It's Hell, but Heaven's Coming!

C l a s s i c  S e r i e s 

Is hell real? And if it is, what does that mean for how we live right now? In this five-part series, Pastor Rod Meyers takes Jesus at His word about both destinations. Three messages walk through what Scripture actually says about hell—the Gehenna Jesus pointed to at Caesarea Philippi, the five biblical words for it, and the rich man who learned too late. Then two messages open the door to heaven: the God who created it for us, and the ladder Jacob saw fulfilled in Jesus, the divine Bridge who makes the way home. This isn't a series about fear. It's a series about making it hard to go to hell in Covington.

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1 Hell: The Drive-By

It's Hell, But Heaven's Coming — Message 1: The Drive-By — Jesus talked about hell more than anyone in Scripture, and He didn't use metaphors — He pointed to real places: Gehenna, the burning garbage valley outside Jerusalem, and the "gates of Hades" at the pagan cave of Caesarea Philippi. Standing at that very gate, He declared His church would prevail (Matthew 16:18). We're not camping in hell — just driving by so we understand what Jesus conquered for us.

 2

Hell - It's NO party

It's Hell, But Heaven's Coming — Message 2: Hell Is No Party — Pop culture jokes about hell, but Jesus never did — He spoke about it more often than heaven, because He loved us too much to let us go there. Walking through the Bible's five words for hell (Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, Tartarus, the lake of fire) and Jesus' account of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16, we see hell is conscious, separated, and final. Now is the day of salvation — and the rich man's plea for his five brothers is our marching orders.

3

Fireproof

It's Hell, But Heaven's Coming — Message 3: Fireproof — We've driven by hell and learned it's no party; now the series closes with the way out. God doesn't just warn us about the fire — He provides protection through His Son. From the Kuwaiti oil fires to Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, fire is real, but the blood of Jesus is a fireproof covering that no trial and no judgment can burn through (Daniel 3:16-18; Isaiah 43:2; Romans 5:9). The only question left: are you fireproof?

 4

Created for Heaven

It's Hell, But Heaven's Coming — Message 4: Created for Heaven — That sense of awe under a canopy of stars isn't random; it's a holy reminder you were made for heaven. From the first seven Hebrew words of Genesis 1:1 to the cosmic Christ of Colossians 1:16, God created heaven and earth as overlapping sacred spaces, made us in His image to live in both, and sent His Son as the bridge when sin broke the alignment. Hell wasn't created for you — heaven was.

 4a

Pop Culture Heaven

It's Hell, But Heaven's Coming — Message 4a: Pop Culture Heaven — Angels earning wings, a cosmic day spa, Jack and Rose on the grand staircase: Hollywood and the radio have shaped our picture of heaven more than Scripture has. When the disciples asked who's greatest in the kingdom, Jesus didn't point up; He called over a child and said unless you change and become like little children, you'll never enter it (Matthew 18:1-5). Heaven isn't a reward you cash in later — it's a way of living now: live small, love big; be childlike, not childish; and bring heaven down.