Heaven by Randy Alcorn
Week 10: Part Five Continued — Hell, Judgment, and the Urgency of Heaven
Read Part Five, Chapters 36–38 of Heaven by Randy Alcorn. Key passages: Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15; Luke 16:19-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9.
Previewing Week 10 of Heaven
Read 3 of 8 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 14-week guide when you’re ready.
Alcorn argues that a true vision of heaven cannot be separated from a sober understanding of hell — and that both together give life and evangelism their urgent weight.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Alcorn insists that thinking seriously about heaven forces us to think seriously about hell — and that Christians who avoid the doctrine of hell inevitably produce a weakened, sentimental view of heaven as well. Do you agree with that connection? Why or why not?
2.Alcorn describes hell as the place of ultimate exile — the full and permanent absence of everything good that comes from God, including beauty, relationship, light, and peace. He draws on C.S. Lewis's image from *The Great Divorce* of hell as a place of ever-increasing smallness and self-enclosure. How does this picture of hell affect your understanding of what it means to be separated from God?
a.Does this motivate you toward evangelism? Toward prayer for people who are far from God?
b.How does the reality of hell inform how you think about the grace of your own salvation?
3.Alcorn addresses universalism and annihilationism — the views that all will eventually be saved or that the unsaved simply cease to exist — and offers biblical arguments against both. What are his main arguments? Do you find them persuasive?