1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 1: Let us pray for great is thy mercy toward me. 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:10,160 Speaker 1: Thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell, Psalm 3 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: eighty six thirteen. My God and my Father, thank you 4 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: for your steadfast love, mercy, and grace towards me. You 5 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:24,280 Speaker 1: have protected me during many storms and guided me when 6 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 1: I couldn't find my way. You have been everything, from 7 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 1: my umbrella on days of light rain to my storm 8 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:37,159 Speaker 1: shelter in devastating tornadoes. I thank you and praise you 9 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:41,640 Speaker 1: for a new opportunity to live by your word. Father, 10 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:45,159 Speaker 1: continue to lift me and guide me to day. I 11 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:49,280 Speaker 1: am grateful for your compassion and forgiveness because it has 12 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: given me a new day to share your joy with others. Amen. 13 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to to day's daily prayer for 14 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: more inspiration and an incredible message from our feature pastor. 15 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: Stay tuned to pray dot COM's Sunday service. 16 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 2: Welcome to pray dot COM's Sunday service sponsored by altrua 17 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:14,839 Speaker 2: Health Share. Follow this podcast and listen weekly to receive 18 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 2: godly wisdom and practical advice for daily living. Stay tuned 19 00:01:18,800 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 2: for Sunday service coming up. After a quick word from 20 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 2: our sponsors, there's an innovative, better way to find healthcare. 21 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 2: We're our true a Health Share, an affordable and flexible 22 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 2: way to take care of your family. We're a community 23 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:35,679 Speaker 2: of like minded, health conscious individuals who share in each 24 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:39,479 Speaker 2: other's medical needs, and you can customize your healthcare your way. 25 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 2: With OL true health Share. You can build your membership 26 00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 2: based on your season of life and your family's needs. 27 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 2: Head to my share dot org to find out more. 28 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 2: That's my share dot org ol true health Share, where 29 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 2: we care for one another. 30 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 3: There is no God. Let me look at what's going on. 31 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:12,600 Speaker 3: I am my own god god, all of Buddha whatever. 32 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 3: He's just waiting to destroy us. 33 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,839 Speaker 4: All there's like hundreds of Gods'. 34 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 3: Dog is my co There is no god. There is 35 00:02:20,919 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 3: one true God. He's all knowing, all powerful, and he 36 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:30,440 Speaker 3: loves you. Good morning. I'm gonna miss hearing that every week. 37 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 3: And he loves you. I love that. We start every 38 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 3: message on this series with that last little bit and 39 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,280 Speaker 3: he loves you and he does. And what a joy 40 00:02:39,320 --> 00:02:42,440 Speaker 3: this has been for me to go through this series 41 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 3: on doctrine on truth. I love, love love doing it. Unfortunately, 42 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 3: we just barely skim a lot of these topics. You 43 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 3: know each one of these. You could do a ten 44 00:02:55,320 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 3: part series in each of these topics, but most people 45 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 3: wouldn't want to hear a ten week sermon or series 46 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 3: on hell, which is a topic we're talking about today. 47 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 3: But let's turn in our Bible, shall we to the 48 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 3: Book of Matthew chapter twenty five. Matthew twenty five. Turn 49 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 3: to Matthew twenty five. But also, if you don't mind, 50 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 3: place a marker or pre turn and keep a finger 51 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 3: there in Revelation twenty and in Luke chapter sixteen. While 52 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:30,200 Speaker 3: you're at it, So Matthew twenty five, Revelation twenty and 53 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 3: then Luke chapter sixteen. I'm going to venture a guest 54 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 3: that most of you don't know the name Joe McCarthy 55 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 3: unless you are like avid baseball fans. Joe McCarthy was 56 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 3: manager for the New York Yankees in the nineteen thirties 57 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 3: and nineteen forties. That's why most people wouldn't really understand 58 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 3: who he was unless you were an avid baseball fan, 59 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 3: because he is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. But 60 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 3: Joe McCarthy on one occasion said that he had a 61 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 3: dream that he went to heaven, and in heaven standing 62 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 3: before him were all the players, the baseball players, the 63 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 3: greats of the past that he would have known, people 64 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 3: like Ty Cobb, Lou Garrick, Babe Ruth all standing before 65 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:21,200 Speaker 3: him on a baseball team. He was so ecstatic. It's 66 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:25,040 Speaker 3: like the dream team, right. So here he is in 67 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 3: his dream in heaven seeing this class of greats on 68 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:36,200 Speaker 3: a team, and he gets a phone call from Hell 69 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 3: from the Devil, and it's the Devil challenging that team 70 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 3: in Heaven to a baseball game. And coach Joe said, 71 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:54,160 Speaker 3: you haven't got a chance. I've got all the great players, 72 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 3: and the Devil said, yes, but I have all the empires. 73 00:05:00,839 --> 00:05:04,599 Speaker 3: Let me be honest with you. I have not looked 74 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 3: forward to preaching this message. It's not a message I 75 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 3: enjoy preaching. It is a message that most people don't 76 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:17,360 Speaker 3: like to hear. In fact, of all the sermons we've 77 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 3: done in the series, in the twenty twenty series, this 78 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:26,040 Speaker 3: is going to be the hardest. It should be the hardest. 79 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 3: It should make everyone feel uncomfortable because no one likes 80 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:39,799 Speaker 3: to even think of Hell. It is considered an offensive topic. 81 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:44,560 Speaker 3: I don't want you to be offended, but you do 82 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 3: need to hear the truth, and some of you do 83 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 3: need to be warned very very stringently about it. You know. 84 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,160 Speaker 3: I've noticed that most people in general don't want to 85 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:59,400 Speaker 3: talk about eternal things. I mean, you can talk about anything, 86 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:02,880 Speaker 3: but if you get to the deep stuff, especially where 87 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:06,040 Speaker 3: are you going to spend forever, most people don't want 88 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,160 Speaker 3: to have that conversation. And if they really do want 89 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 3: to have a conversation, it's an indication they're about to 90 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,039 Speaker 3: be saved. There's a reason they want to go there. 91 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 3: But most people want to avoid, especially the idea of hell. 92 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:23,000 Speaker 3: And I've noticed a lot of preachers. I don't like 93 00:06:23,040 --> 00:06:25,280 Speaker 3: to talk about how now I say that. But at 94 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 3: the same time, I've noticed that a lot of people 95 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 3: will use the term hell a lot in their daily conversation. 