Friday, July 18, 2014

Hellfire and Brimstone... maybe we should hear more!

Every human being is in the process of becoming a noble being, noble beyond imagination;
or else, alas, a vile being beyond redemption. C. S. Lewis

"Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades."  Revelation 1: 17-18

In his book, One Minute After You Die, Erwin Lutzer paints a picture that
suggests that all of us will be eternally somewhere. We all, every one of us, faces the
eventual end to our present existence when we die. Even though death is a topic that
beings fear to many people, it is one result of the original sin, the physical ending of
our lives here of earth and the beginning of something. It is a passage. For those in Christ 
it is a welcome moment that beings us into immediate contact with Jesus who will walk
with us, as He promised, as we pass through the dark shadow into eternal light and grace.

But what of others? What about those who have chosen not to believe, trust and follow the
Good Shepherd? Well, the book presents some clearly frightening scenarios, the most
important of which is the realization that this type of post death experience is one that
cannot be changed through means of purgatory, reincarnation or any other way. 

"Once we have passed through the door of death we can't pick up our suitcase and move out 
because we don't like the accommodations." M. R. DeHaan  (from Lutzer)

From the book... Admittedly, hell is an unpleasant topic. Unbelievers disbelieve in it; most Christians ignore it. Even the staunchly biblical diehards are often silent out of embarrassment. Hell, more than any other doctrine of the Bible, seems to be out of step
with our times. 

The book also suggests that once a soul is cast into Hell, the person will have a resurrected
body just as those who are saved in Heaven and will be totally in agreement with the
just, Holy decision made by God that sent him there. 

In this short blog, I am trying to make the point that there are plenty of good reasons to
hear, often, of the unpleasant and eternal suffering that will be a part of existing outside
of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We all need to be reminded, daily, of the grace that has been shown us, the blessing we have undeservedly been given, the gift of eternal life in the presence of God Almighty.

I will gladly listen to good preachers and read good books like the one, here, that
show me the glorious life that awaits those in Christ upon their passage from this life, and warn of the impending doom for those outside of His loving care.

Praise our God!!!

 

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