The Faith of One Man
Everett Alvarez Jr. was the first American pilot shot down over North Vietnam on August 5, 1964. He spent eight and a half years as a prisoner of war, the first one and a half in solitary confinement. He was beaten and tortured.
His darkest hour came after seven years in prison. On Christmas Day 1971, his captors let him read a letter from his mother that said his wife had left him.
Alvarez emerged from captivity with a new spirit. He remarried soon after his release in February 1973. He earned a law degree in night school. He held two senior political posts in the Reagan administration. In 1988, he started Conwal Inc., the executive management consulting firm that employs more than 200 people and pulls in more than $15 million a year.
In an interview, he said, "The hardest part was being alone. I used to do a lot of talking. I talked to God, and I realized I wasn't really alone." He scratched a cross outside his hut. Christian faith does not deny the problems and challenges of life. It does not turn away from reality, but it understands that beyond the realities of this world, a greater reality exists.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Seated with Christ
SEATED WITH CHRIST
Ephesians 2:4-6
God . . . made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus
The New Testament clearly reveals that Christ's power and authority over Satan and his kingdom have been conferred to those of us who are in Christ. In Ephesians 2:4-6, Paul explains that when Christ was raised from the dead, those of us who have believed in Him were also resurrected from our condition of spiritual death and made alive "together with Christ." It's only logical that the head (Christ) and the body (His church) should be raised together.
Furthermore, when God seated Christ at His right hand and conferred on Him all authority (Ephesians 1:20, 21), He also seated us at His right hand and conferred on us through Christ all authority because we are "together with Christ." The moment you receive Christ, you take possession of what God did for you 2000 years ago. Your identity as a child of God and your authority over spiritual powers are not things you are receiving or will receive at some time in the future; you have them right now. You are a spiritually-alive child of God right now . You are seated in the heavenlies with Christ right now . You have power and authority over the kingdom of darkness right now . We have the authority because of our position in Christ, and we have the power when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Paul also related this life-changing truth in his letter to the Colossians: "In Him [Christ] you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority" (Colossians 2:10). Notice again that the action is past: We have been made complete. When? At the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. And since Christ is the God-appointed head over all rule and authority, and since we are seated with Him in the heavenlies, we have the authority and power to live responsible lives.
Prayer:
Father, help me want to live responsibly, to claim my position as Your child, and to grow to full stature in You.
Ephesians 2:4-6
God . . . made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus
The New Testament clearly reveals that Christ's power and authority over Satan and his kingdom have been conferred to those of us who are in Christ. In Ephesians 2:4-6, Paul explains that when Christ was raised from the dead, those of us who have believed in Him were also resurrected from our condition of spiritual death and made alive "together with Christ." It's only logical that the head (Christ) and the body (His church) should be raised together.
Furthermore, when God seated Christ at His right hand and conferred on Him all authority (Ephesians 1:20, 21), He also seated us at His right hand and conferred on us through Christ all authority because we are "together with Christ." The moment you receive Christ, you take possession of what God did for you 2000 years ago. Your identity as a child of God and your authority over spiritual powers are not things you are receiving or will receive at some time in the future; you have them right now. You are a spiritually-alive child of God right now . You are seated in the heavenlies with Christ right now . You have power and authority over the kingdom of darkness right now . We have the authority because of our position in Christ, and we have the power when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Paul also related this life-changing truth in his letter to the Colossians: "In Him [Christ] you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority" (Colossians 2:10). Notice again that the action is past: We have been made complete. When? At the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. And since Christ is the God-appointed head over all rule and authority, and since we are seated with Him in the heavenlies, we have the authority and power to live responsible lives.
Prayer:
Father, help me want to live responsibly, to claim my position as Your child, and to grow to full stature in You.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
What does Jesus say about Hell
What Does Jesus Say About Hell?
Jesus Christ died for sinners – All who receive Him are forgiven of all their sins – All who are forgiven receive eternal life!
But, is this hell eternal? No, it’s only the doorway – the waiting room! What will the ultimate destination be of the lost?
