Dec 11 2008
Heaven and Hell–Truth or Fiction?
Yesterday a fellow blogger mentioned that she was blogging on Christian topics, but there were few takers, clicking to read it. Yet the top blogger on that site made $700 in November at one dollar a hit. So what was that blogger talking about that was so appealing?
I’ll bet it wasn’t heaven and hell. Such topics are, for the most part ignored in the “Eat, drink and be merry” society in which we live. My heart breaks to see that few are ready to face eternity, and if and when they do, they will be shocked to find the rumors about hell were horrifyingly accurate.
In his recent book, Twenty-three Minutes in Hell, Author Bill Wiese speaks most eloquently on the subject. Bill was a realtor from California who went to bed one night only to wake up in hell, a dark, desert-dry place where the heat was 1,000 times as hot as the hottest desert on earth. There was no liquid or water of any kind, nothing growing or green, and he felt a terrible, unquenchable thirst. The ghastly smell of death, decay and destruction permeated the space.
He woke up naked, lying on the floor of a small cell with a barred door and sides like those of a cave. The sounds of agonizing screams never let up, even for a second. Two demons, both terrifying and bent on his destruction, struck fear into his heart like he had never known before. And they had access to his body. He described them as looking like the demons we see in horror films, with hatred in their eyes, and razor-sharp talons that ripped across his flesh and flayed it open. But there was no blood, no liquid of any kind. After the attack his insides hung out and the pain was indescribable, and though he wished he could die to end his misery, he somehow knew this was eternal death. He was overwhelmed by a feeling hopelessness, knowing there was no turning back, no way to change his mind. It was forever too late.
The Bible says hell is a place prepared for the devil and his angels. God never intended for human beings to go there. And while most of us have heard that God loves us, we may not have made the connection between accepting Christ and reaping eternity in hell. It’s really not a difficult concept. Our sin separates us from God. Jesus bridged that gap by dying on the cross, and it’s up to us to accept or reject His gift of salvation. Our choice, then dictates our eternity. It’s as simple as that.
In our culture, we’ve been brain-washed into living for the moment, for grabbing all the gusto we can before it’s too late. Well, we can do that, but let’s not fool ourselves. There’s a price to pay for the privilege. Living for ourselves will, in the end, cost us everything.
Anyone with an ounce of discernment can see that the gravy train is about to end. Money, entertainment, fleshly lusts, fame, fortune, glamor and glitz are quickly fading memories that will be worth nothing when the economy fails, and the wealth of our formerly blessed nation disappears like dust in the wind.
There’s a quote I’ve heard that says: Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. That says it all.
Heaven, then, is a real place. So is hell. You and I will be required to stand before God to account for the lives we lived on earth. ( See Hebrews 9:27.) Without the covering of the blood of Jesus we will have no excuse. We will have chosen hell. John 3:36 says, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life, but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Perhaps you just realized you’re headed for eternity without Christ. Perhaps you’ve changed your mind and want to accept His amazing gift of salvation. If so, pray and confess that you are a sinner with no power to save yourself. Ask Him to forgive you, to come in and change your heart. He promises to transform you, to make you a new creation in Christ Jesus. The moment you sincerely pray that prayer, you become a child of God, and heaven is your destination. Get into God’s Word and get to know Him, for He is alive and well, ready to hear and answer the prayer of those who draw near to Him.
Accept His gift of salvation before it’s too late.
If you have prayed this prayer and need a Bible, please email me at: nancyarantwilliams@hughes.net and I will send you a Bible.
Because of His great love,
Nancy
