Whether Thomas Gray actually coined the phrase “ignorance is bliss” is really inconsequential. The important thing is not being ignorant of what we need to know.

To say someone is “ignorant” is not to say they’re stupid. That isn’t what it means. It simply means that they are uninformed. The most brilliant among us can be ignorant, or uninformed. Synonyms are:

uneducated · unknowledgeable · untaught · unschooled ·

untutored · untrained · illiterate · unlettered · unlearned · unread · uninformed · unenlightened · benighted · inexperienced · unworldly · unsophisticated

As for the word “bliss,” it just means enjoyment, happiness, ecstasy, delight or pleasure.

Sometimes, I’ll grant you, ignorance is bliss. For example, I wish to be ignorant as to when I die and the manner in which I die. Don’t you? I would rather not know. So, in this case it is good to be ignorant. However, there are other times we really should not want to be ignorant.

I have known people, and you probably have too, that won’t go to the doctor because they don’t want to know if they have something bad. Then they get really bad off and die. Now that’s not only ignorance, but also stupid. Why would anybody do that? My guess is “fear.”

By the way, synonyms for ‘stupid’ are:

unintelligent · ignorant · dense · foolish · dull-witted · slow · simpleminded · vacuous · vapid · idiotic · imbecilic · imbecile · obtuse · doltish · thick · dim · dimwitted · slow-witted · dumb · dopey · dozy · moronic · cretinous · pea-brained · halfwitted · soft in the head · brain-dead · boneheaded · thickheaded · wooden-headed · muttonheaded · daft · foolish · silly · unintelligent · idiotic · scatterbrained · nonsensical · senseless · harebrained · unthinking · ill-advised · ill-considered · unwise · injudicious · inane · absurd · ludicrous · ridiculous · laughable · risible · fatuous · asinine · mad · insane · lunatic · crazy · dopey · cracked · half-baked · dimwitted · cockeyed · lamebrained · nutty · batty · cuckoo · loony · loopy

So in some cases ignorance is bliss, and at other times it most certainly is not, at least in the long run.

I have heard that people who are addicted to gambling will gamble over just about anything. This in turn makes me think that those who say they’ll take their chances on Heaven or hell after they die are, without a doubt, die-hard gamblers. In other words they are ‘stupid.’

Take God’s word for it, being ignorant about our eternal destiny is not ignorance that will produce any bliss whatsoever. This is one thing we should all be sure about.

Some folks are unsure of their eternal destination and are not interested in trusting Jesus to provide that for them. Others actually are those who really are Christians, but just can’t seem to be sure that the very Jesus who saved them will also keep them.

So let’s forget this thing of being ignorant and do something about it. Let’s go from being uninformed, ignorant, to knowing that our eternal destiny is with Jesus for all eternity.

First of all, if you have not put your faith in Jesus Christ to save and keep you, then you are not a Christian. Let’s do something about that.

Jesus said, “All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” (John 6:37)

Okay, if you want to be saved, then obviously the Father is giving you to Jesus. Furthermore, Jesus said he will not turn you down (“whoever comes to me I will never drive away”).

He also says, “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32)

In Romans He says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)

So put very simply, if you believe in Jesus and aren’t ashamed to say so, He will save you and provide you His righteousness.

He goes on to assure us that when He saves us, He keeps us, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)

Probably the number one reason true Christians are not sure of their fate after they die is because they spend very little or no time in God’s Word, the Bible. Reading the Bible and prayer time is essential for every Christian. Just as the body needs food and water to survive, the same is true for the Christian. We must have the nourishment of fellowship with God to grow spiritually.

Another very important reason for Bible reading and prayer time is to keep us on the right path in our walk with the Lord. The Apostle Peter said,

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.” (1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT)

Satan is always throwing lies at us and they come from every direction. The world listens to Satan and is very adept at masquerading his lies with a little truth to advance the cause of that fallen angel who strives to be a god. It’s often called being ‘politically correct.’

Unfortunately, false gospel often comes from the pulpit. It always has, and it is worse today than at any time in history. So we must be knowledgeable in God’s holy Word. The Holy Spirit will keep us on the right path if we just allow Him to do so.  May the following verse not apply to us.

“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” (Romans 10:3)

When the Word of God and prayer is our daily routine, we will know the righteousness of God and not be hoodwinked by the pseudo righteousness Satan is spewing from others. God’s Word, the Bible, says the day will come when men will call that which is right to be wrong and that which is wrong to be right.

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)

We are in that day and must not fall into the deception of listening to those who think they know more than God, and frankly don’t care what God says.

“Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:21)

After reading this, we have been informed, and should no longer be ignorant. Let us not compound the problem by being stupid.

