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Where Will You Spend Eternity Hell,
the very name denotes something very bad. The dictionary says of Hell
the place to which sinners and unbelievers go to for eternal punishment
after death. When you mention Hell most people get frighten, although no
one has ever gone there; or have they?… as I begin preparing this
message I remembered a tract I had read entitled, "Forty Eight Hours in
Hell". This tract was supposed to be a true story about a man who was in
prison for an awful crime. While on a work detail he was killed. While being prepared for burial, two other prisoners were carrying this man
from the morgue to another room for his burial preparation. One man stumbled and
dropped the dead man, that is when he regained consciences. After being
revived he told a story about
where he had been, It seemed he made a long journey down a long dark
road which was well traveled. Passing through a tunnel where there was a
lot of noise he was taken
on the other side to get a look at heaven, listen as I quote him “far
above me, in the distance I saw the beautiful city of which we read
about in
the Bible. How wonderfully beautiful were its walls of jasper. Stretching
out and away in the distance, I saw vast plains covered with
beautiful flowers. I too beheld the river of life and the sea of glass.
Vast multitudes of angels would pass in and out through the gate of the
city, singing, oh, such beautiful songs. Among the number I saw my dear
old mother, who had died a few years ago of a broken heart because of my
wickedness. She looked toward me and seemed to beckon me to her, but I
could not move. There appeared to be a great weight upon me that held me down. Now a gentle breeze wafted the fragrance of those flowers to me, and I could now, more plainly than ever, hear the sweet melody of angels voices, and I said, oh, that I might have been one of them". at that point, he said he was moved to another point where he beheld the lake of fire. And I quote, "Just before me I could see as far as the eye could reach, that literal lake of fire and brimstone huge billows of fire would roll over each other, and great waves of fiery flame would dash against each other and leap high in the air like the wave of the sea during a violent storm. On the crest of the waves I could see human beings rise , but soon to be carried down again to the lowest depths of the lake of fire when borne on the crest of these awful billows for a time their pitiful cries for water would be heart-rending. This vast region of fire echoed and re-echoed with the wails of these lost spirits. He then
stated, presently I turned my eyes to the door through which I had a
entered a few
moments before, I read these awful words; "this is thy doom,
eternity never ends". Shortly I began to feel the ground give away
beneath my feet, and soon found my self sinking down into the lake of
fire. An indescribable thirst for water now seized upon me. And calling
for water my eyes opened in the prison hospital. I passed through all
this, and I am well satisfied as I am alive, that there is a heaven and
there is a hell, and a regular old-fashioned hell, the kind the Bible
tells about".
Now friends you have just heard a story about heaven and hell
from a man, is it true? Did this really happen? Let us take a few minutes
to take and look at what the Bible has to say about heaven and hell. Jesus told a true story in the gospel of (St Luke 16:19-31) about two people that he had known personally, their friends and families only saw what happened to them on this earth. One of them was very successful, very happy, very rich. The other was very poor, very sick, and very lonely. But Jesus saw that which no one else could see. He saw what happened on the other side of eternity. Here we have contained in the infallible word of God a true story by the son of God, telling us what it is going to be like in eternity. Friends this one story contains all the major elements of eternal destiny, Let us take a close look at it. We know from this story that, life after death is real. When we compare this story with the testimony from our man’s story, we can see all these men were alive in another world after they left this world. They were very much alive in another world. ”And it came to pass, that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom the rich man died, and was buried, and in hell he lifted us his eyes, being in torments and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Luke 16:22,23. Yes friends we can also see they went to their new home immediately after they died. “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” II Corin 5:8. You can
see, friends the saved go straight to heaven and the unsaved go
straight to hell. The man in our story went to hell before they even
placed his body in his coffin. From our stories we can see there are only
two eternal places of destiny. You may have wondered if people really
know what is going on, are they personally conscious." And 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 tormented in
this flame”. Luke 16:24. yes friends not only were they alive and
conscious but they had sense of sight. The rich man could see Abraham
and Lazarus. They had the sense of feeling, the rich man said he was in
torment. They had the sense to taste and were thirty, the rich man was
thirsty and wanted water. Yes friends just like the man in our story. They had the sense
of speech, because the rich man was talking to Abraham. The man in our
story also talked to those in charge. These people also had the sense of
hearing, because he listened to Abraham, like the man in our story. Each
had a memory, the rich man remembered Lazarus and the man in our story
remembered his mother and the wickedness he had done while on earth. Now
as we have taken a look at these two places I want you to notice the
main differences between these two places. Hell is a place of torment,
while
heaven is a place of comfort. Both the man’s story and the Bible story
shows
this to be true Mark 9:43 says that hell is a fire that burns
continually and is never quenched. Matt 22:13 talks of pain and gnashing
of teeth. Rev 14:11 talks of the smoke of their torment ascending up
forever and and ever and no rest day or night yes friends I think you
will agree with me, hell is a real place and a very frightful place to
be, a place where no man should want to go. Yes friends it is that and
more, and no man has to go there. If you remember the man in our story
at the beginning of our message he told about a beautiful place
called heaven.
