Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

The End. The two words that mean “it’s over,” “it’s run its course,” “it’s time to stop,” “there is no more.” The End. It’s completed. There is nothing else. Stop looking for it because you won’t find it. You can’t have any more. You are done. The story is done. It is finished. Time has stopped. Things have ceased. Everything is blank. The game is over. The End.

Countries end, cars end, businesses end, careers end, relationships end, money ends, time ends, lives end. God never ends. Let me say that again, God never ends. God is He who was and is and is to come. He will always be. He never ceases. He never stops, never quits, never tires, never halts, He never ends.

When I was younger I watched a movie called the Never Ending Story. It was about a world called Fantasia where a terrible entity called The Nothing was eating away at the world, destroying everything in its path. A boy named Bastian in the “real world” got a hold of a book entitled “The Never Ending Story” where as he read about what was happening in Fantasia, it really happened. And the more he read, the more the nothing ate away at Fantasia until all that was left was one tiny grain of sand.

The ruler of Fantasia, the child-like empress, gave that grain of sand to Bastian who then made wishes and the more he wished, the more Fantasia grew until it was more beautiful than it had ever been before. And each child that would read the story after Bastian would go through the exact same process. Now Fantasia almost had an end, but thanks to the boy, it never ended, but it continued to exist. But how did Fantasia begin? And if you tie that back in to where we are, that begs the question, well, where did God begin?

A story always has a beginning, middle, and an end. If God doesn’t end, then how did he begin? Did anyone create God? To answer this question, we need to go to the one place where we can find the answers to difficult questions about God like this one.

The Bible says in John 1:1-2, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” Notice here that the word “Word” is capitalized. Any time we see that in modern language, we understand that it refers to someone. John was making reference to the Word of God, or Jesus.

The passage might as well read like this: “In the beginning was Jesus and Jesus was with God and Jesus was God. Jesus was with God in the beginning.” So, from this we can pull the fact that Jesus and God were there at the beginning. Genesis 1:1, the beginning of the Old Testament reads: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” While similar to John’s account, there is an important difference between these two passages. Genesis begins with the creation of the world, at a point that began time, while John reaches back beyond time into eternity.

Look at verse 3 of John 1, “Through [Jesus] all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made.” Creation in John’s account is not even mentioned until verse 3, which suggests that the first two verses must refer to an earlier period. Which means, before time was, God was. God existed. Jesus was. Jesus existed.

Jesus said in John 8:58, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am.” I am, (present-tense). Not I was. Not I will be. I AM.

During the summer, Mike taught us that one of the characteristics of God is the fact that He is omnipresent. God is fully present in all space all the time. God is omnipresent, meaning that he has all presence. This doesn’t just mean that God is everywhere. The “omni” in omnipresence doesn’t just mean that God is in all places. It also means that all of God is in all places. Not only is God everywhere, but all of God is everywhere all the time. Everywhere, all the time. God can do this because he is outside of time. He controls time. He made time and He can unmake time. He can bend time to His will.

Have you ever been running late to a meeting or an engagement you were headed to? Did you ever think, man, if I could just slow down time. If I could make it stop for just a few minutes, then I’d be on time. God is always on time because he controls time. Before time was, He was. He has always been. He will always be. He is eternal.

Our finite human minds have difficulty grasping this concept. Infinity. Forever. Eternity. The only way I can describe it to you is to have you picture a beach. Think about standing on a beach where you cannot see the north end of the beach and you cannot see the south end of the beach. It seems to stretch on forever towards the horizon. Now reach down and pick up a handful of sand. Sift that sand out of your hand until you have just one grain of sand in your hand. One tiny grain of sand. That grain of sand is your life on this earth compared to the eternity that is the beach.

It kind of blows you away when you try to wrap your mind around the concept of eternity. Now, let me take it one step further. You are eternal. Let me say that again, you are eternal. God created you that way. You will live forever. It’s true. You may say to yourself, but what about death? Isn’t that the end? It is the end for your body and your mind, but not for your soul. Your spirit is eternal. It lives forever. That’s what God intended. He created you to be never-ending.

Daniel 12:2 says this, “Those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace.” (NIV)

That never-ending state according to the Book of Daniel occurs in one of two ways and it’s all based on the choice you make to this one simple question: Do I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God? If you answer the question as “yes,” then you believe that Jesus is the Son of God. You believe that He was who He said He was and that He died on a cross to forgive you of your sins and redeem you to an eternal state of living with Him and His Father in heaven forever.

If the answer to that question is no, then you don’t believe that Jesus was who He said He was and you will still live eternally. Oh yes, you will live forever even if you don’t believe that Jesus is Lord, but you will live apart from God forever. Infinitely. Never-Ending. Life without God for Eternity. And that life will be set in what the Bible calls Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, or as we know it, Hell.

