PARABLES OF JESUS – The Reality Of Hell
Luke 16:23-24
" 'And being in torment in Hades, he [the rich man] lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in torment." ' "
The thought of hell – a place of eternal torment – is so horrible that I don't like to even think about it. A conversation with a Seventh-day Adventist [they do not believe in eternal punishment] forced me to clarify my own thinking, and I came to the conclusion that there must be a hell, for several reasons. 1) Jesus believed it. He spoke more of hell than he did heaven. 2) His death and resurrection would have been pointless if there was no need to save people from such a place. 3) Just as light and dark, sweet and bitter, happy and sad provide contrast, the eternal bliss of heaven demand the eternal torment of hell to provide an opposite. 4) Justice demands punishment and reward. There is a world full of people who do not believe and are going there when they die. That's why evangelism is so important. The good news is that Jesus died to provide an escape so that we don't have to go there.
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Hell is real and can be avoided.
Have a "reality" day. Love you.
Luke 16:23-24
" 'And being in torment in Hades, he [the rich man] lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in torment." ' "
The thought of hell – a place of eternal torment – is so horrible that I don't like to even think about it. A conversation with a Seventh-day Adventist [they do not believe in eternal punishment] forced me to clarify my own thinking, and I came to the conclusion that there must be a hell, for several reasons. 1) Jesus believed it. He spoke more of hell than he did heaven. 2) His death and resurrection would have been pointless if there was no need to save people from such a place. 3) Just as light and dark, sweet and bitter, happy and sad provide contrast, the eternal bliss of heaven demand the eternal torment of hell to provide an opposite. 4) Justice demands punishment and reward. There is a world full of people who do not believe and are going there when they die. That's why evangelism is so important. The good news is that Jesus died to provide an escape so that we don't have to go there.
TODAY'S THOUGHT: Hell is real and can be avoided.
Have a "reality" day. Love you.
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