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Heaven and Hell

  • August 29, 2025
  • Posted by: Carolyn Mahal
  • Category: Devotions
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Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:35-39

I’m no theologian, and I don’t play one on TV. I have taught Bible studies and a religion course or two in my day, though. Being a teacher by trade, leading the classes never created any issues. However, if I am being truthful, I would have to admit that I always felt more stress in these situations than if I were teaching any other subject. This comes from recognizing the greater importance of the topic. If someone asks me when Columbus sailed to America and I say, 1982, it’s just a silly mistake and not really that big of a deal. Providing the wrong answer to a question related to Scripture or what we believe as Christians can be significant and possibly damaging to someone’s faith. That knowledge always keeps me on my toes when it comes to questions related to our faith.

One of the more frequent questions that I’ve been asked over the years is to describe Heaven and hell. The Bible provides images, but only glimpses. There is no map, no photos, or even a series of postcards for us to see. So how I have chosen to compare both places has always focused more on faith and less upon geography. Understanding the omnipresent nature of God, we have the assurance that He is continually with us already. When we are in Heaven we will find ourselves in the presence of God. Knowing nothing else about Heaven, that fact alone places the greatness of Heaven beyond our comprehension. Conversely, hell is the total separation from God. Again, because of the omnipresent nature of God, this is something we cannot fathom on earth. Even those who deny the existence of God benefit from living in His presence on Earth. This is not the case for hell, and knowing nothing else about it, that fact alone makes it abominable.

How thankful we are that as believers, totally submitted to the will of God, we will never know that separation from the love of God. Love cannot exist in separation. 1 Corinthians 13:8 says is succinctly: “Love never fails.” God’s love is constant, consistent, and complete. We turn to it in times of need and bask in it during times of plenty. In every moment life offers, we can find ourselves reassured that God is providing for our needs and leading us to the perfect place that He has created for us.

Move forward toward that perfect place He has created for you without fear, without doubt, and with the full knowledge that God Himself has desired you to be there because of the great love He has for you – his most precious son or daughter.

 

Devotion by Richard Schumacher

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