I awoke in the wee hours of the morning and my mind turned toward writing my blog. I prayed about what I should write. Interestingly, the Scripture John 14:16 came to mind. "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
These titles are not new to most Christians and I was going to write a blog on each one separately but instead the Spirit was very direct on leaving them together as Jesus did for the purpose of writing about the way to enter Heaven, or more specifically, a generally avoided and uncomfortable subject … the reality of Hell.
As a Christian who regularly attends church, I can't remember the last time I heard a sermon on Hell. Why is this? If we truly believe the Scriptures where Jesus talked more about hell than heaven, why do we avoid this subject?
I can not begin to write out all the Scriptures on this subject but I will nutshell and encourage you to pick up your Bible and reacquaint yourself with these uncomfortable Scriptures. Why? Because those lost around us, need to hear truth. They need to hear our passion, our love, our care for them not only concerning the now, but concerning their eternal future.
Jesus bluntly said. "I am the way, the truth, the life and no one comes to the Father (that means heaven) except through Me." Period.
In our culture of trying to remain politically correct, not offend anyone, show love at all cost, etc. we have lost the voice of truth.
Life:
Way
Truth
So, does everyone go to heaven as most will allude to at funerals? The answer to that according to Scripture is a resounding NO. This is where it gets uncomfortable. Hell. Hades. That place of punishment beyond the grave. Jesus spoke clearly, concisely, curtly on this subject.
Everlasting fire: Matt. 25:41
Everlasting Punishment: Matt. 25:46
Tormenting fire and agony in the Parable he told of the dead man Lazarus. Luke 16:19-31
Warned of a place where worm does not die, and fire is not quenched. Mark 9:43, 48
"And will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." Matt. 13:42
Here are many more references in which this blog is anything but exhaustive. I challenge you to read these afresh. Reacquaint yourself with the uncomfortable truth of hell for the purpose of loving people enough to warn them. Matt. 10:28, Matt. 5:22, 29-30, Matt. 18:9, Matt. 23:15-33, Dan. 12:2, Isaiah 66:24, 2 Thess. 1:9, Rev. 14:9-11, Rev. 20: 13-15
This blog is primarily written to awaken the church, the believers of Christ, but if you are a seeker and you ask the age-old question of why a loving God would ever send anyone to everlasting hell, then read on. (This is also a good template for Christians to use when discussing this subject with the unsaved.)
I know this has been a long blog … but this message burns upon my soul. I would encourage you to google Distressing or Unpleasant Near Death Experiences if you have any doubt about the reality of hell. Keep in mind that most people who have unpleasant NDE will never talk about it because they are so haunted. Here are two sites I found, one from a scientific perspective written by Missouri Medicine for doctors and how they should deal with people who have had these experiences, and the other from Brent Swancer a non-Christian who researched this phenomenon. The article is called To Hell and Back. The Dark Side of NDE. There are many more from a Christian perspective, but I wanted to you to hear it from those who would not be inclined to believe the Bible as a source of truth in hopes you will believe these documented accounts and accept Jesus as your Savior.
What a sobering message I find in this blog. We don’t hear sermons on hell in our Evangelical church, either. Thanks for bravely opening up this Biblical teaching. It burns on my soul too, when I reflect on all around me who are lost.
Yes, it is sobering and heart-breaking when we view those around us we love who are lost ... and that's why this burns upon the souls of those who love Jesus. Thanks for joining me on this Biblical journey.
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