INDESCRIBABLY HORRIBLE – Let me just call off the words used to describe this place – so unimaginable we would doubt its existence had not Christ spoken more of it than any prophet or apostle.
More than heaven – Christ spoke of hell – more than love, Christ spoke of eternal destruction – more than the church to come Christ Jesus warned of God’s wrath and judgment and hell.
I believe that we must pause and reflect on the destination of all those travelers from earth. JESUS DID – HE told a story at the height of His popularity.
2 ENTRANCE GATES – the wide and the small
2 ROADS – broad and narrow
2 DESTINATIONS – destruction and life
2 GROUPS OF TRAVELERS – many and few
2 LIFESTYLES – the sayers and the doers
2 INEVITABLE ENDS – being throw into fire and entering the kingdom of heaven
LET’S NOTE HIS WORDS – FOR HE WOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS. He created the measureless universe. He calls the numberless stars by name. He has numbered each of the hairs upon our heads, the days of our lives, the words we will give an account to Him for.
YES, HE IS QUALIFIED TO SPEAK, AND DOES, WARNING US OF HELL! AND, HE DOES SO 40+ TIMES IN MATTHEW ALONE – LET’S LOOK AT THEM. In fact, get a pen and mark these on paper or in your Bible. WHY? Hell is being lost by our generation as a true doctrine. But no matter what men do, if Jesus Christ preached it, so should we.
Matthew 3:7, 10, 12 (John the Baptist Christ's forerunner said) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Matthew 5:22, 29-30 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
Matthew 7:13, 19, 23 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Matthew 8:12, 28-29 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they 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 10:15, 28 Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city! 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 11:22-24 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”
Matthew 12:32, 36, 41-42 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
Matthew 13:30, 40, 42, 48-50 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ” 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 15:13-14 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
Matthew 16:18, 25, 27 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
Matthew 18:8-9 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.
CHRIST’S STORIES DIDN’T ALL HAVE GOOD ENDINGS…
MATTHEW
Matthew 18:34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
Matthew 21:41, 44 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
Matthew 22:7, 13 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 23:14-15, 33 14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
Matthew 24:51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:30, 41, 46 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
MARK
Mark 1:244 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are?the Holy One of God!”
Mark 5:7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.”
Do any other Apostle write of the horrors of Hell? Yes, Paul, Peter, Jude, James and on and on they go!
Romans 2:9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;
2 Thessalonians 1:9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;
Jude 6-7 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Revelation 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 20:10-15 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 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. 12 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. 13 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. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
LET’S SUMMARIZE THE BIBLICAL PRESENTATION OF ETERNAL PUNISHMENT IN HELL IN THREE POINTS:
IT IS THE PLACE OF ETERNAL, UNENDING PAIN, MISERY AND TORTURE - A darkness so impenetrable than the countless ages of eternity that none of the lost will ever see light or relief – no wonder they are wailing, howling and gnashing teeth.
IT IS THE PLACE WHERE BODY AND SOUL ARE TORMENTED. All will be raised, both saved and lost (Jn. 5:28/Dan. 12:2 – some to bless – the rest to horror. The worm dieth not. Mark 9:48 – Eating the conscience and the flesh? Never consumed by the hellish worms that feed upon them and never die.
HELL IS THE PLACE WHERE THERE ARE LEVELS OR DEGREES OF TORMENT – All face intense and unending pain. Some will face far greater.
HEBREWS 10:28-29 – Says the writer of Hebrews. “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”
Those who willfully reject Jesus Christ and trample, as it were, on the sacrifice He made for them with His own blood will receive much greater punishment than those who had only the light of the Old Covenant. And on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the pagan materialistic cities of Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom than for the Jewish cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum-who not only had the light of the Old Covenant but the opportunity to see and hear the Son of God in person and to witness His miraculous works (Matt. 11:22-23).
In the parable of the slaves who awaited their master’s return from the wedding feast, Jesus explains that “that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of flogging, will receive but few” (Luke 12:47-48).