96 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:37,479 Speaker 3: They use it sort of as a fill word, right, 97 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:40,680 Speaker 3: or an expletive. They'll say things like what in the 98 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 3: hell are you doing? And there's no need to put 99 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:46,480 Speaker 3: that word in there. You could just say what are 100 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 3: you doing? But it's like a fill word. I'm madder 101 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:55,719 Speaker 3: than hell, or I've heard people say my feet hurt 102 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:05,239 Speaker 3: like hell. I seriously doubt that, or that scared the 103 00:07:05,279 --> 00:07:09,200 Speaker 3: hell out of me now that's a good thing. If 104 00:07:09,240 --> 00:07:13,600 Speaker 3: that happens, I'm glad that happens. I even had a 105 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:15,440 Speaker 3: man walk up to me on a Sunday after a 106 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:17,440 Speaker 3: sermon no Joug put his arm on my shoulder. He 107 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:19,720 Speaker 3: was so excited about the message. He goes, that was 108 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:24,880 Speaker 3: a hell of a sermon, pastor. I did not know 109 00:07:24,920 --> 00:07:28,200 Speaker 3: how to respond to him. Didn't know if I should 110 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 3: say thank you or just let it go. Also, one time, 111 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 3: I think it was the first time I was in Israel, 112 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 3: when I first went there to live. It was the 113 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 3: first time I had Turkish coffee. So Turkish coffee is 114 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,400 Speaker 3: a coffee they have an Israel. They call it coffee boots, 115 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:49,480 Speaker 3: which means mud. That gives you an indication of strength. 116 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 3: So it's Turkish coffee, very strong. And the guy serving 117 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:57,880 Speaker 3: me the coffee said, would you like Hell? I said, no, 118 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:01,720 Speaker 3: I don't want hell. Well he was talking about is 119 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 3: there is a spice that in Hebrew is hell, and 120 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 3: hell is Cardiman, and it's really good in Turkish coffee. 121 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:15,240 Speaker 3: So coffee with hell is really good in that circumstance. 122 00:08:15,280 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 3: That's probably the only circumstance I was thinking of all 123 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 3: sorts of titles to call this message clever titles. I 124 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:25,920 Speaker 3: thought I'll call it What's Down with Hell? Or I 125 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:29,240 Speaker 3: thought maybe I'll call it Highway to Hell like the 126 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 3: ACDC song. Or I even thought i'd call it smoking 127 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:40,079 Speaker 3: or non Smoking. But the more I thought about the title, 128 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 3: I thought, this subject is way too serious to just 129 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:48,480 Speaker 3: give it a TACKI or kitchy or cute little clever title. 130 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 3: So I'm just calling this message the Truth about Hell. 131 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:55,080 Speaker 3: Because if there's one thing you don't want to get wrong, 132 00:08:56,679 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 3: it's this survey that I came across, a Pew Forum 133 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 3: survey indicates eighty seven percent of Americans believe in God. 134 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 3: Pretty high. It goes down a little bit after that, 135 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 3: those seventy four percent of Americans say they believe in 136 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,719 Speaker 3: heaven and only fifty nine percent say they believe in Hell. 137 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 3: Now why that really interests me is because all of 138 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:26,480 Speaker 3: those topics have the same source material. When it comes 139 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 3: to God or heaven or Hell, it's all come from 140 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 3: this book. So you got a lot of people believing 141 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:35,439 Speaker 3: in God, few less believing in heaven, but a whole 142 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:40,040 Speaker 3: lot less believing in Hell. Rob Bell, who is a 143 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:42,280 Speaker 3: name some of you may be familiar with. He was 144 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 3: sort of a rock star in evangelical circles. Years ago, 145 00:09:46,040 --> 00:09:50,920 Speaker 3: a young upstart pastor in Michigan wrote books that got 146 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:54,319 Speaker 3: a lot of airplay. Velvet Elvis is one of them. 147 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:58,719 Speaker 3: I think his first book another book, Love Wins. He 148 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 3: has since his start taking a very liberal approach to truth, 149 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:08,560 Speaker 3: as so as to deny even biblical truth. But he 150 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:13,160 Speaker 3: was asked in an interview a very simple and forthright question, 151 00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:21,520 Speaker 3: is there a hell? Here's his answer, I actually think 152 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 3: there is a hell because we see hell every day. 153 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:29,480 Speaker 3: He described hell as greed and justice, rape, abuse. We 154 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:32,080 Speaker 3: see hell on earth all around us all the time. 155 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 3: We actually see lots of people choosing hell. We see oppression, 156 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:41,200 Speaker 3: we see tyranny, we see dictators using their power to 157 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:46,680 Speaker 3: eliminate opposition. Literally. In other words, Rob Bell is saying, yeah, 158 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:48,880 Speaker 3: there's a hell, but not an eternal hell. There's just 159 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:51,320 Speaker 3: hell on earth. It's when bad people do bad things 160 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:55,800 Speaker 3: to hurt a whole lot of people. That's hell. What 161 00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:58,680 Speaker 3: you need to know is the Bible does not describe 162 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:03,000 Speaker 3: hell that way. But if something far worse than hell 163 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:06,560 Speaker 3: on earth, you also need to know that your savior, 164 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 3: the Lord Jesus Christ, absolutely believed in hell, and he 165 00:11:12,760 --> 00:11:16,360 Speaker 3: spoke on it a lot. And one of the places 166 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:19,400 Speaker 3: that he spoke on it is Matthew twenty five. I'm 167 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:22,600 Speaker 3: going to begin reading in verse thirty one. When the 168 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,760 Speaker 3: Son of Man comes in his glory and all his 169 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:29,520 Speaker 3: holy angels with him, then he will sit on the 170 00:11:29,559 --> 00:11:34,160 Speaker 3: throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered 171 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,680 Speaker 3: before him, and he will separate them one from another, 172 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 3: as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats, and 173 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,920 Speaker 3: he will set the sheep on his right hand, but 174 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:48,000 Speaker 3: the goats on his left. Then the king will say 175 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:52,080 Speaker 3: to those on his right hand, come you, blessed of 176 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:57,960 Speaker 3: my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the 177 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:02,400 Speaker 3: foundation of the world. If you would go down to 178 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:06,120 Speaker 3: verse forty one, then he will also say to those 179 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:09,240 Speaker 3: on the left hand, depart from me, you cursed into 180 00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:13,680 Speaker 3: the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 181 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:16,000 Speaker 3: For I was hungry, and you gave me no food. 182 00:12:16,559 --> 00:12:19,200 Speaker 3: I was thirsty, you gave me no drink. I was 183 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:22,000 Speaker 3: a stranger. You did not take me in naked, you 184 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:25,040 Speaker 3: did not clothe me sick and in prison, and you 185 00:12:25,080 --> 00:12:29,600 Speaker 3: did not visit me. Then they will also answer him saying, Lord, 186 00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 3: when did we see you hungry or thirsty, or a stranger, 187 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:34,800 Speaker 3: or naked, or sick or in prison, and did not 188 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:38,920 Speaker 3: minister to you? Then he will answer them saying, assuredly, 189 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,840 Speaker 3: I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do 190 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 3: it to one of the least of these, you did 191 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:48,640 Speaker 3: not do it to me. And these will go into 192 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:56,160 Speaker 3: everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Let me 193 00:12:56,200 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 3: just kind of tell you some preliminary stuff. Some people 194 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 3: will see what I just read as an event called 195 00:13:02,760 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 3: the judgment of the nations Eschatologically, they see this as 196 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:10,280 Speaker 3: an event taking place in the future where God judges 197 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 3: nations after the Tribulation period based on how they treated 198 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:19,960 Speaker 3: the nation of Israel during the tribulation period to determine 199 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:24,000 Speaker 3: their admission into the kingdom age or not. That's one 200 00:13:24,160 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 3: way to interpret it. Other people see this as a 201 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:34,199 Speaker 3: general description of judgment for all saved and all unsaved. 