Scriptures to Observe:
(1:18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness…(1:21) For although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or give Him thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts and their senseless hearts were darkened…(1:25) They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (Romans 1:18,21,25).
(13:41) The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers…(13:50) and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:41,50).
(20:14) Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death – the lake of fire. (15) If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14,15).
“It doesn’t matter…I’m going to Hell anyway!”; “If only they knew the things I’ve done, they’d never let me in.”; “I’ll see you in Hell! Ha Ha!!!”
I am sure that we have all heard these sayings before. Whether it was spoken by family, friends, co-workers, or just total strangers. I hear it all the time. It is a shame that there are so many people walking this planet who feel that for one mistake, or for many, that they are destined and locked in for a date with fire. What many of these people who haven’t heard (and some have heard) the Gospel of Jesus Christ realize is that Hell is a choice. Let me repeat that. HELL IS A CHOICE! (See Romans 1:18,21,25 above).
But before I get into mankind’s choices, let me illustrate for a moment what Hell is really like. I want to illustrate this because the many people who I hear the above quotes from see humor in their destination. Almost as if they want to go to Hell. I can understand why they want to go there. Many probably think that Hell is a place about 256 miles below the Earth’s crust, somewhere around the Equator. When you get there you stand before Satan and he tells you “Job well done. Come into my kingdom and enjoy eternity”. Then you walk around a place that is about 99 degrees with 94% humidity. Soon you come upon a room just for you. It is full of naked women ready to please, 45 big screen TV’s tuned to any sport you want, unlimited beer and cigarettes, and any drug of your choice. All for eternity. But the heat doesn’t bother you because soon you and your brothel girls will dive into the Olympic sized swimming pool that’s over in the corner. (Please note that I used a male as the model for the illustration above).
I can see why one would be disillusioned and want to go to Disney Underworld. They must believe that the tools that Satan uses here on Earth to lure you in are the same pleasures you will get in Hell.
In reality Satan doesn’t have a party awaiting you. His will isn’t to please you in the afterlife. Satan is like the abusive boyfriend who kills his girlfriend that just dumped him, saying “If I can’t have her, then no one will”. Satan doesn’t want you in Hell to party down with him. His kingdom is a lake of fire (Revelation 20:14,15 above). He just doesn’t want God to have you in Heaven. He uses worldly pleasures to lure you away from God so God can’t rejoice in you coming to Him and receiving His Kingdom. Satan could care less about you. He just hates God.
The truth is that Hell is a “lake of fire”. You will be cast down and consumed by fire. But what kind of consumption? Will it be consumption where you are burnt to ash and nothing left? Or the kind where it covers your body and you suffer for all eternity, begging for just one drop of water? “…where their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched (Mark 9:48)…that person will also drink of the wine of God’s anger that has been mixed undiluted in the cup of his wrath, and he will be tortured with fire and sulfur in front of the holy angels and in front of the Lamb. And the smoke from their torture will go up forever and ever, and those who worship the beast and his image will have no rest day or night, along with anyone who receives the mark of his name.”
(Revelation 14:10,11).
Picture this if you will:
I think we have all seen a good action show or movie. Gun fights and car chases. Manly stuff! I’m sure we have all seen the scene where someone gets set on fire and goes running around in a panic like a ball of fire with extremities. We can assume that the natural response of the flaming man, after panic, is “Someone help me. Get an extinguisher!”. Then the response many be something like “I will die soon. The pain will end then.” Remember when you touched a hot pan and how much it hurt? Or got a nasty blistering sunburn? Amplify that by a lot. Then cover your whole body in that pain. And then face the realization that you will not die from it. You will feel this pain for eternity. No relief or comfort. No medicine or doctors. No one to save you.
But you can be saved now before it’s too late. You may wonder “What can I do to keep from going to hell”? “What other choice do I have”? ”Who can save me?” The answer is Jesus Christ. No, not the action figure Jesus Christ. I am talking about the Son of God who shed His own blood on the cross so that you can lay your sins (a.k.a “tickets to Hell”) down. Also known as “The Redeemer“.
You have two trains. A nice white sleek one heading for paradise, and another black one heading into a fiery furnace. It doesn’t look like a fun ride, being that this black train has no windows. You will be totally lost on your journey. You will have no idea where you are going and when you will finally end up crashing into the furnace. You know which train your ticket is for. By the way, it’s a one way ticket. Once you crash, it is all over and done with. You notice the conductor of the white train. It’s Jesus! He is saying to you “Come to my train and allow me to take you somewhere better. All you have to do is redeem your ticket with me.” “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
So which train will you choose? I pray that you will chose wisely and someday we will see each other standing before His throne shouting “Praise God!”
Until next time…
Love in Christ,
Chris
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