A tale of two eternities

Let’s explore these two eternal states in which we are never-ending. The first eternal state we’ll explore is Hell. God originally designed Hell for Satan and His Demons. Matthew 25:41 says, “Then the king will say to those on his left, "Get away from me! You are under God's curse. Go into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels!” (CEV) Hell was created as the final punishment for Satan.

But Hell will also be the punishment for those who reject Christ. Matthew 13:41,50 says this, “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil, throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (NLT)

The world likes to take a different look at Hell than the Bible describes and they have come up with some erroneous views on what Hell will actually be like. Let’s explore a couple of those now.

The first incorrect view of Hell is what I call the “second-chance view”. What I mean is that people believe that there is still a way to escape hell after death. Let me counter this popular myth with the words of the author of Hebrews: “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (Heb 9:27, KJV) Once. One-shot, not two. One chance to get it right. One lifetime to make the correct decision.

The second incorrect view is called Universalism. People tend to believe that everyone will be eternally saved. If this view is correct then, we should just close up shop right now. Let’s say the closing prayer and go home because if this is correct, I can do whatever I want and there are no consequences because I’ll go to heaven no matter what. If Universalism stands, then there are no such things as right or wrong and I could walk up to someone and say, give me all of the money in your wallet and that wouldn’t be stealing because there are no such things as right and wrong. However, the Bible and more specifically, Jesus had something to say about this viewpoint. In John 3:36, Jesus says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (NIV)

The final incorrect view that our culture has on Hell is called Annihilationism. Yes, I brought my “big-word” license with me this morning. Annihilationism is the belief that once a person goes to Hell, they cease to exist. This means that there is no torment or punishment, because they would all just become like ghosts. Jesus said in John 5:28 that “The time will come when all of the dead will hear the voice of the Son of Man.” (CEV)

So, if none of these ideas are correct about Hell, then what is Hell really like? Why does the idea of Hell scare so many people? Our popular culture has taught us to think of Hell as a giant party where the Devil rules over all and you can enjoy any sin that you want for as long as you want. There are no rules and no consequences. Oh and there’s lots of fire, but somehow, the temperature only gets up to around 90 degrees and everybody can deal with it.

The only thing that pop-culture gets right in any of this is the fact that there’s lots of fire. In fact there’s an entire lake of molten fire. But let’s set the record straight on what Hell is really like, according to God’s Word. The Bible only describes Hell with seven characteristics and these seven should be enough to scare you to death.

First off, the Bible says that God is the light in Him there is no darkness. Well, if God is not in Hell and Hell is eternal separation from God, then we can theorize that Hell is pitch black. No light. And not even the fire would put off light. If Hell is pitch black, then the fire in hell gives off no light whatsoever. Black fire. That scares me without going any further, but then check out the rest of what awaits those who are bound for eternal separation from God in Hell. A lake of molten fire; Screaming; Gnashing of Teeth; Worms; Eternal Suffering, which means that your body is on fire forever and you are in pain but you will never die because there is no rest day or night; and my least personal favorite, Burning Sulfur. Have you ever smelled sulfur? Imagine smelling burnt sulfur and then imagine smelling it forever.

The Bible paints a different picture than the world doesn’t it? Oh, the world got one other fact half-right. Satan and his demons will be there, but they’ll be experiencing the same punishment as everyone else. No one will be in charge in Hell because it is eternal agony in the dark, without God forever.

Here are two facts that you can pull out of scripture about Hell. First off, Hell is conscious torment. We looked at Matthew 13:50 earlier. I just want to remind you of what Jesus said. The angels will throw the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (NLT) In Hell, people are conscious. They know what is happening to them. They know that they are on fire. They know that they are in pain because they can feel pain. It is conscious torment.

The second fact that we can pull from scripture is that Hell is eternal and irreversible. Revelation 14:11 says this: “The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever and they have no rest, day or night.” (NIV) Forever and ever. Eternal. Never-Ending.

So you might be asking yourself this question right now as you tremble with the thought of what Hell is really like. The question is, how could a loving God send people to Hell for eternity? My answer to this question is two-fold. First off, God is just. Romans 2:11 says, “God does not show favoritism.” He is equal with everyone. God has provided a way of salvation to all and even those who haven’t heard of Christ are accountable for God’s revelation in nature. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (NIV) There is no excuse. There is no second chance. God is just.