202 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:39,920 Speaker 3: I am not here to unravel that. I really want 203 00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:42,720 Speaker 3: to focus on this topic, so I just wanted to 204 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:44,560 Speaker 3: get that out there. I really want to focus on 205 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 3: verse forty one, where it says he will say to 206 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:52,040 Speaker 3: those on the left, depart from me you cursed into 207 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:56,800 Speaker 3: the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Now, 208 00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:01,120 Speaker 3: the illustration that our Lord uses is an illustration they 209 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:05,679 Speaker 3: would have understood of a shepherd separating sheep and goats. 210 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:08,920 Speaker 3: In the Middle East, even to this very day, you 211 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 3: can see this happening. You will see shepherds on hillsides. 212 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 3: They have a flock that is mixed, some sheep and 213 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:19,360 Speaker 3: some goats, but they're walking together. But then the shepherd 214 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:23,280 Speaker 3: will separate the sheep from the goats at two very 215 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:28,560 Speaker 3: important times during the day, grazing time and sleeping time. 216 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:32,480 Speaker 3: And that is because sheep and goats have very different temperaments. 217 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:38,360 Speaker 3: Sheep or docile, sometimes clueless. They just sort of kind 218 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:42,920 Speaker 3: of meander around, wander around. Goats are sort of impervious 219 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:51,080 Speaker 3: to things. They're aggressive, they're rambunctious. They'll charge things that 220 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:54,360 Speaker 3: sheep would not do that. So when it comes to feeding, 221 00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:56,400 Speaker 3: it's not good to keep them together when they eat, 222 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,000 Speaker 3: it's not good to keep them together when they rest. 223 00:14:59,040 --> 00:15:02,560 Speaker 3: They don't rest well together. So the shepherd will separate 224 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:04,760 Speaker 3: the sheep from the goats. That's the background of this. 225 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,160 Speaker 3: What I'd like to do is kind of zeroing in 226 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:11,600 Speaker 3: on these verses, but mostly Verse forty one. I want 227 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 3: to share five facts about Hell, and the first is 228 00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:22,000 Speaker 3: that Hell is an actual place. It's an actual place. 229 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:25,960 Speaker 3: You see Jesus in this section is speaking of an 230 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:29,560 Speaker 3: actual event that will take place in the future verse 231 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:34,000 Speaker 3: thirty one, when the Son of Man comes in his glory. 232 00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:38,560 Speaker 3: Now here's a simple question. Is Jesus going to come? Literally? 233 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,200 Speaker 3: Yes he is. He said that on a number of occasions, 234 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 3: so did all the apostles, So we're dealing with a 235 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:49,720 Speaker 3: literal event in the future. And then in that same 236 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:55,120 Speaker 3: context he speaks about eternal punishment and eternal kingdom. Now, 237 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:56,920 Speaker 3: if you were to do a quick search of the 238 00:15:56,960 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 3: word hell in an English Bible, like the New King 239 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:02,880 Speaker 3: James version that I speak from, you'd find that the 240 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 3: word hell in English shows up thirty two times in 241 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 3: the Bible thirty two times. But all of the references 242 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 3: about Hell throughout the Bible total one hundred and sixty 243 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:21,480 Speaker 3: two times. And sometimes they're just sort of plane in 244 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:27,160 Speaker 3: your face up front, like Psalm nine seventeen, the wicked 245 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 3: shall be turned to Hell, and the nations, all the 246 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:37,600 Speaker 3: nations that forget God pretty straight up or Daniel Chapter 247 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:40,600 Speaker 3: twelve or Daniel predicts a time that is coming, the 248 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:44,440 Speaker 3: worst time ever in history, called the Tribulation period, And 249 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:47,840 Speaker 3: afterwards he writes, multitudes who sleep in the dust of 250 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:52,000 Speaker 3: the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, others to 251 00:16:52,160 --> 00:17:01,760 Speaker 3: shame and everlasting contempt. But by far the majority of 252 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:06,240 Speaker 3: all the biblical teaching we have on Hell comes from 253 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:11,000 Speaker 3: the Lord Jesus Christ. More than anybody else, Jesus spoke 254 00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:16,000 Speaker 3: on Hell. In fact, Jesus spoke on Hell more than 255 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:20,480 Speaker 3: Jesus spoke on Heaven. It is estimated if you look 256 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:22,600 Speaker 3: at Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all the times he 257 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:29,240 Speaker 3: refers to it seventy times. Seventy times Jesus spoke about 258 00:17:29,359 --> 00:17:33,320 Speaker 3: or referred to Hell, and in the kind of language 259 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:38,359 Speaker 3: that nobody can like, yawn at, you're going to go, yeah, whatever. 260 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 3: It's the kind of language that strikes terror, or it 261 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:45,760 Speaker 3: should into every heart. He spoke about Hell as a 262 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 3: place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. He spoke of 263 00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:51,400 Speaker 3: Hell as a place where the fire is not quenched. 264 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:54,280 Speaker 3: This is the Lord Jesus Christ. He spoke of Hell 265 00:17:54,359 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 3: as a place where the worm never dies. He spoke 266 00:17:56,760 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 3: of it as outer darkness, a place where one is 267 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:04,919 Speaker 3: tormented by flames and past memories. And he spoke of 268 00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:08,240 Speaker 3: it as a place where there's a great gulf that 269 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:13,800 Speaker 3: is fixed between Hell and paradise. Jesus and Matthew ten 270 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:17,920 Speaker 3: verse twenty eight said, do not be afraid of those 271 00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:21,200 Speaker 3: who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather 272 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:25,600 Speaker 3: be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul 273 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:32,160 Speaker 3: and body in hell. This is Jesus, Man of love. 274 00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:38,919 Speaker 3: Now here's my question. If we cease to exist after 275 00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:41,480 Speaker 3: we die, that's it. We just live and we die 276 00:18:41,680 --> 00:18:44,240 Speaker 3: and we cease to exist. Then why did he spend 277 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 3: so much time warning people about hell? And if you think, well, 278 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:53,200 Speaker 3: us not very loving, I contend it's the most loving 279 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 3: thing you can do. If you know there's a hell 280 00:18:56,760 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 3: and you don't warn people of it, that's not loving. 281 00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:03,359 Speaker 3: If there is a hell and you warn people of it, 282 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:08,520 Speaker 3: that's loving. And you warned people a lot of it. C. S. 283 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:11,600 Speaker 3: Lewis wrote in his book The Problem of Pain these words. 284 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:16,000 Speaker 3: There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove 285 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:19,800 Speaker 3: from Christianity than this if it lay in my power. 