IS FOR ETERNITY


. . .by Kathy A. Smith

1). WHY SHOULD WE BELIEVE IN A PLACE CALLED HELL? We should believe in hell because the Bible warns us about it over and over again.
A). Jesus spoke of it's existence:
"But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him"(Luke 12:5). Jesus taught that we should all fear God, because he has the power to cast us into hell. Also see: Mark 9:43-48

B). Paul wrote of it's existence: "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;" (11 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

C). Peter wrote of it's existence: "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;" (2 Peter 2:4).

D). John wrote of it's existence: "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:15).

2). Who Goes To Hell?
If a person breaks the law they will usually be punished by paying a fine or given a sentence in prison. God also punishes people for breaking His law. Do you want to see if you have broken any of God's laws. Let's test ourselves on God's Ten commandments: (See Exodus 20)

Let's test ourselves on God's Ten Commandments: ( Exodus 20)

1). Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Have you always obeyed God's word and put it ahead of your own wants? Do you even know what it says? Have you always put God first in every area of your life? Have you always loved Him with all of your heart, mind, soul and strength? If you answer no to any of these, you have broken God's 1st commandment.

2). Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image. Have you ever put a material thing like money, a car, or a career ahead of God? Did you ever have your own beliefs about God rather than the ones that are revealed in the Bible? If so, you are an idolater - you have broken God's 2nd commandment.

3). Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain. Have you ever used God's name as a swear word? If so, you are profane - you have broken God's 3rd commandment.

4). Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Have you always kept the sabbath holy? If not, you are a sabbath-breaker - you have broken God's 4th commandment.

5). Honour thy father and thy mother. Have you ever disobeyed or spoken evil of your parents? Have you ever been rebellious against them in any way, even as a child or a teenager? If so, you are rebellious and disobedient - you have broken God's 5th Commandment.

6). Thou shalt not kill. The Bible says that if we hate someone, we commit murder in our hearts. Have you ever hated someone or had evil thoughts toward another person? If so, you are a murderer at heart - you have broken God's 6th commandment. (Matthew 5:21-22)

7). Thou shalt not commit adultery. Have you always been faithful to your spouse? Have you ever had sex with anyone before you were married (fornication)? Have you ever engaged in sexual fantasies or lustful thoughts about anyone not your spouse? If so, you are an adulterer - you have broken God's 7th commandment. (Matthew 5:27-28)

8). Thou shalt not steal. Have you ever taken anything that didn' belong to you, no matter how small in value? If so, you are a thief - you have broken God's 8th commandment.

9). Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Have you ever told a lie, a fib, white lie, or half truth? Have you ever spoken anything knowing that it was not completely and totally true? If so, you are a liar - you have broken God's 9th commandment.

10). Thou shalt not covet. Have you ever desired to have something that someone else has - a girl or guy, a car, a house, a job, or anything else? If so, you are covetous - you have broken God's 10th commandment.

THERE IS HOPE!
Everyone that ever lived (except Jesus Christ) has broken at least one of these commandments. Most of us have probably broken most of them. Breaking one of God's commandments only one time is all it takes to separate yourself from God and be destined to hell! That's why Jesus had to die on the cross and become our substitute, so we could be forgiven. Anyone of the commandments that we had broken without Jesus in our lives would send us to hell. But when we accept Jesus in our lives and hearts He washes away every sin we have ever committed and then when we die we can stand before God in heaven without sin. God will not allow anyone with sin into heaven. That's why accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is the most important decision you can ever make in your lifetime because He is the only way we can go to heaven and avoid hell.

3). THE SEVERE CHARACTER OF HELL.
A). It's torments
-"And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom" (Luke 16:23) The Greek word for torments is "basanos" meaning going to the bottom; the lowest torture or torment.

"And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame" (Luke 16:24) The Greek word for tormented is "odunao" which means; a state of grief, sorrow and torment.

B). Crying for mercy (see Luke 16:24 above) These pitiful cries will never be answered.

C). Memory - "But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented" (Luke 16:25). The rich man had to leave all His material riches behind, but he still had his memory.

D). Conscience - always thinking how things could have been different. How you could be in heaven if you would have only accepted the free gift of salvation. Conscience will burn forever. Did you ever have a conscious that you may have wronged someone? Everyday you think about this and it just nags at you constantly. In this life you still have time to repent, but in hell this conscience will never be taken away, because it will be to late to make a difference.

E). NO ESCAPE FROM HELL - There is absolutely no hope of ever escaping from the bottomless pit of hell.

