“…dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,” – 2 Thessalonians 1: 8-9
Have you ever taken a minute to think about hell – who’s going to be there and what it’s all about?
Did you know that Jesus spoke more about hell than He did about heaven?
Jesus tells an interesting parable about a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. The beggar sat at the gate of the rich man’s house each day, hoping for some leftovers from the rich man’s feast, but they never came. Both men died. Lazarus, the poor man, went to be with God, and the rich man went to hell. Seeing Lazarus across a great divide, he begged that Lazarus might dip his finger in water and bring even a drop to cool his tongue because of the agony of the heat, but it was too late. They were separated by the great divide – forever.
Now, understand 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?
Here is a truth about eternity: until you believe in the bad news of hell, you can’t understand the good news of Jesus.
He came to save us from hell and guarantee us a place in heaven if we trust Him as our Savior.
The question is: what do you believe about hell?
Written by Bryant Wright, Founder, RFTH
