Are we are rightly being kept away from Hells reality?

From: openairpreacherman Sent: 02/03/2006 09:08
Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

This passage describes the Judgment of the Great White Throne. The dead are raised to stand before God The dead are judged by what is written in the books of God. What interesting is that men are judged according to theirs actions in this life. Then they are cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death or separation.

We might have different perspectives of this passage but the main truths stand out for all to see. There is a Judgment and there is a lake of fire.
Steve

From: Gilly Sent: 10/11/2005 21:23
Yes, I very much do believe there is a Hell, but I do have a slightly different view of it. I believe that the believers will be welcomed straight into Heaven, and that will be more beautiful than any of us can imagine, and that as the parable of the rich man and Lazarus tells us so clearly.....the door to Heaven is a one way door....and who would want to leave anyway!!!....but I think that 'the resurrection of the dead' refers to those who died before Christianity, and that at the second coming, they shall be resurrected to join us. I don't believe sinners will be resurrected to Hell...What I believe is that all those who reject Christ will be tormented forever as they are spiritually cut off from God for Eternity, which will result in more pain and suffering than anyone could ever bear, yet there would be no death to bring them relief from their eternal suffering. So it is the worse end imaginable.

Gilly

From: bibby15942 Sent: 09/11/2005 06:41
I'm thinking of the text which says 'They will not believe though one came back from the dead'.
Jesus is real. right?
So heaven must be real too.

You cant put a real person into an imaginary place.

'I believe in the resurrection of the dead'. So says the creed. What this means is the God will raise all men to life, physical life, either to Hell or Heaven.

Steve.

From: Dunggate Sent: 08/11/2005 09:33
I believe what the bible says, but below is an extract from something I read recently which may convince those who think it is a myth. I have even heard Christians say they they don't think it is actual. Well ....are we calling Jesus words a lie!

Several years ago a book was published, entitled Beyond Death's Door by Dr. Maurice Rawlings. Dr. Rawlings, a specialist in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease, resuscitated many people who had been clinically dead. Dr. Rawlings, a devout atheist, "considered all religion "hocus-pocus" and death nothing more than a painless extinction". But something happened in 1977 that brought a dramatic change in the life of Dr. Rawlings! He was resuscitating a man, terrified and screaming — descending down into the flames of hell:
"Each time he regained heartbeat and respiration, the patient screamed, "I am in hell!" He was terrified and pleaded with me to help him.. I was scared to death. . . Then I noticed a genuinely alarmed look on his face. He had a terrified look worse than the _expression seen in death! This patient had a grotesque grimace expressing sheer horror! His pupils were dilated, and he was perspiring and trembling — he looked as if his hair was "on end."
Then still another strange thing happened. He said,"Don't you understand? I am in hell. . . Don't let me go back to hell!" . . .the man was serious, and it finally occurred to me that he was indeed in trouble. He was in a panic like I had never seen before."
(Maurice Rawlings, Beyond Death's Door,(Thomas Nelson Inc., 1979) p. 3).
Dr. Rawlings said, no one, who could have heard his screams and saw the look of terror on his face could doubt for a single minute that he was actually in a place called hell!

The Bible continually warns of a place called hell. There are over 162 references in the New Testament alone which warns of hell. And over 70 of these references were uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ!

From: Missy (Original Message) Sent: 06/11/2005 18:36


This week we will discuss, "the truth about hell, is it real or is it a myth?".

Below are some bible passsages that clearly tell us it is very real indeed, does anyone feel that hell is just a myth? Have a different picture than the one portrayed in the passages below?

Matthew 5:22
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.


Matthew 5:29
If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.


Matthew 5:30
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.


Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.



Matthew 18:9
And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.


Matthew 23:15
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.


Matthew 23:33
"You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?


Mark 9:43
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.


Mark 9:45
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.


Mark 9:47
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,


The Rich Man and Lazarus
19"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell,[c] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So 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.'

25"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. 26And 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.'

27"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

29"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'

30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

31"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.' "

Thought I would add the above story story as i think its also a great illustration.

MISSY.

Happy New Year to everyone

I agree Alan there are lots of testimonies regarding the existance of hell. God allows certain people to witness the horrors of hell in order to keep us on the right path.

Matthew 25:41-46
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

2 Peter 2:4-10
For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but condemned them to the chains of Tartarus and handed them over to be kept for judgment; and if he did not spare the ancient world, even though he preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, together with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the godless world; and if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gommorah [to destruction], reducing them to ashes, making them an example for the godless [people] of what is coming; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man oppressed by the licentious conduct of unprincipled people (for day after day that righteous man living among them was tormented in his righteous soul at the lawless deeds that he saw and heard), then the Lord knows how to rescue the devout from trial and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who follow the flesh with its depraved desire and show contempt for lordship.

