Luke 16:20-31
"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell,where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' '
No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "
It's so easy to be taken up by this life that we live. The stressful challenges, unreasonable expectations, the desire to succeed, the pleasurable pursuit of self, and a need to secure a good life for the future. There's heaps and heaps of excuses and reasons that we generate to justify our actions and how we choose to live. Sadly, when we die, nothing will be able to justify how we are unable to live according to the warnings of John in 1 John 2:15 "Do not love the world or anything in the world."
The bible tells strongly on the agony of hell as we read the desperate expression of the rich man who said "have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire".
Have you ever eaten chilly or super-spicy food that burns your tongue and seems to burn through your into your inner being, and you actually start feel your lips and tongue swell and then you perspire? It's absolutely agonising when you don't have a cool fan blowing and a cold glass of drink to quench that agonising moment. Well if you don't know what I've described, find a chance to watch Christopher eat grilled chicken wings with heaps of fresh chilli sauce to see a perfect example of what I'm talking about.
This parable which Jesus tells is the only one which clearly describes the burning agony that is to be experienced in Hell. But, it isn't his only warning as time and again he warns of the "weeping" and "gnashing of teeth" found in darkness, outside the kingdom of heaven upon judgement. (Matthew 8:12, Matthew 24:51, Luke 13:28)
We know for sure Hell is real. We are not talking about the fictional holleywood movies depicting hell and its resident house of the devil. However, Revelations 20 states the truthful picture of Hell as a lake of fire. On the day of judgement, each person will be judged according to what he had done. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he will be thrown into the lake of fire. Hell is a lake of fire which would burn and torment the soul for eternity and there is no turning back or any more chances to go to heaven.
I know it seems like a freakily scary thought of being burned for all eternity, but not many of us have this eternal persepective that grips us every waking day to live Christ-like lives and guard our salvation. Sadly, if we continue today to live normally and enjoying life, without the need for God, as the rich man did, there may just come a day when our life passes by and we too would have to face the agony of hell.
What can we do then? As quoted in the parable above, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." May we learn to pay attention to the leaders, instructions, warnings and prophesies that God places in our lives that we may live God fearing lives. The agony of Hell should never be an option.
Blessings,
M.
"The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:41-42)
23 August 2006
The Agony of Hell
Luke 16:20-31
"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell,where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' '
No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "
It's so easy to be taken up by this life that we live. The stressful challenges, unreasonable expectations, the desire to succeed, the pleasurable pursuit of self, and a need to secure a good life for the future. There's heaps and heaps of excuses and reasons that we generate to justify our actions and how we choose to live. Sadly, when we die, nothing will be able to justify how we are unable to live according to the warnings of John in 1 John 2:15 "Do not love the world or anything in the world."
The bible tells strongly on the agony of hell as we read the desperate expression of the rich man who said "have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire".
Have you ever eaten chilly or super-spicy food that burns your tongue and seems to burn through your into your inner being, and you actually start feel your lips and tongue swell and then you perspire? It's absolutely agonising when you don't have a cool fan blowing and a cold glass of drink to quench that agonising moment. Well if you don't know what I've described, find a chance to watch Christopher eat grilled chicken wings with heaps of fresh chilli sauce to see a perfect example of what I'm talking about.
This parable which Jesus tells is the only one which clearly describes the burning agony that is to be experienced in Hell. But, it isn't his only warning as time and again he warns of the "weeping" and "gnashing of teeth" found in darkness, outside the kingdom of heaven upon judgement. (Matthew 8:12, Matthew 24:51, Luke 13:28)
We know for sure Hell is real. We are not talking about the fictional holleywood movies depicting hell and its resident house of the devil. However, Revelations 20 states the truthful picture of Hell as a lake of fire. On the day of judgement, each person will be judged according to what he had done. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he will be thrown into the lake of fire. Hell is a lake of fire which would burn and torment the soul for eternity and there is no turning back or any more chances to go to heaven.
I know it seems like a freakily scary thought of being burned for all eternity, but not many of us have this eternal persepective that grips us every waking day to live Christ-like lives and guard our salvation. Sadly, if we continue today to live normally and enjoying life, without the need for God, as the rich man did, there may just come a day when our life passes by and we too would have to face the agony of hell.
What can we do then? As quoted in the parable above, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." May we learn to pay attention to the leaders, instructions, warnings and prophesies that God places in our lives that we may live God fearing lives. The agony of Hell should never be an option.
Blessings,
M.
"The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:41-42)
"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell,where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' '
No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "
It's so easy to be taken up by this life that we live. The stressful challenges, unreasonable expectations, the desire to succeed, the pleasurable pursuit of self, and a need to secure a good life for the future. There's heaps and heaps of excuses and reasons that we generate to justify our actions and how we choose to live. Sadly, when we die, nothing will be able to justify how we are unable to live according to the warnings of John in 1 John 2:15 "Do not love the world or anything in the world."
The bible tells strongly on the agony of hell as we read the desperate expression of the rich man who said "have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire".
Have you ever eaten chilly or super-spicy food that burns your tongue and seems to burn through your into your inner being, and you actually start feel your lips and tongue swell and then you perspire? It's absolutely agonising when you don't have a cool fan blowing and a cold glass of drink to quench that agonising moment. Well if you don't know what I've described, find a chance to watch Christopher eat grilled chicken wings with heaps of fresh chilli sauce to see a perfect example of what I'm talking about.
This parable which Jesus tells is the only one which clearly describes the burning agony that is to be experienced in Hell. But, it isn't his only warning as time and again he warns of the "weeping" and "gnashing of teeth" found in darkness, outside the kingdom of heaven upon judgement. (Matthew 8:12, Matthew 24:51, Luke 13:28)
We know for sure Hell is real. We are not talking about the fictional holleywood movies depicting hell and its resident house of the devil. However, Revelations 20 states the truthful picture of Hell as a lake of fire. On the day of judgement, each person will be judged according to what he had done. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he will be thrown into the lake of fire. Hell is a lake of fire which would burn and torment the soul for eternity and there is no turning back or any more chances to go to heaven.
I know it seems like a freakily scary thought of being burned for all eternity, but not many of us have this eternal persepective that grips us every waking day to live Christ-like lives and guard our salvation. Sadly, if we continue today to live normally and enjoying life, without the need for God, as the rich man did, there may just come a day when our life passes by and we too would have to face the agony of hell.
What can we do then? As quoted in the parable above, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." May we learn to pay attention to the leaders, instructions, warnings and prophesies that God places in our lives that we may live God fearing lives. The agony of Hell should never be an option.
Blessings,
M.
"The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:41-42)
