Heaven is Not the Default Destination

Have you ever noticed when attending a funeral that Heaven seems to be the default destination, whether or not the deceased was one of the redeemed in Christ?  It would be, I suppose, awkward to boldly proclaim that the one who just passed on is sentenced to an eternity in Hell because he, for example:

• despised and/or scoffed at God.
• thought that when God "balanced" his good and bad deeds, he'd be a shoe-in for Heaven.
• trusted in his baptism, church membership, family heritage, or charitable giving as a ticket to Heaven. 
• believed that all "roads" lead to eternal bliss.

But what should the message be in those situations?  A warning to those with ears to hear. Jesus said, "Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).  It is Hell, not Heaven, that is the eternal default destination for all mankind, because we have all sinned against a holy God (Romans 3:23).   C. S. Lewis described it this way in The Screwtape Letters, "The safest road to hell is the gradual one -- the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts." If we don't purpose to enter through the narrow gate, we will ease on down the road right into hell.  


In his book Heaven, Randy Alcorn reminds his readers that just as God and Satan are not equal opposites, "Hell is not Heaven's equal opposite.  Just as God has no equal as a person, Heaven has no equal as a place.  Hell will be agonizingly dull, small, and insignificant, without company, purpose, or accomplishment.  It will not have its own stories; it will merely be a footnote on history, a crack in the pavement.  As the new universe moves gloriously onward, Hell and its occupants will exist in utter inactivity and insignificance, an eternal non-life of regret and -- perhaps -- diminishing personhood (pp. 27 - 28)." Furthermore, Jesus said of Hell's inhabitants, "They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out form the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power" (2 Thess. 1:9).  Hell will be devoid of anything good; there will be no community or friendship, no beauty, no pleasure.  

The good news is that the narrow gate does exist; there is a way that leads to Heaven.  Christ bore the punishment for our sins on the cross, so those who trust in Christ wouldn't have to.  The most important part of this life is making sure we enter through the narrow gate.  Jesus said, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul (Mark 8:36)?"   The price for our redemption has been paid, but we must trust alone in the finished work of Christ to receive the gift of eternal life in Heaven.