A Hell of a Message: The Truth About Hell

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We have to get our information about eternity from a reliable source.

Pastor Greg Laurie looks to the Bible truth about hell there's a lot of misinformation about hell also party place.

You know, just jump together with your friends and this one long party. The double rules from hell. The devil has Redskin leaders Bob pitchfork and horns and clothes and a tail with a point right. None of that is biblical and we don't want politics about embarrassing moments troubled past times, we didn't tell the truth. The date went very badly to the top of the list would have to be for the existence of hell today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie points out, our knowledge of hell maybe dangerously limited or worse yet why all the things we've heard books, TV or movies the truth we are in the gospel of Luke chapter 16 so turn there with me if you would look chapter 16, where the little series right now were talking about eternal thing last Thursday we talked about Kevin tonight were going to talk about that other place not happen.

That also starts with the H I mentioned up survey done in my last message would people believe about heaven and hell and many people believe that heaven is a place where people of lead good lives are eternally rewarded and hell is a place where people will blood God lives and die will be eternally punished. Well, I've Artie pointed out, that's incorrect. Heaven is not a place created for people who live good lives and will be eternally rewarded because no one has led a good enough life to get they have we learned nothing else from the book of Romans.

Thus far, we've learned that no one is good enough to get to heaven. Evidence for forgiven people. So I pointed out, there's going to be what we might call some bad people in heaven that people who turn from their sin and believed in Jesus and on the same way there's going to be some good people in hell by good I mean people that maybe were moral and maybe self-righteous but never took the time to turn from their sin and put their faith in Christ. Know this home was not made for bad people. Hell was created for the devil and his angels.

That's a Jesus that so it's not designed for people is designed for Satan and his angels, and I'll explain more in our next message about why these angels rebelled against God and followed Satan. And sometimes we don't want to talk about this, and sometimes people will acknowledge it could be a place like yelp for the really really bad people, you know the Hitler's of the world the Osama bin Laden's are the mousy tongues or the Stalin's are a member of Isis. Yeah, they're going to go to hell but we don't ever want to think that we can ever go there or someone we know could go there in fact is the idea of divine judgment is probably one of Christianity's most offensive teaching.

This is because there's a lot of misinformation about hell I one of them is also party place. You know, just get together with your friends and this one long party that the double lives in hell. The devil rules from hell and the devil has Redskin pointed ears, pitchfork and horns and who loves and a tail with a point right. None of that is biblical. The devil is not that funny little creature of the devil does not live in hell now, nor does he rule from hell now he's in the supernatural realm. The Bible describes him as the prince of the power of the year.

The spirit that no words in the children of disobedience know Satan is not any all nobodies going there one day. But he is not ruling from hell as many people mistakenly think so hell is there, and of the 40 parables that Jesus told Of them relate to God's eternal judgment of sinners. JI Packer said and I quote an endless cell can no more be removed from the New Testament, then an endless heaven can." And that's true, but some atheists have criticized our faith because of the biblical teaching on Hell, the late Christopher Hitchens, a well-known atheist was quoted to say. Not until the advent of the printed piece do we hear of the ghastly idea of further punishing and torturing the dead.

Nothing proves the man-made character of religion is obviously that's a sick mind the design help" so Hitchens is basically saying this was a New Testament teaching that came from Jesus himself, which is not true. The topic of hell as taught in both the old and the New Testament. I atheist Bertrand Russell said, quote I must say that I think this doctrine. Hell fire a punishment for sin is a doctrine for cruelty to doctrine, the put cruelty into the world and gave the world. Generations of cruel torture and the Christ of the gospel could certainly be considered partly responsible for that."

Now that is a pretty compelling argument. Basically what they're both saying is hell. The teaching of hell is at the root of a lot of the problems in the world today and in people because they believe this, do horrible things in the name of religion, but actually history would directly contradict that affect history would show us that a lack of believe in God and the afterlife is at the root of atrocity. Let me ask you this. If the atheistic Stalin really believe that he would be accountable to God in faith, God, you think you would be as cruel as he was. I would now say, and other atheistic mass murderers have done the things that they did if they believe there was a final judgment they would face if Hitler believed in a future judgment would have murdered 6 million Jewish people Timothy Keller points out quote a lot of believe in a God of vengeance is actually something that secretly nourishes violence." The truth is a belief in hell can be viewed as a constraint or a restraints on cruelty so the ideas if you don't believe there's a God and you don't believe there's an afterlife, if you don't believe there's a final judgment. What constraints do you have one, not just do whatever you want to whoever you want whenever you want because there's nothing to pay for later but if you believe in a judgment you believe in a God that's watching over you and you believe that the Lord will repay these things, it will affect you in the way that you live.

The truth is, believe in the afterlife affects us in this life as well as the next line, the belief in heaven as a motivation to live a godly life.

