Dear WBC,
What will you do in Heaven with a whole eternity of luxuries? And what if you end up in Hell what will you do there? What will you find in Hell? Will people have changed in Heaven, rejoicing for eternity and in Hell, suffering for eternity?
I hope to get a response on the basis on these questions.
Regards
Westboro Baptist Church Response:
Dear neighbor –
The best of heaven is learning – ever, eternally learning of the Lord our God. We are worthless creatures, deserving of death and hell. If the Lord would teach you of Him and His amazing … everything – that is goodness. But more than that – He says this:
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
If you have been given the gift of faith, you will be fully satisfied, and will wait patiently for the will of God to unfold in His providence and be exceedingly thankful for each step of that path. The thing about heaven is that you have finished your course by the time that you are there. If is no more of this flesh to cumber you about with sin and sorrow and more. The promises are no longer a thing you wait for, you are done with faith, you are done with hope, it is all the love at that point. It is NOT about stuff or luxury living. The vanity of the notions of luxury in this flesh are nothing.
Hell on the other hand is well described in the Word of God. Begin with this:
Isaiah 66:15 ¶ For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.
20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.
21 And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD.
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.
Jude 1:8 ¶ Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 ¶ To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.
17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Mt 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mt 13:50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Luke 16:19 ¶ There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Don’t worry about what we will fill our time with after we quit this life. Go with the words that are written about it and seek the Lord while you are able, in THIS life, while you have the breath of life.
Thank you for asking.
Your friends at Westboro Baptist Church
Follow-up Questions/Comments…
Dear WBC –
In response to your email, it says in Mark 13:30, KJV: “Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.” Surely there is no question that 2,000 years have past since this passage was meditated through the writings of the Apostle Mark? I don’t understand what this means as it is now the 21st century? And Jesus has not come yet, though Revelation 22:20 says: He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.I do go with the words that are written about it and seek the Lord while I am able; however, I keep tripping up with some of the passages as I am not a literary genius of biblical literature. For example, Psalm 93:1 was taken by many long ago to mean that the earth did not move in space and that every other heavenly body moved around it (geocentrism). But that completely mistakes the statement, as virtually any biblical scholar now admits. It is talking about the fact that, by God’s upholding, the earth will not disappear or cease to be a place of human habitation. Proving the point, other things the Bible says that do not move include persons (Ps. 10:6), kingdoms, our feet or our steps, etc. It is a beautiful expression of stability, not of immobility.
Are you knowledgeable enough to clarify some of my Biblical misunderstandings – right or wrong – highlighted above.
Regards,
Westboro Baptist Church Response:
“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.”
Mark 13:28-33
Context matters. The generation spoken of is the generation that sees these things coming to pass. That I personally believe includes the generation of our first pastor. I could be wrong. If so, that generation will not pass without all these things being done.
“Quickly” belongs to the Lord our God.
“This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
2 Peter 3:1-8
Human ignorance is not binding upon God, or his word. Seek him, obey him and the rest will be all good.