Social Psychologist & Personal Advisor
Just Heaven or Hell Is Not Bible Truth
Only Heaven or Hell is NOT
What the Bible Teaches
by Dr Matt Moody, Ph.D.
In Google searches, it is common to find the false assumption suggested by this question: "Why is God's Judgment only Heaven or Hell?"
Relying upon Bible teachings, this article will establish that God's Truth is the exact opposite: God's righteous and fair judgments will be more than just Heaven or Hell.
Those who prayerfully study the Word of God will learn that during "the resurrection" there will be the MORE than just two eternal consequences. The Bible teaches of 3 Heavens and 1 Hell. The Apostle Paul taught this truth:
"There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon,
and another glory of the stars: for one star differs
from another star in glory. So also is
the resurrection of the dead."
(1 Cor. 15:41-42)
Confirming the fact of 3 Heavens, the Apostle Paul also wrote:
"I knew a man in Christ ... (whether in the body, ... or whether
out of the body, I cannot tell) ... such an one caught up
to THE THIRD HEAVEN [emphasis added]...
that he was caught up into paradise, and
heard unspeakable words, ... Of
such an one will I glory"
(2 Cor. 12:2-5).
More than 45,000 Christian denominations are in the world today, and the overwhelming majority of them teach only two options for the destiny of God's children on Judgment Day: Heaven or Hell.
We know that the Bible teaches that God "knows all things" (1 John 3:20), and "His understanding is infinite" (Psalm 147:5). Further, the Apostle Paul taught:
"God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
And there is no creature hidden from His sight,
but all things are open to the eyes of Him
to whom we must give account."
(Hebrews 4:12-13)
Since God is infinitely knowledgable and wise, and knows the intents of our hearts, how much sense does it make to have just two alternatives—Heaven or Hell—in the final day of Judgment? This would mean, one group will be judged to join the mass-murderer Adolf Hitler in Hell, and the other group will enjoy the blessings of Heaven along with Mother Teresa.
But what destiny is in store for the many thousands of people who are not murderers, and neither are they faithful believers, as was Teresa of Calcutta?
Here's one of God's criteria for making final Judgments:
"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he
who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but
but the wrath of God abides on him."
(John 3:36).
Consider the millions of Hindus in India, who haven't been taught the teachings of Jesus, and therefore do not believe in Him. They believe in the Hinduism learned from their culture. And what of the millions of buddhists who live in Cambodia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka? They also do not believe in Jesus, because they learned the buddhist traditions of their heritage.
Do Hindus and Buddhists go to Hell, simply because they were born in geographical locations where the Gospel of Jesus Christ was not commonly taught?
Do buddhists and hindus go to Hell with mass murderers like Mao Zedong, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and King Leopold II of Belgium who killed 10 million Congo natives, while exploiting the natural resources of the Congo for financial gain?
Those who do not believe in Jesus do indeed receive a judgment of "damnation," but does that damnation also include the consequence of "Hell." John the Revelator declared:
"But the cowardly, THE UNBELIEVING [emphasis added], the vile,
the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic
arts, the idolaters and ALL LIARS [emphasis added]—
they shall have their part in the lake which
burns with fire and brimstone."
(Rev. 21:8)
According to Jesus, "few there be that find" the Celestial Heaven:
"Because strait is the gate, and narrow
is the way, which leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it."
(Matt. 7:14)
Relatively speaking, "few ... find" Eternal Life in Celestial Heaven because Christ's standard for receiving that Glory is high:
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father
which is in heaven is perfect."
(Matt. 5:48)
The word "perfect" can be quite intimidating; so, let's consider a less provocative synonym. At Biblehub.com we can discover the Greek and Hebrew words from which English word, "perfect" is translated:
Greek Word: teleios (tel'-i-os) — Part of Speech: Adjective
Definition: complete in all its parts, full grown, completeness of Christian character.
