We are continuing our meditation on eternity, and for the next few days, we will explicitly reflect on what the Scriptures say about that dreadful place called Hell. Some might argue that Hell doesn't exist and that there will be no accountability before the Judge of the living and the dead. But what if it does? Let me pose a question: If you were standing in line to board an aircraft and recognized an old friend coming off the plane who happened to be the pilot of the previous flight, and he told you that the aircraft you are about to board had engine trouble, with a one in six chance of crashing, would you still take the chance and get on the flight?
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Do you believe there is a one in six chance that God is telling you the truth about a place called Hell? Would you gamble with your eternal destiny? To believe there’s a heaven but no hell is to risk assuming that there were times when Jesus was truthful and times when He was not. Thomas Brooks wrote, "God has but one hell, and that is for those to whom sin has been commonly heaven in this world." Although it is difficult for me to discuss such topics as Hell, the love of Christ compels me to reach some of you before you are called to eternity at the end of your life. I do not want you, dear reader, to ever encounter that place where some say the words, TOO LATE, are written over the gate.
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While we await the return of Christ, our mission as Christians is to rescue people from Satan's control so that they will not be separated from God for eternity and condemned to Hell. God deeply loves every man, woman, and child, and He does not want anyone to perish but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). But what if they don't? What if they die without knowing Christ? What if they remain unresponsive to God's message of love and good news? At the Second Coming of Christ, He will separate the sheep (believers) from the goats (non-believers), and Jesus repeatedly said that the punishment would be eternal:
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41Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life (Matthew 25:41-46. Emphasis added).
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The Lord often spoke about Hell, and He dedicated several of His parables to heaven, Hell, eternal judgment, and rewards. If it was important for Him to inform His disciples about these matters, we need to pay close attention to the topic of eternity and what the Bible teaches about Heaven and Hell. We must also remember that Satan is a deceiver and the father of lies; we cannot trust anything he whispers in our ears. Our faith must rest in God and His Word. Satan seeks to trick many into believing that everyone goes to heaven and that all paths lead to God. We can only rely on the Scriptures. I don't want any of you reading these words to discover the truth too late. Keith Thomas
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Taken from the series Insights into Eternity. Click on study 4 or this link: The Truth About Hell.
YouTube video teachings at: https://www.youtube.com/@keiththomas7/videos
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