286 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:24,400 Speaker 3: But it has the full support of scripture. And especially 287 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:28,119 Speaker 3: of our Lord's own words. It has always been held 288 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:35,800 Speaker 3: by Christendom, and it has the support of reason end quote. See. 289 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:39,000 Speaker 3: If there is no hell, then the Bible's a book 290 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:43,919 Speaker 3: of myths. If there is no Hell, then Jesus was 291 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:48,919 Speaker 3: just a misguided soul. If there is no Hell, then 292 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 3: the crucifixion was pointless. There's no significance in dying to 293 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:58,920 Speaker 3: save us from what. If there's no hell, then you 294 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:03,440 Speaker 3: should sin as much as you possibly can, because it's 295 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,240 Speaker 3: not sin. It's just fun, right. It's just all about 296 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:09,359 Speaker 3: you getting pleasure in this life, sucking it like an 297 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:13,919 Speaker 3: orange dry at every drop of enjoyment you can. But 298 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:21,199 Speaker 3: if there are consequences for deeds and beliefs, then we 299 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:25,919 Speaker 3: should receive the warning. Hell is an actual place, and 300 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:29,479 Speaker 3: there are several words the New Testament uses to describe it. 301 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:34,240 Speaker 3: One is the word hades. Hades. The Greek word hades 302 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:38,440 Speaker 3: is the equivalent of an Old Testament Hebrew word sheol, 303 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:42,359 Speaker 3: which simply means the grave. It has spoken about a 304 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:46,119 Speaker 3: couple of different ways. Sometimes it refers to the just 305 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 3: the grave in the ground where bodies are buried. Sometimes 306 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:54,080 Speaker 3: it refers to life after the grave. The soul's existence 307 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:59,359 Speaker 3: after death. That's one word hades. Another word is the 308 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 3: word It is used twelve times, mostly by the Lord Jesus. 309 00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 3: Did you know that Gehenna originally referred to a valley 310 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:13,159 Speaker 3: outside of Jerusalem. The southwest corner of Jerusalem has a 311 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:19,560 Speaker 3: valley to this day a ravine called Gehinome, the valley 312 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:23,439 Speaker 3: of the Sun of Hinhem. And in ancient days it 313 00:21:23,480 --> 00:21:26,280 Speaker 3: was a garbage dumpy through your garbage. There's always a 314 00:21:26,320 --> 00:21:31,400 Speaker 3: fire going on. Bodies of criminals. We were placed there 315 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 3: and burned up there, bodies of animals taken from the 316 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:37,919 Speaker 3: city that died so the city wouldn't be defiled thrown 317 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:43,439 Speaker 3: into hell. Gehenna in the eighth century BC it was 318 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:48,359 Speaker 3: the place where under King Ahaz and King Manassa, people 319 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:55,359 Speaker 3: offered their children as sacrifices to pagan gods. And because 320 00:21:55,400 --> 00:22:01,280 Speaker 3: of that detestable, horrible, smelly, burning place, it became a 321 00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:06,639 Speaker 3: metaphor for an eternal place of punishment Hell. A third 322 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:09,400 Speaker 3: word that is used is the word tartarus. It's only 323 00:22:09,480 --> 00:22:12,040 Speaker 3: used once in the New Testament tewod Peter chapter two, 324 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:18,040 Speaker 3: as a place for bound fallen angels awaiting final judgment. 325 00:22:19,119 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 3: The fourth term is the Lake of Fire. It's Revelation 326 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,840 Speaker 3: nineteen and twenty. The Lake of Fire is name of 327 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:31,520 Speaker 3: a place of eternal torment. You might call it the 328 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:36,280 Speaker 3: final Hell. The Bible calls it the second Death. So 329 00:22:36,800 --> 00:22:39,760 Speaker 3: Hell is an actual place. There's a second fact I 330 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:41,960 Speaker 3: want you to notice, and that is Hell is an 331 00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:46,320 Speaker 3: intentional place. What I mean by that is God created 332 00:22:46,359 --> 00:22:53,600 Speaker 3: Hell for a very specific reason. Verse forty one. He 333 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:57,080 Speaker 3: will say to those on the left hand, depart from me, 334 00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:02,200 Speaker 3: you cursed into the everlasting fire. Here it is prepared 335 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:10,040 Speaker 3: for the devil and his angels. God did not create 336 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:16,800 Speaker 3: Hell as a place to punish people originally. It became 337 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:20,119 Speaker 3: that eventually, but it was not created that way originally. 338 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:25,000 Speaker 3: And notice the word prepared for the devil and his angels. 339 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:27,760 Speaker 3: Compare that with verse thirty four. The King will say 340 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:29,840 Speaker 3: to those on the right, come you, blessed of my 341 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:33,800 Speaker 3: father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you. That's what God 342 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:39,520 Speaker 3: prepared for people. Heaven. Jesus said to his disciples, I 343 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:45,560 Speaker 3: Am going to prepare a place for you. So Heaven 344 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:50,200 Speaker 3: is prepared for people. Hell is prepared for the devil 345 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,600 Speaker 3: and his angels. However, there's something about God. You need 346 00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:58,920 Speaker 3: to know. God is pro choice when it comes to salvation. 347 00:24:00,400 --> 00:24:04,160 Speaker 3: When it comes to salvation, God lets people choose where 348 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:06,040 Speaker 3: they want to go. And if they don't want anything 349 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:08,000 Speaker 3: to do with God, I want nothing to do with God. 350 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:09,639 Speaker 3: God's not going to force you to be in Heaven 351 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:14,479 Speaker 3: where he is all the time. He'll let you and 352 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:21,080 Speaker 3: respect your choice. G. K. Chesterton wrote, Hell is God's 353 00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:24,280 Speaker 3: great compliment to the reality of human freedom and the 354 00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:29,680 Speaker 3: dignity of human choice. The person went up to God 355 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:33,200 Speaker 3: and said, God, would you send me to Hell and 356 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:38,160 Speaker 3: lock me in forever? And God said no, I will 357 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:41,400 Speaker 3: not send you there, but if you choose to go there, 358 00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:47,400 Speaker 3: I could never lock you out. So it is an 359 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:50,520 Speaker 3: intentional place, originally created for the devil and his angels. 360 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:54,040 Speaker 3: But here, even in our text, there are some people 361 00:24:54,080 --> 00:25:00,199 Speaker 3: that Jesus that judgment says, you're going there. I want 362 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:03,720 Speaker 3: you to turn with me to Revelation chapter twenty. It's 363 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:05,879 Speaker 3: a book we've been looking at the last few weeks, 364 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:13,800 Speaker 3: and there's an unmistakable future event that you need to 365 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:19,480 Speaker 3: see a couple of them. Revelation chapter twenty, verse ten. 366 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:24,200 Speaker 3: Here's a really good part. I love this verse the Devil. 367 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:29,159 Speaker 3: Verse ten, The devil who deceived them was cast into 368 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:32,800 Speaker 3: the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beasts and 369 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 3: the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day 370 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,560 Speaker 3: and night forever and ever. Can I get a hallelujah? 371 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:44,400 Speaker 3: On that verse? It's like, yeah, finally he gets what's 372 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:47,960 Speaker 3: coming to him. So that's what Jesus meant when he 373 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 3: said it's prepared for the devil and his angels. That's 374 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:56,640 Speaker 3: where they go. No matter what Hollywood says, Satan does 375 00:25:56,680 --> 00:26:01,119 Speaker 3: not rule hell. That's the idea that they always portray. You. 376 00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:04,320 Speaker 3: Here's the devil, and he's like the chief tormentor of Hell. 377 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:07,400 Speaker 3: No he is not. He is the chief victim of health. 