4). HELL NEVER ENDS
The greatest of all sins is to reject the Lord Jesus Christ. A person who rejects the greatest gift of love that their creator God has given rightly deserves hell.
How long is eternity? It beyond our imagination of how incredibly long hell will be. Let's just try to take a glimpse at how long eternity really is;

 "Suppose that a sparrow took a drop of water from the Atlantic Ocean, hopped across the country, put that drop in the Pacific Ocean, then hopped back to the Atlantic Ocean, and repeated the same thing. When that bird had emptied the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific Ocean, eternity would have just begun. And how tragic to spend that eternity in hell.
Think of all the leaves on all the trees. Multiply their number by all the grains of sand on every beach. Then multiply that total by all the inches between yourself and the sun. Let the sum total represent centuries, and only then would eternity have begun. Only then would the sinner in hell have a small part of the suffering of that awful place".

5). HELL'S INHABITANTS
Many people may have lived a good moral life on earth according to man's standards, but in the eyes of a holy God, all those who reject Christ are classed as unbelievers and are grouped with murders, liars, sorcerers; etc.
"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).

There will be all kinds of people in Hell:
A). Those who depended on their own works to get them to heaven; "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" Not of works, lest any man should boast"(Ephesians 2:8-9)
. No good deed or sacrifice that a person has made while they were alive will ever make any difference for the one who is hopelessly separated from God. Salavtion is not by man's good works, but by God's merciful grace.

B). Those who put salvation off until it was too late. The bible says; "behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2b). Don't wait to accept the best gift that has ever been available. Each minute that goes by is so unstable. You can not guarantee that you will be here.

C). People who don't know, care, or believe in hell. Ignorance or disbelief will never take away the true fact that hell is real. Everyone is responsible to choose if they are going to submit to the God that loves them or if they will reject Him. If they do nothing, they have already rejected God and are separated from Him because of sin and their destiny is hell. Just think how important we all think it is to walk through a house or drive a car before we actually buy it. No one wants to buy a house or a car with out first see it or driving it. How much more important it is to look into where we will spend eternity. The things of this world will shortly pass away, but heaven is forever.

6). SO MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING THERE
There are so many people today who break God's first out of His Ten Commandments:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). Most people are living their lives for themselves instead of God. All those who refuse to receive Christ are in reality serving self. If a person really believes in Christ they will bear fruit for God's kingdom. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).

 

The Most important Question: Where do you want to spend eternity? Heaven or Hell?

A). Which life will you choose?

 

The way to life which leads to heaven as a true Christian?"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me"(John 14:6).

 OR  The way to death which leads to hell as an unbeliever? "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death"(Proverbs 14:12).

B). Which decision will you make?

 

Will you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? "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"(Romans 10:9).

  OR  Will you reject Him? "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:" (II Thessalonians 1:8).


C). Who will be your father?
 God? "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" (John 1:12).

 OR

 

Satan? "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44).


D). What destiny will you choose for all of eternity?

 

Heaven?"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away"(Revelation 21:4).

 OR Hell? "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched"(Mark 9:44).

 

HEAVEN OR HELL
There's a place called heaven where the Lord God reigns
Where there is no death, no sorrow, or no pain
There shall be no night there, for the Lord God will give us light
Everlasting love and peace forever
But we must first turn from sin-and let Jesus in
He grants eternal life where we will- reign with him!

It's Heaven or Hell- where do you wanna spend eternity?
Heaven or Hell- it's time to choose your destiny

There's a place called Hell a place of eternal torments
Where the worm dies not and the fires not quenched
A place of pure darkness, separation from the holy Lord
Where there is no hope or no escape
When your life ends, there's no changing your mind
Your choice is now, don't let Satan rob you blind!

It's Heaven or Hell- where do you wanna spend eternity?
Heaven or Hell- it's time to choose your destiny
It's Heaven or Hell-Who knows what tomorrow brings?
Heaven or Hell- He gives peace within

Is your name written in the Lamb's book of life?
We make our own choice where we spend eternal life!

It's Heaven or hell-where do you wanna spend eternity?
Heaven or Hell-it's time to choose your destiny
It's Heaven or Hell-His hand is reaching down to you
Heaven or Hell-swallow your pride and face what's true

 

To learn more about the Lord Jesus Christ and how to be saved: Read Divine Appointment?

 

 

 More on the reality of Hell:
 

THE BIBLICAL DESCRIPTION OF HELL

FALSE IDEALS ABOUT THE AFTERLIFE

SINNERS IN THE HANDS OF AN ANGRY GOD

THE REALITY OF HELL

The Existence of Hell

Death and Dying


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