Who Is Jesus Christ (Part 3)? The Lord

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11).

I must confess something embarrassing. For many years I had read the above passage and thought to myself that Jesus was the name above all names. But when paired with Acts 4:12 (“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”), I often wondered if it was blasphemous for anyone else to have the name “Jesus”. What about all the Mexican men named “Jesus” (pronounced “Hey Zeus!”)? Should they have the name Jesus? Can they possess the name that is above all the others? What on earth were their parents thinking to name their child with a name that is only reserved for Jesus (not “Hey Zeus!”)? However, if you read the context of Philippians 2:9-11, it isn’t “Jesus” that is the name above all others. It isn’t “Jesus” that no other name shall be given in which we shall be saved by. No. Although it is true that His name is Jesus, it is His name in verse 11 that is the name above all others that no one else shall possess: “Lord”.

I would seriously hope that no one claims to be “Lord”, even if his name is “Hey Zeus!” However, for Jesus it is more than a name, it is who He is, and as we see above in Philippians 2, that every knee shall bow. This includes those in Heaven (the saints who have gone before us and angels), those on earth (the redeemed believers), and those below (the demons and Satan. Yes. I said “the demons and Satan”). Let’s take a moment to explore these three groups.

First is the group that is in Heaven. In Revelation 6:9-10 it says “I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’” These martyred believers stand before Jesus, calling Him “Lord”. Also in Revelation it says “The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!’” (4:8). Aside from these four creatures, we also see the angels proclaiming the lordship of Jesus Christ: “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’ (Revelation 11:15). And I heard the angel of the waters saying: ‘You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things.’” {16:5). These angels not only proclaim that Jesus is Lord, but also backup those claims by the evidence that Jesus is Lord and King of the earth, but also Judge.

Second is the group that is below the earth. You may be wondering how I come to the conclusion that the demons and Satan acknowledge Jesus as Lord. In Luke 4:41 it reads “And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of God!’ And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.”. Also “When [the man who was demon possessed, Legion,] saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, ‘What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me’ For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.” (Luke 8:28-29). James 2:19 says “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”. The demons recognize who Jesus is in that He is more than man, but also Lord. He holds command over the demons. They wreak havoc until Christ arrives and tells them to get lost. One should note that in the scriptures men failed to always cast out demons (Mark 9:17-29), but the demons had no choice but to obey Jesus every time. Also, regarding Satan, we read in Job 1:6-12 a conversation where Satan had to get permission in order to smite Job. He was allowed to bring about great destruction, but God would not allow him to destroy Job. As you can see, the demons and Satan recognize the Lordship of Jesus and know that they are under His authority.

Third is the group that walks upon the earth. Mankind will all eventually bow before Jesus and confess that He is Lord. For believers this happens now in their lifetime. Romans 10:9-10 states “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” The Greek word used for “Lord” in this passage is kyrios, which means “he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord”. Essentially what this passage is saying is that you agree and believe that Jesus is master and that you choose to make Him master of your life. It is a conscious choosing of faith and obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ. A life that has made this choice of confession to the lordship of Jesus goes something like this: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2). Of course there are many other passages that we could explore, but for the sake of our attention spans we will avoid them. However, regarding the unbelievers, they will bow before Christ as well. But unfortunately for them it will be too late as they had chosen to reject Christ in this lifetime and will bow in the afterlife. “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15). All of humanity will stand in Heaven before Christ, but is your name in the Book of Life? Will you bow to Christ now and make Him Lord of your life, or will you wait until you realize that He is indeed real and that He is indeed Lord as He sits upon His throne judging you before casting you into the lake of fire?

Jesus left His throne in Heaven as God the Son (or Son of God) and came to earth as the Son of Man. In doing this He experienced what we experience in life, all the way down to being formed within the womb of Mary. He experienced all that any man can experience here on earth. In doing so He is able to intercede on our behalf to the Father as the High Priest who offered up the perfect and final sacrifice to atone for our sins-Himself. In Hebrews 1:2 it states “[God] has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things…” an in Colossians 1:15 it says “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” The word usually translated “firstborn” does not mean that Jesus was the first created being, but that He was given the rights of the firstborn heir. In Colossians 1:18 it says “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.” He may have preeminence over all things. Why?

