Corona Devo 2069
(46) And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” ~Matthew 25:44-46
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What's scarier than a haunted house?
What's more terrifying than a horror movie?
The reality of Hell.
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What's the sum of 2 + 2 = ________? (4)
A triangle's angles always
add up to _______? (180 degrees)
The sun rises in the east and sets in the __________? (West)
Water is composed of 2 hydrogen atoms and how many oxygen atoms? (1)
True or False - Breathing is essential to human life. (True)
By definition, an 'Absolute Truth' is a statement or
fact that is unchanging, timeless, universal, and true for everyone, always,
and in all situations, independent of personal belief, cultural or
circumstances.
For instance, let’s take the 1st question:
2+2 = 4.
Regardless of whether we
“believe” the answer is 4 or 10, or how we “feel” about the answer, or what time zone
we are in, or even where we are in the world: there is only one, unchanging,
timeless answer and an infinite number of wrong ones.
And how about this somber Absolute Truth... all of us will one day die.
Think about it. We were
born. We learned to eat, walk and talk. We went to school. We went to
college or learned a trade, and got a job, maybe got married and possibly had
kids.
We bought cars and houses,
took vacations. Eventually we did or will retire. Grow old. And then…we
will die.
Now what?
We are all part of the Ultimate Statistic: ten out of ten of us will die.
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment... ~Hebrews 9:27
This is an absolute
truth that is unchanging, timeless, universal, and true for everyone-- always,
and in all situations, independent of personal belief, cultural or
circumstances.
Death is an absolute
truth that we cannot escape.
And since that is the
case, shouldn’t we desire to be certain of where we go when we
die?
It’s Halloween: let’s
explore a dark, scary, taboo topic: death!
The same principle of truth holds for any type of absolute truth, even our eternal truth. There will be one right answer, and many wrong answers.
So…what do we think is on the other side of death? Do we "think" about that? We should.
Here are some differing opinions about what people think/say/believe is “on the
other side”.
Hinduism teaches that an individual is almost endlessly reincarnated, based on the law of karma. The better you do, the better your reincarnation.
Islam teaches there is a paradise and hellfire based on good deeds, with martyrdom being the ultimate good work, and the only sure way to paradise.
Buddhists believe that through enlightenment, the soul is continually reincarnated, getting better each time until it reaches an ultimate state of nirvana.
Atheists believe there is no conscious
afterlife.
We can see that there are many and differing opinions, but which is correct? Which is the one that will happen to US when we die? How can we know what is out there after we draw our last breath?
As Christians, we believe and trust in God’s Holy Word, the Bible.
The Bible teaches (repeatedly) of Heaven and Hell.
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” ~Revelation 21:8
Can the Bible be trusted in answering the Absolute Truth question pertaining to what happens to us when we die? The answer is: Absolutely!
By using the same
criteria by which we judge other historical works, not only is the Bible
reliable, but it is also more reliable (and proven) than any
other comparable writings when tested via historical, scientific, medical, and
archaeological standpoints.
No facts presented in the Old or New Testaments have been proved to be false. In fact, modern day discoveries continue to further prove the legitimacy of the Bible.
So, what does the Bible
teach about Heaven and Hell?
Hell: The Bible is clear
and teaches us that hell is the destination for the unsaved: Those who have not
received God's gift of redemption through faith in Jesus. Most people, even
those who call themselves Christians, incorrectly believe that Heaven is the
default location when you die, and that is simply not true. Hell is! Are
we aware of that? And--are we ready for that?
The Bible teaches us that we have all sinned against God (for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God... ~Romans 3:23).
The just punishment for sin is death (For the wages of sin is death... ~Romans 6:23). Because all of our sin is ultimately against our (holy) God (Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight;... ~Psalm 51:4), and since God is infinitely glorious, the punishment for sin must also be infinite. Eternal hell—the second death—is the punishment we have earned because of our sin.
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ~Matthew 10:28
Hell is described in Scripture as a place of eternal separation from God, an “eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41), a place of “shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2), a place of “torment” and “fire” (Luke 16:23–24), of “everlasting destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9), a “lake of burning sulfur” where the wicked are “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
Jesus refers to hell as a place where “there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12).
Are we frightened yet?
Yes, hell is real.
Yes, hell is a place of
torment and punishment that lasts forever and ever, with no end. Hell is
infinitely scarier than any haunted house we ever entered, or any horror movie
we ever watched!
If hell is the default
location when we die, our next question has to be—What can we do to avoid hell at all costs? How can we live forever with Christ in heaven?
Jesus is glad we asked. He's dying for us to know the answer. In fact, He died for us to know and experience that answer.
He tells us in John 14:6: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Praise God that, through Jesus, we can escape this eternal fate of Hell and instead go to Heaven.
- And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, (28) so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. ~Hebrews 9:27-28
- For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.... ~Romans 6:23
Heaven: The Bible says that Heaven is a real place, the dwelling place
of God, and the destination for believers in Jesus Christ. Heaven is a place of
“no mores.”
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. ~Revelation 21:4
There will be no separation from the Lord, because death and sin will be conquered.
Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. ~Revelation 20:6
It is a place of perfect
bliss and eternal life with God.
And the best thing about
heaven will be the presence of Jesus. We will see him,
and the Bible says that we will be like Him.
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. ~1 John 3:2
Heaven is available and offered to all of us, despite our past sins...no matter what.
Anyone can
receive God’s gift of redemption through Jesus. And for those of us who trust in
Jesus: we never have to fear hell or fear death because we’ll never go near it!
Jesus conquered death, and we are SAVED!
We might be asking what
we must do to be saved?
First, we must repent of
sin. Repentance means we change our way of living and thinking. We
acknowledge that we are sinful and that we are in need of a Savior. We
ask God to forgive our sins, and we invite Him into our heart to change our
attitudes and our life. And as a result, we will no longer want to
sin.
- Romans 10:9 says, If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
- They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” ~Acts 16:31
The second thing
is faith, and faith and repentance go together. We repent of our sins, and then we believe in Jesus. We have faith In Him.
We don't believe in anything else to save us, like our good works or our money, or anything else for our salvation, except for the Lord Jesus Christ. And we receive Him in our heart and ask Him to come in and change us, and make us new.
And He will come in.
- If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ~
- They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” ~Acts 16:31
The third thing is to obey God. We need to read His Word (the Bible), and do (live!) what it says.
And...that's it. There's no advanced Calculus involved in following Christ. But doing so will guarantee our place next to Him (forever!) in Heaven.
~~~
Question:
What if the Bible is wrong about the afterlife?
Answer:
It isn’t! But, for the sake of this hypothetical, let’s say it is. Then as Christ-followers, we lived good lives (not perfect), helping others, giving to the poor, bringing light to a dark world. We die and that’s the end, (I guess).
But what if others are wrong, and the Bible is right? (And it is)!!
What if we live life on our own terms without asking Jesus fully into our hearts? We will die without accepting Jesus, and hell is the default location for every person who doesn't know Jesus intimately. We'll spend eternity in unquenchable fire with torment and gnashing of teeth.
For this reason alone,
I’d make every effort to know for sure where I was
going.
Lord, I do repent. Forgive me of my sins. I do receive you. I open my heart to you. Amen.
It's that easy. Jesus has already done the hard.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~Romans 6:23
Accept the gift (treat!) of God today, and we will be free from fear, pain, horror, gnashing of teeth, and all "tricks" tomorrow.
sarah
Https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com
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