Matthew 5:29-30
"If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna."

Matthew 10:28,32-33
"And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. . . . Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father."

Proverbs 15:24
The path of life leads the prudent man upward, that he may avoid the nether world below.

Isaiah 5:14-16
Therefore the netherworld world enlarges its throat and opens its maw without limit; Down go their nobility and their masses, their throngs and their revelry. Men shall be abased, each one brought low, and the eyes of the haughty lowered, But the Lord of hosts shall be exalted by his judgment, and God the Holy shall be shown holy by his justice.

Isaiah 28:15,17-18
Because you say, "We have made a covenant with death, and with the nether world we have made a pact; When the overwhelming scourge passes, it will not reach us; For we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have found a hiding place,"-- . . . I will make of right a measuring line, of justice a level.-- Hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters shall flood the hiding place. Your covenant with death shall be canceled and your pact with the nether world shall not stand. When the overwhelming scourge passes, you shall be trampled down by it.

Luke 12:45-48
"But if that servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

Luke 16:19-26
"There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.' Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.'"

2 Thessalonians 1:6-9
For it is surely just on God's part to repay with afflictions those who are afflicting you, and to grant rest along with us to you who are undergoing afflictions, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his mighty angels, in blazing fire, afflicting punishment on those who do not acknowledge God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal ruin, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power.

Matthew 13:41-42,49-50
"The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. . . . Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

Revelation 20:10, 12-15
The Devil who had led them astray was thrown into the pool of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. . . . Then another scroll was opened, the book of life. The dead were judged according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls. The sea gave up its dead; then Death and Hades gave up their dead. All the dead were judged according to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire. (This pool of fire is the second death.) Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the pool of fire.

Revelation 14:9-11
A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice, "Anyone who worships the beast or its image, or accepts its mark on forehead or hand, will also drink the wine of God's fury, poured full strength into the cup of his wrath, and will be tormented in burning sulfur before the holy angels and before the Lamb. The smoke of the fire that torments them will rise forever and ever, and there will be no relief day or night for those who worship the beast or its image or accept the mark of its name."

God Bless

Jan

From: __Watchman__ Sent: 03/08/2008 09:45
May I ask how church teaching of hell squares with that which is taught in scripture?

Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

From: EphesiansGal2 Sent: 04/08/2008 08:13
Hi Watchman, I'll go for this.
I like that word "square" in this context: it makes me think of the right-angle needed in any drawing or building that causes everything else to fit and to fall in line. Jesus is the chief cornerstone, the Rightness of all spiritual foundation, and it is He who through His teaching would encourage us not to smudge over the Gospel by pretending hell is no threat to anyone. I fear many have gone to that place because of the lack of teaching on this subject, and a false belief that personal comfort and gain were insurance enough.
We must preach the Gospel, and that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.....no man comes to the Father but by Him. Only through Jesus can we enter into the life which is eternal. God will judge the world, but we are not powerless to change our destiny all the while we can trust Jesus for forgiveness and cleansing of our sins, and repent from our wrongdoings. Jesus has promised us that.
Jesus Himself warned of hell, and if He considered it of such importance, so should we.
I like people who ask questions! Thanks!
Love, Mary
From: Dunggate Sent: 04/08/2008 09:04
Hi Watchman
Death is certain, it is the demerit of sin, the appointment of God
wicked and good know this, but those
who have lived by faith in holiness know that Christ died for them
and death has been abolished as a punishment., we are alive in Him
but the dead know not anything they know not any thing that is done in this world,
nor how it fares with their children and friends they have left behind them.

A better understanding of this is when I read Isaiah 63 in this prayer and pick up at
vs;16
For you are our Father through Abraham does not know us and Israel does not recognise us You O Lord are our Father our Redeemer from of old is your name.

Blessings
Elaine.
From: Merry20004 Sent: 04/08/2008 15:28
Oh yes, there definitely is a hell, and it's worse than our worst nightmares. The enemy loves us to keep off the subject though, the further away the better. If people believe there is no hell, and there will be no judgement day they are walking along just the right path that the devil wants them to. Not bothering about a life hereafter is a major strategy of his. If he can keep our minds off hell, and concentrate on the here and now, he is gaining a foothold.
From: Bertie2006 Sent: 05/08/2008 14:56
I have been reading and pondering on this one for days, thank you Alan for sending the links to the testimonies.

Do I need to be told about hell, do I need it preached to me in sermons, personally I don't think so, I know fire burns, I don't have to put my hand in it to prove that, I have in my mind a picture of what hell is like, drawn up over the years, through teachings at school, watching x rated films (before I was born again), and if I am honest then that is exactly what the testimonies seemed like, reruns of old films I have seen.

I believe in hell as much as i believe in Heaven, and i would much rather think about and talk about were i am going, than were i was heading before being born again.