Believe in hell as a motivation to not live a wicked, sinful life, because we know things will be coming out openly. One day Mr. Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message just a moment we send these daily studies out via radio satellite over the Internet. We don't always know how these messages are touching lives. Pastor Greg, I stumbled on your daily Bible studies.

One morning, while listening to the radio became so interested in the way you explain the Bible and the station went off the air. I searched and was able to find your Google podcast and listen to every day when you explain the Bible stories finally let me connect with the Lord in a way I've never been able to before. I grew up attending Christian school and church ministry because it was like someone finally turn the lights on and connected the dots.

After all these years it took someone across the country for me to finally explain things in a way I can understand. I appreciate you and thank you for turning on the light were so grateful to hear of the change lives to harvest ministries.

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Pastor Greg continues this hard-hitting look at what the Bible says about hell you look at Luke chapter 16 and sometimes this is called a parable.

Let me explain what a parable� Jesus told a lot of parable parables are illustrations sometimes all tell stories to my grandkids, Jos� Pablo tell us a story and I'll just make up something on the spot. A random story, sometimes therein the story and all the little creatures from the forest. The names that they have the love that.

Of course, and I'll just make something up or I'll come up with an illustration to bring the troops home to them. So a parable is an illustration of a parable is defined as an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. So Jesus told a lot of parables so I went out to sow seed and some seed fell here and some see brother or a father had two sons and one ran away and the other stayed home and these are generally parables are illustrations that may have been based on actual people but in general they were just stories that Jesus told to make a point. What were about to read is not a parable and I'll tell you why because Jesus begins with the words, a certain man a certain man, and more specifically a name is given the name of Lazarus, Jesus never named people in parables. The reason I bring this up as you are about to read a behind-the-scenes look at the afterlife. This story that Jesus told this true story I might add, tells us what happened to a believer and a non-believer salutes 16. Let's read together starting in verse 19. There was a certain rich man who is splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and he lived each day and lecturing reading from the new living translation and that is Gately a poor man named Lazarus was covered with sores as Lazarus lay their longing for scrap from the rich man's table. The dogs would come and lick as open sores, finding the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. There again, the real story.

This really happened. It's a glimpse into the invisible world. It's a story of two men, one owned everything and possess nothing. That was the so-called rich man.

The other owned nothing but ended up inheriting everything that would be Lazarus. One went to comfort as will see in a moment. One went to torment and this is where the redeemed criminal went when he was crucified next to Jesus and Jesus said today you will be with me in paradise seen in the Old Testament days before Jesus died and rose again. When a believer died. They went to comfort to Abraham's bosom in the comfort section of Hades. Hades usually have two sections. It was comfort in torment or smoking and non-smoking. Okay so when you die before Jesus was crucified, and rose again you would go to this place of comfort but now the Christ is risen again when a Christian dies they go to heaven.

So all that's left in Hades now or hell is a place of torment.

So that's what happened to the people who died on the cross and believed in Jesus, but Naaman find out what happens to a nonbeliever drop down to verse 22, nine reading from the new King James version. The rich man also died and was buried in being in torment in Hades he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off Lazarus in his bosom and he cried and said father Abraham, have mercy on me, send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue fried tormented in this flame. Abraham said, son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things. Now he is comforted you are tormented. Beside all this beside between us. There is a great gulf fixed so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from their past due us.

Then he said I bet you therefore, father that you would send him to my father's house.

I have five brothers that he may testify to them.

Less they come to this place of torment. Abraham said they have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. And he said no father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent and he said to him that they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither what will they be persuaded, the one rise from the dead.

So. There okay so let's understand the rich man so call it sin was not being a rich man.

His sin was being a sinful man, a wicked man who had no concern for God or the eternal. He was obsessed with greed and material things verse 19 says he was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously. That's King James for this guy was living large. This guy wore only the finest clothing.

The designer clothing.

This is the guy you would post a photo of himself laying on a pile of money, smoking a cigar and posted on Instagram or something. There are people that do that, of course, flaunting it check out my band check out my blaming look at all the stuff I have. Look at these women look at my life. Look at me, you know.

And that's the life, the living that was is God.

He was around today, he would've been that guy flaunting everything that he had to fair sumptuously simply means he had parties every day massive party and all the people would come and watch his guide party is like the way it he was living the good life and he had unlimited funds to eat what ever he desired all the fancy food you could want. I really don't like fancy food you like French food.

What's the deal with that and I would like and French fries. I met okay but we aren't no French poodle would so I we can't pronounce what it is, then you find out you're eating the brain of a snail or something.

I mean who you sales French people do.

It's called escargot right withering garlic anything taste good and garlic. Okay you can eat dirt and garlic and it would taste like the widest available thing ever look at a snail and the portions are like a minuscule Tenuate this meal and then the next course and and then the next course and that's it. I like I'm hungry still try. I want food I want a burger now.

