Thursday, August 27, 2020
The Reality of Hell
“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way” (Matthew 7:13 nlt).
One of the criticisms of the church for many years concerned all the hellfire-and-brimstone preachers. People didn’t like to hear that sort of thing.
In a way I see the point. But here’s my question: When is the last time you saw a hellfire-and-brimstone preacher?
Maybe you saw such a person on a street corner somewhere, but I doubt you saw one on television or heard one on the radio.
Understand, I’m not advocating hellfire-and-brimstone preachers, in the sense of condescending, self-righteous people yelling at other people.
But if we’re talking about preachers who tell the truth about both Heaven and Hell, then I think we could use a few more of those.
Hell was not made for bad people. Hell was created for the Devil and his angels. Jesus described it that way in Matthew 25: “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’” (verse 41 NKJV).
In fact, Jesus spoke more about Hell than all the preachers of the Bible put together. So, if Jesus, the very author of grace, spoke about Hell more often than anyone else (and did so in a vivid, bloodcurdling manner), then it must be a crucial truth.
If Jesus took the time to address it again and again, then clearly it matters.
So, here’s my question to you: If you died today, where would you go?
You decide where you’ll spend eternity by what you do with Jesus Christ. He died on the cross for you. He paid the price for your sin and rose from the dead. Now He stands at the door of your life and knocks. And He says that if you’ll hear His voice and open the door, He will come in.
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