A Pastor’s Thoughts: Hell Is Real! You Don’t Have To Go There!

[By Pastor Wayne Sibrava, Living Water Baptist Church]

There are certain subjects that are not pleasant to talk about. This past week, for example, I met with a man who asked me to do his funeral, and we talked about the details. Who wants to talk about the details of one’s funeral? Yet another subject that comes our way that is not pleasant to talk about is the diagnosis of the terminal illness of a family member, friend, or even on yourself. The list goes on with things like accidents, marital issues, and rifts between family and friends.

In my experience, there’s yet another subject that many people don’t want to talk about: what happens to them when they die—will they go to heaven or hell?   

The fact of the matter is that it is appointed unto mankind once to die, and just writing about it even seems a bit uncomfortable. Yet, the statistics on death are very compelling: every one out of one person will die, and there are only two places a person goes to when they die: heaven or hell. Furthermore, there are no second chances after one dies. No, it is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment. 

The reality is that heaven is a place of blessing and hell is a place of torment. A person may say that they don’t believe in heaven and that they don’t believe in hell, but the fact of the matter is, you can’t stay here. Even if there’s a 10% chance that there’s a hell, isn’t that enough motivation to not want to go there?  

Jesus clearly and carefully spoke about heaven and hell. Concerning heaven, He called it His Father’s house and said: John 14:2–3 (NLT) 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 

Concerning hell, Jesus went on to say: Luke 16:22–23 (NLT) 22 Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and he went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.  

The question becomes, “What do I have to do to make sure that I go to heaven when I  die?” The Bible similarly makes it very clear that it’s not by baptism, the Lord’s Supper, confirmation, catechism, church membership, sacraments, nor anything else that we can do. Going to heaven has everything to do with what Jesus did. Jesus lived 33 perfect years; He died on the cross for the sins of the world, and on the third day He rose again. The means by which we can know for 100% certainty is by admitting that we are sinful, believing that Jesus died for our sins, and by confessing Jesus as our Lord.  

You don’t have to hope, wish, nor wonder as to whether or not you will go to heaven when you die: 1 John 5:13 (NLT) 13 I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.  

Trust Jesus Now!