Heaven and hell

Matthew 13:47-51 (NLT)
47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. 48 When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. 49 That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, 50 throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 Do you understand all these things?” “Yes,” they said, “we do.”

Jesus spoke often in parables that were examples meant to give a simple explanation. As fishermen know, the net does not discriminate and catches many things. The contents of the net must be sorted out and that which meets the criteria for the catch is kept and the rest is tossed aside. Jesus makes a statement which should be noted, “Angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace”.



Christianity has the concept of an eternal life that is either spent in heaven or hell. From the Bible’s description heaven is beautiful place. It is a place where people worship and praise the Lord. It is a place where no sadness remains and no tear is shed. It is a place of comfort. It is a place where we are restored to what we were meant to have before the earth fell to sin.

Hell on the other hand is a place of suffering. Painful memories are recalled. Regrets are forever on the mind. It is a place where God’s presence does not exist and without God the pain of sin abounds.

There are religions that only have heaven or an afterlife of peace, but they do not have a hell. If a person is not rewarded with a heavenly afterlife they simply pass into non-existence. As a Christian I wish that were true. I wish those who do not receive heaven did not have to suffer the consequences of hell. I wish there was no required payment for sin, but that is not what the Bible tells us. And as Jesus clearly said above the wicked will be separated from the righteous and thrown into a fiery furnace.

Jesus however paid the price for sin for all those who place their trust in Him. Jesus paid our debt that we might reap the reward of heaven instead of hell. Jesus offers this gift freely to anyone who accepts it. As a Christian it is why it is important to share our belief in Christ so that others may believe in Him too and find the comfort of heaven instead of the pain of hell.