“…bringing judgment on those who do not wish to know God and who refuse to accept his plan to save them through our Lord Jesus Christ. They will be punished in everlasting hell, forever separated from the Lord, never to see the glory of his power.” – 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 NLT
Did you know that Jesus spoke more about hell than He did about heaven?
Let’s look at one of Jesus’ parables that tells the story of a rich man and a beggar. The beggar, named Lazarus, sat each day at the gate of the rich man’s house, hoping for some leftovers from the rich man’s feast – but nothing was ever offered. Eventually, both men died. Lazarus, the poor man, went to be with God, while the rich man went to hell. Seeing Lazarus across a great divide, he begged for even one drop of water off of Lazarus’ finger to cool his tongue due to the agony of the heat, but it was too late. They were separated by the great divide forever.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. I’m certainly not saying the poor will go to heaven and the rich will go to hell. This is just the parable Jesus chose to use. But, have you noticed how many people act like hell doesn’t exist? They believe everyone eventually goes to heaven because God is love. What if they’re wrong? Jesus believed in hell. Do you believe He was wrong or do you believe He tells the truth?
A truth about eternity: until you believe in the bad news of hell, you can’t understand the good news of Jesus. Jesus came to save us from hell and guarantee us a place in heaven. The question is: what do you believe about hell?
