The afterlife

OOOooOOOOoooh Spooky!
So does anyone actually know what's gonna happen to them for certain when they die? Even better, put up your hand if you've ever died but then lived to tell about it? Anyone? Anyone at all?
Nope? Ok then, so what does happen to all those lovely people who've lived perfectly good lives but then died, do they deserve to be eternally punished? Could God not find it in his heart to be comapssionate towards these people? Again, any takers to answer a question that is ultimately unanswerable? Anybody that sure of themselves that they feel qualified to answer for God himself? No? Ok then.

Basically Sarah my friend, I don't know, i don't know the mind of God. But how about we take our view of "Hell" a little differently.

This place of the damned has been dramatised by many people over many centuries, none of which had ever been there (and it's up to God whether they ended up there!) Some exemplified "fire and brimstone" to try and scare their poor peasant parishioners into comingto church and giving them more money. Other people have let their imaginations run wild from the biblical referencces to a place of "weeping and gnashing of teeth" where restless souls are eternally tormented by red demons with horns and a pitchfork. Well, i've read the bible form cover to cover, and bits in between, and well, I can't find any of that in there.

In classical Jewish culture there was however this one place, known as 'Sheol' the "abode of the dead". This was traditionally a place underthe earth where everyone goes when they die. Thats just it, everyone ends up there, good and bad, its just a place of a nothingness, not full of joy, nor endless torment.
Well i suppose those souls have got to go somewhere!
There was also the valley of Gehinnom. This was a real place outside of Jerusalem, where all the cack from the town was thrown and burnt. It also was once used for Child sacrifices to heathen gods, and obviously not the nicest place to be. It was the mixture of these two places that brought about the concept of what we in English now call Hell. Whether or not that is a correct definition and idea of the afterlife, still remains to be seen, i suppose untill its too late, for some people.

The significance of this is firsly that if when people die then they go to "Sheol" then this is neither a punishment nor a blessing, its just what happens, its the mechanism by which the universe is kept in spiritual balance so that there aren't millions of floating souls around the place. However more imporatntly, and more amazingly, is what you get if you switch the focus; you see, many people look and see God as damning people to eternal punishment if they don't do as he wants, and blessing them with eternal joy if they do. Well forget about the damnation, God doesn't buy into that i'm sure. He's just and holy and righteous, he knows what he's doing so obviously his decisions are right, but take the view that if you die you go to the same place as everyone else, well thats pretty annoying if you've spent your whole life trying to do what God wants you to do (this is very simplified you understand!) So instead he lets you go to heaven, where he is, thats a place where no one has ever been able to get to before unless they've been absolutely completely perfectly sinless. hmm, so i guess that counts me out!

So then AGAIN God switches the focus, to Jesus. with the death of Jesus all the crap that anyone had ever put into their life and was ever to put into their lives was sorted out, was paid for, was atoned for, what this meant was that anyone could get into heaven and wouldn't have to end up in sheol, instead of living in a state of "limbo" (i use the term very loosely) they actully get to enjoy their afterlife in the most perfect place ever created, now i think that sounds more like my kind of thing!

Now that leaves many other unanswered questions I know, and if you really want me to explain or ask them to me then i'll try, but basically to sumarise: The afterlife has always been focused on punishment, I think the main thing to say is that for one nobosy knows for sure, but what I believe is that punishment is not the focus of life after death. Its enjoyment. if you go to wherever, the same place as everyone else then thats a kind of default, if you deserve so much to be punished then thats up to God and like I said, i'm sure he knows what he's doing with that. But otherwise, if God wants you in heaven then that should be celebrated, that shoudl be the focus, thats the amazing thing.

But Hey, i'm Not God, I'm no biblical scholar, i'm not much of a theologian and i've never died and gone around the afterlife to see what its all about so feel free to question me. But God is forgiving, He is right, He is loving and compassionate, He understands all this much better than we ever could, and through the death of his own Son, if he wants to atone for us, why should we deny the gift? why shouldn't we joyfuly accept it and stop worrying about eternal punishment. The debt has already been paid in full, whether you feel like you deserve it or not its been done already. So now all you got to do is say yes. And stop worrying!

Well thats what I think.