Grant Phillips

Email: grantphillips@windstream.net

Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com

What will hell be like? From the Bible, some words that might open the eyes of the blind are; unquenchable fire, weeping, regret, gnashing of teeth, fear, despair, eternal punishment, away from God, tormented day and night, no rest, foul smelling, darkness, this is the second death. Most of these words can be found in the very, very few Scriptures I selected about hell found below.

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

“and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:50)

“And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46)

“And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. (Mark 9:43)

“They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, (2 Thessalonians 1:9)

“And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.” (Revelation 14:11)

“and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)

“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)

The Bible has more to say about hell than Heaven. Jesus said more about hell than He did Heaven. The reason is obvious. God wants everyone to know just how terrible hell is. He does not want anyone going to hell. Jesus gave Himself as a sacrifice so that any who would come to Him through faith would be exempt from hell. There is nothing more He can do however, for those who refuse to put their faith in Him. No person will be able to blame anyone on judgment day except themselves.

What will Heaven be like? From the Scriptures we have covered and many we haven’t, several words can describe Heaven, such as; in the presence of God, no sin, no pain, no heartache, eternal happiness, laughter, eternal peace, eternal joy, total satisfaction, worship, beauty beyond description, safe, secure, and many more.

From what I read in the Bible, there still remains much, much more that we don’t know on this side of that portal we’ve talked about, but there remains much we can be excited about.

The Bible teaches that we will judge angels and nations. We will be placed in areas of responsibility, for example, in the Millennium.

One thing is for sure, we will not be floating around doing nothing.

“One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” (Titus 1:12)

Notice that lazy people are classified with liars, evil beast and gluttons. No, we’ll have Heavenly bodies that are eternally energized and ready to do whatever our Lord asks. As an adult I sometimes notice the little young’uns with so much energy, thinking of myself, “What happened?” In Heaven our ‘batteries’ will never run down. We’ll be like the Energizer bunny.

I believe that we will traverse different parts of the heavens in our assignments given to us. We will be active on the new earth, the New Jerusalem and throughout God’s universe. Remember, unlike this earthly body suited only for earth, we will have Heavenly bodies suited for the heavens.

Are there other ‘beings’ of some kind in other galaxies? I don’t know, but I know that our God is a Creator. He likes to create. He created the angels, the universe, humans, animals, birds, fish, trees, mountains, water, grass, flowers, and on and on. Maybe there are other beings He hasn’t told us about, maybe not. We’ll find out when we get there.

Can you imagine the beauty of the New Jerusalem? There will be a New Heaven, a New Jerusalem and even a restored Eden. The New Jerusalem alone will be about two million square miles, which would equal about fourteen states of California. Will the earth be larger to accommodate this size? I don’t know, but if not, maybe the New Jerusalem will be above the earth as the sun and moon are today.

By the way, there will be no need of sun or moon. God has always said that He is the light of the world, and He will literally be just that.

The greatest thing about our exit from this world by death, going through that portal and entering Heaven is that we will be in the presence of God. Yes, we’ll be with our family members who preceded us, friends we knew, all the holy angels, even Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Ruth, Peter, Paul, etal., but nothing can top being in the very presence of God.

I can’t imagine the exhilaration in seeing Jesus. Read Revelation chapter one to see how much different Jesus will appear than when He came at His first advent. Some blasphemously think they’ll pat Him on the back and call Him, “O buddy,” but in reality we will fall on our face before Him. That is exactly what the Apostle John did and he called himself, “the one Jesus loved.” (John 20:2; 21:20)

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:17-18)

Christians, from the mouth of our Savior and Lord, He says, “Fear not.” Jesus has “the keys of Death and Hades.” Let us not fear when the time comes for our body to die. Let us not fear when death is staring us in the face, and let us not fear what lies ahead. Jesus is in control. We are not alone, and when we pass through that portal, we’ll never want to return.

If you are not a Christian, there is nothing for you but an eternity of hell, literally, when you pass through the portal of death. While on this side of the portal, you can change that by putting your faith in Jesus Christ and following Him. Allow Him to be your Savior and Lord, because if you do not, He will be your Judge on the other side.

“And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:22, 27)

Those who know Jesus can say along with Paul, “And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8)

Sooner or later, excluding the Church at the Rapture, we will all meet who the world calls “the grim reaper” or “the angel of death.” However, this is not so for all those who know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. When we breathe that last breath and step through the portal of death, we will be met by “Heaven’s Welcoming Committee,” the very Son of God, Jesus Christ, the One spoken of throughout the Bible we love so much. What a wonderful day that will be!

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27)

Let me close in saying that we should never add to or take away from what has been revealed to us in God’s Word, the Bible. If it isn’t covered in the Bible, accept the limitations He has placed on us and move on.

“The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29:29)

“Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “DO NOT GO BEYOND WHAT IS WRITTEN.” (emphasis mine) Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.” (1 Corinthians 4:6)

Grant Phillips

Email: grantphillips@windstream.net

Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com