Heaven, Hell and God’s Will Being Done

Voxology

Philosophy, Society & Culture, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 27 April 2026

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Have you ever felt like the traditional version of Christianity sounds more like an abusive relationship than a message of love? Today, Mike Erre and Tim Stafford tackle a viral critique of the faith and dive deep into what it actually means to pray for God's will to be done on earth. This conversation moves past the idea of God as a cosmic tyrant to rediscover a Jesus who invites us into a better way of being human.

In this episode, we explore the tension between our human will and the divine will, moving past the "fire insurance" version of the gospel that many are rightfully rejecting. We discuss why the church often fails by trying to "polish up" Jesus instead of letting his voice stand on its own. We also break down the phrase "on earth as it is in heaven," challenging the common belief that Christianity is just about escaping this world for a disembodied afterlife.

Instead, we look at how heaven is invading earth to restore our humanity and the image of God within us. From the historical context of Gehenna to the surprising connection between holiness and the joy of play, this episode is a deep dive into the heart of the Lord's Prayer. We tackle the hard questions about suffering, judgment, and why the truth coming to light is actually the best news possible.

Chapters

0:00 Intro and the Best Friends Podcast

3:45 Reading a Viral Critique of Christianity

8:20 Why People are Walking Away from the Church

13:10 Stop Trying to Dress Up Jesus

18:15 Thy Will Be Done: The Heart of the Prayer

23:50 Two Major Misunderstandings of Surrender

28:40 Does God Cause Suffering and Cancer?

34:15 Heaven is a Status, Not Just a Place

39:30 Why Divine Judgment is Actually Good News

45:10 The Truth About Hell and Gehenna

51:00 Dehumanization vs. the Image of God

56:45 Tasting New Creation Through Play and Community

1:01:20 Previewing the Exodus and Daily Bread

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

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Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, everybody, Tim Stafford, Mike Erie.
0:13.2	We are delighted, delighted that you would be tuning into this high-quality podcast.
0:18.6	I will try not to blow my nose or sneeze.
0:21.9	There is a mute button that I've since discovered since I was rebuked openly, publicly, and repeatedly.
0:31.9	But the deck is not being built today. So we've got, I mean, that's, that's a great tradeoff.
0:38.1	Take the wins. Yes, if you are new to this here podcast, it's called Voxology. Vox is Latin for
0:44.4	voice. Ology is the study of something. And so we engage in the study of Jesus's voice,
0:50.7	which we think there's something very unique and inspired about his voice into the
0:56.6	world. And so, yeah, that's what we do. And we are supported by an amazing group of encouragers,
1:04.0	listeners, disagreeers, funders, givers. It's just a ridiculous joy to get to do what we do.
1:13.6	So thank you for allowing us into your life.
1:18.9	Before we dive in to, you know, I hope, what I hope is the last episode on one of the petitions of the Lord's Prayer.
1:30.6	Yes.
1:31.5	I wanted to read something I found on the gram.
1:35.3	It's well known that Mike Erie and Tim Stafford are highly regarded influencers by tens of people.
1:49.3	And Seth Erie and I have launched something called The Best Friends podcast. Now, what that turns out to be is we just record a video of he
1:54.3	and I at my desk. And he's, who knows where he's going or what he's doing, but it's the greatest
1:59.4	thing ever. So I've been checking the gram because people are so kind and encouraging.
2:04.4	And while I was on the gram, Timothy, I came across a very non-AI generated young man, frustrated with Christianity.
2:15.6	And he, I don't know if this is like something that other people have said this way and
2:21.1	he's just quoting it or, you know, I don't know.
2:24.0	But I thought it was an interesting, interesting set of statements that I thought, huh.
	...

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