Western Christianity teaches that our life on earth (our decision to accept Jesus) determines whether we go to heaven or hell after death, although this was not taught by Jesus or by his disciples. Wherever the Bible talks about ‘heaven’ it does not always refer to the heaven we go to after death. The book of Revelation speaks about Heaven retaining Jesus. He was retained for 40 years until 70 AD, at which time the old temple was removed. During these 40 years, He was building His new temple, the New Jerusalem (his Church). This was heaven coming down to earth. The Kingdom of God is within us, we are citizens of heaven. Our destination is not to go to heaven, but to manifest the full stature of Christ, or heaven, on earth. That is the whole point of our being, that is why we are here, that is our destination. God’s tabernacle is in us and with us through His Spirit forever, ready to be manifested through us everywhere we go. In the original text of the Bible, there are four different words that have been translated as ‘hell’ in English. These do not all refer to a place of punishment and burning after death, although hell does exist. Sheol or Hades, for instance, simply refers to the grave or the place of the dead. Gehenna was a valley outside of Jerusalem, a constantly burning garbage dump where worms were feeding on carcasses. Gehenna was the word used when Jesus talked about the worm not dying and the fire being unquenchable in Mark 9. In Matthew 23 He also used this word to predict the end destination of the Pharisees, which literally happened in 70AD when their bodies were cast onto this garbage heap. Jesus came to redeem Israel from being children under the authority of the Law of sin and death and to be adopted as Sons. The gentiles were not under the Law but Jesus came to reveal to them that they also were sons. That was the creation of the new man, everyone being one in Christ.
