Hell-- it's a subject worth talking about
I may have gotten some of your attention by my title, and a few raised eyebrows which is about all that the word "hell" seems to get anymore. Your probably wondering why in the world I would want to broach such a subject on my xanga, well let me give you a little background...
About two nights ago I had an interesting experience through a book I was reading, and am currently reading by Randy Alcorn. It's a book I would highly recommend to everyone. It's the first book in a long time that I have ever seen completely devoted to the subject of life after death..., but I really need to stick to the subject because I have a lot to say. I just finished reading the chapter he wrote on "Hell" before turning off the lights as I was reading I felt this urgency in my spirit that was so strong I could hardly think of anything else my husband noticing that I was quiet, and knew with me that that is usually a sign of something being "wrong" Asked me if I was ok, usually I pretty much jabber the dear guy to sleep, All of a sudden it hit me--what I had been reading in the book and it came out in choking sobs, I can't explain it I just couldn't stop the flood of tears that kept coming I pretty much cried myself to sleep that night. Why? The terriblness of an eternity in hell just overwhelmed me and I couldn't help but think of all the people that don't know Jesus as their personal Saviour...let me quote a little of what I read from the book...
Chapter title: Is Heaven our Default Destination or is Hell?
The safest road to hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. --C.S. Lewis
(that's a scary thought here's some more)
For every American who believes he's going to Hell, there are 120 who believe they're going to Heaven. This optimism stands in stark contrast to Christ's words in Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter in. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it."
Sin separates us from God...
God is so holy that He cannot allow sin into His presence....
We cannot get into Heaven as we are...
We dare not "wait and see" when it comes to what's on the other side of death. We can know We should know before we die. We may die at anytime...
Here is a little portion from the book on the awfulness of Hell...
"Hell will be a place of conscious punishment for sins, with no hope of relief. This is why Dante, in the Inferno, envisioned this sign chiseled above Hell's gate: 'Abandon every hope, you who enter.' Jesus refers it as a literal place and describes it in graphic terms--including raging fires and the worm that doesn't die. Christ says the unsaved 'will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth' Matthew8:12 In His story of the rish man and Lazarus, Jesus taught that in Hell, the wicked suffer terribly are fully conscious retain their desires and memories and reasoning, long for relief, cannot be comforted, cannot leave their torment, and are bereft of hope. The Saviour could not have painted a more bleak or graphic picture."
Is it unloving to speak of hell?
The books says it better then I could here are some excerpts.
"If you were giving some friends directions to Denver and you knew that one road led there but a second road ended at a sharp cliff around a blind corner, would you talk only about the safe road? No. You would tell them about both, especially if you knew that the road to destruction was wider and more traveled . In fact, it would be terribly unloving not to warn them about that other road.
For the same reason we must not believe Satan's lie that it's unloving to speak to people about Hell. The most basic truth is that there are only two possible destinations after death; Heaven and Hell. Each is just as real and just as eternal as the other. Unless and until we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, we're headed for Hell. The most loving thing we can do for our friends and our family is to warn them about the road that leads to destrucion and tell them about th road that leads to life.
If we understood Hell even the slightest bit, none of us would ever say, 'Go to Hell,' it's far to easy to go there. It requires no change of course, .... We were born with our auto pilot set to Hell.
God loves us enough to tell us the truth...Only one road leads to Heaven. Jesus said, 'No one comes to the Father except through me'
...Because God is the source of all good , and hell is the absence of God , Hell must be the absence of all good. Hell will have no community, no camaraderie, no friendship(those are good things)...likely, each person is in solitary confinement, just as the rich man is portrayed alone in Hell(Luke 16:22-23)"
Ok so all this could be considered rather depressing, but it isn't because none of us have to go. Jesus loved us so much that He would rather die then send us into an everlasting punishment. He offers us the free gift of salvation and all we have to do is ask. I know this post is rather serious, but I just felt a need to share what I read. I think we need to realize the seriousness of it all. Nothing and I repeat NOTHING is worth missing Heaven for. So many things in this life that seems so tempting and wonderful are nothing when you look at them through the eyeglasses of eternity. We should be doing everything we can to keep ourselves far away from that path that leads to the pit of Hell! Why would we even want to tempt ourselves with things that aren't necessarily wrong but may slowly and softly lead us to that wide easy path?! I plead with you my loved ones, don't go there...
People my heart is so heavy when I think of this subject, but I must-- we must all be serious when it comes to this... we must consider the consequence of every action, every choice that we make...Eternity is too important to play around with....
"Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die...Resolved , to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do, if, I had already seen the happiness of Heaven and Hell torments."--Jonathan Edwards
Posted 6/18/2006 at 1:31 AM - email it
About two nights ago I had an interesting experience through a book I was reading, and am currently reading by Randy Alcorn. It's a book I would highly recommend to everyone. It's the first book in a long time that I have ever seen completely devoted to the subject of life after death..., but I really need to stick to the subject because I have a lot to say. I just finished reading the chapter he wrote on "Hell" before turning off the lights as I was reading I felt this urgency in my spirit that was so strong I could hardly think of anything else my husband noticing that I was quiet, and knew with me that that is usually a sign of something being "wrong" Asked me if I was ok, usually I pretty much jabber the dear guy to sleep, All of a sudden it hit me--what I had been reading in the book and it came out in choking sobs, I can't explain it I just couldn't stop the flood of tears that kept coming I pretty much cried myself to sleep that night. Why? The terriblness of an eternity in hell just overwhelmed me and I couldn't help but think of all the people that don't know Jesus as their personal Saviour...let me quote a little of what I read from the book...
Chapter title: Is Heaven our Default Destination or is Hell?
The safest road to hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. --C.S. Lewis
(that's a scary thought here's some more)
For every American who believes he's going to Hell, there are 120 who believe they're going to Heaven. This optimism stands in stark contrast to Christ's words in Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter in. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it."
Sin separates us from God...
God is so holy that He cannot allow sin into His presence....
We cannot get into Heaven as we are...
We dare not "wait and see" when it comes to what's on the other side of death. We can know We should know before we die. We may die at anytime...
Here is a little portion from the book on the awfulness of Hell...
"Hell will be a place of conscious punishment for sins, with no hope of relief. This is why Dante, in the Inferno, envisioned this sign chiseled above Hell's gate: 'Abandon every hope, you who enter.' Jesus refers it as a literal place and describes it in graphic terms--including raging fires and the worm that doesn't die. Christ says the unsaved 'will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth' Matthew8:12 In His story of the rish man and Lazarus, Jesus taught that in Hell, the wicked suffer terribly are fully conscious retain their desires and memories and reasoning, long for relief, cannot be comforted, cannot leave their torment, and are bereft of hope. The Saviour could not have painted a more bleak or graphic picture."
Is it unloving to speak of hell?
The books says it better then I could here are some excerpts.
"If you were giving some friends directions to Denver and you knew that one road led there but a second road ended at a sharp cliff around a blind corner, would you talk only about the safe road? No. You would tell them about both, especially if you knew that the road to destruction was wider and more traveled . In fact, it would be terribly unloving not to warn them about that other road.
For the same reason we must not believe Satan's lie that it's unloving to speak to people about Hell. The most basic truth is that there are only two possible destinations after death; Heaven and Hell. Each is just as real and just as eternal as the other. Unless and until we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, we're headed for Hell. The most loving thing we can do for our friends and our family is to warn them about the road that leads to destrucion and tell them about th road that leads to life.
If we understood Hell even the slightest bit, none of us would ever say, 'Go to Hell,' it's far to easy to go there. It requires no change of course, .... We were born with our auto pilot set to Hell.
God loves us enough to tell us the truth...Only one road leads to Heaven. Jesus said, 'No one comes to the Father except through me'
...Because God is the source of all good , and hell is the absence of God , Hell must be the absence of all good. Hell will have no community, no camaraderie, no friendship(those are good things)...likely, each person is in solitary confinement, just as the rich man is portrayed alone in Hell(Luke 16:22-23)"
Ok so all this could be considered rather depressing, but it isn't because none of us have to go. Jesus loved us so much that He would rather die then send us into an everlasting punishment. He offers us the free gift of salvation and all we have to do is ask. I know this post is rather serious, but I just felt a need to share what I read. I think we need to realize the seriousness of it all. Nothing and I repeat NOTHING is worth missing Heaven for. So many things in this life that seems so tempting and wonderful are nothing when you look at them through the eyeglasses of eternity. We should be doing everything we can to keep ourselves far away from that path that leads to the pit of Hell! Why would we even want to tempt ourselves with things that aren't necessarily wrong but may slowly and softly lead us to that wide easy path?! I plead with you my loved ones, don't go there...
People my heart is so heavy when I think of this subject, but I must-- we must all be serious when it comes to this... we must consider the consequence of every action, every choice that we make...Eternity is too important to play around with....
"Resolved, that I will live so as I shall wish I had done when I come to die...Resolved , to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do, if, I had already seen the happiness of Heaven and Hell torments."--Jonathan Edwards
Posted 6/18/2006 at 1:31 AM - email it
posted by lonnajoy at
1:11 AM
2 Comments:
Great job on a tough subject. Thanks be to God for how much he loves all mankind in providing a way of escape. God does not send anyone to hell. People choose that destiny only because they refuse the only means of salvation. Jesus Christ.
By
Rob, at 5:06 PM EDT
Thank you Jesus!
By
lonnajoy, at 7:15 PM EDT
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