Because He is Lord!

In Christ Alone.

 

Who Is Jesus Christ (Part 1)? The Son of God.

It isn’t a coincidence that I have followed up a series about the decay of morality in our modern society, as well as a decay within the walls of our modern church, with a series about Jesus Christ. After all, I did say that the hope for both to turn around was to set their eyes upon The Christ. But, in order to effectively set our eyes upon Jesus, we need to understand who Jesus is. Notice that I didn’t say who “was” Jesus. To use the term “was” would imply that the person in question had existed and ceased to exist. This would apply to many historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln and Elvis, but it does not apply to Jesus, who sits at God’s mighty right hand and lives through the Holy Spirit. As the old hymn says, “You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.” But to grasp Jesus, we need to focus on His various attributes. He called Himself the “Son of Man”, but He also was the “Son of God” and He also possessed the “name above all names”. This week I would like to focus on His divinity as the Son of God.

It seems almost as an idea to scoff at. A mere mortal man who walked the earth was also the Son of God. But not just the “Son” of God, but also God incarnate, or the second person of the Trinity, God the Son. Jesus Himself proclaimed to be God. In John 10:30 He said “I and My Father are one.” He also said “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” (John 5:17), this after healing on the Sabbath. The response from the Jews? “Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.” (v. 18). Not just did Jesus (here and in other various places) claim to be God, but even His disciples understood it. “But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” (John 6:68-69). “[Jesus] said to [the disciples], ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” (Matthew 16:15-16). The demons understood that He was the Son of God. “And suddenly [the demons] cried out, saying, ‘What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?’” (Matthew 8:29). Even Satan knew that Jesus was the Son of God when he tempted him in the wilderness in Matthew 4 when he constantly tried to trick Jesus into sinning by saying “If You are the Son of God…” To claim that Jesus was indeed God is a bold proclamation and a hard pill to swallow for many who do not understand Christianity and God’s Word. In John 6 many of the people who were following Jesus turned away because they found His teaching on His divinity as being hard to take. Is Jesus truly God?

In Hebrews 1 the author writes “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” (Vv. 1-4). The author not just states that Jesus is heir of all things, that He created everything and upholds that creation, and that He is above the angels, but that Jesus is the “express image” of God. The Greek word that is being used here is charaktēr, which denotes that something is the exact reproduction in every aspect to something else. Jesus isn’t like God or possesses some of God’s characteristics, but He is God in every aspect. He even said “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?” (John 14:9-10). He also said in John 17 “that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” (V. 21). It should be noted that Jesus confirmed that He and God are one by simply using one word…”us”.

Jesus and various New Testament writers may have proclaimed that Jesus is the “Son of God”, or in actuality “God”, but is there truth to that statement or is it just lunacy? Jesus had mentioned in John 14 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.” (Vv. 10-11). One of the things that verified Christ’s divinity and backed up His claims are the various works that He performed. He did what no one had done before Him and no one after Him has been able to do (although heretic Kenneth Copeland once claimed to have stopped a tornado by simply telling it to go away). Jesus had the power over the elements when He turned water into wine, the power over nature when He calmed the sea and walked on water, the power over infirmities when He made the blind, deaf, dumb, and lame whole again, and the power over death when He called Lazarus out of the grave. However, there is no clearer evidence to Jesus’ divine claim as to His power over His own life and death. In John 10 He says “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”(Vv. 17-18). That is a bold proclamation! That one can actually decide when to die and when to come back to life is a ridiculous notion. How many people do we know had actually made the choice as to which breath was going to be their last? We see later in John’s gospel, as Jesus was hanging on the cross, it says “So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.” (John 19:30). The Greek term for the phrase “gave up” is paradidōmi. This term denotes giving, delivering, and permitting or allowing. It means that the one who had something (in this case Jesus’ spirit) had given it over or allowed it to be taken. Can any mortal man give his life away or even give death permission to come and take his life away? Who do we know that walks as flesh and blood actually has the power over death to allow it to stop our hearts from beating? Who do we know that walks as flesh and blood that has to give permission to death in order for it to stop us from breathing? As far as I know no one has that kind of power over life and death. But Jesus…. Jesus had that power. He always had as He created, and He always will as He sustains as the heir to all things. Jesus is the “Son of God”, which is more than just being begotten offspring. As the Jews had determined, it makes Him equal with God.

