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(I corrected several path problems on August 29, August 30, and September 1, including these selections: Which  Version?, Christmas, Images, Body of Christ Discovered, Hymn Midis, KJV Bible, and Spiritual Warfare.  Sorry for any problems; please let know if you find others. - Gary)

A Hell to Shun

Luke 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

One of the most vivid memories I have of my early childhood, at about age four or five, was a nightmare. I was somehow inside the mouth of a beast, a monster, and couldn't get out. I could see my mother outside working in the garden, and cried out to her, but she either couldn't or wouldn't listen. As dreams go, this is the worst I can remember. I've had recurring dreams of being hopelessly lost, or of going on a trip and never arriving anywhere. Other dreams dealt with blood and death and murder, but none of them has ever frightened me as much as that one from my childhood.

Hell is far worse than the worst nightmare any of us have ever had. In earlier years, "hellfire and damnation" sermons were common fare in many churches; today, many never mention Hell at all. They serve up a sugarcoated Gospel, with all of the unpleasant parts removed. Being a Christian is a "feel good" thing, and Heaven forbid we should talk about disgusting things like blood and fire. These are "buffet Christians"; they pick and choose what they want to believe.

If people talk about Hell at all, they are apt to have numerous misconceptions about it, just as they do about other Christian doctrines. First of all, the Devil does not rule, and will never rule, the place. It was prepared specifically as a place of punishment for him and his angels (Matthew 25:41), not as a consolation prize for being kicked out of Heaven. Secondly, it's not a place where we can go to spend eternity with all of those of like mind, and get the old gang together again. Instead, there will be an eternity of unremitting punishment and pain, with a fire that burns but never consumes. Those who go there will be utterly cut off from God's presence, and from any source of pleasure or enjoyment (Matthew 22:12, 25:46).

In one sense, God does not send people to Hell against their will; each of us has a free choice between eternity with him or without him. He did not prepare a place specifically for sinners; we go there only if we choose to cast our lot with the Devil. When we reject Christ, we deliberately separate ourselves from God's grace and forgiveness.

If we die our sins, do we go immediately to Hell? Well, yes and no. Our spirits are immediately transported to a place of torment, as Christ indicated in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man's relatives were still alive, so the Judgment Day had not yet come. After the Judgment, when all of us are clothed again with flesh, those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire, along with death and Hell itself. They are already judged at their death for rejecting Christ, but the ultimate sentence isn't carried out until after the final resurrection of the dead. This, the Bible says, is the Second Death.

Everyone who has ever lived since Adam, except Jesus himself, was born a sinner (Romans 3:23). The wages of sin is always death (Romans 6:23). That means that everyone of us, who is capable of making the decision, faces the choice of heading down the broad path to Hell or of turning toward God through Jesus Christ. No one should ever view salvation as nothing more than fire insurance; what we gain is infinitely more than just avoiding Hell. Nor should we try to frighten someone into accepting Christ. At the same time, we must make others aware that Hell is a real place, not some allegory for living without God.

There are no second chances after death (Hebrews 9:27). TV and movies are full of stories of people sent back to earth so they could do enough good deeds to go to Heaven instead of Hell, where they should have gone. Just as good deeds won't get us into Heaven, they also won't keep us out of Hell "Depart from me," Jesus will say to those who pin their hopes on all the good things they did, "I never knew you." (Matthew 7:21-23) This idea of escaping Hell by doing good deeds is the flip side of the doctrine of "salvation by works" that so many believe. With works, we wouldn't need Jesus, and he would have died in vain. The Devil doesn't care how many good works we do in our lives, as long as we leave Jesus out of them.

There's a variation on this theme that says, "Yes, you're saved by believing in Christ, but he still keeps score after you're saved." People who believe this never have of assurance of their salvation, because they're never quite sure how they'll measure up in the end. If this were the case, none of us could be saved. Just as none of us is good enough to earn our salvation to begin with, none of us could be good enough to keep it. The Bible doesn't teach a "I hope so" salvation, but "I know so!" The verses that promise our salvation when we believe in, and confess, Christ, don't use "might" but "will"! (Besides John 3:16, see, for example, Romans 10:9, John 5:24, and I John 5:13). None of us who belong to Christ should ever fear that somehow we'll miss the mark in the end because we just weren't good Christians. Hell is not an incentive for us as Christians to toe the line; it's a warning for those who reject Christ altogether. It should, though, provide an incentive for us to witness to others about the saving power or Jesus Christ at every opportunity.

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