Hebrew Word: tamim (taw-meem') — Part of Speech: Adjective
Definition: complete, sound, unblemished, upright, whole, without defect.
While we don't have to be complete and perfect, to the level of the Father and His Son, to enter into Celestial Glory, we must consistently be on the Celestial Path, which means consistently shunning the enticements of hell:
"precept upon precept ... line upon line; here a little, and there a little...
thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation
a stone, ... a precious corner stone, a sure foundation...
and your agreement with hell shall not stand."
(Isaiah 28:13-18)
Christ's commandment to be "perfect" (or whole and complete) is about faithfully striving to be upright, without blemish or defect, made clean and whole through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
Those who enter into Celestial Glory will be complete in their striving to learn and live Christ's commandments, and will always remember this truth:
"The things which are impossible with men are possible with God...
Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things
are possible to him that believeth."
(Luke 18:27; Mark 9:23)
To become complete, let's start with faithfully striving to live these sixteen teachings of Jesus:
#1) Believe in Christ — "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ... but he that believeth not is condemned already, ... he that believeth not the Son shall not see life" (John 3:15-18, 36). "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:40). "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved ... I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep" (John 10:9-11).
#2) Be Born Again — "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ... Ye must be born again" (John 3:5, 7).
#3) Become Converted — "Except ye be converted ... ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3). Christ clarified the meaning of conversion in the example of Peter, who believed that Jesus was the Christ (Matt. 16:16), but was not yet "converted" (Luke 22:32-34).
#4) Be Humble and Childlike — "Except ye ... become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3-4). "Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein" (Luke 18:17).
#5) Believe in the Father — "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24).
#6) Do the Will of the Father — "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). "I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me" (John 5:30). "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me" (John 6:38).
#7) Hear and Follow Christ — "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life" (John 10:27-28). "He that heareth my word ... hath everlasting life" (John 5:24). "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? ... Jesus said unto him, ... come and follow me" (Matt. 19:16, 21).
#8) Be Baptized — "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16). "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also ... If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:12, 15). "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matt. 28:19). "Grant that these my two sons may sit ... in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, ... Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" (Matt. 20:21-22).
#9) Eat of the Bread of Life — "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).
#10) Drink of Living Water — "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst ... a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:10-14).
#11) Partake of His Flesh and Blood — "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. ... He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him" (John 6:53-56). "I am the true vine ... Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:1-5).
#12) Love God and Neighbor — "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? ... Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. ... this do, and thou shalt live" (Luke 10:25-28). "And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. ... Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. ... Thy faith hath saved thee" (Luke 7:44, 47-50). The woman's expression of love, and her faith are as two sides of one coin; thus, Obeying the Great Commandments & Believing in Christ are inseparable.
#13) Show Charity — "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world ... Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire ... Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal" (Matt. 25:34, 40-41, 45-46).
#14) Love your Enemies — "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 5:44-45).
#15) Endure to the End — "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Mark 13:13). "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. ... Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted ... and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. ... But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Matt. 24:7-13). "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:10).
#16) Done Good — "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:28-29). "Jesus saith unto him, ... I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works... Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also" (John 14:9-12). "And Jesus answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it" (Luke 6:21).:
* * * * *
There will be many good people who believe that Jesus was the Son of God, who have not and will not choose to be "complete" and "whole" in obeying and faithfully following the Savior.
Such souls who believe in Jesus and live good lives, but fall short of being complete in their faithfulness to the teachings and example of Christ—these good people will be rewarded the Glory of the Moon.
In contrast, those who go to Hell, will meet this criteria that Jesus taught:
"All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men:
but blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven.
And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of man,
it shall be forgiven... but whosoever speaks against
the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven, neither
in this world, nor in the world to come."
(Matt. 12:31-32).
Here's the principle by which you and I are deemed sinners against God:
"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good,
and doeth it not, to him it is sin."
