Jim Gregg
November 24, 2010
I titled this “Hell or Heaven”. Most people say “Heaven or Hell” but I want to stress a point. The point being that we are already destined to Hell from birth. We do not have to make a decision to go there it has already been arranged by Satan sort of a free gift from the father of lies.
Heaven on the other hand is something that we have to ask God for. We get Heaven by asking Jesus Christ to become Lord of our lives and to take control of our very existence. When we do this Heaven becomes a free gift from God the Father of Light and Life.
I just finished reading 2 books that have moved me to speak out.
“23 Minutes in HELL” by Bill Wiese.
“In Heaven: Experiencing the Throne of God” by Dean Braxton.
HELL
The first book “23 Minutes in HELL” was an account of Bill being tossed into Hell by God so that he could warn people about it. The first part of the book jumps right into Hell.
One morning he found himself being thrown into hell naked. He smashed onto the rough hewn rocks which were fiery hot. He was in almost total darkness (the light of the World – Jesus – was not present).
The smell of putrefying and rotting flesh should have killed him, but of course he was already dead. Already dead and destined to be there for all eternity. The thought of never seeing his wife again tormented him tremendously.
He was all alone. There were many other people there all crying out in anguish but they could not approach each other or comfort each other. The were just left all alone without the companionship of one another. Think about that. All alone for all of eternity.
He was not truly all alone, there were beasts there whose job it was to torment him. They were grotesquely shaped with long dirty claws they used to tear into his flesh. The pain was unbearable and it should have killed him, but of course he was already dead. Constant excruciating pain with no relief for all eternity.
In the distance there was a vast cauldron of molten lava and fire. The temperature was unbearable. People were in the lava and fire yet did not burn up. They could not die and escape this eternal fire for they were already dead. His thoughts went back to 9/11 when people chose to jump to their deaths rather than suffer the 15 seconds of excruciating pain of being burnt to death. This was much worse than that since it went on forever.
He saw thousands of small pits of molten lava each one with a single soul immersed in the fire all alone. He longed to give them a hand to crawl out but was denied that ability. They were destined to remain in that torment for all of eternity.
The dark walls all around the pit were covered with thousands of beasts of every size. The gnashed their teeth and tried to claw at his flesh but were attached to the wall. The screams of people being tormented and the snarls of the beast were deafening. A constant roaring of evil and pain.
He was burning hot and thirsty. He sought out a drop of water to cool his tongue but there was none to be found. There was no grass or trees or flowers in Hell. Everything was dead. All of Hell was filled with death nothing lived there.
Suddenly there was a bright light as Jesus came and pulled him out and showed him Heaven. While in Hell he did not know that he was a Christian, Jesus kept that from him so that he would experience the utter despair of knowing that this was his doom for all of eternity.
Jesus told him to go and tell others about the reality and extremity of Hell. Jesus also said “I am returning soon.”
HEAVEN
In total contrast the second book “In Heaven: Experiencing the Throne of God” shows a glimpse of the beauty of Heaven.
Dean actually died on a hospital table after complications following a medical procedure. The doctors documented that he was dead for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
He said he saw himself leave his body and was immediately in the presence of Jesus in Heaven. In response to being there all that Dean could say was Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. He said he could have continued saying Thank You for a thousand years.
He said that every thing in Heaven was RIGHT. Everything was Right. Everything was Right. This is quite a contrast with the experience in Hell where nothing was right.
The colors of Heaven were intense in hues indescribable. In fact many things in Heaven defied his ability to describe them. You see the same thing happening when John wrote about what he saw in Heaven in the Book of Revelations. I love colors and can not wait to see the rainbow of new fresh colors splashed out everywhere.
Everything in Heaven was alive and pulsating with life. Everything praised God who set on His Throne. The wind the grass the rock all were alive and sang Praises to the Father. As they sang their very essence radiated worship and praise.
There were many beasts of various sizes and stature. They praised God Almighty in a never ending chorus. A very tall beast rose up and sang out individual notes starting with “A.” He said that he could see the notes as they twirled around on a melodic pathway to God.
The Sea of Glass was there and was alive and pulsated with song. The Sea rose up and grasped around the notes being sung by the tall beast altering their sound ever so slightly so that the melody was even more worshipful.
Everything praised the Father. Everything was pulsating with vibrant colorful life.
He saw the Prophets, Saints, and Apostles of old. They were all doing their part in Heaven. Every creature there had a part to play and went about it tirelessly and effortlessly. He met Angels and communicated with them. They did not speak but downloaded information to each other. You could not listen in on another conversation without being invited.
Jesus was there talking with some Angels. He gave them orders of tasks to perform and they flew away on their assigned mission. Many were sent to Earth to minister to souls and fight battles against the darkness.
He met his ancestors and family who had passed on to Glory. He was surprised at some he saw there that he thought should not have been and missed some he thought would surely be there. No one knows the heart of man, only a heart given totally to Christ will be there with Him.
Family is important to God and he wants all of our relatives to find Salvation in the Redeeming Blood of Jesus Christ. God does not want anyone to perish. It hurts Jesus deeply when just one soul looses his faith and falls into Hell.
He said that God sang songs aimed at just him. He could feel and see the notes enter into his Spirit and enliven him. God’s songs are aimed at each soul on the Earth. Those that know him receive these songs in their Spirit and rejoice. Those who turn a deaf ear on God do not hear or receive these songs into their inner being and loose out on blessing from above.
He mentioned over and over that Every thing was just Right in Heaven. Just Right.
Jesus then told him that it was not yet his time and that he had to return to Earth. Jesus told him to tell everyone about the reality of Heaven. Jesus also said “I am returning soon.”
Hell or Heaven
So there you have it. Both sides of the coin. You can just flip the coin and let it fall wherever it will. But it will always fall on the HELL side every time unless you take an active step in your eternal life. That step is to ask Jesus Christ into your life to be Lord of your life. Nothing else will do. NOTHING.
Do not pass this on as something not worth thinking about. Your eternal soul’s destiny rides on what you do right now. God is a gentleman and will not force Heaven on you. But Satan is a fiendish tyrant and has already forced Hell on you.
To not make a choice is to openly accept the choice that is your birthright – Hell. You do not have to choose Hell you get it as a consolation prize for living on Planet Earth.
On the other hand receiving the free gift of Heaven from Jesus Christ is a choice that only you can make. No one else can make that decision for you. You do not get Heaven by being a good person or living a rightful life. Only by accepting the Redeeming work performed by the Blood of Jesus can you gain eternal existence in Heave.
Pray this short prayer to receive Jesus as Lord of your life:
Dear God, I confess I am a sinner. Thank You
that Jesus took my punishment upon Himself
when He died on the cross for my sins, and
then rose from the dead, defeating death.
Today I repent and place my trust in Jesus
Christ alone for my salvation. In Jesus’ name
I pray. Amen.
Your future is in your hands. Handle it with care. My prayer is that you choose Heaven over Hell.
Jim Gregg