OPEN HEAVENS Devotional – Thursday February 25th 2016
TOPIC: HELL IS REAL
Memorize: And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in
torments, and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luke 16:23
Read: Luke 16:19-31,
19 There was a certain rich man, which
was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named
Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs
which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his
sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar
died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also
died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being
in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham,
have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in
water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that
thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil
things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and
you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to
you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore,
father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may
testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have
Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but
if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not
Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from
the dead.
Bible in one year: Luke 21:25-23:5, Job 28:20-29:6
MESSAGE
Hell is a term used in the Bible to describe the place of
eternal punishment, originally created by God as the final destination for
Satan and his angels, which is the second death. It is also used to define the
prevailing circumstances of any human environment that is controlled by the
devil. The Bible also portrays hell as the home of evil, a place of intense
darkness, and an unquenchable fire that is burning with brimstone. Furthermore,
hell is a state of final separation from God, and by extension, separation from
life, light, love, peace, pleasure and fulfilment. However, some people do not
believe in the reality of hell, which brings us to one of the most frequently
asked question on earth, is hell real?
Our Bible passage for today tells us the story of two
personalities, a certain rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. They both died at
different times, as it has been appointed unto all human beings to die some
day. At death, they were both faced with the reality of life after death, their
status here on earth notwithstanding. Lazarus found himself cooling off at the
bosom of father Abraham in heaven, while the rich man was being tormented in
the flames of hell. Hell is very real because the Almighty God, who cannot tell
lies, confirmed it so, though hell was originally created for Satan and his
angels, it is also for human beings who choose to reject God and follow Satan.
May the Lord deliver humanity from the illusion of the devil and open our eyes
to the reality of hell in Jesus’ Name. Matthew 13:40-42 says:
“As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the
fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth
his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend,
and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there
shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Hell is usually presented in the Bible as the consequence
of rejecting God, as evident in the above passage, Jesus, in several passage of
the Bible, tried in every possible way, to illustrate to all humanity that hell
is real, terrible, and something to be feared and avoided. All paths do not
lead to God; Jesus is the only Way through which we can get to Heaven. Jesus is
the only way that leads to God. A great man of God once said that the fastest
road to hell is a pretentious and gradual one; it is like a gentle slope, a
soft underfoot, which is without sudden turnings, milestones, or signposts.
People on this path are ignorantly and innocently caressed to hell. Matthew
7:13 says:
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate,
and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go
in threat:”
Do not be deceived, hell is real and terrible. There is
no possibility of amnesty or reprieve. Candidates of hell will suddenly
resurrect to eternal condemnation without remedy. I honestly don’t understand
why anyone will risk going to hell when the God who never lies has said clearly
that it exists and the only contrary opinion is from philosophies of unreliable
men. Receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour today as the only way to
escape the horrors of hell.
Prayer Point
Father, let the reality of hell be imposed upon my heart
always in Jesus’ name.
No comments:
Post a Comment