378 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:11,480 Speaker 3: He gets thrown in there and he is tormented day 379 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:15,280 Speaker 3: and night. But it doesn't end there, unfortunately. Verse eleven 380 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:20,440 Speaker 3: continues and says, then I saw a great white throne 381 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:24,760 Speaker 3: and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth. 382 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:27,320 Speaker 3: And they haven't fled away, and there was found no 383 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:32,879 Speaker 3: place for them. And I saw the dead, small and 384 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:39,359 Speaker 3: great standing before God. And books were opened, and another 385 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:43,080 Speaker 3: book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And 386 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:46,200 Speaker 3: the dead were judged according to their works by the 387 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:52,040 Speaker 3: things which were written in the books. Verse fourteen, Then 388 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:54,639 Speaker 3: death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. 389 00:26:55,160 --> 00:27:00,600 Speaker 3: This is the second death, and anyone not found written 390 00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:04,359 Speaker 3: in the Book of Life was cast into the lake 391 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:08,720 Speaker 3: of fire. This is called the Great White Throne judgment. 392 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:17,760 Speaker 3: It is the judgment by God of all unbelievers, all unbelievers. 393 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:21,000 Speaker 3: It is a courtroom scene, but it's very different than 394 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:24,800 Speaker 3: an earthly court because here in Revelation twenty, there's no 395 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:30,120 Speaker 3: debate about guilt. There is a prosecution but no defense. 396 00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:35,440 Speaker 3: There will be a judge but no jury. There will 397 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:39,479 Speaker 3: be a sentence but no appeal. And there is a 398 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:45,399 Speaker 3: punishment but no parole. And something you need to know. 399 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:50,520 Speaker 3: It will be fair. It will be fair. I know 400 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:53,560 Speaker 3: it will be fair because verse twelve says books were opened. 401 00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 3: So the idea behind that is a full inventory of 402 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:06,040 Speaker 3: a person's life is kept. Books were open. Now I 403 00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:10,000 Speaker 3: don't know exactly what's in the books. Perhaps a record 404 00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:15,120 Speaker 3: of every thought, every word, every deed. Jesus did say, 405 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,600 Speaker 3: if you remember that every idle word men speak, they 406 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:21,080 Speaker 3: will give an account for in the day of judgment. 407 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:27,280 Speaker 3: Another book may be a record of all the times 408 00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:31,080 Speaker 3: that person had an opportunity to give their life to 409 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:34,920 Speaker 3: Christ every time they heard the gospel, but refuse. Remember 410 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:36,560 Speaker 3: the time your mom told you this, Remember the time 411 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 3: you heard that in church. Remember that that opportunity, and 412 00:28:39,280 --> 00:28:48,840 Speaker 3: that all is recorded. Perhaps one thing for sure, there's 413 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:52,880 Speaker 3: only one person behind the bench. This is not a committee. 414 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 3: He isn't voted in or out. There's only one person 415 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:01,080 Speaker 3: who is the judge. One person presided over this judgment, 416 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:05,400 Speaker 3: and it's the only one qualified to preside over this judgment. 417 00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:10,200 Speaker 3: He is qualified because he alone has certain attributes that 418 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:13,720 Speaker 3: nobody else has. Attributes we have covered in this series 419 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:18,880 Speaker 3: on doctrine. One of the attributes is the attribute of omniscience. 420 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:23,800 Speaker 3: God knows everything. That means he knows every thought, every action, 421 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:31,000 Speaker 3: every motive of every single person. Also, he has the 422 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:35,280 Speaker 3: attribute of omni presence. He's everywhere present in the totality 423 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:39,040 Speaker 3: of his being, which means God alone is the best 424 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:44,400 Speaker 3: eyewitness of every single event in history. So he will 425 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:50,360 Speaker 3: be the judge. Buddha will not be the judge. Krishna 426 00:29:50,360 --> 00:29:53,960 Speaker 3: will not be the judge. Muhammad will not be the judge. 427 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:59,080 Speaker 3: God alone is the judge. So hell is an actual place, 428 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:03,360 Speaker 3: It is an intentional place. There's a third fact, and 429 00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:06,840 Speaker 3: it gets worse before it gets better. Hell is a 430 00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:12,000 Speaker 3: painful place. Back to our text in Matthew twenty five, 431 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:16,640 Speaker 3: you'll notice in verse thirty one the word fire, forty 432 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:20,880 Speaker 3: one the word fire, everlasting fire. You'll also notice in 433 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:25,600 Speaker 3: verse forty six the word punishment. You have a couple 434 00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:29,240 Speaker 3: descriptive words that talk about what that experience will be like. 435 00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:33,360 Speaker 3: Fire doesn't sound fun, Punishment doesn't sound fun. Sounds painful 436 00:30:33,400 --> 00:30:35,719 Speaker 3: to me. Do you know that? I've had people laugh 437 00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:39,360 Speaker 3: at me when I bring up the idea of hell, 438 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:45,400 Speaker 3: especially in relationship to them. They oh, Hell, I'm looking 439 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:49,520 Speaker 3: forward to Hell. I've had people tell me that I'm 440 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:52,280 Speaker 3: looking forward to hell. Well, why is that, sir? Because 441 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:55,720 Speaker 3: all my friends are going to be in hell. Okay, 442 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:59,240 Speaker 3: you need new friends, but it's no good reason for 443 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:03,479 Speaker 3: you to go now you go. No, No, all my 444 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:06,120 Speaker 3: friends are going to be in hell and we're gonna party. 445 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:12,080 Speaker 3: You've ever heard that that's where all the funny as hell, dumb, bad, 446 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:18,120 Speaker 3: bad idea scrap that idea. Revelation fourteen describes it as 447 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:22,000 Speaker 3: they will drink of the wine of God's fury, which 448 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:24,960 Speaker 3: has been poured out full strength into the cup of 449 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:31,120 Speaker 3: his wrath, and it says they will be tormented and 450 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:34,280 Speaker 3: there is no rest day or night. Does that sound 451 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:36,520 Speaker 3: like a party to you? Does that sound like a 452 00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:41,120 Speaker 3: party you want to go to? No? Did you know 453 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:45,000 Speaker 3: that seven times when Jesus Christ spoke of hell, he 454 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:47,440 Speaker 3: spoke of it this way. There will be weeping and 455 00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:53,640 Speaker 3: gnashing of teeth, or sometimes there will be wailing and 456 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:57,320 Speaker 3: gnashing of teeth. Anybody ever hit their thumb with a 457 00:31:57,320 --> 00:32:01,400 Speaker 3: hammer like I have? Okay, So so really you guys 458 00:32:01,400 --> 00:32:04,520 Speaker 3: need to get hammers out and actually use them sometime. Then. 459 00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:08,960 Speaker 3: So I've done that, And when I do that, I 460 00:32:09,040 --> 00:32:15,120 Speaker 3: have a physical reaction. I usually I don't cuss, but 461 00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:19,760 Speaker 3: I will squeeze my eyes shut and I will gnash 462 00:32:19,920 --> 00:32:23,960 Speaker 3: with my teeth. My teeth will grind because it's painful. 463 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:27,800 Speaker 3: It's my reaction to pain, weeping and gnashing of teeth. 464 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:31,760 Speaker 3: There's something about that gnashing of teeth. It could refer 465 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:37,440 Speaker 3: to a person's anger. It could even refer to the 466 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:39,320 Speaker 3: idea of gnashing of the teeth of a person with 467 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:46,520 Speaker 3: a fist up to God still angry at him. Because 468 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:50,000 Speaker 3: in Acts chapter seven, when Stephens shared the truth of 469 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:53,080 Speaker 3: the Gospel, it says, and the people that hurt him 470 00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:56,960 Speaker 3: were cut to the heart and gnashed at him with 471 00:32:57,040 --> 00:33:00,520 Speaker 3: their teeth. It's like, there's so much I'm mad at 472 00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:03,240 Speaker 3: this believer for telling them the truth of the gospel. 