“Hell will have such severe degrees,” writes John Gretna, “that a sinner, were he able, would give the whole world if his sins could be one less.”
The torment of hell will be everlasting. Nothing will be so horrible about hell as its endlessness. Jesus uses the same word to describe the duration of hell as the duration of heaven: “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:46). People in hell will experience the absence of hope.
THE ARGUMENT FROM THE INFINITE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST (C. H. Macintosh)
“If anything less than eternal punishment be due to sin, what need was there of an infinite sacrifice to give deliverance from that punishment? Did Jesus shed His precious blood to deliver us from the consequences of our guilt, if those consequences be only temporary? Grant us the truth of an infinite sacrifice, and we argue from thence the truth of eternal punishment.”
And, that’s just one gospel in which Christ describes hell vividly over forty times!
Jesus Christ died for sinners – All who receive Him are forgiven of all their sins – All who are forgiven receive eternal life!
But, is this hell eternal? No, it’s only the doorway – the waiting room! What will the ultimate destination be of the lost?
INDESCRIBABLY HORRIBLE – Let me just call off the words used to describe this place – so unimaginable we would doubt its existence had not Christ spoken more of it than any prophet or apostle.
More than heaven – Christ spoke of hell – more than love, Christ spoke of eternal destruction – more than the church to come Christ Jesus warned of God’s wrath and judgment and hell.
I believe that we must pause and reflect on the destination of all those travelers from earth. JESUS DID – HE told a story at the height of His popularity.
2 ENTRANCE GATES – the wide and the small
2 ROADS – broad and narrow
2 DESTINATIONS – destruction and life
2 GROUPS OF TRAVELERS – many and few
2 LIFESTYLES – the sayers and the doers
2 INEVITABLE ENDS – being throw into fire and entering the kingdom of heaven
LET’S NOTE HIS WORDS – FOR HE WOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS. He created the measureless universe. He calls the numberless stars by name. He has numbered each of the hairs upon our heads, the days of our lives, the words we will give an account to Him for.
YES, HE IS QUALIFIED TO SPEAK, AND DOES, WARNING US OF HELL! AND, HE DOES SO 40+ TIMES IN MATTHEW ALONE – LET’S LOOK AT THEM. In fact, get a pen and mark these on paper or in your Bible. WHY? Hell is being lost by our generation as a true doctrine. But no matter what men do, if Jesus Christ preached it, so should we.
Matthew 3:7, 10, 12 (John the Baptist Christ's forerunner said) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Matthew 5:22, 29-30 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
Matthew 7:13, 19, 23 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Matthew 8:12, 28-29 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they 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 10:15, 28 Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city! 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 11:22-24 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”
Matthew 12:32, 36, 41-42 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
Matthew 13:30, 40, 42, 48-50 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ” 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 15:13-14 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
Matthew 16:18, 25, 27 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
Matthew 18:8-9 “If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.
CHRIST’S STORIES DIDN’T ALL HAVE GOOD ENDINGS…
MATTHEW
Matthew 18:34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.
Matthew 21:41, 44 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
Matthew 22:7, 13 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 23:14-15, 33 14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
Matthew 24:51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:30, 41, 46 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
MARK
Mark 1:244 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are?the Holy One of God!”
Mark 5:7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.”
Do any other Apostle write of the horrors of Hell? Yes, Paul, Peter, Jude, James and on and on they go!
Romans 2:9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;
2 Thessalonians 1:9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
Hebrews 10:31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;
Jude 6-7 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
Revelation 19:20 Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 20:10-15 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 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. 12 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. 13 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. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
LET’S SUMMARIZE THE BIBLICAL PRESENTATION OF ETERNAL PUNISHMENT IN HELL IN THREE POINTS:
IT IS THE PLACE OF ETERNAL, UNENDING PAIN, MISERY AND TORTURE - A darkness so impenetrable than the countless ages of eternity that none of the lost will ever see light or relief – no wonder they are wailing, howling and gnashing teeth.