The second answer to the question is actually a part of the question. How could a loving God send people to Hell for eternity? The second answer is that God loves everyone. God has created us in His image and part of that is that He created us with choices. You have a choice whether to follow God or not and as a result, if you choose not to follow God, then God’s final act of love toward you is to honor your choice. If you choose not to love God and be around Him in this life, then God lovingly honors your choice to be without Him for eternity. You get to spend eternity without God because that’s what you wanted on earth. G.K. Chesterton said it best when he said that “Hell is the greatest compliment God has ever paid to the dignity of human freedom.”

So with all of this information, is there any hope for us? Is there another path that we can take? Since we’re created to be never-ending, can we be with God for eternity? The answer is yes, and that path leads through the cross of Christ and to a place called heaven.

Now, just as with Hell, the world has misconstrued what Heaven actually is. There are also two erroneous beliefs about heaven and we’ll touch on them briefly.

The first of these two is one of the same beliefs about Hell and that, again is Universalism. When people think that everyone is saved and is going to heaven instead of Hell, they are gravely mistaken. Speaking of Jesus in the book of Acts, Peter and John addressed the Sanhedrin which was kind of like going before a religious Senate Judiciary Committee. They said this before the Sanhedrin: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, NIV) Jesus himself said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.” If Jesus is the only way to the Father then the Universal belief that everyone is going to heaven cannot be true. Not everyone believes that Jesus is the only way to God, but those of us that do have found the only way to be saved from the fires of Hell.

Dennis Rodman seems to believe that heaven is this frilly cloud filled palace with Greco Roman pillars jutting out from everywhere, and where everyone flies around with wings and plays harps while wearing floor length dress robes. Oh, and I almost forgot the halos. Our world believes that everyone who is good enough will receive halos in heaven. I have news for you world, listen closely. Heaven is nothing like that. Heaven is actually closer to the world’s view of Hell in that it will be a giant party. The party takes place in heaven not in hell.

The Bible speaks of heaven in many passages and also calls it Paradise and the New Jerusalem. It talks in the book of Revelation about streets of gold hammered so thin that they are transparent. A crystal clear river that flows from the throne of God down through the city and the fact that God is there. There is no sun or moon for God is the light and we will be with him forever. I don’t want to short change the description of heaven that the Bible gives, but let me encourage you to go home and read through Revelation chapters 21 & 22 for a fuller picture of what heaven will actually be like.

Along with Hell, there are some Biblical truths that I also want us to pull out of scripture about heaven. First off, Heaven is constant worship. As we are in heaven, and God is there, we will worship God constantly. Now, for those of you who think that means that we’ll be singing for eternity, don’t get nervous on me. Worship is defined in scripture as anything we do to please God. That means we can worship while singing, but it also means talking to God through prayer, reading and studying his word, working physically to better the church, being good stewards of our money as Mike talked about for the past three weeks, any of these things are worship towards God because they are done to please Him. And that, my friends, is what we will do for eternity in heaven. We will constantly worship God.

The fellowship in heaven will surpass anything that we have known on this earth. In heaven, God is with us; He will live with us. Could anything be more wonderful than that? We will worship and be in fellowship with God forever. Revelation 22:3 says this, “The throne of God and of the Lamb (Jesus) will be in the city, and His servants shall serve Him.” We get the awesome privilege of serving God and never stopping. We will finally be able to give God our all without fear of pain, disease, sickness, or death, for the Bible says that these things have no place in Heaven.

The second thing that we can pull from scripture about heaven is that Heaven is eternal and unimaginable. The Bible says in Revelation 22:5, “They will reign forever and ever.” Never-ending. The story never ends. I know I cannot wrap my finite mind around such an infinite concept, but that is why God is God and I am not. Jesus said, in John 14:2, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” We cannot begin to comprehend the wonders that God will hold for us in heaven. I like to think of it this way: God and Jesus created the earth in 6 days, but They’ve been working on Heaven for over 2,000 years!

Death is always seen as the end. But I submit to you this morning that death is not the end, nor is it the beginning. It is simply another chapter in our lives as we seek to serve God.

Maybe you’re here today and you don’t know about who Jesus is or what he did for you. You’ve heard what the Bible says about Hell and Heaven and you have a choice. You can choose Christ, or you can choose the world. A professor at Lincoln Christian College named Sid Latke may have said it best. “Our curiosity about where we go when we die may not be completely satisfied by biblical terms or verses. What we do know is that either eternal torment in hell or eternal joy in heaven awaits all people after death, based on whether they trust in Christ’s payment for sin or reject Christ. My question to you today is, what choice will you make? Your story will be Never-Ending. You will live forever. Where do you want your never-ending story to take place? Accept Jesus today. Be baptized in Him for the forgiveness of your sins and rest in the fact that you will know where you will spend the rest of your never-ending story.

Brian Morrissey

Tags: heaven, hell, Jesus, eternity, story, John 1, Genesis 1, beginning, end, John 14, Revelation,