The common view is that the saved go to heaven at death to be with Jesus and their loved ones. Although it’s not clear what we’ll do there, we know that we will enjoy eternal bliss.

Problem 1: Going to heaven contradicts scriptures that speak of the righteous living on earth, including the land promise God made to Abraham and his descendants (Gen 12:7; 13:14-15; 15:18-21; 17:7-8; 22:17-18; 24:7; 26:4; 28:13; 35:12; Ex 3:17; 6:8; Lev 25:38; Deut 1:8; Josh 21:43; Ps 105:11; Jer 7:7; 11:5; 32:22; Ezek 20:6, 42; Acts 7:3-5; Rom 4:13; Gal 3:29; Eph 2:12-13, 19) as well as many other texts (Ps 2:7-8; 37:9-11, 21-22, 27-29, 34; Pr 2:21; Is 11:6-9; 60:20-21; Ezek 36:26-28; Dan 2:44; 7:27; Zech 14:9; Mat 5:5; 6:10; Luke 13:28-29; Rev 2:26-27; 5:9-10; 11:15; 21:2-4).

Problem 2: Going to heaven undermines God’s original intention for creation. God made the kind of world (Gen 1:31) and people (Gen 2:7) he wanted in the beginning. His plan is to fix what went wrong, not give up on it (Rom 8:19-23; Is 45:18).

Problem 3: Going to heaven devalues resurrection. Assuming the dead are living in heaven, what’s the point of the resurrection of the dead? Why would people want their bodies back after living in disembodied bliss in heaven for centuries? The Bible teaches that when people die, they are “asleep” until Christ returns to “awaken” them (Dan 12:2; John 5:28-29; 6:39-40; 1 Cor 15:21-23). Life will be much like it is now, but with the elimination of everything wrong with the world— including violence, sickness, and death. It will be paradise.

The common view of hell is that it is a place of separation from God where the unrighteous suffer eternal conscious torment (ECT) in a fire with no relief and no hope of escape.

Problem 1: ECT contradicts scriptures that speak of the destruction of the wicked, including Gen 3:19-23; Ps 1:6; 37:9-11, 20-22, 28-29, 34, 37-38; 92:7; 145:20; Prov 2:21-22; 12:7; 24:10-20; Is 66:15-16, 23-24; Mal 4:1-3; Mat 3:11-12; 7:13-14; 10:28; Jn 3:16; 5:28-29; Rom 6:23; 2 Thes 1:6-9; Heb 10:26-27; 2 Pet 2:6, 12-13; 3:7.

Problem 2: ECT violates the ethic of proportional justice. Torturing the wicked forever is out of proportion to their crimes. Since we know that Yahweh judges with righteousness and equity (Ps 9:7-8), he cannot also be excessive in his punishment.

Problem 3: ECT implies that God is cruel. If you had a friend who was so sensitive and offendable that he wished to punish his enemies by tormenting them forever, what would that tell you about his character? God is not sadistic; he is loving, gracious, merciful, and just (Ex 34:6-7; Deut 32:4; Jer 9:24).

When the day of judgement comes, the dead will rise and stand before the judge (Rev 20:11-15). Those not in the book of life will be annihilated. In Rev 20:10 (and 14:9-11) John saw a vision of people getting eternally tormented in a lake of fire. In Rev 21:7-8, we learn that the symbol of people getting tormented in a lake of fire actually refers to “the second death.”

We can evaluate God and His actions rightly based upon the parameters He has given in the Scriptures about Himself. When someone says “God did this” or “God did that” we must see if it fits with what we know about God.

Like the ancient texts in The Mummy, God’s “backwards” truths become the key to real victory and transformation.

1. The Bible is not Boring — It’s a Living Adventure

2. The Bible is not Bigoted — It’s Radically Inclusive

3. The Bible is not Backwards — But it is Backwards to the World

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good;

The lost are those who have yet to take refuge in God. They haven’t tasted and seen that Yahweh is good. These are the people we are called to reach.

Luke 19:1-2 Zaccheus was a bad man, engaged in a despicable profession that betrayed and exploited his own people.

Luke 19:3-6 Jesus noticed Zaccheus. He wasn’t so busy or task-oriented that he missed the wealthy man who had climbed the tree. As a high-status rabbi, inviting himself over to Zaccheus’s house was a huge honor to Zaccheus.

Luke 19:7 There will always be critics when you spend time with the lost. Even so, we want to be like Jesus and seek out those who are spiritually hungry.

Luke 19:8-9 Zaccheus repented on the spot. He’s ready to change his life. Love calls for a response. Martin Luther King used to say that love had within it a redemptive power.

Luke 19:10 Jesus came to seek out and to save the lost. If you want to be like Jesus, you, too, should seek out the lost. Those who are lost really need help (Eph 2:12).