IT IS THE PLACE WHERE BODY AND SOUL ARE TORMENTED. All will be raised, both saved and lost (Jn. 5:28/Dan. 12:2 – some to bless – the rest to horror. The worm dieth not. Mark 9:48 – Eating the conscience and the flesh? Never consumed by the hellish worms that feed upon them and never die.
HELL IS THE PLACE WHERE THERE ARE LEVELS OR DEGREES OF TORMENT – All face intense and unending pain. Some will face far greater.
HEBREWS 10:28-29 – Says the writer of Hebrews. “How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?”
Those who willfully reject Jesus Christ and trample, as it were, on the sacrifice He made for them with His own blood will receive much greater punishment than those who had only the light of the Old Covenant. And on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the pagan materialistic cities of Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom than for the Jewish cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum-who not only had the light of the Old Covenant but the opportunity to see and hear the Son of God in person and to witness His miraculous works (Matt. 11:22-23).
In the parable of the slaves who awaited their master’s return from the wedding feast, Jesus explains that “that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of flogging, will receive but few” (Luke 12:47-48).
“Hell will have such severe degrees,” writes John Gretna, “that a sinner, were he able, would give the whole world if his sins could be one less.”
The torment of hell will be everlasting. Nothing will be so horrible about hell as its endlessness. Jesus uses the same word to describe the duration of hell as the duration of heaven: “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:46). People in hell will experience the absence of hope.
THE ARGUMENT FROM THE INFINITE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST (C. H. Macintosh)
“If anything less than eternal punishment be due to sin, what need was there of an infinite sacrifice to give deliverance from that punishment? Did Jesus shed His precious blood to deliver us from the consequences of our guilt, if those consequences be only temporary? Grant us the truth of an infinite sacrifice, and we argue from thence the truth of eternal punishment.”
And, that’s just one gospel in which Christ describes hell vividly over forty times!
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
It's About Time [ Page 5]
It’s About Time...Continued from page 4
“And now the harvest is past. Summer is gone. Still you are not saved. That day you drew an ‘X’ on the calendar – where you would finally make a decision – has come and gone. Still you are not saved. Now you are approaching graduation at the seminary and still you do not know.”
We couldn’t believe it, but he offered an invitation in Old Testament Prophecy class . He waved his hand and said, “Class is over, but I will not leave. The harvest is past. Summer is gone. Still some of you are not saved.” We sat in our chairs for a long time in quiet, not knowing what to do. Finally, one got up and walked down. Then there were two. We left that classroom quietly as we watched Dr. Francisco pray and talk to some of our colleagues who were finally making it sure for themselves.
Like you, I was brought to church as a little boy. Some of you were brought to church and never given a choice. You heard the sermons. You heard the songs. You said, “Someday I’ll make that decision, and that someday came.” Then something happened. You were distracted. It wasn’t a good time. So that day came and went.
You grew up in church, and always intended to do it. It would be the day when you got out of high school. You would mark the day on the calendar. “By this time I’m going to make that decision for Jesus Christ.” Now harvest is past, the summer gone, and still you are not saved.
You told the Lord, “Let me get through college, let me kind of find out who I am, then I will make that decision.” Now you have graduated from college. Harvest is past, summer gone and you still are not saved.
“Let me get in my job, let me get my marriage taken care of, let me get my first child raised, let me get this promotion taken care of.” Time after time you mark it on your calendar and you say to yourself, “That’s when I’ll make a decision.” Now that time has come, that time has gone, and still you are not saved. Harvest past, summer gone and still …
You think you will do it tomorrow, but tomorrow may not be yours. Tomorrow may not be yours.
“And now the harvest is past. Summer is gone. Still you are not saved. That day you drew an ‘X’ on the calendar – where you would finally make a decision – has come and gone. Still you are not saved. Now you are approaching graduation at the seminary and still you do not know.”
We couldn’t believe it, but he offered an invitation in Old Testament Prophecy class . He waved his hand and said, “Class is over, but I will not leave. The harvest is past. Summer is gone. Still some of you are not saved.” We sat in our chairs for a long time in quiet, not knowing what to do. Finally, one got up and walked down. Then there were two. We left that classroom quietly as we watched Dr. Francisco pray and talk to some of our colleagues who were finally making it sure for themselves.