I want pizza now something the sandwich anything with this stop you know who this guy was living a luxurious line eating all the fine foods. Meanwhile, outside of his gait was an impoverished man named Lazarus. The Bible says he ate the scrap to go from the rich man's table is attempting back in those days they didn't use napkins use bread, the use bread to wipe their oily dirty hands on so they would eat with their hands. Now with the fork and knife for cutlery as we call it right, they just take the bread dip it into the various things and put the meat in the bread or whatever it is. The fish in the bread and then when they were done they would take another piece of bread they would wipe their greasy fingers in the throat on the floor. Usually that's with the dogs ready for this is what Lazarus was living on his diet was the bread that had been used to wipe the grease in the oil of food off of the rich man's hands and also we read that he was carried to the gate which would imply he probably was disabled in some way he could not move.

He was not mobile so not only is this guy impoverished. Not only is this guy eating scraps from this other man's table with the Epicureanism to the gate. So every day when the rich guy would cruise in her cruise on the gates would open up and see Lazarus who cares about him, well than one data, and death is the great equalizer and were told that the beggar died, but he was given an angelic escort to heaven by the way, when a Christian dies. They are escorted by angels to heaven is not great to know an angelic escort, but that is not what happens.

For the nonbeliever, the rich man was not ushered into heaven like Lazarus. This sin again was not as well. That was his disregard for the spiritual which revealed itself in this prideful flaunting of resources in his neglect of a starving disabled man sitting at his door and they both died and they both went to their respective places. One went to comfort the other went to torment one of the world's wealthiest men. Malcolm Forbes made this statement shortly before he died. Quote the thing I dread most about death is not.

I know I will not be as comfortable in the next life as I was in this life." That's true enough you put your faith in Christ. You will be much more comfortable in the if you put your faith in Jesus.

The best is yet to come.

If you've not put your faith in Jesus.

Enjoy life now because it's all downhill from here. So the best thing of course is the baleen and him now then you're prepared for the afterlife.

Some important insight today. Life-and-death insight from Pastor Greg Laurie message from his series, the afterlife and the eternal. There's more to come. In this presentation here on a new beginning. But listen, if you missed any of what Pastor Greg Broadus today. You can catch up by going online to harvest.org or request a CD from us when you dial 1-800-821-3300. We're here to take your call anytime 24 hours a day at 1-800-821-3300 yesterday were so excited make available your new book called Billy Graham the man I knew just so much research went into this book and you thought a lot about Billy's life in the course of writing this job if if he could somehow be with us right here right now for just a few minutes. What you think you would ask him well that's a good question. What I remember what I asked him when I had the opportunity. I was in his home in Montreat, North Carolina, and I said, Billy.

If an older Billy could speak to a younger belly. What would he say and really without missing a beat, Billy said I would tell myself to breach more on the cross of Christ and the blood of Christ because that's where the power is, and that was something he lived by throughout his entire life as far as what I would ask Billy today will, of course, if he was with this back from the other side I would want to know a lot about the afterlife, so Billy went seven lucky kid and you know what happened up there but you know as far as any I actually asked pretty much all of the questions I wanted to ask him and I talked about them in the book and I don't know that I would have anything new to ask him but just.I think I would just tell him how much I appreciated him. I did tell him that when I spoke with them for the last time I told him I loved him. He told me he loved me. I don't see that the people lightly.

By the way, and died. So this I had those opportunities they have final conversations with him, but probably just say you know you you're going to be loved beyond the time you're on this earth and your legacy will live on and I want to just save you.

Thank you for being a good example not only a great preacher thank you for being a good example in a good model of what it means to be a real Christian. While the book reflects that kind of spirit.

It's Pastor Greg to look at the life of a good friend and mentor more than that. It's an evangelist look at the life of history's greatest evangelists. It's a celebration of remarkable life. The title is Billy Graham, the man I knew that Jeff Franklin Graham wrote this about the book.

I've often said that the public Billy Graham sheen on crusade platforms and television was the same private Billy Graham at home. This certainly is revealed in Billy Graham, the man I knew, which is based on breaks personal thoughts on the special time spent with my father and how his ministry impacted Greg's own life and evangelistic ministry. I'm grateful for Greg's friendship for his love for my father and for his proclamation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ second mission to cover your way. Pastor Greg is making it available to thank you for your donation of any size. And please know there are no churches or large organizations covering all the expenses it's only through the investments of listeners that these insights can come your way. Each day, so thanks for being a partner with us with your donation today. Be sure to ask for Billy Graham, the man I knew you can write a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300 call anytime 24 hours a day, 1-800-821-3300 or just go online to harvest.org are you receiving Pastor Greg's daily devotions that these inspirational thoughts in your email box every day. Sign-up free of charge@harvest.org next time. Pastor Greg continues his series called the afterlife ending eternal will consider the reality of hell and how we can avoid that judgment. That's next on new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie and possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign-up for pastor grades free daily email, devotions@harvest.org