Founded by Bryant Wright, Right from the Heart is a
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Torture Or Separation? Jun 01 2009
"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.'" - Luke 16:22-28
No one in the Bible spoke more about hell than Jesus did. Jesus painted a pretty complete picture as to what hell is like. In some cases, He spoke literally and in others He spoke more figuratively. Christ speaks about the suffering of hell. It means being permanently separated from God. It is going to be a place of totally unrestrained evil, where the devil and his demons reside along with all those who have rejected Christ. That’s not a pretty picture and not a place you want to be.
While there is nothing in Scripture that says hell is an eternal torture chamber, it does say it will be eternal suffering and a clear awareness of what you have missed out on. You will realize that your whole life had been a waste because you never responded to Christ. There is the realization that you are permanently separated from God. That will create great agony.
Whatever it may be, you surely don’t want to wind up there. And you don’t have to. The good news that follows this bad news is Christ came to save us from hell. He came to forgive us of our sins and make us right with God. Have you claimed this good news in faith? Do so today. Hell is a place you want to be saved from.
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7 Comments
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Yes, report it NevermindI remember the time when I did not believe in hell and thought it was just a scare tactic invented to bring in the masses. Now, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I know that I am redeemed and will be going to Heaven someday in my new glorified body to spend eternity with my Savior and all the saints. Thank you, Lord for the truth of your Word and use me today to be a beacon of Light for all those I meet today, especially those who do not know You.
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Yes, report it NevermindGail - same here. I convinced myself hell was a scare tactic. It is a logical error. Since then I've learned that just because something is scary, doesn't make it a scare tactic. Sometimes the truth is scary.
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Yes, report it NevermindI remember this, my grandfather told this story many times. There is none better to describe what will happen if we become greedy and refuse to see the needs of others who need our help and/or prayers. Help me be more devoted to reading these stories from the bible. Thanks you.
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Yes, report it NevermindI actually didn't get saved to go to heaven but I got saved so I would stay out of hell. The Preacher didn't use it as a scare tactic but he just stated in a matter of fact-tone about what the Bible said about hell. Just to realize that hell wasn't made for man but for satan and the angels who followed him, and that if we reject Christ then we will go there also, this was enough to convince me that I needed a Savior and that I was lost. Thank God for his son who died for my sins. God bless and have a great afternoon.
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Yes, report it NevermindJail is scary, too. You are confined with others who have made a specific choice in their life that put them there. It doesn't mean it is torture, but it is certainly something that no one wants to experience. Yet, we all agree that justice should be served, and those who break the law need to be separated from society. Wouldn't it be great if we could know that there would be perfect justice, and all those who are in prison were guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt, and others who committed similar crimes did not get away with it.
That's the way it will be in the end. God is perfectly good and perfectly just, so on the day we stand before him, there will be no doubt that we all missed the mark. There will also be no doubt that God reached out to each one of us, no matter when or where we lived, to ensure we had the knowledge required to make a choice to seek him and accept his forgiveness, or to reject him and go our own way. Yes, those who reject God in this life will be separated from him and his people for all eternity, but we will also know that perfect justice was served by him.
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Yes, report it NevermindIf God were only JUST, then we are all guilty and deserve the worst. The Apostle Paul put it well when he said that we are saved by FAITH, but even that is by GRACE ALONE, so that none might boast.
I know that I have done nothing to deserve to go to heaven, and plenty to deserve punishment. Jesus was the only one who could open the door. It is on in his arms that I will enter into the Kingdom. How can anyone love him enough for what he did for us in his love? Only he is worthy. How can any Christian not love him more than life itself?
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Yes, report it NevermindRicky, Thanks for the clear analogy.
Grant, Thanks for the reminder.