Like you, I was brought to church as a little boy. Some of you were brought to church and never given a choice. You heard the sermons. You heard the songs. You said, “Someday I’ll make that decision, and that someday came.” Then something happened. You were distracted. It wasn’t a good time. So that day came and went.
You grew up in church, and always intended to do it. It would be the day when you got out of high school. You would mark the day on the calendar. “By this time I’m going to make that decision for Jesus Christ.” Now harvest is past, the summer gone, and still you are not saved.
You told the Lord, “Let me get through college, let me kind of find out who I am, then I will make that decision.” Now you have graduated from college. Harvest is past, summer gone and you still are not saved.
“Let me get in my job, let me get my marriage taken care of, let me get my first child raised, let me get this promotion taken care of.” Time after time you mark it on your calendar and you say to yourself, “That’s when I’ll make a decision.” Now that time has come, that time has gone, and still you are not saved. Harvest past, summer gone and still …
You think you will do it tomorrow, but tomorrow may not be yours. Tomorrow may not be yours.
Monday, March 31, 2008
It's About Time [ Page 4]
It?s About Time...Continued from page 3
Some of you have assumed you will get things right with God, that you will make a profession of faith, that you will accept the call of Jesus in your life, that you will do the things He has told you to do, and you will do them when you’re ready ? when you feel like it ? some other day. “Seek the Lord while He may be found,” Isaiah cries out to his people. “Seek the Lord while He may be found.” There is a clear implication here that there will come a time, there will come a day when you will seek the Lord and you will not be able to find Him. It simply will be too late.
My Old Testament professor was Dr. Clyde Francisco. We loved Dr. Francisco, because he was always mad that God made him teach . He was. He would tell you, “If it is ever up to me I would pastor a church because I love to preach.” Now here was the code when you had for Dr. Francisco. If he had his glasses on that meant he would “lecture” and that was going to be on the exam. If he took his glasses off, he was preaching and that would not be on the exam.
You also found out real quickly in class that Dr. Francisco’s favorite prophet was Jeremiah. When you took him for Old Testament you were taking Jeremiah and a few of his friends, but you ended up in Jeremiah. One Tuesday afternoon he was lecturing, telling us about Jeremiah and the challenges this prophet of God faced. He came to chapter 8, verse 20: The harvest is past. Summer’s gone and still we are not saved.
Jeremiah is lamenting all of the markers the people had put on their calendars that were to be saved by this date, by that date. All of these dates had come and gone and still the people were not saved. The city would be overrun soon. The nation would be destroyed. Harvest is past. The summer is gone, and still you are not saved.
Then, to our utter amazement, Dr. Francisco put his glasses down on the lectern and he began to preach to those of us who were in that classroom. We were each going to do something in the church. We were going to do something in the denomination. That’s where our lives were going. We had told everybody. We had made it public.
Dr. Francisco started telling the story, “Most of you grew up in families who never gave you the choice about whether or not you would go to church. As long as you can remember you were taken to church. People would say you needed to make a decision and get baptized, and you may have, because everybody else around was.
“You didn’t know what you were going to do with your life. You didn’t pay attention. So you got through high school with no clear direction and somebody of importance said to you, ‘You may be called to the ministry’ and without a second thought, and without any kind of hesitation, without any kind of prayer, you ended up in seminary, thinking that each moment along the way you’d finally stop and decide. You would make the decision for yourself. You’d find out who Jesus Christ was.
Some of you have assumed you will get things right with God, that you will make a profession of faith, that you will accept the call of Jesus in your life, that you will do the things He has told you to do, and you will do them when you’re ready ? when you feel like it ? some other day. “Seek the Lord while He may be found,” Isaiah cries out to his people. “Seek the Lord while He may be found.” There is a clear implication here that there will come a time, there will come a day when you will seek the Lord and you will not be able to find Him. It simply will be too late.
