When God creates us, He creates us with a body, a soul and a spirit. When we die, His will has ordained that our body, our soul and our spirit be separated from each other. While our physical body remains in the ground, our soul and our spirit are taken into an eternal place. If a person is born-again according to the Word of God, then that person’s soul and spirit are taken into God’s dwelling place, heaven. If a person is not born-again before death, then that person’s soul and spirit are taken to hell. And, in either destination, we take with us many invisible aspects of our lives.
For example, we know that our soul consists of our thoughts, our emotions and our will. Our spirit is the breath of life that was in us, placed there by God when He created us. In our soul’s mesh of thought +emotion+will is our five senses. We know this because we have in God’s Word the parable of the rich man and Lazarus the beggar, who both died, yet ended up in two entirely different places.
It is more than hot in hell, it is horrible: Luke 16:22 “the rich man was tormented”. What do we read in the next verse? The rich man could move (he lift up his head) and see (he saw the beggar in paradise).
In verse 24, the rich man in hell could speak, feel the heat of the fire and knew thirst. Now, I looked up this chemical fact of fire to see if fire has a smell, which it does; depending on what started the fire, the smell of that fire will differ from other fires. But this is basic: Fire is the result of a chemical reaction called combustion. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are produced. Flames consist primarily of carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen, and nitrogen. (from the thought company). So we know that the rich man in hell could also smell the fire that was around him.
Verse 25 tells us the rich man could hear “But Abraham answered”. The man to whom Abraham spoke also had the ability to understand Abraham’s statements. His selfish request for the beggar to leave paradise and come to hell to aid him was denied. Not only was this denied but even if a person wished to travel between both destinations after death, it was impossible, for the chasm which separated them was far too wide to traverse (verse 26)
His selfishness (his will) continued in verses 27-31 by begging Abraham to send the beggar back topside to tell his brothers who still lived how to avoid this hell in which he found himself. For surely they would believe a dead man should he rise up out of the grave and speak the truth. Again, his request was not only denied but explained. And here the conversation, as well as the parable, ends.
But it is enough for us to see that hell is real and is not a destination we should look forward to. No, the destination our souls and spirits should want to be in is the eternal dwelling place of God. There our souls are satisfied (Psalm 63:5; Psalm 34:8). There our spirits take rest (Matthew 11:28; Hebrews 4:3). In heaven we can hear, taste, touch, smell, and see. For this knowledge we turn to The Revelation of John, the last Book in our Bibles.
Revelation 19:1 We can speak in heaven “a great voice of much people”. But not a clamoring: worship to our God. Verse 5 tells us we can hear “And a voice came out of the throne, saying”. Verse 8 we are “arrayed in fine linen”: our sense of touch is intact. Verse 9 tells us that we can taste for we are “called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb”. Every supper can be smelled, too; so we know that our sense of smell works in heaven.
Eternal means forever, without end. Both destinations are eternal and without end. But the choice must be made now, on this side of eternity. Which destination do you want to make yours? One destination, hell, is eternal separation from God. One destination, heaven, is eternal dwelling with God.
While hell’s access door is unbelief (Revelation 21:8), heaven’s access Door is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God (Acts 10:43; Romans 10:9; John 10:9; John 3:16; 1 John 4:9). While there are many more such verses which tell of God’s means of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ, these are the ones the Spirit led me to.
Now it is your turn. Now you must make a decision and choose which side you are on: there is no middle ground here. The Word says “To day if you will hear His voice” (Psalm 95:7-8; Hebrews 3:7, 15) and again, “Today is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
“The Spirit and The Bride, they say, Come!” , Revelation 22:17, “Let him that is hears, come. Let him that is thirst, come. And whosoever will, let him take the Water of Life freely.”