473 00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:05,760 Speaker 3: So it could be in hell. The idea of the 474 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:10,600 Speaker 3: gnashing of teeth is an anger, a hatred, a refusal 475 00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:16,920 Speaker 3: to repent forever. So it's a painful place. Now, I'd 476 00:33:17,000 --> 00:33:20,560 Speaker 3: like you to turn. I had to mark out Luke 477 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:25,240 Speaker 3: chapter sixteen. I think I told you that, did I not? Okay? Good? 478 00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 3: I get my services mixed up to be honest with you. 479 00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:30,320 Speaker 3: I don't know if I said Luke sixteen, this one 480 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:34,240 Speaker 3: or last one, but Luke sixteen. So in Luke chapter sixteen, 481 00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:39,160 Speaker 3: Jesus tells a story of the rich man in Lazarus. 482 00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:42,360 Speaker 3: It is not a parable. Some people call it the 483 00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:44,760 Speaker 3: parable of the rich Man in Lazarus. It's a story, 484 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:47,320 Speaker 3: not a parable. And you can usually tell a parable. 485 00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:51,200 Speaker 3: Here's the tell sign of a parable. Jesus spoke a 486 00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:54,719 Speaker 3: parable unto them and said, so it introduces it by 487 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:57,920 Speaker 3: saying it's a parable, or he will say the Kingdom 488 00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:01,200 Speaker 3: of Heaven is like. So he's using that as an analogy, 489 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:05,000 Speaker 3: but this is no parable. It's a story. He probably 490 00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:11,960 Speaker 3: knew about this event. In verse nineteen, there was a 491 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:16,080 Speaker 3: certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, 492 00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:20,440 Speaker 3: and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain 493 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:23,920 Speaker 3: beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at 494 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:27,319 Speaker 3: his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which 495 00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:31,719 Speaker 3: fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came 496 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:35,880 Speaker 3: and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar 497 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:40,960 Speaker 3: died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. 498 00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:45,479 Speaker 3: The rich man also died and was buried, and being 499 00:34:45,520 --> 00:34:51,160 Speaker 3: in torments in hades, he lifted up his eyes and 500 00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:54,400 Speaker 3: saw Abraham afar off from Lazarus in his bosom. Then 501 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:57,080 Speaker 3: he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, 502 00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:01,040 Speaker 3: and send Lazarus that he made yep the tip of 503 00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:06,359 Speaker 3: his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I 504 00:35:06,400 --> 00:35:11,520 Speaker 3: am tormented in this flame. That is not a party 505 00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:14,920 Speaker 3: I want to be a part of. Among other things, 506 00:35:14,960 --> 00:35:18,320 Speaker 3: this story shows us that at the moment of death, 507 00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:25,960 Speaker 3: a person is conscious, is aware, awake, can feel, can 508 00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:32,959 Speaker 3: somehow communicate, and in this case, have immediate torment. And 509 00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:37,560 Speaker 3: the pain can't just be confined to physical pain. It 510 00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:41,200 Speaker 3: has to be also the pain of shame, the pain 511 00:35:41,239 --> 00:35:44,600 Speaker 3: of failure, the pain of regret, the pain of remorse, 512 00:35:45,760 --> 00:35:50,840 Speaker 3: because there's no second chance. So Hell is an actual 513 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:55,040 Speaker 3: place and intentional place. Hell is a painful place, keeps 514 00:35:55,080 --> 00:36:00,359 Speaker 3: getting worse. It'll get better, but it gets worse. Hell 515 00:36:00,440 --> 00:36:03,960 Speaker 3: is an eternal place. This is where it gets sticky 516 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:07,439 Speaker 3: with some people and share I'll share that in a minute. 517 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:10,279 Speaker 3: But look at verse forty one. It says he will 518 00:36:10,320 --> 00:36:12,120 Speaker 3: say to those on the left hand, depart from me, 519 00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:19,319 Speaker 3: you cursed into the what's the word everlasting fire? And 520 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:25,000 Speaker 3: what does everlasting mean? Mean? It lasts ever forever. It 521 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:30,600 Speaker 3: is everlasting. And then verse forty six, and these will 522 00:36:30,600 --> 00:36:36,439 Speaker 3: go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. 523 00:36:37,680 --> 00:36:42,279 Speaker 3: Everlasting mean that keeps going and going and going. It's perpetual. Now, 524 00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:45,520 Speaker 3: this is, as I mentioned, the real sticky part about Hell. 525 00:36:45,719 --> 00:36:49,960 Speaker 3: Because somebody will hear this, and I've heard this many times. 526 00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:52,280 Speaker 3: People say, well, wait a minute, when is enough enough? 527 00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:55,799 Speaker 3: When is enough punishment enough? I mean, if sins are 528 00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:59,640 Speaker 3: committed in a finite realm, how can the punishment be infinite, 529 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:02,960 Speaker 3: keep going and going and going and going. The only 530 00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:05,480 Speaker 3: reason we would ask that is because we do not 531 00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:10,640 Speaker 3: understand how offensive sin is to a perfectly holy God. 532 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:16,560 Speaker 3: See we can't figure that out. It's not that bad 533 00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:19,719 Speaker 3: to you, but to a holy God, that is so 534 00:37:19,960 --> 00:37:25,200 Speaker 3: utterly offensive. And if you want to know about what 535 00:37:25,360 --> 00:37:29,160 Speaker 3: sin can do, forget judgment for a minute, forget hell 536 00:37:29,239 --> 00:37:33,399 Speaker 3: for a minute. Look at the Cross. That's what sin did. 537 00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:36,319 Speaker 3: That's what God thought about sin. It's so bad that 538 00:37:36,520 --> 00:37:41,160 Speaker 3: his son got that kind of punishment on across darkness 539 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:48,279 Speaker 3: and pain and being cut off from the Father. So 540 00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:53,360 Speaker 3: because it is hard to understand and come to grips 541 00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:56,719 Speaker 3: with the eternality of hell, people have come up with 542 00:37:56,719 --> 00:38:01,080 Speaker 3: all sorts of other beliefs to make it. Let me 543 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:03,840 Speaker 3: tell you about a few of them. One is called universalism. 544 00:38:04,760 --> 00:38:07,440 Speaker 3: Universalism is the belief that nobody goes to hell, everybody 545 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:09,279 Speaker 3: goes to heaven. Doesn't matter who you are, don't matter 546 00:38:09,320 --> 00:38:12,120 Speaker 3: what you do, doesn't matter what you believe in. Everybody 547 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:16,680 Speaker 3: will eventually go to heaven. That's called universalism. Nobody's lost, 548 00:38:16,719 --> 00:38:21,279 Speaker 3: everybody saved. I'd love to believe that, and I would 549 00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:24,840 Speaker 3: believe that. If I didn't have this book, it tells 550 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:30,520 Speaker 3: me otherwise. But universalism, as everybody goes to heaven, nobody 551 00:38:30,520 --> 00:38:33,160 Speaker 3: goes to hell. And they based that on John chapter twelve, 552 00:38:33,239 --> 00:38:36,640 Speaker 3: verse thirty two, where Jesus said, if I be lifted up, 553 00:38:37,880 --> 00:38:45,000 Speaker 3: I will draw all men to myself, all men, all men, 554 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:47,719 Speaker 3: all men, all men and women, everybody. I'll draw all 555 00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:49,800 Speaker 3: men to myself. I die in across, I'll draw everybody 556 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:55,080 Speaker 3: to myself. Well, I have a couple problems with that. Problem. 557 00:38:55,200 --> 00:38:59,960 Speaker 3: Number one is named Adolf Hitler. You mean to tell 558 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:01,759 Speaker 3: tell me that Adolf Hitler gets to go to heaven 559 00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:04,200 Speaker 3: And I got to look at his mug in heaven, 560 00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:07,200 Speaker 3: and God's sitting there going yeah. Well, you know, everybody 561 00:39:07,200 --> 00:39:11,120 Speaker 3: makes mistakes, but we're all here. I have a problem 562 00:39:11,160 --> 00:39:15,480 Speaker 3: with justice not being meted out. I have a problem 563 00:39:15,480 --> 00:39:18,000 Speaker 3: with Joseph Stalin being in heaven. I have a problem 564 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:22,760 Speaker 3: with Paul Pott being in heaven. Now, if they receive Christ, 565 00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:25,480 Speaker 3: that's a different issue. But last time I checked, that 566 00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:32,560 Speaker 3: didn't happen. When Jesus said I'll draw all men to myself. 