My Old Testament professor was Dr. Clyde Francisco. We loved Dr. Francisco, because he was always mad that God made him teach . He was. He would tell you, “If it is ever up to me I would pastor a church because I love to preach.” Now here was the code when you had for Dr. Francisco. If he had his glasses on that meant he would “lecture” and that was going to be on the exam. If he took his glasses off, he was preaching and that would not be on the exam.
You also found out real quickly in class that Dr. Francisco’s favorite prophet was Jeremiah. When you took him for Old Testament you were taking Jeremiah and a few of his friends, but you ended up in Jeremiah. One Tuesday afternoon he was lecturing, telling us about Jeremiah and the challenges this prophet of God faced. He came to chapter 8, verse 20: The harvest is past. Summer’s gone and still we are not saved.
Jeremiah is lamenting all of the markers the people had put on their calendars that were to be saved by this date, by that date. All of these dates had come and gone and still the people were not saved. The city would be overrun soon. The nation would be destroyed. Harvest is past. The summer is gone, and still you are not saved.
Then, to our utter amazement, Dr. Francisco put his glasses down on the lectern and he began to preach to those of us who were in that classroom. We were each going to do something in the church. We were going to do something in the denomination. That’s where our lives were going. We had told everybody. We had made it public.
Dr. Francisco started telling the story, “Most of you grew up in families who never gave you the choice about whether or not you would go to church. As long as you can remember you were taken to church. People would say you needed to make a decision and get baptized, and you may have, because everybody else around was.
“You didn’t know what you were going to do with your life. You didn’t pay attention. So you got through high school with no clear direction and somebody of importance said to you, ‘You may be called to the ministry’ and without a second thought, and without any kind of hesitation, without any kind of prayer, you ended up in seminary, thinking that each moment along the way you’d finally stop and decide. You would make the decision for yourself. You’d find out who Jesus Christ was.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
It's About Time [ Page 3]
It's About Time...Continued from page 2
He adds this warning: “Anyone who knows what is right and doesn’t do it sins.” Like Jesus, James brings the believers back to the moment in front of them. You shouldn’t be spending your time saying, “Here’s what I’m planning to do; here’s all I anticipate doing.” You should do what you know you should do in the moment in front of you.
Don’t put off until tomorrow telling the people you love that you love them. Don’t put off until tomorrow doing what you know the Lord is calling you to do today. In each moment be obedient, in each day be faithful, because that’s the moment you have, that’s the day you have. We grab our day planners. We circle dates in the future and we say, “On that day this will happen. On that day I will be there and I will accomplish this kind of business and I will take care of these things on that day,” as if those days are already ours. They’re not. Tomorrow isn’t promised to you, nor to me. You’re supposed to say, “If the Lord wills I’ll be there Thursday. If the Lord wills I’ll be at my appointments tomorrow.”
Yet you know, as I know, that is not the way we think or the way we live. Sudden things can happen. The ambulance comes to your house, or picks you up at your office, the doctor comes in and shakes his head and your plans change. I don’t care what was on your calendar – things change. You think you’re in control. You think time is yours.
Just saying the words, “If the Lord wills,” makes you uncomfortable, doesn’t it? “I have an appointment tomorrow. I’ll be there, if the Lord wills.” Well, I’m sorry, Jesus, I’m booked tomorrow from 8:00 in the morning until 5:30 that afternoon. If I have to die tomorrow it would be Tuesday before I fell over. I don’t have time.
If the Lord wills I’ll be there. Tomorrow isn’t mine. Tuesday isn’t mine, nor is Wednesday. It’s not yours either. What you have is this moment, right here, right now. Nothing else is promised. We want to live like those children who anticipate the parents coming back, and so we put off doing what we know we should do. We think we will get it done on another day.
A husband puts off responding to his wife’s request to another day. A parent ignores a child for another day, always assuming there will be another opportunity, another moment. That’s not always true is it? You know like I know the stories of a wife – she has begged her husband, who is over-committed at work, to come home. He is stressed out; he has little time for his wife, little time for his marriage, and little time for his children.
