On June 5, 1944 the United States Military issued thousands of body-bags to young men and women who were going to be involved in the invasion of Normandy. Men &women understood the gravity of their involvement when they received the bag in which they could be buried in. Despite the risks & cost; brave men and women on June 6, 1944 stormed the beaches of Normandy. These soldiers understood that the benefits (freedom, stopping Nazi Germany, democracy) outweighed the cost (their lives).
As Christians we are also involved in a war. Our war is a spiritual war. Our General is Christ, our Enemy (Satan, the flesh, and the world) appears strong, however, our victory is certain! As Christians we have two options. We may choose to sit in our comfy pews, singing praises to God, and pat ourselves on the back OR we may choose to stand up and by the power of the Holy Spirit join God on mission. There will be costs; however the benefits greatly outweigh the costs. There is a cost if we do not join God (individuals without Christ will spend eternity in Hell). There is a cost if we join God (leaving behind friends, family members, comforts of America, etc). There is a major benefit for joining God (He gets the glory He deserves).
I will be blogging over the next three weeks examining the costs to missions as well as one of the major benefits. This week I will examine the cost of not joining God on mission. The cost of not joining God on mission is that those who have never heard the name of Christ and those who reject Christ will spend eternity in Hell.
The Bible clearly and explicitly teaches that hell is a real place to which the wicked/unbelieving are sent after death. We have all sinned against God (Romans 3:23). The just punishment for that sin is death (Romans 6:23). Since all of our sin is ultimately against God (Psalm 51:4), and since God is an infinite and eternal Being, the punishment for sin, death, must also be infinite and eternal. Hell is this infinite and eternal death which we have earned because of our sin.
The punishment of the wicked dead in hell is described throughout Scripture as “eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41), “unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12), “shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2), a place where “the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44-49), a place of “torment” and “fire” (Luke 16:23-24), “everlasting destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9), a place where “the smoke of torment rises forever and ever” (Revelation 14:10-11), and a “lake of burning sulfur” where the wicked are “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
The punishment of the wicked in hell is as never ending as the bliss of the righteous in heaven. Jesus Himself indicates that punishment in hell is just as everlasting as life in heaven (Matthew 25:46). The wicked are forever subject to the fury and the wrath of God. Those in hell will acknowledge the perfect justice of God (Psalm 76:10). Those who are in hell will know that their punishment is just and that they alone are to blame (Deuteronomy 32:3-5). Yes, hell is real. Yes, hell is a place of torment and punishment that lasts forever and ever, with no end. Praise God that, through Jesus, we can escape this eternal fate (John 3:16, 18, 36).
Individuals without Christ are on a path which is leading towards destruction. Everyday without Christ individuals are storing up for themselves the wrath of God which will be poured out on them in Hell. Every individual you meet who does not know Christ is like an individual walking on an old, rotten bridge and at any moment the planks beneath their feet could give way and they will fall head first into Hell.
I pray this post has opened your eyes to the reality of Hell as well as to the Biblical truth that those without Christ will spend eternity there. Please go and share your faith while there is still time! Please partner to take the Gospel to those who do not know Christ. Please count the cost of not being involved!
As Christians we are also involved in a war. Our war is a spiritual war. Our General is Christ, our Enemy (Satan, the flesh, and the world) appears strong, however, our victory is certain! As Christians we have two options. We may choose to sit in our comfy pews, singing praises to God, and pat ourselves on the back OR we may choose to stand up and by the power of the Holy Spirit join God on mission. There will be costs; however the benefits greatly outweigh the costs. There is a cost if we do not join God (individuals without Christ will spend eternity in Hell). There is a cost if we join God (leaving behind friends, family members, comforts of America, etc). There is a major benefit for joining God (He gets the glory He deserves).
I will be blogging over the next three weeks examining the costs to missions as well as one of the major benefits. This week I will examine the cost of not joining God on mission. The cost of not joining God on mission is that those who have never heard the name of Christ and those who reject Christ will spend eternity in Hell.
The Bible clearly and explicitly teaches that hell is a real place to which the wicked/unbelieving are sent after death. We have all sinned against God (Romans 3:23). The just punishment for that sin is death (Romans 6:23). Since all of our sin is ultimately against God (Psalm 51:4), and since God is an infinite and eternal Being, the punishment for sin, death, must also be infinite and eternal. Hell is this infinite and eternal death which we have earned because of our sin.
The punishment of the wicked dead in hell is described throughout Scripture as “eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41), “unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12), “shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2), a place where “the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44-49), a place of “torment” and “fire” (Luke 16:23-24), “everlasting destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9), a place where “the smoke of torment rises forever and ever” (Revelation 14:10-11), and a “lake of burning sulfur” where the wicked are “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
The punishment of the wicked in hell is as never ending as the bliss of the righteous in heaven. Jesus Himself indicates that punishment in hell is just as everlasting as life in heaven (Matthew 25:46). The wicked are forever subject to the fury and the wrath of God. Those in hell will acknowledge the perfect justice of God (Psalm 76:10). Those who are in hell will know that their punishment is just and that they alone are to blame (Deuteronomy 32:3-5). Yes, hell is real. Yes, hell is a place of torment and punishment that lasts forever and ever, with no end. Praise God that, through Jesus, we can escape this eternal fate (John 3:16, 18, 36).
Individuals without Christ are on a path which is leading towards destruction. Everyday without Christ individuals are storing up for themselves the wrath of God which will be poured out on them in Hell. Every individual you meet who does not know Christ is like an individual walking on an old, rotten bridge and at any moment the planks beneath their feet could give way and they will fall head first into Hell.
I pray this post has opened your eyes to the reality of Hell as well as to the Biblical truth that those without Christ will spend eternity there. Please go and share your faith while there is still time! Please partner to take the Gospel to those who do not know Christ. Please count the cost of not being involved!
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