The Bible also verified this, because Lazarus went to heaven and
is still there today waiting for others who has made plans to go there. You
don’t have to be rich or famous to go there, because Lazarus was a poor
beggar, a helpless nobody. You know him, you see many Lazarus everyday, walking
around in your city. People just like Lazarus who’s only food must be
given to them from people that have money. Friend Lazarus’ only
medicine, the tongue of a dog that licked his wounds. When he died, God
sent the angels of heaven to carry him to heaven. Friends, because he
trusted in Jesus he now has all of eternity to enjoy the blessing of
God. The man in our story told you
how wonderfully great heaven is and the Bible also tells us in
Rev 21:3,4 and “
I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, behold,
the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and
they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be
their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain’ for the former things are passed away”. Praise God
hallelujah, just think friends not only is heaven beautiful but
it is what we have always dreamed about. There are no more tears, no
more death, no more crying, no more pain, no more sin, no more curses,
and a place where fellowship with God is personal and continuous. A place
of security, (no terrorists there) and a place where all needs are provided. In fact friend (I
Corin 2:9) says that we have never seen or our minds cannot
imagine anything like it. Yes friends these destines and conditions are
eternal and beside all this, ” (Luke 16:26)”. There is no way
out, once you enter in it is your destiny.
There are no other places for man to go, there is no such place
as purgatory, friends as we have read from God’s Word there are only
two places of eternal destiny. And if you are saved and on your way to
heaven friends you will be separated from your loved ones friends, and
acquaintances forever who are not saved. We can change our minds this
side of eternity, but not after being resurrected in our eternal abode.
Friends if you are not in heaven thee will be no hope. Friends we have a
solemn responsibility to warn others and try to keep them out of hell.
Verse 27 and 28 says, ”Then he said I pray thee there fore, father,
that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house’ for
I have five brethren that he may testify unto them lest they also
come into this place of torment”. Friends here is a man in hell
wanting someone to tell his brothers how to be saved. A great preacher,
L..R. Scarborough, told of his calling and his hard decision between his
call to preach and his ambition to be a lawyer, he said, "I read this
passage of scripture and I heard the cry of that man in hell he said go
and tell my brothers not to come to this place and for 25 years, I have
been looking for that man’s brothers and several thousands have by
faith in Christ escape that place". It is not God’s will that any
should perish (II Peter 3:9) Friends hell was prepared for the devil and
his angels (Matt 25:41), God has promised us in (John 3:16), that whosoever
believes would not perish. God sent his son so that we might be saved
and escape hell. But my dear precious friend Jesus is the only way to
heaven and the only way to escape hell. Friends remember the man at the
beginning of our program. He said as soon as I opened my eyes in the
hospital and found that I was alive and on earth once more, I
immediately gave my heart to God and I am going to live and die a
Christian, While the terrible sight of hell can never be
banished from my memory, neither can the beautiful things of heaven. Friends
will you come to God before it is too late?, Do not
wait any longer, hell is a terrible place to spend eternity when you can
have heaven. Right now where ever you are repent of your sin ask God to
forgive you and be Lord and Savior of you life and you can be on your
way to heaven today.
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