Look at this picture and it will tell you a lot about where our society is today as a whole. Everyone wants to get rid of a little place called Hell. Even the spell check on my iPhone has gotten in on the act of trying to rid society the idea of this horrible, horrible place by changing Hell to He'll. With such an assault on this place that is the fiery eternity for the unrighteous, I am so thankful to go to a church that is not afraid of the doctrine of Hell. After all the Bible is clear that it is a real place, just like Heaven is a real place. Jesus, speaking of Heaven, says in John 14, "And if I go and prepare a place for you". Neither Heaven or Hell is just a state of mind like many in our culture would have us believe. Sadly even many in the church have fallen into thinking this way. Whether you believe that we are in Hell right now or that it's just a particular event in your life you go through, these ideas are not biblical in any fashion. Jesus spoke of Hell more than anyone. He spoke of a place where the "where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched". A place where "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth". Not only is Hell a real place, it is also an eternal, conscious punishment for those that do not repent and trust in Christ alone for salvation. Many who try to do away with the doctrine of Hell have come up with the idea of annihilation. The idea that people who don't come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ just simply cease to exist. That's what the people who come to your door on Saturday mornings believe. The concept of annihilation is worthy of cult status, not biblical Christianity. If you really think hard about it, does it really make sense that someone can do whatever they want their whole lives and just cease to exist? No eternal consequences for Hitler, child molesters, rapists and murderers. They get to have their own little "Heaven" on earth and then they are just gone? I don't think so and neither does the Bible. Consider the words of Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, in his epistle. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. You see punishment, just like reward of Heaven, is eternal and Eternity is a long time to be wrong about Hell. I just want to finish by reminding you that the word gospel means "good news". The good news is that if you repent and trust in Christ you will have everlasting life. This gospel message only makes sense if there is a flip side, or bad news. The bible says that there is and that bad news is Hell. If we are in Hell now or if we are just going to cease to exist, then the good news doesn't make any sense at all. Pastor Philip DeCourcy's quote at the top of this page would mean nothing apart from Hell being a real place. The bible says we will walk the earth 0nce, then judgment. Sadly, our society takes God out of everything from schools to courthouses. Kids have almost zero knowledge of right and wrong. Now even the spell check on our "smart phones", which most kids are glued to these days, is trying to take away the idea of Hell. We need to make sure everyone we know understands that Hell is very real because Satan, the god of this world, will use everything in his "power"(yes, even spell check) to have you believe otherwise. Judgment is on it's way. The consequences of sin is God's wrath. Hell not He'll. Believers share the Gospel. Non-believers, please repent and believe the Gospel.
Here is a great 3 part sermon by Pastor Philip DeCourcy regarding Hell
How Can Modern Man Believe In Hell? - Pt. 1
How Can Modern Man Believe In Hell ? Pt. 2
How Can Modern Man Believe In Hell? - Pt. 3
Matthew 25:46
English Standard Version (ESV)
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
When I see that picture of the auto-correction, I see it like this:
ReplyDeleteHELL with the correction of He'll. You see, the only way to correct the path of Hell is to change to He'll. God is the only correct correction to escape the eternal flames of hell.