If people in heaven and hell can see and talk to each other...?
... how would heaven truly be joyful, if you can witness the sorrows of those in hell, and hear their cries for help and release? What would it be like to witness this for all eternity?
I refer to this question here: "If Heaven has a gate, then what's outside the gate, hell?" http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080225192122AAt6han&r=w#E75rB1L6D2s_z_gndsZg
and Linda J's answer, which includes this part:
"we do know that those in heaven can see and talk to those in hell because of the story Jesus told about the rich man and the poor man and the conversation the rich man had with Abraham as well as Abraham mentioning to the rich man in hell that there was a great chasm between the two that he could not cross."
I am interested in getting reactions to this idea. What would YOU think if you were in heaven looking down on those in hell?
Pierre F2008-02-25T20:10:10Z
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First of all I'd like to disagree with Linda J, because I consider the rich man and Lazarus to be a parable.
Secondly, I don't believe hell is burning today, because it would negate the concepts of God's justice and mercy. If God kept sinners in torment for all eternity, He'd be infinitely worse than the devil.
I do believe people in heaven and hell will see each other, but only for a short time, right before fire comes down and consumes them (Rev. 20:9, 15) And I do believe that it will be a time to weep on both sides; for those in heaven, weeping because they will never see those people again, while for those on earth, weeping because they chose this life instead of the life to come.
After the fire consumes the earth, God will make a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1). He will wipe away every tear, and there will be no more sorrow, crying, death, or pain (Rev. 21:4).
Thank God He will take away everything bad, and leave only the good.
OK in brief, through out the Bible it is said that the dead are sleeping. They will sleep until the second coming of Christ. That is when the judgment of good and evil begins. At this time only the righteous are resurrected and for a thousand years God opens the books of Life and Death. So that way we can see, why God has done what He has chosen to do. After the Judgment the wicked are resurrected and then the Hell-fires will consume them and they will be no more. It is all scriptural. As for the quote from Linda J. that is a parable, if you look at the context it is taken from it will show you that it is not reality, but a story with a message to those who are listening, the Pharisees. People can't be burning for eternity in Hell that isn't what a loving and just God would do. He will give us ever chance to repent and change our ways and for those that refuse and give into evil, he will have to eventually put it to an end.
The parable of Lazarus and Rich Man clearly tells that it is an incident that happened before Jesus was crucified. Until Jesus was crucified, Hades and Paradise were under the earth, and people in both the places could talk to each other but could not reach each other, even if they wanted to. During the time between Jesus crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus went to paradise and the thief on the cross was the witness to all those in paradise that Jesus has now given his life for us, (as Jesus said to him that he would meet him today in the Paradise) and also, he was the last person to enter the paradise when it was under the earth. Once Jesus entered the Paradise, he took it from there and placed it in the third heaven. Now, the hades and paradise are not under the earth. Hades today still exists where it was, but paradise is now in the third heaven. During the second coming of Jesus, he will bring all the angels from second heaven to the third heaven, collect all the people in paradise and then blow the trumpet on the cloud for those who are living in a righteous spiritual life.
Here is my answer, think about you are in Heaven and you look across the gulf into Hell. You see someone you love burning, tormented you can do nothing but watch. What kind of Heaven is that? When you first get to Heaven you will look around and who is not there will bring tears to your eyes but Jesus will wipe them away. You remember no more, all pain is gone. The question about what is outside the gate to Heaven is us and what is outside the gate to Hell is us, we are the gulf between Heaven and Hell.
You must always remember that wherever God puts people or their souls then that's where they truly belong. Unlike human justice, God never makes mistakes in judging or dishing out the proper reward or penalty.
So if a person ultimately ends up in Heaven then that's where they belong but if they go to Hell then that means they have been judged by God for the sins they have committed and the rejection they have shown towards his Son.
It has been written that no one goes to the Father except they first accept his Son as their own personal Lord and Saviour.
I think it always pays a person to duly remember that cold harsh fact except they wish to end up in the place where the fire never goes out.