567 00:39:32,560 --> 00:39:35,719 Speaker 3: He is not guaranteeing salvation. He is simply guaranteeing the 568 00:39:35,760 --> 00:39:40,120 Speaker 3: availability of salvation to all. If I be lifted up, 569 00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:42,640 Speaker 3: I will draw all men to myself. God is not 570 00:39:42,719 --> 00:39:45,000 Speaker 3: willing that any should perish, but that all should come 571 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:48,320 Speaker 3: to repentance. But guess what, a lot of people perish 572 00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:51,920 Speaker 3: and they don't come to repentance. They don't make that choice. 573 00:39:52,120 --> 00:39:55,799 Speaker 3: That's one universalism. Here's another way that people deal with this, 574 00:39:55,960 --> 00:40:03,360 Speaker 3: and that is called annihilationism. Relationism, also called conditional immortality, 575 00:40:04,120 --> 00:40:08,560 Speaker 3: simply means that only the righteous will be resurrected. The 576 00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:12,440 Speaker 3: wicked will just be annihilated. They will cease to exist. 577 00:40:13,080 --> 00:40:16,319 Speaker 3: They won't have eternal consciousness, They'll just be put out 578 00:40:16,640 --> 00:40:21,440 Speaker 3: as though they never existed in the first place. Seventh 579 00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:26,600 Speaker 3: day Adventists believe in that Jehovah witnesses believe in that. 580 00:40:27,880 --> 00:40:30,480 Speaker 3: It is a cultic belief. It is not a New 581 00:40:30,520 --> 00:40:35,080 Speaker 3: Testament belief. Unfortunately, now some so called evangelicals say they 582 00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:40,000 Speaker 3: believe in that annihilationism. Another way of dealing with this 583 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:45,200 Speaker 3: is called purgation or purgatory. It is a Catholic doctrine 584 00:40:45,239 --> 00:40:48,920 Speaker 3: that came to the Catholic Church in recent times. In 585 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:52,880 Speaker 3: the sixteenth century. In terms of world history, that's still recent. 586 00:40:53,800 --> 00:40:57,040 Speaker 3: It was that the Council of Trent. It does not 587 00:40:57,080 --> 00:41:00,719 Speaker 3: come from the Bible. Even Catholic theologia will tell you 588 00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:04,120 Speaker 3: they can't find this in our Bible. So they resort 589 00:41:04,120 --> 00:41:07,640 Speaker 3: to a book called Sewod Maccabee's Chapter twelve, which they 590 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:12,959 Speaker 3: have included in their canon of Scripture to there's one 591 00:41:13,360 --> 00:41:19,000 Speaker 3: kind of off side reference that could mean anyway. They 592 00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:22,680 Speaker 3: get purgatory from that. The idea is that God will 593 00:41:22,760 --> 00:41:28,040 Speaker 3: forgive confessed sins, but unconfessed sins you got to burn 594 00:41:28,120 --> 00:41:31,400 Speaker 3: those off in purgatory, and it could take decades, it 595 00:41:31,400 --> 00:41:36,320 Speaker 3: could take hundreds of years. You will suffer flame and pain, 596 00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:40,760 Speaker 3: and then you get purified and you get your ticket 597 00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:44,759 Speaker 3: and you go to heaven. Okay, all about aside, Let's 598 00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:47,600 Speaker 3: just cut to the chase, verse forty six. Notice this, 599 00:41:48,840 --> 00:41:53,320 Speaker 3: and these will go away into ever lasting punishment. The 600 00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:58,239 Speaker 3: word everlasting is the word in Greek ionios. Anybody who 601 00:41:58,239 --> 00:42:01,360 Speaker 3: knows Greek will tell you that means forever and ever endevor, 602 00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:06,520 Speaker 3: age upon age, perpetual, never stopping. Ionios. These will go 603 00:42:06,560 --> 00:42:11,960 Speaker 3: away into everlasting punishment. Now keep reading, but the righteous 604 00:42:12,080 --> 00:42:19,280 Speaker 3: into u eternal life, same exact word, Ionias, Ionias punishment, 605 00:42:19,320 --> 00:42:22,960 Speaker 3: Ionias life. What that tells us is this, If Hell 606 00:42:23,200 --> 00:42:28,800 Speaker 3: is not eternal, then Heaven is not eternal. If heaven 607 00:42:29,120 --> 00:42:35,879 Speaker 3: is eternal, then Hell is also eternal. From the same verse. Now, 608 00:42:35,920 --> 00:42:39,359 Speaker 3: one author I read even suggests that unbelievers in Hell 609 00:42:40,719 --> 00:42:46,920 Speaker 3: will perhaps go on sinning perpetually and also receiving punishment 610 00:42:46,960 --> 00:42:50,040 Speaker 3: for their sin as they do that but never repent. 611 00:42:50,160 --> 00:42:53,399 Speaker 3: And they take this from Revelation twenty to eleven. Let 612 00:42:53,480 --> 00:42:56,440 Speaker 3: him who does wrong continue to do wrong. Let him 613 00:42:56,440 --> 00:42:59,279 Speaker 3: who is vile continue to be vile. Let him who 614 00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:01,960 Speaker 3: does right continue to do right. But him who is 615 00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:06,839 Speaker 3: holy continue to be holy. I don't know, but I 616 00:43:06,840 --> 00:43:14,719 Speaker 3: do know. Hell is an eternal place. But but the 617 00:43:14,760 --> 00:43:18,520 Speaker 3: best news of all is the last fact. Hell is 618 00:43:18,520 --> 00:43:21,640 Speaker 3: an avoidable place. You don't have to go there. I 619 00:43:21,640 --> 00:43:26,000 Speaker 3: don't want you to sit here and go man Hell, 620 00:43:26,280 --> 00:43:27,960 Speaker 3: I guess that's where I'm going. You don't have to 621 00:43:28,000 --> 00:43:32,640 Speaker 3: go there, don't go there. I hope most of you 622 00:43:32,719 --> 00:43:37,799 Speaker 3: aren't saying that it's an avoidable place. The context of 623 00:43:37,880 --> 00:43:42,600 Speaker 3: chapter twenty five is about choices that people make. Here 624 00:43:42,640 --> 00:43:45,400 Speaker 3: you have a shepherd who is separating sheep from goats 625 00:43:46,120 --> 00:43:50,960 Speaker 3: based upon choices that the sheep and goats have made. 626 00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:54,160 Speaker 3: The sheep have chosen to do certain things, the goats 627 00:43:54,160 --> 00:43:57,120 Speaker 3: that you have chosen not to do certain things. And 628 00:43:57,160 --> 00:43:59,319 Speaker 3: it says I was in prison, I was hungry, and 629 00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:03,319 Speaker 3: he lists all of these good deeds. Don't get confused. 630 00:44:03,840 --> 00:44:07,719 Speaker 3: The good works mentioned here don't save anybody. They just 631 00:44:07,880 --> 00:44:12,040 Speaker 3: provide evidence that a person has been saved. This is 632 00:44:12,080 --> 00:44:15,399 Speaker 3: a separation, this is a courtroom. The good works are 633 00:44:15,760 --> 00:44:21,040 Speaker 3: the proof that salvation has occurred. I want you to 634 00:44:21,080 --> 00:44:23,200 Speaker 3: really get that drilled down. Look at verse thirty four. 635 00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:26,120 Speaker 3: The king will say to those on his right hand, 636 00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:29,200 Speaker 3: come you blessed of my father. And then what's the 637 00:44:29,200 --> 00:44:37,759 Speaker 3: next word? Inherit? Inherit the kingdom prepared for you. Did 638 00:44:37,800 --> 00:44:42,799 Speaker 3: you know inherit is a family term. An inheritance is 639 00:44:42,840 --> 00:44:47,560 Speaker 3: a gift. You don't earn it. It's given to you. 640 00:44:47,560 --> 00:44:51,560 Speaker 3: Your dad or your grandparents give you an inheritance. They 641 00:44:51,560 --> 00:44:54,960 Speaker 3: pass it on. They've worked for money or land, but 642 00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:57,400 Speaker 3: they give it to you free to the next generation. 643 00:44:57,840 --> 00:45:00,680 Speaker 3: So that's how salvation works. You don't earn each eternal life. 644 00:45:01,120 --> 00:45:06,839 Speaker 3: You inherit eternal life as a family member. You say, well, 645 00:45:06,840 --> 00:45:09,720 Speaker 3: how do I get into the family. Well, that's the catch. 646 00:45:11,239 --> 00:45:13,000 Speaker 3: To get into this family, you have to be born 647 00:45:13,000 --> 00:45:18,040 Speaker 3: into it. Jesus said, unless a man is born again, 648 00:45:18,120 --> 00:45:22,319 Speaker 3: he will never see the Kingdom of heaven. He spoke 649 00:45:22,360 --> 00:45:26,480 Speaker 3: about a second birth. You were born once. But when 650 00:45:26,520 --> 00:45:29,600 Speaker 3: you believe in Christ, when you commit your life to him, 651 00:45:29,880 --> 00:45:32,279 Speaker 3: when you let him take your sin for you, and 652 00:45:32,400 --> 00:45:35,440 Speaker 3: you believe in that as an efficacious event once and 653 00:45:35,480 --> 00:45:40,480 Speaker 3: for all, you're born again and born into the family 654 00:45:40,520 --> 00:45:43,799 Speaker 3: of God. Listen, there's only one person that wants you 655 00:45:43,840 --> 00:45:48,560 Speaker 3: in hell. It's not Jesus. It is Satan, and he's 656 00:45:48,600 --> 00:45:52,680 Speaker 3: been wanting. It's been his lifelong goal to put you 657 00:45:52,719 --> 00:45:56,000 Speaker 3: in hell. I think you know that right. That's his 658 00:45:56,040 --> 00:45:59,239 Speaker 3: goal for every person that has ever lived, is to 659 00:45:59,480 --> 00:46:02,640 Speaker 3: fill up Hell as much as possible. It's called collateral 660 00:46:02,719 --> 00:46:05,560 Speaker 3: damage in a battle to get as many people to 661 00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:09,360 Speaker 3: misery Love's company, get as many people as he possibly 662 00:46:09,400 --> 00:46:13,480 Speaker 3: can with him. Jesus said, the thief does not come 663 00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:17,960 Speaker 3: except as steal, killed, and destroy. But I have come 664 00:46:18,000 --> 00:46:21,200 Speaker 3: that they may have life, and have it more abundantly. 