I could go on and on about this. Just ask my former professors. My 5-8 page assignments turned into a 15 page assignment. I just can’t stop talking about how great is our God. But that leaves an important question. If I have succeeded in briefly describing Jesus’ evidence of divinity and convincing you of such, then why on earth would God the Son leave His throne and the glories of Heaven to come to this filthy and wretched place in order to suffer like the rest of us? Even to the point of being mocked, beaten, tortured, and suffering a criminal’s death upon a cross? We will see next time when we explore the “Son of Man” and the Lamb who was slain.

             

Decay Pt. 2: Welcome To Rome

Something remarkable happened since my last blog post (part 1 of this series). At the University of California-Berkeley another riot erupted. This time it was a “protest” in regards to a gay conservative speaker from England. Not just did the students destroy property and try to burn everything down (as they always seem to do these days. It is quite the “in” thing), but there were reports of a conservative woman being assaulted, and another Trump supporter was thrown to the ground. The latter escaped, but the “protesters” grabbed his pro-Trump hat and set it on fire. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if he didn’t escape. Would he have been a human torch? The amazing part about this “protest” was in regards to what it was over. Typically most secular colleges these days lean towards the left. They are for homosexuality and immigration. This is common knowledge. If you don’t believe me and need facts then just put on a “Make America Great Again” shirt, grab a Bible, and go down to your local University and try to discuss with the local students why we need borders and need to eliminate abortion and see what happens. However the speaker was both gay and foreign. So why the uproar? Because whereas they are liberal, he is a conservative. They torched, destroyed, and beat down their fellow man in a rage because they almost had someone speak at their campus who simply thought different than they do. This is a scene that has become almost daily news since the election almost three months ago. Why the hate? Why the divide? Why the complete disregard for humanity and sanity? Why has mankind (particularly in America as of late) become unrestrained savages? It seems as though all of this is over politics. However, you may recall, I ended my last blog post by saying “this isn’t about politics”. So what is it about?

            In June of 2015 the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage across the board. Nobody could deny the rights of marriage to same sex couples any longer. Many Americans celebrated this victory. I remember reading that one of the most searched topics from that day online was Romans 1. I don’t remember the exact details. Could it have been non-believers searching in order to see whether God’s Word does in fact condemn this sin? Could it have been Christians seeking ammunition for their argument now that they were going to be vilified? No matter who it was we know that a great deal of people recognized that Romans 1 has something to say about it.

            Paul’s epistle to Rome was written to a church that he had never set foot in, which explains why it is such a theological masterpiece. In Chapter 1 he goes into great detail about the sinful state of man and God’s wrath. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18). But what wrath are we speaking of here? It is the wrath of stepping away… of turning away from man who has rejected and turned away from God. When Paul writes “Therefore God also gave them up… (v.24), For this reason God gave them up… (v.26), God gave them over… (v.28)” he is basically saying that because mankind wants nothing to do with God, then God gives them what they want. He walks away. In context it looks like this:

Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. (vv. 19-23).

            What the apostle is saying is that mankind knows of God through natural revelation, as well as an inward knowledge of a “higher power”. This is why man has followed religion since the beginning of time. This is why as far back as the Old Testament times there was paganism. Man knew of a god, they just didn’t know Who was God. This is illustrated in Acts 17 when Paul addresses the philosophers at Athens: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD…” (Acts 17:22-23). The men of Athens certainly knew of a god.