Looking back on that life is a good enough reminder to me what hell is like.

I have often wondered when we die were our souls go, do we go straight to Heaven or hell, the bible tells us in the end days the living and the dead will be brought forward for judgment, so were are we before being judged, the opening few lines in the testimonies say there is no Purgatory or Limbo, me i believe there are such places, if not are our souls just floating around until judgment.

Just my thoughts
Bertie
From: EphesiansGal2 Sent: 06/08/2008 08:08
Hi Bertie, blessings!
I think your attitude shows you are born again: you already know hell exists and is no longer your eternal destination. No reason for you to concern yourself with it now except on behalf of those who aren't born again, and who don't know that hell is a reality. Unfortunately there are millions like this sitting along the pews, believing all is well when it isn't. And then there are a lot more out there in the world, who have no personal relationship with Jesus and no experience of salvation. If the Gospel is going to be preached, it must be preached with realism, or the world will not have any sense of urgency that anything is required of them to make themselves safe.
Having said that, there is a big difference between temporal reality and spiritual reality. Boy, there is a fight on for the souls of men, and the devil is scoring too many victories for my liking.
Though fear of judgment is not necessarily the best of reasons for coming to Jesus, He will not despise us if that is all we have. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. I wish I had more to give Him than this, but sometimes it is what will dislodge me from some tenacious habits which kindly words have unfortunately left still intact. You know what I mean?
Much love from Mary
From: Dunggate Sent: 06/08/2008 20:10
Hi Bertie,
As Mary has already pointed out those who are truly bornagain do not want a sermon on this we are wanting something to feed us the meat as it were.......but we do need to remember there are some who are sitting in the pews who has not as yet grasped the understanding of Heaven and Hell.
I must admit when I got saved I didnt have a clue in fact I really felt I was doing all the good stuff and if anyone was going to Heaven I surely had a place
How wrong could I have been!...... ouch.......and those that know I was so way out in my thinkingYikes
Praise God that he rescued me from my thinking I could make it on my own merit.
Personally I do think that this is part of the GOOD NEWS there is a heaven to embrace and HELL to shun and if we do not explain the difference how many lost soles are we responsible for? I dread to think!
I remember a little tract I had in my posession with a finger pointing YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!

I was blessed with a wonderful Pastor bless Him he is with the Lord now, but in His messages he would proclaim the LOVE OF GOD but also the eternity of MAN should you refuse HELL.

Love you loads Bertie and my understanding of proclaiming both sides.
Elaine
From: Bertie2006 Sent: 06/08/2008 22:36
Hello Elaine/Mary,
I hear what you are both saying, and I have to say I agree with you, I had never given a thought that there could be Christians that did not know or at least have a picture in their minds of what hell could be like.

Much love to you both for showing me the other side of the coin.
Bertie

From: inapickle22 Sent: 02/08/2008 09:15

Hell is a topic a lot of people do stay clear of,
but it's real and it's important to talk about.
Yes, by all means, a discussion would be good
tho I don't think I could open it.
Love Lyn

From: LifelongCuriousone (Original Message) Sent: 01/08/2008 11:47

I would like to ask if we are rightly being kept away from Hells reality?

As a Christian that attends regular worship I have noticed that very rarely have I heard anything preached on Hell. I hear lots on Paul's teachings, the life of Christ, the healings etc but no sermons on the reality of Hell.

We as Christians know that God gave us a gift of new life with the death of his son Jesus Christ. But what we saved from? Romans tells us that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of eternal life is in his son Jesus". The problem is if there is eternal life of the spirit (which I do not doubt) then there must be eternal death of the spirit.

Too often we are going to church banging our tamborines, clapping our hands singing the praises to God and there is no error in this. Again I ask do we know what we are saved from?
I heard recently testimonies by people that had physically died or was taken to hell by God to witness to others the reality. The images that these people saw and relayed back was so horrorific that even now I can't shift them. All through these testimonies ALL confirmed that Jesus had told them that it was good for them to see these things.
A man I know on hearing these words of seeing Christians burning in hell in eternal torment because they believed they need do no more than say they're Chrisitian and turn up to church each Sunday. He has decided to turn he's life around, clear out songs that contain lyrics not befitting a Christian to listen to etc.
I know such acts can lead us back to the dark ages with burning books etc. but the apostle Paul taught in Philippians 2:5 "your attitude should be the same as Christ", as another saying goes WWJD?

Are our ministers doing right by not talking of the real horrors that await us for our wrong doings (even though we're thinking its right) or should we be taught these things to strengthen our love for Christ and help keep us from the path that is wide and leads to ruin?

If anyone would like to hear these testimonies or read them, email me lifelongalan@yahoo.co.uk and I will send you the link.

God bless you all

+Alan+