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Heaven or Hell?

This is sent to everyone on Texas Death Row when they get their execution date, whether they are on our mailing list or not. May God snatch each one out of the hands of the devil.

Hello:
I am writing this special “Notes” to cover a subject that I believe is very important to everyone. It is probably the one subject that all people on earth need to know and understand. The subject is “What happens when we die?” Do you know your destiny? Where will you spend eternity?

I realize there are many theories that have been written about this subject, and there are many different doctrines in the churches we have attended. We need the truth. This is too important for us to believe in any theory that men have come up with. We are talking about eternity here! To me, there is really only one authority on this subject and that is the Bible. So, we’re going to look at what the Bible has to say.

In the beginning, God created all things. You can read about it in the first 2 chapters of Genesis. Genesis 1:31 says “God saw all that He had made and behold it was very good.” When God created man, He created him in His own image. Man was a tri-part being made up of spirit, soul and body. Man at that time was clothed in the glory of God. God’s original plan for us was good. We were the only things that God created who could walk in constant fellowship and communication with God. We were supposed to live free of the bondage and corruption we see in the world today. We were to be fruitful, multiply and enjoy the earth and the things in it. God gave the earth to us to have dominion over. He also gave mankind free wills. We have the ability to choose, and Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. They chose to listen to the devil.

So, through Adam and Eve’s disobedience, sin entered the world. Not only did sin enter the world, but the man God created experienced spiritual death: and man had to live by his flesh, which is his soul (consisting of his mind, will and emotions) and his body. God couldn’t allow Adam and Eve to live in the Garden of Eden any more because if they ate of the tree of life, they and all of us would live forever in that sinful state. So, He sacrificed an animal to cover their nakedness and drove them out of the Garden of Eden to live and work with their hands.

God is a God of holiness and purity. Sinful man cannot come into His presence. God couldn’t just zap the man and woman He had created and start over again, because God is a righteous God. He had given spiritual life to Adam and Eve and once a spirit and soul are created, they can never die! Besides, He had given the earth to them to keep and have dominion over, so He had to allow them to remain on it.

Now Adam and Eve were subject to the devil and his bunch. They could no longer fellowship with God. But, God had a plan to redeem man back. He loved man so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die in our place and pay the penalty for sin. When Jesus came to earth He lived a sinless life and the devil could not touch Him until it was time for Jesus to pay the price for our redemption.

Just as God had sacrificed an animal to cover the bodies of Adam and Eve, He sacrificed Jesus on the cross to allow man to have dominion over the earth, the devil and all things again. All mankind has to do is accept what God did for us through Jesus, and believe in the finished work that Jesus did for us. We can now come into fellowship with our God again. Jesus came to redeem us and the earth again. He bought us with the sacrifice of His own blood and gave the earth back to us again. But, the problem is, most of mankind does not know this. Hosea 4: 6 says “My people perish for lack of knowledge.” We have to learn all over again what God’s word says before we can understand the truth that will set us free.

Let’s read Acts 1: 9-11. Jesus had given His disciples instructions and while they were still looking at Him, He was lifted up and a cloud received Him out of their sight. Then two angels stood beside them and told them: “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.” HEAVEN IS A REAL PLACE!!

I want to show you today that no matter what happens here on this earth, Heaven is a real place and you can go there, if you accept Jesus as your Savior and receive Him into your life. No matter what you have done, no matter what you think about it, no matter what others have told you about it, YOU CAN GO TO HEAVEN when you leave this earth. Jesus died in your place so you could be forgiven and join Him for eternity in Heaven.

Of course, if you want forgiveness, you have to ask to be forgiven. I John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” So, pray this prayer right now. He will forgive you and give you a brand new outlook on life. He will cause your spirit to be “born again” so you can understand the things of God.

“Father, in the name of Jesus, I come to You today to ask Your forgiveness for all the things I have done that are not pleasing to You. I repent of these things, and I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross so I could be forgiven and have a new life in You. I accept Jesus as my Savior and the Lord of my life. Please come into my life and show me how to be free to live according to Your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen"

If you said that prayer with a sincere heart, you are now born again. You no longer belong to the world of the devil. You now belong to God, and you will feel different inside. He will open up His word to you and you can communicate with Him through His word and prayer now.