            However, in America and the world over, mankind has rejected God. Mankind has fallen in lust with darkness and thus has suppressed the inner and outer knowledge of any higher power or god. To them religion is for the weak and foolish. As our above passage in Romans states, they believe that they know better than God. They believe that they know right from wrong better than God and His Word. In doing so they believe that truth is not absolute, but whatever you perceive it to be. This is known as moral relativism. This thought pattern crates a new god. But instead of it being birds, animals, and creeping things it becomes something else… MAN.

            Man is now the new god. He knows what is best. He knows what is true, right, and wrong. And the standard is not set by any law, but by each individual. But is this why we are in the state that we are in? Paul goes on to state “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,  who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Romans 1: 24-25). In turning away from man and giving them what they want, God’s moral compass within man decays rapidly. This is why our society is going into a tailspin at breakneck speeds. Man follows the lusts of his heart and when left unrestrained to his own vices, man can do some seriously vile things. Things that are morally grotesque and unnatural, yet so beautiful and natural in his own eyes. Things that are even harmful to those around him. Yet who are we to condemn man for him pleasing his own flesh as his selfish desires consume him like cancer? After all, he knows best. Billions of different little “gods”, with their own different views, with their own different ways, and with a desire for everyone else to see it his/her way.

We shouldn’t be shocked when there is an explosion on the six o’ clock news…

It Is Finished

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” (John 19:30, KJV).

We have to ask ourselves this Resurrection Sunday, as with any day of our Christian lives, “what was finished”? We know that Jesus’ earthly ministry was done, as He had given up the ghost, or His spirit. But was it that simple? Many atheists and followers of other religions would surely like to think so. They would love to believe that Jesus was entombed and rotted away like the nice man that He was. But was He more?

…It is finished…

First, we should note, is that Satan’s reign was finished. In Genesis 3 God said to the serpent “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” (3:15). Since man’s fall in the Garden of Eden it was prophesied throughout the Old Testament that there would be a Savior. Sin is the poison the Satan serves us. We are born in it (Psalm 51:5, Romans 3:23). And the wages of sin are death (Romans 6:23). So how can we be saved from this imminent death that is guaranteed to us, the sinner? “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10). If we believe that Jesus is the Christ and has indeed risen, and confess that we are a sinner in need of saving, and that only Christ can save (John 14:6), then we shall be saved from Satan’s “death grip”. “For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” (Romans 6:20-22). “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans 6:18). Lots of great theology in the book of Romans.

Second is that religion was finished. What? Isn’t Christianity a religion? It is classified as one, but it is really a faith that draws upon the work of the Holy Spirit and not a system of laws and rules in order to gain righteousness. In John 8 we find the scribes and Pharisees bringing a woman to Jesus who was caught in adultery. They said “Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?” (8:4-5). Jesus’ response was “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.” (8:7b-9). Jesus caused the self-righteous religious elite to turn their eyes inward. Their own system of laws that they strictly adhered to wasn’t enough to save them from their own sins. They had no choice but to drop each stone and walk away. Again, in Romans 6: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (6:14). However, it is important to remember “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?” (6:15-16, ESV).

Third is that any debate of Jesus’ deity was laid to rest. Notice it says that “he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost”. The Greek term for “gave up” is paradidōmi, which means to surrender or deliver. Typically, one does not involuntarily surrender or deliver something. It is done by choice. Jesus said “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:17-18, emphasis mine). Jesus chose to die once His work was finished. Death did not defeat Him at the cross, He chose to draw His last breath. This leads us to…

…the resurrection. Notice in John 10:18 Jesus said “…and I have power to take it again.” Jesus made the decision to rise again. His earthly ministry was finished, but He was not. Satan was finished at the cross, as was death. Jesus also proved by His power that He was indeed who He said He was….

“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:13-17).

In Christ Alone.

I’m going to Hell when I die! Yeah!!! Woo Hoo! Do you want me to bring you back anything?

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