Heaven and Hell

I was recently asked how I know that heaven and hell exist--how do I know that there is something beyond death

My short answer to the question is that a reliable source told me so.

If I wanted to know about how the cell functions, I would talk to a biologist. If I wanted to know what the strange growth on my elbow is I would go to a dermatologist. If my car is broken, I go to the mechanic. If I want to know about China, I will talk to someone from there or at least a well-versed visitor. There are few things I enjoy more than consulting experts. I am always so amazed when someone can spend 30 seconds with something and then tell me exatly what is going on. I love DIY projects, but willfully admit that if I can do it in 12 hours, an expert can probably do it in 2. It is true, that sometimes two experts disagree, or that someone who claims to be an expert is not. Angie's List, the BBB, and conversations with other experts help us discern who we can trust and who we can't.


So, if I have questions about the after life, where do I turn? Well, I am limited to people who have been there, or someone lives outside the physical realm to tell us about it. A few people do claim to have experienced heaven through NDEs (near-death experiences), but many of those can be explained biologically. A Christian, Din Piper, wrote the book 90 Minutes in Heaven. His experience is very different from the typical NDE. I have read the book and it is very convincing, but I am still a little skeptical.


Jesus said, "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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." He also stated, "But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca', is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."


It takes little searching to know that according to the Bible, Jesus certainly believed in both heaven and hell. This leaves us with a couple questions of validation. If Jesus indeed said these things, and if He is a reliable source, then I can trust that heaven and hell do exist. Here is where I can confidently refer to the work of others. I could regurgitate logical and historical reasons to trust the scriptures, as well as reasons to believe that Christ knew what he was talking about and had no motives to make the stuff up. But, we do what others have already done so well. Read Lee Strobel's book A Case for Christ for an excellent defense of these and other matters.

When Children Die

This is a touchy subject, yet I must speak my heart on the issue, and again beg for responses.

There is a very popular belief among Christians in "The Age of Accountability". In essence, it states that until a certain age, children are not accountable for their sins and in one sense or another are innocent until a certain age or level of maturity. It is a very nice idea, and a wonderfully comforting way to assess the fate of children. But, I have never found a shred of Biblical support for this notion. It is clear from Psalm 51:5 that we are sinful from birth!

The other common way of dealing with the death of children is through infant baptism. Accordingly, we can somehow impute righteousness unto a child through the sacrament of baptism. This does not hold much water either.

The death of children is an uncomfortable subject, and one for which we want answers and I believe that in response we have dreamed up some pretty good sounding ones. Nonetheless, I believe Scripture is silent on the issue. That being the case, I personally have simply resolved that it is in God's hand to trust that he will do what is right with his own. It does seem consistent with his character that there would be some provision for those of a certain age, but I can with no certainty make that claim.

There is one passage that gives me lots of hope. After David's son dies he explains his peace in the situation by saying, "I will go to him, but he will not return to me". David clearly believes that his son is in heaven waiting for David to join him. Here lies my theological question of the day. I believe the Bible to be true. Therefore, I believe that David truly said what he said and believed what he did. But, David was fallible. So, just because David believed it, is that authority enough for me to?

Before I close I would like to emphasize the goodness of God. We can trust his will completely, for his ways and thoughts are infinitely above our own. So, just because I believe that neither infant baptism nor "The Age of Accountability" sufficiently deal with the issue, I am fully confident that we can trust our Heavenly Father to do what is right with all that go to meet Him.

I again look forward to comments on this post! Please justify for me either of the two popular notions or address how much faith we can put in the true words of David.

Remember the Sabbath

Somehow the fourth commandment (3rd for Catholics and Lutherans) has come to mean "go to church on Sunday". Most of us may think there is a little more to it--like taking it easy on Sunday. But in practice, it seems that most of Christendom acts as if a literal obedience to the other 9 is a good idea, but we can stretch this one all we want.

This dilemma was brought to my attention by Stephanie's uncle while we visited him in San Diego last week. We discussed it briefly. Yesterday, it was the topic of Sunday School and after inspecting Exodus, I have come to a couple of conclusions:

1.) Remembering the Sabbath day and church don't have anything to do with one another.
-Don't get me wrong, worshipping is an important part of Christian life. Many Scriptures support this notion, but it seems to me that it is unrelated to honoring the Sabbath.

2.) The Sabbath day is a day or rest; pure and simple.
-Defining rest very well may be a grey area, but that doesn't mean we should ignore it. It also does not mean that we should be like the Pharisees and turn it into a strict black and white code.

If you take the time to read the original text, you will see that it is one of only two commandments God takes the time to explain. It is as if He anticipates the question, "How am I supposed to keep it holy?" The text makes it very clear that it is to be a day of rest. The very word, "sabbath" means "cease".

Yesterday, as Earl, Bethany and I worked through this we tended to read our own desires into the text, but they don't seem to be there... One common objection is that "it is not work if it is something I enjoy is it?" I ought to consult a Hebrew scholar for this one, but our day of rest is to be modeled after God's day of rest. I know two things about that. God didn't need a day of rest, and creating the universe wasn't exactly work for him. He did not sweat once in the whole process, and I cannot imagine that it was anything but enjoyable for Him. The idea, I believe, is to rest--not to switch over to work that you enjoy.

No one will argue the practical (as opposed to spiritual or moral) value of the ten commandments. After all, the world would be a better place if no one stole, lied, murdered, or coveted. I am willing to bet that we would all be better off if we truly rested on the Sabbath as well.

So, Stephanie has agreed to move forward and we are committing our Saturdays to rest. I doubt the day upon which we rest is too important, but I work on Sundays--delivering the paper and teaching Sunday school. Those two things aside, getting up and going to church any day is too much like work for my sabbath. Getting a family of three out the door is tough, I cannot imagine having a bigger one!

From now on, we will work (hard) Sunday through Monday and rest all day Saturday. I don't imagine this to be easy, but we are committed to holding to this commandment with as much devotion as we hold to the rest.

Please comment, I look forward to a discussion on the topic. I would love to be wrong. ;)