Kicking A Hornets’ Nest

Recently Rob Bell “kicked a hornets’ nest” in the Evangelical Community by his video on line, his interviews on Good Morning America, and the publication of his new book entitled Love wins (a treatise on Heaven and Hell). As some interpret him, he no longer believes in the existence of Hell.

Certainly it is not my intention to “kick a hornets’ nest” by teaching some strange idea. Reading from Jesus’ Mt. Olivet Discourse in Matt 25 and from his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7 it is clear that Jesus declares there are two ways: one is narrow and leads to life and one is broad and leads to destruction; there is a judgment where some will be admitted to the presence of God and some will be sent away –eternally.(Matt. 25:46)

No doubt, there are many questions about Life after death (Limbo, Purgatory, Hades, Paradise, Heaven, Hell, punishment, degrees, etc.) and often there are no complete answers. We must remember what Moses declared in Deuteronomy 29:29 –“the secret things belong to God; the revealed things belong to us.” Judging others, being hyper-critical and judgmental should not be the way Christians speak (Matt.7:1) Indeed, the business of telling who goes Heaven and who goes to Hell is reserved for the Son (John 5:22;Acts 17:31; I Peter 4:5).

There are warnings about the Afterlife revealed in the word and one should not misunderstand them. They are clear and obvious to all who will read the word in faith.
1) All of us will stand before God in judgment, INDIVIDUALLY (II. Cor. 5:10);
2) There, we will be lost without Christ as our Savior (Luke 19:10; Titus3:5);
3) A full surrender to him to lead us and guide us in this life requires of us faith in him and obedience to his commands (Matt. 28:19-20; Romans 6:1-4; Acts 2:38-41);
4) Such a surrender will bring changes in our life - we become new creatures (John 3:5); he makes us ready for Heaven changing us from “Glory to glory” (II Cor. 3:18).

The Judgment will not be as posed by the great apologist C.S.Lewis; “God will say to me, ‘Your breath smells bad and your rags drip with mud and slime but we are charitable here; enter into Joy.’ And then we will beg to be cleansed.” Rather, I believe the passages already given indicate that in the judgment and in Heaven at last with a new body and a soul made pure by the blood of Christ and changed by Power Divine, we will have joy unspeakable and one desire only - to be more and more like HIM.
–Hugh Price