BIG IDEA
As we know where everything happens in heaven and hell, it will help us understand our place in this world.
READING
2 Cor. 4
THOUGHTS
Depending on how you were raised, you may have different ideas about the existence of a reality other than the natural world. There are different views of the spiritual world.
- Naturalistic: Since the seventeenth century, when empiricism and rationalism gave birth to naturalism, there’s been a view that what we see is all there is. Concepts such as angels, demons, and the Holy Spirit are viewed as pure myth and a product of our imagination.
- The Superstitious: For much of human history, people have believed that there is a reality beyond what we see. However, these believers vary in their opinion about how we ought to interact with this reality. In this view, there are spirits, but we must figure out how to harness or avoid their power.
So Where Does Everything Happen?
While physicists have different explanations of how many different dimensions exist, the Bible clearly outlines four different realities that we can be sure of: the physical world, the spiritual world, eternal heaven, and the separated realm of hell.
Physical World
This is the world where we live, can see, and interact with. This includes our entire seen universe. This is the world we are most aware of. This is the world we are born into and the world we leave (Gen. 1:1).
Spiritual World
This is the unseen world between eternal heaven and the physical world. This is where demons and angels interact (Gen. 28:12; 2 Kings 6; Ezek. 8:3; Eph. 6:12). It’s most often referred to as “between heaven and earth,” or “heavenlies/heavenly places.” What we do on earth affects this world. What happens in this world affects the physical realm.
Eternal Heaven
This is the place where God resides eternally (2 Cor. 4:18, 5:1). It’s the realm that rules (Josh. 2:11; Ps. 102:19, 135:6; Dan. 4:26, 35; Matt. 6:10, 16:19). It’s referenced in the Bible as the “third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2) and the “heaven of heavens” (Deut. 10:14; Neh. 9:6). Hebrews 8–10 (particularly 8:1–5, 9:1–5, 24–25) illustrates this in more detail.
Hell
This is a real place prepared for demons and those who reject God’s rule of their life. This place is completely separated from other creatures. This is not a symbolic place (Matt. 13:49–50, 25:31–46; 2 Thess. 1:8–10; Rev. 20:10–18; 21:7–8).
DISCUSSION
- What hints for the existence of the unseen world and the eternal world are there around us?
- How does the idea of hell/heaven go against science and our culture?
- List other questions you would like to discuss with your mentor