You see, we are all spirit beings. We have a soul and we live in these earthly bodies; but when our bodies die, our souls and spirits live forever!

Just as heaven is a real place, hell is also a real place. Turn to Luke 16 in your Bible if you have one. (If you don’t have one, please write to us and we will be sure you get one.) Begin reading in verse 19 and read until the end of that chapter. To save space, I am not going to type it all out here, but I want to point out some facts to you that are written in this passage of scripture.

First of all, you can be rich and be saved. You can also be poor and be lost. That is not the issue here. Jesus tells this story to illustrate that there is a Hell and to show us what Hell is like as a warning for us to choose not to go there. Now that Jesus has redeemed us, we have the same choice Adam and Eve had. We can follow God or remain with the devil. The choice is ours!

Notice in verse 22 that when the poor man died, he was carried away by the angels to the place where Abraham was. You see here that his body died and was buried, but his soul was still alive. You also see that the rich man died and was buried too. Angels didn’t come for him, however. Apparently, the poor man believed in God, but the rich man didn’t. If he did believe in God, he would have had the compassion of God and would have helped the poor man out when he was alive.

Verses 23 and 24 show us there is a Hell. Some Bibles call it Hades, some call it Hell. It all depends on the interpreters…but it is still the same place. The point is: HELL IS A REAL PLACE TOO! It tells us plainly that Hell is a place of torment. It also tells us that he was in agony there, and it is in flames. Now notice something else in these two verses. He was in flames and didn’t burn up. He had eyes to see in the spirit realm. He had a memory! He remembered Abraham and Lazarus (the poor man). He had a tongue. He wanted water. He also still saw Lazarus as his servant. He wanted Lazarus to come to him and dip his finger in water to cool off his tongue. Let’s see what else these scriptures show us about Hell.

Verse 25: The man in Hell cried for mercy, but Abraham told him that during his life on earth he had received all the good things, and Lazarus had received bad things at the hands of the rich man.

Verse 26: Now it was too late! There was a great chasm between them. No one can cross over once they have died! Once we leave this world, it is too late to choose. We must make the decision now while we still have the chance to.

Verses 27 & 28: The rich man realized that his father and brothers were going to come here too, unless they were told about this place. He begged Abraham to send Lazarus to them to warn them.

Verse 29: Abraham told him they had Moses and the prophets. They had the same chance as everyone else had on earth. They had God’s word and people who told them what I am telling you today. They needed to listen to them and believe what was being told them.

Verse 30: The rich man still did not get it!! He thought that if someone could come back from the dead and witness to them, then they would believe and repent.

Verse 31: Abraham told him that if they would not listen to those who were sent them or to God’s word, they wouldn’t listen to someone even if they could come back from the dead.

I really believe that God sends someone to everyone before they die to give them the chance to choose the sacrifice of His Son for them…to escape eternal death and to receive eternal life. Eternal death is total separation from God. You think it is hell on earth? You think you are in hell where you are right now? You may be experiencing a taste of what hell is like, but it is only a taste. The real place is hundreds of times worse than what you are experiencing now!

Let’s face it! We are all going to leave this earth someday. We are all born subject to death. But, let me show you the other side. Let’s explore what the Bible has to say about God’s kingdom, eternal life and HEAVEN!

I want to speak especially to those who are on death row. I know you have committed probably some of the worst crimes on earth. I know some of you feel you are not ever able to be forgiven. But, I am here to tell you, you can be forgiven, and you can live out the rest of your days here as a born again child of God. Jesus died so all mankind could have eternal life and join Him in heaven when our days on earth are ended. The Bible says in Ephesians 1: 7-8 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us.” I don’t begin to understand that kind of love, but I accept it by faith; and I have seen His love and faithfulness in my own life.

To understand what heaven is like, we have to understand that God is pure life. There is no death in Him. Therefore, all of heaven is pure life. There is no death, no sorrow, no tears in heaven. Heaven reflects the nature of God. God is love. God is life. Heaven is a place of perfect harmony, continual joy and beauty beyond anything we can imagine. All of heaven reflects the love, life and holiness of God, the One who created all things.