Then somewhere in a hotel room, in a city he can’t remember the name of, this man comes to his senses. He goes home and starts making the changes his wife asked him to make years before, and it is too late. “I’m doing everything she asked me to do,” he will tell me, “but it’s too late.”
He adds this warning: “Anyone who knows what is right and doesn’t do it sins.” Like Jesus, James brings the believers back to the moment in front of them. You shouldn’t be spending your time saying, “Here’s what I’m planning to do; here’s all I anticipate doing.” You should do what you know you should do in the moment in front of you.
Don’t put off until tomorrow telling the people you love that you love them. Don’t put off until tomorrow doing what you know the Lord is calling you to do today. In each moment be obedient, in each day be faithful, because that’s the moment you have, that’s the day you have. We grab our day planners. We circle dates in the future and we say, “On that day this will happen. On that day I will be there and I will accomplish this kind of business and I will take care of these things on that day,” as if those days are already ours. They’re not. Tomorrow isn’t promised to you, nor to me. You’re supposed to say, “If the Lord wills I’ll be there Thursday. If the Lord wills I’ll be at my appointments tomorrow.”
Yet you know, as I know, that is not the way we think or the way we live. Sudden things can happen. The ambulance comes to your house, or picks you up at your office, the doctor comes in and shakes his head and your plans change. I don’t care what was on your calendar – things change. You think you’re in control. You think time is yours.
Just saying the words, “If the Lord wills,” makes you uncomfortable, doesn’t it? “I have an appointment tomorrow. I’ll be there, if the Lord wills.” Well, I’m sorry, Jesus, I’m booked tomorrow from 8:00 in the morning until 5:30 that afternoon. If I have to die tomorrow it would be Tuesday before I fell over. I don’t have time.
If the Lord wills I’ll be there. Tomorrow isn’t mine. Tuesday isn’t mine, nor is Wednesday. It’s not yours either. What you have is this moment, right here, right now. Nothing else is promised. We want to live like those children who anticipate the parents coming back, and so we put off doing what we know we should do. We think we will get it done on another day.
A husband puts off responding to his wife’s request to another day. A parent ignores a child for another day, always assuming there will be another opportunity, another moment. That’s not always true is it? You know like I know the stories of a wife – she has begged her husband, who is over-committed at work, to come home. He is stressed out; he has little time for his wife, little time for his marriage, and little time for his children.
Then somewhere in a hotel room, in a city he can’t remember the name of, this man comes to his senses. He goes home and starts making the changes his wife asked him to make years before, and it is too late. “I’m doing everything she asked me to do,” he will tell me, “but it’s too late.”
It's About Time [ Page 2]
It?s About Time...Continued from page 1]
Jesus never would be caught in that fight and never answered that question, almost without exception. Whenever anybody would press Him about the end of time after He had announced the coming Kingdom, He would always take them back to the moment at hand. At the end of the Gospel of John, when Peter wanted to know what would happen to the disciple John, Jesus pulled Peter back to the moment: “It doesn’t matter what I’m going to do with John. You follow Me. You do what you’re supposed to d Seek the Kingdom of God, and everything else will fall into place.”
Anytime Jesus was asked to give a prediction, anytime people pressed for a sign, He would always tell them, “You be obedient in this moment. You pay attention to the opportunity in front of you and we’ll let tomorrow take care of itself.” Jesus would always remind His disciples the future is already finished. We have that handled. What you need to be aware of right now is what moment God has given you. What is before you now?
A lot of us like to live as the early disciples lived. We want to live like children whose parents have gone out of town for the weekend. So we leave Frito bags and open cans of Coke all around the house, and we can guess when our parents are going to come back. In those last few hours of Sunday afternoon we clean up the house like crazy, assuming the mess never seen is the mess never made.
A lot of us want to live our lives that way with Jesus. We watch for the signs. Jesus said that is like the man who knew what time his house was going to be broken into.
