Heaven and Hell
A Taste of Heaven, A Glimpse of Hell by Dave Brown
Distressed? God is on His Throne in Heaven by Dave Brown
Everlasting by Bryan Gibson
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A Taste of Heaven, a Glimpse of Hell
by Dave Brown
Mark 10:28-30: “Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.”
These are profound words and, at first glance, appear to contradict the statements of Jesus about counting the cost. But the difference is in the simple statement of Paul (Rom. 6:23): “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” What we are expected to give up are the wages of sin. What we obtain is the freedom from death and the gift of eternal life. It is a free gift because there is nothing that we did (or can do) to justify our sinful selves or to merit it. And no matter what we give up, we obtain far more, even on this earth.
The statement of Jesus above elaborates on a definition of faith given by the writer of the book of Hebrews (11:1): “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” We hope for eternal life, but we cannot see it as a reality at this time. If we could spend just one minute in heaven and one minute in hell we would have no problem committing ourselves to Christ. But this would also remove our free will from us, and our religion would no longer require faith.
In Mark 10:28-30, Jesus says that even in this world we can get a taste of heaven. We can see the love most Christians have for one another, and that they cherish each other even closer than their own families, who may have long since forsaken us. Then there are the houses and lands — God will not forsake his people, as David said in Psalms 37:25: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
This world also gives us a glimpse of the horrors of hell. For what are the terrible plagues of Syria and Iran but the consequences of sin that creates an environment of hatred? Many have to experience this hell on a daily basis; we should give an everlasting gratitude of thanks to God if that is not the case with us.
There is no happier life than that of a faithful Christian. Count the cost, and realize that your eternal destiny depends entirely on what you choose to believe — God’s word or the teaching of man. It is purely a matter of faith, since your life will be shaped by what you choose to believe.
Distressed? God is On His Throne in Heaven
by Dave Brown
Revelation 5:8-14: “And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood {men} from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And Thou hast made them {to be} a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.’ And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.’ And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, {be} blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.’ And the four living creatures kept saying, ‘Amen.’ And the elders fell down and worshiped.” Amen.
If you ever get discouraged at how things are going and feel that all is lost, remember that God is on the throne in heaven, and Jesus, your mediator, is at His right hand. If you are right with God, nothing else matters. It is impossible to fully realize the glories and praise that we will be part of in heaven if we are faithful, but the passage above is one that can help us to see a glimpse of it now.
Those of the first century to whom John was writing were under severe persecution. Some were expecting God to instantly solve all their problems in a worldly way, but instead all they were facing was the loss of their possessions and perhaps even their lives. John needed to convince them to seek first the Lord’s kingdom and His righteousness. We live in a different era ... at a time when religious persecution is rare in most of the free world. We live in a time of relative prosperity, where most hard-working, honest people have no problem in making a decent living. God has blessed us richly, but often we want to take the credit for it. Our success can be our worst enemy. For, worldliness is all around us, and it is so easy for us to seek first the things of the world. Perhaps it is easier to be spiritual in times of distress.
Everlasting
by Bryan Gibson
Please read Matthew 25 carefully and prayerfully, and note especially the last two verses: “Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me. And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life.”
Many folks do not believe in a place of everlasting punishment, a place that Jesus calls “hell” (Matthew 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; and others). Some say that punishment for the disobedient is taking place now. Others say that hell is nothing more than an annihilation of our being, that really no punishment takes place. Still others can’t believe that a loving God would ever send His creation to a place like hell.
Do not be deceived! Those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel will suffer eternal punishment (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). Those who practice sin and do not repent of it will be cast into the lake which burns with fire and brimstone (Revelation 21:8). Hell is just as real and as everlasting as heaven. Those who are sent to hell will be punished, and this punishment will last throughout eternity. Prepare to meet the true and living God—TODAY!
What are the conditions of salvation given by Jesus?
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