What is Heaven?
In the movie Air Force One, Harrison Ford plays the President of the United States. The President's plane, Air Force One, is hijacked and critically damaged. The climax of the movie involves a dramatic rescue operation while the plane descends toward the ocean. A nearby Air Force transport plane is tasked with rescuing those on board, prioritizing the President. Of course, Hollywood writing style requires that the President be the last one to be rescued (for dramatic effect). As Air Force One finally crashes into the ocean, the President is left dangling from the rescue cord.
During this tense sequence, the White House anxiously communicates with the transport plane's pilot, repeatedly asking if the President is safe. The pilot's consistent reply is "Stand by." Once the President is safely aboard the transport, the pilot finally announces, "Air Force Liberty is changing callsigns. Air Force Liberty is now Air Force One." At this revelation, the White House erupts in celebration.
Was it really that exciting that an Air Force transport chose to change callsigns? Why did they celebrate?
Air Force One is called "Air Force One" because that is the plane that the President of the United States boards. If Air Force One is decommissioned, another plane will be designated for use by the President, and that plane will be renamed to "Air Force One". The White House staff celebrated because they knew that the change of callsigns indicated that the President was onboard the transport plane.
Again, what is Heaven?
In 2 Chronicles 6:21, heaven is referenced to be God's dwelling place. Deuteronomy 26:15 refers to heaven as God's holy habitation. The Lords Prayer (Matthew 6:9) begins with, "Our Father in heaven," indicating where the Father is. Heaven is where God resides.
Often when thinking about Heaven, people focus on Heaven being a paradise. They think of the pearly gates, the streets of gold, etc. However, the question is: Why is Heaven such a wonderful place? Does God dwell in Heaven because it is wonderful, or is it wonderful because that is where God lives?
Heaven On Earth
Every year we celebrate Christmas to commemorate the birth of Jesus the Messiah. What we learn from the Bible is that God Himself came to earth as a baby, grew up, died on the cross, and rose from the dead. Isaiah referred to him as "Emmanuel," which means "God is with us." When He was here, what did He do? He preached and healed the sick. In other words, He was making the world a better place. Why? It's simple: God is love (1 John 4:8).
Why does this matter for the question we are looking at?
What is Hell?
To answer that, let's explore another question: What is Hell? If Heaven is where God dwells, then it stands to reason that Hell is where God is completely absent from. He is not present in Hell. If God is love, and God is not present in Hell, what must Hell be like? Obviously, it would have to be completely void of love and, therefore, anything good.
Why would God send anyone to such a place?
The question implies that we have no choice in the matter, and, therefore, God is "sending" people to Hell.
What is the real choice being made?
If Heaven is where God dwells, and Hell is where He is completely absent from, then the question becomes: Do you want to spend eternity with God? For those who choose to spend eternity apart from God, the consequences of God not being present is the very definition of Hell.
What about those that want to spend eternity with God?
This is what we call "The Good News," or more aptly, "The Most Amazing News Ever!!!!!!!"
If you want to know more about that, check out God's Story.