by Howard Watson
Some people claim not to believe in God, Satan, Heaven, and Hell.
Those who claim not to believe in the existence of man/people are
hard to find anywhere. Wise people believe and trust in God. Fools
dispute God's existence and presence. I would say fools deny Heaven
and Hell and the existence of the father of liars, Satan. Certainly,
God cannot be called the Father of liars for He is a God of Truth
and trustworthiness.
Scripture in the Old Testament calls the place of the physically
dead Sheol(Heb.), and the New Testament calls it Hades (Gk.).
This is the underworld, below, a temporary place of torment for
the wicked. It is separated from the abode of the faithful who love
God and His Christ, who are resting awaiting the return of Christ
to the earth when they will receive a new spiritual undying body
like unto Christ's body.
With a look at Luke 16 is seen the temporary place of the physically
dead persons. For the child of God it is a place of blessed rest
of knowledge, joy, peace and bliss with Father Abraham. Abraham
is the spiritual ancestor of all who have committed faith and trust
in Jehovah/God who has promised to send His anointed Son to be the
Savior and sin bearer of all justified saints. In Hell the rich
man of Lk. 16, who was a worldly, godless, self-serving individual
in his early life, was tormented by pain, thirst, memory, vision,
and the burning of fire. Maybe you've thought of fire as light and
warmth giving. But in Scripture Hell is a place of final darkness
and painful burning heat. Instead of resting as in the night of
darkness here on earth, in Hell you won't be asleep and resting
but fully awake to pain and anguish and gnashing of teeth.
In the Book of Revelation, chapter 20, Hell is seen cast into the
final lake of fire which will continue for eternity. All the corruption
of sin, mankind and Satan with his angels will feed the fire of
the 2nd death where Hell is finally cast.
The good news of the Gospel is deliverance from the final judgment
and eternal Hell's fire through Jesus Christ who has paid our sin
debt on the cross of death. This is seen in the Gospel of John,
chapter three, verses 16-21 and 36 which reads: "whoever believes
in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not
see life, for God's wrath (orge Gk. anger, indignation, vengeance)
remains on him" NIV.
Hell (Sheol, Hades, Gehenna) presently is a real living experience
for every human being into which physical death finds us. There
the faithful believing person who has obeyed God and His Christ
will rest and joyously await the return of Christ for His triumphant
gathering of His Church. And there the ungodly, unbelieving await
final judgment for their sin and rejection of God's work in Jesus
Christ.
ADDICTIONS
People today are caught up in various addictions. Drugs, alcohol,
sex/porn, gambling, food, exercise/body improvement, self-help improvement,
sports, other kinds of entertainment, money making/stock market,
are common addictions. People at first find their addictions attractive
and enjoyable, maybe even profitable. A cigarette, a drug which
offers a mood uplift, a game which offers a chance to win big, various
sexual experiences outside of marriage which offer excitement, all
have caught many people in their traps.
These addicted persons end up paying more than they thought was
the price of what they were buying, like compound interest. Their
physical health, their mental and spiritual wellbeing, their money
supply all are locked into a web of trauma.
These poor folks cannot get out of the web of mounting addiction
debt until they find some way to quit their addictions. They need
strength and support. Often this costs more money than they have,
except when they turn to Christ Jesus.
You don't necessarily need Jesus to help you break an addiction.
But you do need Jesus to replace the addiction with something that
is personally uplifting and fully meaningful.
Jesus will give rest and relief to the addicted persons who in faith
believe upon Him to save them from their addictions and to be the
guide of their life in a newborn fellowship with Him and God the
heavenly Father.
In the Gospel of Matthew,chapter eleven, verses twenty-seven to
thirty, Jesus fully identifies with God the Father, and is bonded
with Him in reaching the lost addicts of sin in this world. "Come
to me," Jesus said. You, who have laboring to stop your addictions,
come and find relief and needed rest for your body and spirit. Jesus
Christ is the great healer and giver of life itself. He gives a
covering/removal of your sin debt at the cost of His own devotion
to you which He proved by dying for you on Calvary's cross. Love
and mercy are made available for release from your sinful addictions.
No addiction is too hard for Him to help you out of it and to give
to you a new life of peace and eternal dimension every moment of
your day. Not only is this a life of peace, it is a life of real
love for/to other people in the world. As a newborn person you now
have/will have much to offer.
If you want God's best in His great love, turn yourself over just
as you are, sin/addictions and all, accept Jesus as your new found
Savior/Lord and begin to live. Pray: "Lord Jesus forgive my
sin, and take my life's addiction into your care. I ask you to save
me." "Amen."
If you have done this, please email me and go find a group of people
who know Jesus as you do, and join with them for support and fellowship.
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