “VIVA” comes with the New Zealand Hearld. In “Viva” 23 June , 2010 I find this very interesting advertisement: “Are your stairs giving you hell? We can make your life heaven with a Stannah stairlift.” The ad has also a picture.

Why I am surprised, that I don’t hear more about heaven and hell in the church?  Because the Bible, the Word of the Living God has a lot to say about heaven and hell.

HEAVEN IS A PERFECT PLACE:  One hundred Bible Lessons by A. Douglas, page 230+231

1. A place of perfect satisfaction. Revelation 22:1,2

2. A place of perfect provision. Revelation 22:2

3. A place of perfect sinlessness. Revelation 22:3

4. A place of perfect  government. Revelation 22:3

5. A place of perfect service. Revelation 22:3

6. A place of perfect communion. Revelation 22:4

7. A place of perfect possession. Revelation 22:4

8. A place of perfect glory. Revelation 22:5

A DESCRIPTION OF HELL: One hundred Bible Lessons by A Douglas,  page 232

1. It is a place of punishment. Matthew 25:46

2. It is a place of torment. Luke 16:23

3. It is a place of fire. Matthew 13:42,50

4. It is a place of worms. Mark 9:44,46,48

5. In Luke 16:23 the man had the ability to recognize others.

6. In Luke 16:27, the man had the ability to pray, though the prayer was denied.

7.  Luke 16:24-27 the man still had desire. He desired water to drink and a missionary to go and preach to his brethren, warning them not to come.

Can you remember, when you heard your last sermon about heaven?

Can you remember, when you heard your last sermon about hell?

“died”

Today I attended a Memorial Service. A member of our church family died.

But even before today the word “died” has been on my mind. Why? I came across it in the book First Chronicles in chapter one in my daily reading of the Bible, the Word of the Living God. I am reading the Bible from cover to cover.

Have you read the book “The Prayer of  Jabez” by Bruce Wilkinson? The book is translated into German and I have a copy of the book here before me.  Somebody must have sent it to me as a present. On page thirteen it says that the first nine chapters of the book First Chronicles are pretty boring, even for students of theology because of the Historical Records From Adam to Abraham.

I really don’t know. I have no problems reading the first nine chapters of  First Chronicles. It is the Word of the Living God! Just now I am opening a NLT (New Living Translation) New Testament, and on the first page I read Second Timothy 3:16-17: “ALL SCRIPTURE IS GODBREATHED AND IS USEFULL FOR

—TEACHING,

—REBUKING,

—CORRECTING AND

—TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS,

SO THAT THE MAN OF GOD MAY BE THOROUGHLY EQUIPPED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK. “

In First Chronicles 1:44-50 you find the word “died” in every verse. In verse 50 you find it even twice. Eight times in seven verses. People are dying every day. But there was no need to tell you that!

I  hope, that the Lord is coming back, before I die.

There is a beautiful portion of the Word of God in the New Testament in  Paul’s  letter to the Romans. Romans 5:12-21: ” Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ.” Listen to verse seventeen.  In the New Living Translation (NLT) it says,

“FOR THE SIN OF THIS ONE MAN, ADAM, CAUSED DEATH TO RULE  OVER MANY. BUT EVEN GREATER IS GOD’S WONDERFUL GRACE AND HIS GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, FOR ALL WHO RECEIVE IT WILL LIVE IN TRIUMPH OVER SIN AND DEATH THROUGH THIS ONE MAN, JESUS CHRIST.”