Hell and Heaven, The Story

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said,

‘Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.’

The Lord led the holy man to two doors.

He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

The Lord said, ‘You have seen Hell.’

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The holy man said, ‘I don’t understand.’ 

‘It is simple,’ said the Lord. ‘It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.’

Status of Birds in Nepal

Nepal has a sharp climatic variation from subtropical to alpine within the short span of less than 200km (from north to south). The altitude varies from about 60m above the sea level in the south lowland to 8.848m in the north. Nepal is rich in biodiversity. The country possesses a high biodiversity considering its size.

So far, 867 species of birds have been recorded in Nepal, which are about 8% of the total bird species found worldwide. A total of 35 globally threatened species, 19 near threatened species and 15 restricted-range species are recorded in Nepal. Spiny Babbler Turdoides nipalensis is the only endemic bird of Nepal known so far. Nine species of birds are listed under the protected species by Government of Nepal.

As many as 130 breeding and wintering species (15% of Nepal's birds) are now considered nationally threatened. Habitat loss is the major threat to 86% of the birds at risk. Hunting, illegal trade and poisoning are other threats to birds in Nepal.

Birds are feathered bipeds. They belong to class Aves and subphylum Vertebrata. The most distinguishing character of birds is the possession of feathers and the forelimbs modified into wings. Birds descended 140 million years ago from the reptilian stock similar to that which produced dinosaurs, a bird-like creature, called Archaeopteryx.

The difference between heaven and hell

There are many differences between heaven and hell. The book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, paints a beautiful picture of heaven as having streets of pure gold, gates of pearl, walls decorated with every manner of precious gemstones. Revelation 21:18-21 says, “The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.”

Nothing impure ever will be in heaven, and the residents shall live eternally in the presence of God and Jesus Christ. It is a place of joy, peace, and love. Jesus Himself has prepared a wonderful place for us. In John 14:1-4, Jesus says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." This is the place the righteous shall go for eternity (John 5:24).

Hell, on the other hand, is described as a lake of fire (Revelations 20:15), the second death (Revelations 21:8), a place where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth (Luke 13:28), the home of the wicked (Psalm 9:17) and a place of torment (Revelations 20:10). Hell is where those who reject the great sacrifice of Jesus will spend eternity.