Culley grinned as he whispered the first sentence to the kid next to him, carefully covering his mouth with his hand like it was a top-secret message. The sentence was simple and harmless—something about a blue bike leaning against a tree—but as it traveled around the circle, giggles popped up, eyebrows lifted, and whispers grew faster and messier. By the time the message reached the last student Culley could barely sit still in his chair.
When the final sentence was spoken out loud, it was nothing like the original: the blue bike had turned into a flying goat, the tree had become a volcano, and somehow a librarian was involved. The class burst into laughter, and Culley laughed too, realizing how easily a message could change when passed from person to person.
A Blue Bike or a Flying Goat?
Our little story here shows how the meaning of words and ideas can change into something different from what was meant at first. It’s how true things become false rumors.
This happens with some of the things God has said in His Word, the Bible—especially things about heaven, hell, and the end of the world. So, we want to be sure that what we hear about the things of God is actually what God really meant when He inspired people to write them down in the Bible.
Was It an Apple?
For example, how many people think that the fruit that Adam and Eve ate in the Garden of Eden was an apple?
Genesis 2:16–17 (KJV):
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”
But it doesn’t say “apple,” does it? It says “fruit.” Do you see how words and ideas can change?
So, before we dig into what the Bible says about heaven, hell, and the end of the world in the next chapter, let’s be aware of the ideas, words, and pictures we already have in our minds that may or may not be what God actually meant in His Word.
Next: Where Is Heaven?