The Bible gives us some descriptions of heaven. You can read Revelation 4: 1-11. There is a throne in heaven where God, the Father is seated. It is a beautiful place. There are all kinds of genuine jewels, a rainbow, a sea of glass and created beings that we have never seen here on earth. There are angels in heaven. Revelation 5: 11 tells us there are myriads and myriads, and thousands and thousands of angels, elders and living creatures. Myriad means ten-thousand. So, there are ten-thousands and ten-thousands of angels there. Heaven is an awesome place. There is singing there and worship of God, our redeemer.

Those who go to heaven will be healed of all the hurts, pains and sorrows. They will have perfect spiritual bodies…no sickness, disease or deformity. Isaiah 25 is a beautiful picture of what God has done and will do for His people. He has redeemed us and will also avenge us for all that we have been through. Now notice verse 8. It says: “He will swallow up death for all time. And the Lord will wipe tears away from all faces.” You see, when we are born again “He delivers us out of the kingdom of darkness (eternal death) and transfers us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, Jesus, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1: 13 & 14) We begin eternal life right here on earth when our spirits are born again.

Philippians 2: 9-11 tells us that Jesus “has been highly exalted and has been given the name which is above every name…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth (hell), and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father.” That means every single knee will bow to the name of Jesus, and every tongue will confess He is Lord, whether they believe in Him now or not. If you don’t accept Him here on earth, you will bow your knee to him at some time and you will go to hell for eternity.

I know all have heard of heaven and hell at some time in their life. I didn’t know if they were real or not because I didn’t go to church until I was older. However, when I really asked God to show me if He was real and if the Bible was really true, He opened up His word to me and showed me in His word that it was all true. Then when I decided to believe it, I confessed the prayer something like I gave you earlier. After that, I felt wonderful inside. I could sense the awesome presence of God all over me, and I knew my spirit had been born again.

Every person born of the face of this earth since Adam and Eve have a sense inside them that something is missing. We can’t put our “finger” on it, but we just feel so empty inside…so restless…nothing satisfies that longing inside for something!!! We try to find it apart from God and His word by all kinds of means. We try relationships, money, drugs, alcohol, fame, possessions, etc., but no matter what we try, we aren’t fulfilled. There are testimonies after testimonies of people who have it made in the eyes of the world…money, fame, anything they could ever possibly want or need. And yet, they will tell you they are wretched inside. God put that in us, you know. He wants us to search for Him. He created us in love, and He wants to fellowship with us in His word and by His Spirit.

What is even more wonderful, when He is the Lord of our life, the past is erased and we are forgiven. There is a wonderful peace that resides in us now. We still have trials, but now we know where to go for the answers. They are in His word and in prayer with Him. Those who are His always come out the winners. He says in John 10:10, “The thief (Satan) comes only to steal, and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and might have it abundantly.”

Heaven is our eternal destiny if we are born again and make Jesus the Lord and Savior of our life. All the peace, joy, love and healing we have sought through our life can be ours here on earth and eternally in heaven. Believe me when I say, it is possible, no matter how old you are, or where you are, or what you have done. You can experience it too. If you don’t believe me, just say that prayer I wrote for you earlier in this article and see what happens.

II Corinthians 5: 6-8 shows us that when we are here in these bodies we are absent from the Lord, but when we are absent from these bodies, we are present with the Lord. Jesus overcame death for us too. I Corinthians 15:50-57 is telling us that these bodies cannot live in the kingdom of heaven…but we must have imperishable bodies to live there…that death is swallowed up in victory…and that the sting of death is sin. However, our sins were forgiven through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. By accepting Him as our Lord and Savior, there is no sting in death…only victory in Jesus. We simply leave these bodies and go to heaven to be with Him.

Those of you who are on death row, you have a decision to make. What have you got to lose? I can tell you that you have hell on earth and eternity in hell to lose, and peace in heaven eternally to gain if you chose to accept Jesus. What does it matter what others think about it. We are talking about eternity here…and whether you believe this or not, you will soon find out. When you leave that body you are in, you cannot come back and make this choice. You will either be in hell forever or heaven forever depending on the choice you make while you can. I pray you will choose today to go to heaven.

HEAVEN OR HELL! THE CHOICE IS YOURS! JESUS LOVES YOU! BELIEVE IT!

-MOM-

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