Did you hear that? You didn’t, because you didn’t laugh. If you had heard it, you would have fallen over laughing. This is the story Jesus tells them. He says, “It’s like the man who is sitting in a gathering, looks at his watch and goes, ‘Sorry, guys, I’ve got to go.’ Why? ‘There’s a guy who is going to break in my house at 9:30 and I really want to be there when he breaks in.’”
If you knew your house was going to be broken into you never would have left it. You would be prepared for the break in. Jesus said, “In the same way, you know I am coming back. Why do you live as if I never will?”
But we watch for signs, don’t we? Something happens in the Middle East and all of a sudden there will be forecasts and all the sermons will talk about The Second Coming and this proves it. This guy’s name ? when you subtract the second name and talk about his mother’s name on his dad’s side ? and you add all the numbers it is 666, so this guy is the anti-Christ and it proves Jesus is coming back by the weekend. Then all of a sudden that crisis (whatever it is) settles down and we’re back to the routine. We’re back under the illusion that time is ours to manage ? that we have this gift of time and it is ours.
In the fourth chapter of James the writer reminded the early believers no one should say, “I’m going to go to this town and I’m going to spend a year there and I’m going to do my business.” Instead, he should say, “If it’s the Lord’s will I will go there and I will do this and that.” To say anything else is to brag, is to boast, is to put yourself in the place of God, saying time is yours and you’re the one in control of it. You’re the one whom time obeys.
Jesus never would be caught in that fight and never answered that question, almost without exception. Whenever anybody would press Him about the end of time after He had announced the coming Kingdom, He would always take them back to the moment at hand. At the end of the Gospel of John, when Peter wanted to know what would happen to the disciple John, Jesus pulled Peter back to the moment: “It doesn’t matter what I’m going to do with John. You follow Me. You do what you’re supposed to d Seek the Kingdom of God, and everything else will fall into place.”
Anytime Jesus was asked to give a prediction, anytime people pressed for a sign, He would always tell them, “You be obedient in this moment. You pay attention to the opportunity in front of you and we’ll let tomorrow take care of itself.” Jesus would always remind His disciples the future is already finished. We have that handled. What you need to be aware of right now is what moment God has given you. What is before you now?
A lot of us like to live as the early disciples lived. We want to live like children whose parents have gone out of town for the weekend. So we leave Frito bags and open cans of Coke all around the house, and we can guess when our parents are going to come back. In those last few hours of Sunday afternoon we clean up the house like crazy, assuming the mess never seen is the mess never made.
A lot of us want to live our lives that way with Jesus. We watch for the signs. Jesus said that is like the man who knew what time his house was going to be broken into.
Did you hear that? You didn’t, because you didn’t laugh. If you had heard it, you would have fallen over laughing. This is the story Jesus tells them. He says, “It’s like the man who is sitting in a gathering, looks at his watch and goes, ‘Sorry, guys, I’ve got to go.’ Why? ‘There’s a guy who is going to break in my house at 9:30 and I really want to be there when he breaks in.’”
If you knew your house was going to be broken into you never would have left it. You would be prepared for the break in. Jesus said, “In the same way, you know I am coming back. Why do you live as if I never will?”
But we watch for signs, don’t we? Something happens in the Middle East and all of a sudden there will be forecasts and all the sermons will talk about The Second Coming and this proves it. This guy’s name ? when you subtract the second name and talk about his mother’s name on his dad’s side ? and you add all the numbers it is 666, so this guy is the anti-Christ and it proves Jesus is coming back by the weekend. Then all of a sudden that crisis (whatever it is) settles down and we’re back to the routine. We’re back under the illusion that time is ours to manage ? that we have this gift of time and it is ours.
In the fourth chapter of James the writer reminded the early believers no one should say, “I’m going to go to this town and I’m going to spend a year there and I’m going to do my business.” Instead, he should say, “If it’s the Lord’s will I will go there and I will do this and that.” To say anything else is to brag, is to boast, is to put yourself in the place of God, saying time is yours and you’re the one in control of it. You’re the one whom time obeys.
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