A Hell of a Message | The Truth About Hell

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We have regular information about eternity from a reliable shortening and sugar and glory looks to the Bible truth about know there's a lot of this patient about hell also get together with your friends and one long double hell, double Redskin leaders for horns and politics about embarrassing moments, troubled times, we didn't tell the truth. The top of the list would have to be the existence of hell today on a new beginning. Greg Laurie points out, our knowledge of hell maybe dangerously limited. Worse yet, all the things we've heard TV.

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, what were talking about eternal thing we talked about Kevin tonight were going to talk about that other place not happen, but 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 who 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 reported because no one has led a good enough life to get they have that we learn nothing else from the book of Romans. Thus far, we've learned that know what is good enough to get together 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 in 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 hell 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 times 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 never 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 writing.

This is because there's a lot of misinformation about hell I one of them is that hell's a party place. You know, just get together with your friends and that's one long party that the devil lives in hell. The devil rules from hell and the devil has Redskin pointed ears kids for an horns and hoods 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 notice he ruled 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 now, but he's 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 hell 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 Prince of peace 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 that design help" so Hitchens is basically saying this was a New Testament teaching that came from Jesus himself, which is not true of 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 how 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 time 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 he have murdered 6 million Jewish people Timothy Keller points out quote a lot of belief 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 want to 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 the 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 life, the belief in heaven is 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 Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message just a moment. Hearing about listeners who filing Jesus because of harvest ministries is so encouraging. Pastor Greg is a 20 year listener to your radio show fellow Harbor high graduate, I thought you would appreciate hearing how I used your salvation or to bring my dad to the Lord in the final moments of his life. My father was a big gregarious man and played football for the Missouri Tigers back in his early years, he became a successful businessman in California and was married four times.

However, through the years. He was a very good father to me and my three siblings just recently my dad flew out for a visit. Got to hold his great-granddaughter for the first time it was on this trip that he fell down a staircase which set in motion a domino effect of health issues that were insurmountable, leading to a heart attack. Days later, knowing he had just hours or minutes to live in, not knowing if he had accepted Jesus Christ as Savior.

I asked him if he would like to repeat after me.

The prayer of salvation better for you. Pastor Greg and he promptly said yes after leaving my dad in this prayer of salvation. I said to him, dad. Congratulations. You're going to heaven. A quiet peace settled over him and he was no longer afraid to meet his maker have these daily studies in God's word touched your life. The life of someone in your family. If so, why not try Pastor Greg an email and let them know.

Send it to grade@harvest.org again, that's great harvest.org now. Pastor Greg continues this hard-hitting look at what the Bible says about hell would you look at Luke chapter 16 and does sometimes this is called a parable.

Let me explain what a parable… Jesus told a lot of parables. Parables are illustrations sometimes all tell stories to my grandkids as a public Telesis story and I'll just make up something on the spot. A random story. Sometimes there in 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 truth 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 from there tomorrow. 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 salute. 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. Finally, 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 want to comfort SOC 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 and 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 the 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 now let's 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 down.

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 unless they come to this place of torment. Abraham said 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 either. 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 were 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 this stuff I have these women look at my life. Look at me, you know.

And that's the like. The living that was his God views 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 anyway this meal and then the next course and and then the next course and that's it. I like I'm hungry still high.

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 that, though from the rich man's table. Here's the thing back in those days they didn't use napkins.

These bread these 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 what the dogs were the will. 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. I 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 for 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 cannot 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 and you're prepared for the afterlife. Getting life-and-death insight pastor Greg Laurie in a message from his series, the afterlife and the eternal, and if you want to know how you can believe on the Lord now go to harvest.org and click the words know God pastor Greg when I get in the car you know I buckled my seatbelt to adjust the mirror, look behind me as I back out of the garage. Then shift into drive and look both ways before I pull out onto the street and frankly I just don't give that a lot of thought, but back when I first learned to drive, which was right after cavemen invented the wheel every little thing required maximum concentration. It was exhausting – some people are trying to live the Christian life. That way you know nothing is easy everything is exhausting is something wrong while I think that it's just a whole new world. You're learning a whole new lifestyle.

You're learning a new language. Everything is new, but think of this is new in a really good way.

You know the Bible says if any man be in Christ, he is an altogether different kind of person old things have passed away.

Behold, everything becomes fresh and new.

Now it is true that driving requires your full concentration when you're first starting but at the same time it opens up a whole new world because now you have freedom you have mobility mom doesn't have to drive you everywhere so you know the chrysolite can be like that were learning these things. It's hard at first, third different, like reading the Bible are praying these are things that don't necessarily come naturally, but these are things that will help you when your spiritual growth. In fact, these are what we would call disciplines of the Christian life. Don't be frightened by the word discipline. A discipline is important. It's a root word of the word disciple. We are to be disciples of Jesus. So you apply some discipline in your life and every morning you say I'm going to read God's word. I'm going to pray you know and you discipline yourself to be a part of a church and so much more to resist temptation.

The list goes on.

So I want to help you learn more about these disciplines more how to live this Christian life more how to drive the car if you will, and as you do it more and more it will become second nature to you, and these principles are found in a little book that I wrote that is titled the new believers guide to effective Christian living. Like to send you a copy and I'll give it to you for your gift of any size that some of you might be generous in and make a contribution to our ministry and I'll thank you in advance for that others can't give that much, but will still send you the book as this is an important resource. I like to put in your hands so order your own copy of the new believers guide to effective Christian living for your gift of any size. Yeah, that's right. And we hope to get in touch today so we can get it on its way to you. I keep an extra copy on hand to give to a new believer who crosses your path is small enough to keep in a purse or glove compartment of your car so contact us today with your donation and be sure to ask for the new believers guide to effective Christian living. You can call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24 seven phone number 1-800-821-3300 or write a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or go online to harvest.org are you receiving pastor Greg's daily devotions get 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 and the eternal consider the reality of hell how we can avoid bad judgment.

Join us here on a new beginning.

Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Moore. Everybody thinks her list. Beginning this is a podcast made possible by harvest partners. So for more content can help you know God and equip you to make him known to others or to learn more about how you can become a harvest partner. Just go to harvest.org