(James 4:17)
The sins that will result in "damnation" from entering higher and highest kingdoms of Glory, are the sins that we clearly KNOW NOT TO DO. In other words, we must be taught God's Truth in the first place, in order to sin against that Truth. Here's an example:
"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he
who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but
but the wrath of God abides on him."
(John 3:36)
Again, there are many millions of Hindus and Buddhists in our world, who are not yet accountable for their failure to believe in Jesus, because they have not been taught, hence, do not clearly "know to do good."
Many souls throughout human history have not yet been given a fair chance to learn the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because Almighty God is infinitely just and fair, all who have lived on earth will be given a fair chance to learn and receive God's Truth.
God is infinitely wise, and therefore, He has already put a plan in place to teach millions who were not clearly taught the gospel of Jesus Christ, during mortal life. And the teaching necessary to make final judgments fair and just, for these particular people, will occur in the world of spirits:
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that
He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but
quickened by the Spirit: By which also He went
and preached unto the spirits in prison."
(1 Peter 3:18-19)
From Spirit Prison, there are two possibilities: The Glory of the Stars or the "outer darkness" (Matt. 25:30) of "the lowest hell" (Deut 22:32; Psalm 86:13).
Everyone who attains of kingdom of Glory will meet one firm and immovable criteria:
"For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written...
every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God.
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
(Romans 14:10-12)
Those souls in Spirit Prison who will not humbly "bow" and will not sincerely "confess" will go to the "outer darkness" (Matt. 25:30) of "the lowest hell" (Deut 22:32; Psalm 86:13).
In the day of Judgement, because "God knoweth your hearts" (Luke 16:15), He will discern between those who have humbly bowed and have truly confessed, and those who feign humility, in a vein attempt to avoid the outer darkness of hell.
Those souls who chose not to believe in Jesus, and therefore, died in their sins, will not be able to cast their sinful burdens upon Christ (Psalm 55:22), and must suffer for their own sins, according to the demands of God's perfect justice—such unrepentant souls will eventually enter into the Glory of the Stars—the Telestial Kingdom. Of those souls who die in their sins, the Savior said:
"I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer
if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain,
to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit... Wherefore, I command
you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power;
and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these
punishments of which I have spoken."
(D & C 19:16-20)
* * * * *
"For by grace are ye saved THROUGH FAITH [emphasis added];
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God"
(Eph. 2:8).
Believers "access" God's Saving Grace through faith in Jesus (Rom. 5:1-2). And "abiding in the true vine" is the foundational way Believers manifest faith in their Savior.
Notice how the alleged "Free Ticket to Heaven" is simply given by Grace alone, with no mention of the words "through faith." This is just one among many misinterpretations originating from the Most Misinterpreted Verse in the Bible: Ephesians 2:8-9.
The words "through faith" affirm what Jesus taught:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16)
Believing in Jesus, having Faith in Him, means that we must "follow his steps" (1 Pet. 2:21). For, if there is no "Following" there is no Faith!
We must have an active and living Faith in Jesus Christ to be saved by God's Grace. As the Apostle James taught: "faith, if it hath not works is dead, being alone" (James 2:15-17)"—and "dead" faith has no access to Saving Grace.
Related Articles:
Covenant Context of Salvation
Faith in Christ: Our Side of the Saving Covenant
Faithfulness in Following the Savior Opens Access to God's Grace
Solving Bible Conundrum created by Misinterpretation of the Epistles of Paul
The Journey
For this is the Journey that mortals make:
To find themselves. If they fail in this, it matters little
whatever else they may achieve: Money, Fame, Revenge, Pleasure.
When they end the Journey, they can put them all into
a bin marked "ashes." They mean nothing.
But if one has found that she has within her
a divine soul, if she has discovered the principles
upon which the fulfillment of that soul is based, and
if she implements those principles, then she has a mansion
within which she can live with dignity
and joy each day of her life.
* * * * * * *
The Greatest Prize
for Life's labors isn't
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Social Psychologist & Personal Advisor