665 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:29,560 Speaker 3: I want to conclude with a little excerpt. There's a 666 00:46:29,640 --> 00:46:32,320 Speaker 3: great book that came out some years ago called Beyond 667 00:46:32,520 --> 00:46:38,360 Speaker 3: Death's Door, written by a cardiologist. Doctor Marris Rawlings was 668 00:46:38,400 --> 00:46:42,720 Speaker 3: a professor of medicine at the University of Tennessee, cardiologist, 669 00:46:42,880 --> 00:46:47,120 Speaker 3: heart surgeon, and an atheist. But he had several encounters 670 00:46:47,120 --> 00:46:52,320 Speaker 3: with patients who died. He resuscitated them, and some told 671 00:46:52,360 --> 00:46:59,359 Speaker 3: about Heaven, some told about Hell. Now you've heard about 672 00:46:59,360 --> 00:47:02,040 Speaker 3: people who have had near death experiences and they've seen 673 00:47:02,080 --> 00:47:04,480 Speaker 3: the bright light and angels and Jesus. Right, you've heard that. 674 00:47:05,920 --> 00:47:10,319 Speaker 3: Nobody writes about hell. Well, who would buy it? Those 675 00:47:10,320 --> 00:47:14,160 Speaker 3: books don't sell. But do you know that those experiences 676 00:47:14,200 --> 00:47:17,840 Speaker 3: actually exist? So Marris Rowlings, after looking at three hundred 677 00:47:17,960 --> 00:47:21,960 Speaker 3: patients who had these experience, said in his book, I 678 00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:25,279 Speaker 3: am thoroughly convinced there is life after death and there 679 00:47:25,320 --> 00:47:27,799 Speaker 3: are at least as many people going to Hell as 680 00:47:27,840 --> 00:47:31,080 Speaker 3: going to Heaven. I'm convinced there's a Hell and that 681 00:47:31,120 --> 00:47:34,759 Speaker 3: we must conduct ourselves in such a way as to 682 00:47:34,880 --> 00:47:42,520 Speaker 3: avoid being sent there at all costs. Duh, Well, here's 683 00:47:42,520 --> 00:47:45,760 Speaker 3: the turning point for him. He said he was resuscitating 684 00:47:45,800 --> 00:47:48,279 Speaker 3: a forty eight year old patient in his office who 685 00:47:48,320 --> 00:47:52,520 Speaker 3: just dropped dead cardiac arrest. He was a mail carrier 686 00:47:53,640 --> 00:47:56,279 Speaker 3: and he said. When he came back to life, his 687 00:47:56,400 --> 00:47:59,279 Speaker 3: patient had the worst expression on his face he had 688 00:47:59,320 --> 00:48:06,320 Speaker 3: ever seen ever. And the patient said, I am in hell. 689 00:48:06,560 --> 00:48:10,600 Speaker 3: He cried out, I am in hell. Here's what this 690 00:48:10,680 --> 00:48:14,680 Speaker 3: good doctor wrote. Of course, that alone didn't change my thinking. 691 00:48:14,800 --> 00:48:16,960 Speaker 3: But the fact that this forty eight year old was 692 00:48:17,000 --> 00:48:19,319 Speaker 3: screaming I am in hell. Keep me out of hell 693 00:48:19,719 --> 00:48:23,480 Speaker 3: each time he responded to resuscitation efforts did cause me 694 00:48:23,520 --> 00:48:30,319 Speaker 3: some concern. That's called understatement. And so he said. The 695 00:48:30,440 --> 00:48:34,120 Speaker 3: patient who was being resusitated asked the doctor. He said, 696 00:48:34,120 --> 00:48:38,560 Speaker 3: pray for me. Now here's what doctor rawling said. He goes, 697 00:48:38,600 --> 00:48:40,800 Speaker 3: not only am I an atheist, that guy was an atheist, 698 00:48:41,560 --> 00:48:43,680 Speaker 3: and he said, pray for me. So he said, he 699 00:48:43,719 --> 00:48:48,680 Speaker 3: prayed some fake prayer as an atheist to a god 700 00:48:48,760 --> 00:48:53,920 Speaker 3: he didn't believe existed. But he said, after this was 701 00:48:53,960 --> 00:48:58,719 Speaker 3: all over, I realized what really happened. It was a 702 00:48:58,800 --> 00:49:03,480 Speaker 3: double conversion. Not only had this make believe prayer converted 703 00:49:03,520 --> 00:49:07,759 Speaker 3: this atheist mailman, it also converted this atheist doctor that 704 00:49:07,880 --> 00:49:12,680 Speaker 3: was working on him, Doctor Rawlings became a believer. His 705 00:49:12,800 --> 00:49:16,480 Speaker 3: son serves as an elder in a church today in Tennessee. 706 00:49:18,760 --> 00:49:21,160 Speaker 3: You know there is a formula I have shared with 707 00:49:21,200 --> 00:49:23,640 Speaker 3: you over the years. It's good to bring it up 708 00:49:24,280 --> 00:49:30,080 Speaker 3: right now as we close. Born once, die twice, born twice, 709 00:49:30,120 --> 00:49:33,759 Speaker 3: die once. That's the formula. If you're born once, you 710 00:49:33,800 --> 00:49:36,839 Speaker 3: will die twice. If you're born twice, you'll only die once. 711 00:49:37,760 --> 00:49:42,120 Speaker 3: If you're born once physically, you'll die physically and spiritually. 712 00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:46,680 Speaker 3: But if you're born physically and born spiritually, born again, 713 00:49:47,120 --> 00:49:50,239 Speaker 3: you'll only die once. And if the Lord comes back, 714 00:49:50,239 --> 00:49:54,120 Speaker 3: you won't die at all. But even if you die, 715 00:49:54,440 --> 00:49:59,799 Speaker 3: like Jesus said, ever believes in me, will live, will live. 716 00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:08,800 Speaker 3: I am the resurrection and the life. Great promise, great promise. 717 00:50:08,880 --> 00:50:13,800 Speaker 3: Let's bow our heads. Father, thank you for being so honest. 718 00:50:13,880 --> 00:50:17,239 Speaker 3: Thank you for the Lord Jesus upfront honesty about a 719 00:50:17,320 --> 00:50:21,920 Speaker 3: place that he created, that he prepared, just like the 720 00:50:22,000 --> 00:50:25,520 Speaker 3: kingdom was prepared for us. There was a place prepared 721 00:50:25,560 --> 00:50:32,200 Speaker 3: for those spirits that rebelled. And yet you honor people's 722 00:50:32,360 --> 00:50:37,480 Speaker 3: choices that we have day after week after month after 723 00:50:37,640 --> 00:50:44,400 Speaker 3: decade to make we all think about heaven and hell, death, 724 00:50:44,600 --> 00:50:47,360 Speaker 3: all of us, all our lives. At some point we 725 00:50:47,440 --> 00:50:49,480 Speaker 3: think about that, we wonder about that. Most of us 726 00:50:49,560 --> 00:50:51,600 Speaker 3: just sort of put it off and blow it off. 727 00:50:52,880 --> 00:50:55,800 Speaker 3: But our Lord Jesus warned us enough that we should 728 00:50:55,840 --> 00:51:01,279 Speaker 3: think about it very seriously, because if there's something we 729 00:51:01,320 --> 00:51:06,279 Speaker 3: need clarity on and we need truth about, it's the 730 00:51:06,360 --> 00:51:11,960 Speaker 3: truth about what happens when we die. Thank you for 731 00:51:12,239 --> 00:51:19,080 Speaker 3: him and for your word giving us that clarity. Lord Jesus, 732 00:51:19,120 --> 00:51:21,000 Speaker 3: I know you love people. I know that you are 733 00:51:21,040 --> 00:51:23,800 Speaker 3: eager to forgive. You are not willing that any should perish. 734 00:51:23,840 --> 00:51:25,759 Speaker 3: So Lord, if there are any here who are in 735 00:51:25,800 --> 00:51:31,479 Speaker 3: the process of perishing by not believing, by putting you off, 736 00:51:31,560 --> 00:51:38,120 Speaker 3: by blowing this off, they would stop right now, right here, 737 00:51:39,120 --> 00:51:44,040 Speaker 3: and say yes to the Savior and allow them to 738 00:51:44,200 --> 00:51:48,799 Speaker 3: come home, to be part of your family and to 739 00:51:48,840 --> 00:51:52,080 Speaker 3: be forgiven, to have their name written in the Book 740 00:51:52,120 --> 00:51:56,040 Speaker 3: of Life. By so doing that, by believing in Jesus. 741 00:52:00,200 --> 00:52:03,720 Speaker 3: Remiss if I let this moment go by without giving 742 00:52:03,760 --> 00:52:07,640 Speaker 3: you an opportunity right here, right now. If you've never 743 00:52:07,680 --> 00:52:12,400 Speaker 3: done it yet, if you have not personally asked Jesus 744 00:52:12,440 --> 00:52:14,719 Speaker 3: to be your savior, if you can't think of a 745 00:52:14,800 --> 00:52:17,839 Speaker 3: time in your life and pinpoint an exact time when 746 00:52:17,840 --> 00:52:22,200 Speaker 3: you said yes to Jesus, then do it right now, 747 00:52:23,360 --> 00:52:28,080 Speaker 3: say yes to him. Right now, right here, And if 748 00:52:28,120 --> 00:52:32,080 Speaker 3: you would like that, if you are willing to surrender 749 00:52:32,160 --> 00:52:34,399 Speaker 3: your life to Christ and ask him to come in 750 00:52:34,719 --> 00:52:37,360 Speaker 3: and be your lord and master. Our heads are about, 751 00:52:37,400 --> 00:52:39,399 Speaker 3: our eyes are closed. Would you just raise your hand 752 00:52:39,480 --> 00:52:41,560 Speaker 3: up in the air, Just raise it up so I 753 00:52:41,600 --> 00:52:44,840 Speaker 3: can acknowledge you as we close the surface in a moment. 754 00:52:45,680 --> 00:52:48,200 Speaker 3: By raising it up, you're just saying, skip, here's my hand. 755 00:52:48,280 --> 00:52:51,640 Speaker 3: I'm over here. Pray for me. Pray for me as 756 00:52:52,600 --> 00:53:01,959 Speaker 3: I pray to receive Christ. Raise that hand up. God 757 00:53:01,960 --> 00:53:17,760 Speaker 3: bless you and you toward the back anyone else. Father, 758 00:53:17,960 --> 00:53:21,160 Speaker 3: thank you for these who have made that acknowledgment. And 759 00:53:21,200 --> 00:53:24,120 Speaker 3: if you're if you raise your hand, would you just 760 00:53:24,200 --> 00:53:26,600 Speaker 3: ask Jesus right here, right now, into your life. Would 761 00:53:26,600 --> 00:53:30,520 Speaker 3: you just say, Lord, here, I am take me, I'm yours. 762 00:53:31,640 --> 00:53:35,160 Speaker 3: I give you my life. I admit I'm a sinner. 763 00:53:35,520 --> 00:53:39,239 Speaker 3: Please forgive me. I believe in Jesus. I believe he 764 00:53:39,320 --> 00:53:42,720 Speaker 3: died on the cross for me. I believe he's alive 765 00:53:42,840 --> 00:53:48,440 Speaker 3: right now that he rose up in resurrection. I turned 766 00:53:48,480 --> 00:53:52,520 Speaker 3: from my sin. I repent of my sin. I turn 767 00:53:52,640 --> 00:53:57,560 Speaker 3: to Jesus as savior and as master. Fill me with 768 00:53:57,600 --> 00:54:04,799 Speaker 3: your Holy spirit. Help me, walk with me, help me 769 00:54:04,840 --> 00:54:11,240 Speaker 3: to live a life that pleases you in Jesus name. Amen, Amen, 770 00:54:11,239 --> 00:54:13,880 Speaker 3: would you stand? Please, let's all stand to our feet. 771 00:54:15,360 --> 00:54:18,880 Speaker 3: I know that was a very heavy message. If it 772 00:54:18,920 --> 00:54:21,759 Speaker 3: did indeed scare the hell out of some people, then 773 00:54:21,800 --> 00:54:27,239 Speaker 3: I'm really grateful for that, and I'll tell you why 774 00:54:27,280 --> 00:54:30,600 Speaker 3: these matters of eternity should motivate us to share truth 775 00:54:30,640 --> 00:54:34,400 Speaker 3: with people on an ongoing basis in our community and 776 00:54:34,400 --> 00:54:36,239 Speaker 3: in our world. Let's close with a song. 777 00:54:37,440 --> 00:54:40,800 Speaker 4: We hope you enjoyed this special service from Calvary Church. 778 00:54:41,000 --> 00:54:44,000 Speaker 4: We'd love to know how this message impacted you. Email 779 00:54:44,120 --> 00:54:48,080 Speaker 4: us at my story at calvarym dot Church And just 780 00:54:48,120 --> 00:54:51,040 Speaker 4: a reminder, you can support this ministry with a financial 781 00:54:51,080 --> 00:54:54,960 Speaker 4: gift at calvarym dot Church slash give. Thank you for 782 00:54:55,080 --> 00:54:57,399 Speaker 4: joining us for this teaching from Calvary Church. 783 00:55:04,280 --> 00:55:07,160 Speaker 5: The podcast The Bible in a Year with Jack Graham 784 00:55:07,360 --> 00:55:10,719 Speaker 5: is a moving and inspiring Biblical audio experience that will 785 00:55:10,719 --> 00:55:13,799 Speaker 5: help you master wisdom from the world's greatest book. In 786 00:55:13,840 --> 00:55:17,920 Speaker 5: each episode, you'll learn to apply Biblical principles to everyday life. 787 00:55:18,480 --> 00:55:21,520 Speaker 5: Each cinematic episode is a journey through the Bible's most 788 00:55:21,560 --> 00:55:25,040 Speaker 5: profound stories that will strengthen your appreciation of the word 789 00:55:25,320 --> 00:55:29,520 Speaker 5: and inspire you to keep learning. Listen to the Bible 790 00:55:29,520 --> 00:55:32,160 Speaker 5: in a Year with Jack Graham on the iHeartRadio app 791 00:55:32,239 --> 00:55:34,440 Speaker 5: or wherever you get your podcasts.