Led Zeppelin – Andy Wrasman

I saw an image on a friend’s Facebook wall. It was shared from a radio station’s page, presumably a rock station with the references to AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” and Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven”.

I decided to share it to my Contradict – They Can’t All Be True Facebook page. To stick to the basic theme of the page, I typically share posts that demonstrate some sort of exclusive statement or contradiction or inconsistency within religious teachings, worldview thinking, or moral codes. I thought that the image of a highway versus a stairway are very contrasting by nature. One is typically flat, wide, and fast, whereas the other is typically narrow, ascending, and not fast-going. Their destinations were also very different. The fast tract leads to hell. The steps lead to heaven.

Bionically speaking these places are exact opposites. Their natures, though both eternal, are contradictory. Hell is a place of unrest. It’s a place of fire that cannot be quenched, yet it’s also a place of total darkness. Agony and misery belong for eternity for those in hell, and there is no hope… just despair. (Matthew 25:41, Matthew 8:12, Revelation 14:11, Luke 16:24, and 2 Thessalonians 1:9 to list a few verses) Heaven is a place of eternal rest. It’s a place of peace. A place where we will see the Lord face to face. There will be no hardships, no suffering, no evil, no death. The glory of the Lord shall light heaven forever. (Revelation 22:4, Revelation 7:16-17, and Revelation 21:23-25)

From what we know in Scripture, the only way to heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ. (John 14:6) Those who believe shall have eternal life and those who do not shall be eternally condemned. (John 3:36). There is no other name than Jesus’ by which we can be saved. (Acts 4:12) With this in mind, all roads besides the path that Christ provides must lead to hell, that is if the Words of the Bible are true, which I most certainly do believe to be the case.

Jesus spoke of a broad road that leads to destruction. He says that many enter through it. (Matthew 7:13) I think the many religions of this fallen and depraved world make up the lanes of this massive highway to hell. Jesus also spoke of a narrow road that leads to heaven. He said few find it. (Matthew 7:14) Elsewhere Jesus speaks of a great wedding banquet to which many are called but few are chosen. (Matthew 22) From Jesus’ words we can see that it does appear that many more will be in hell than those in heaven. Simply looking at the number of Christians in the world compared to the number of non-Christians, this certainly appears to be the situation.

To further support the Biblical nature of this radio station’s image, Scripture does speak of a “Stairway to Heaven”. It’s found in a dream that Jacob had at Bethel. (Genesis 28:12) Jesus later references this dream and places himself into the dream as the “Stairway to Heaven.” (John 1:51) In other words, Jesus is the “Stairway to Heaven”.

Based on the Word of God, I take the stance that it is a fact that there’s a “Highway to Hell” and a “Stairway to Heaven” and as their descriptions imply, many more will take the highway. Though these are song lyrics, it doesn’t mean they don’t echo the truth of Scripture in some ways. I shared this image on Facebook and then wrote this blog post to encourage us to consider the road we are on and to note that there is still time to change the one you’re on if it’s the highway. And if you are on the stairway, it’s time to start inviting more people to Jesus.

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Genesis Chapter 28- Jacob sees a vision from the Lord of a Stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and angels were ascending and descending on it.

When I first read about Jacob’s vision of a “stairway to heaven,” I was stoked. I was in high school at the time and my favorite band back then was Led Zeppelin. I was excited to know that there is a stairway to heaven, but I wasn’t sure what exactly this stairway vision meant. Here is what I found:

Jesus himself is that stairway.

John 1:51 – Jesus says that heaven will open and the angles of God will be ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. Jesus is the Son of Man; he applied that messianic title to himself numerous times in his ministry..

What’s the significance of Jesus being a stairway?

Isaiah 59:2 – “But your iniquities have separated you from God; your sins have hidden his face from you.”

God is holy and man is sinful. Our sin causes a great separation between God and us.

John 14:6 – “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

1 Timothy 2:5 – “For there is one mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all men.”

Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

All of this means that Christ is the stairway that bridges the void between God and us. The wages of sin is death and Christ took our sins upon himself and died in our place. And unlike the Zeppelin song, you can not buy the stairway to heaven. It is free. It is a gift to you, received through faith. Ephesians 2:5 – “For it is by grace you are saved, through faith- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.” John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world, he gave his one and only begotten son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him.”

Also, the Led Zeppelin song has a line that says, “Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run There’s still time to change the road you’re on.” There are many religious paths that people can follow, but as the verses indicate, salvation comes only through faith in Jesus. If you believe that Jesus is the Stairway to Heaven, then you have a calling, and a command from God, to share this message with others. If you do not believe Jesus is the Stairway, I’d encourage you to study more about Jesus, his life, work, and claims, because there are multiple paths, and there is still time to change the one you are on.

Tag: Led Zeppelin

The Highway to Hell and the The Stairway to Heaven

Led Zeppelin – Jesus is the Stairway to Heaven

Genesis Chapter 28- Jacob sees a vision from the Lord of a Stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and angels were ascending and descending on it.