This is the 'hell' of hell
(Samuel Davies, "The Resurrection of Damnation")
"Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come out; those who have done good--unto the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil--unto the resurrection of damnation!" John 5:28-29
Alas! Multitudes shall come forth from their graves, not to the resurrection of life--but to the resurrection of damnation! What terror is in the words!
See them bursting into life from their subterranean dungeons! Horror throbs through every vein--and glares wildly and furiously in their eyes. Every joint trembles and every countenance looks downcast and gloomy! Now they see that tremendous Day of which they were warned in vain--and shudder at those terrors of which they once made light. They now experientially know the grand business of the Day and the dreadful purpose for which they are roused from their slumbers in the grave:
to be tried,
to be convicted,
to be condemned, and
to be dragged away to execution!
"And they will go away into eternal punishment!" (Matthew 25:46) They must go away into the bottomless pit! There they are confined in chains of darkness, and cast into the burning lake of fire and brimstone forever and ever!
In that dreadful word "forever" lies the epitome of torment! This is the 'hell' of hell. If they might be but released from suffering, though it were by annihilation after they have wept away ten thousand millions of ages in extremity of pain--it would be some mitigation, some encouragement. But, alas! When as many millions of ages are passed as the stars of heaven, or the sands on the seashore, or the atoms of dust in this huge earthly globe--their punishment is as far from an end--as when the sentence was first pronounced upon them!
FOREVER! There is no exhausting of that word! When it is affixed to the highest degree of misery--the terror of the sound is utterly insupportable!
Showing posts with label hell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hell. Show all posts
April 26, 2010
July 2, 2008
"Utterly Inconsistent with Grace..."
I read this quote in a letter from a dear brother and evangelist in Christ (as you read it, just know these are the words of a man who loved people):
"Oh, if you have the hearts of Christians or of men in you, let them yearn towards your poor ignorant, ungodly neighbors. Also, there is but a step betwixt them and death and hell; many hundred diseases are waiting to seize on them, and if they die unregenerate, they are lost forever. Have you hearts of rock, that cannot pity men in such a case as this? If you believe not the word of God, and the danger of sinners, why are you Christians yourselves? If you do believe it, why do you not bestir yourself to the helping of others? Do you not care who is damned, so you be saved? If so, you have sufficient cause to pity yourselves, for it is a frame of spirit utterly inconsistent with grace... Dost thou live close by them, or travel with them, or sit and talk with them, and say nothing to them of their soul, or the life to come? If their houses were on fire, thou wouldst run and help them; and wilt thou not help them when their souls are almost at the fire of hell?" (Richard Baxter).
That quote convicted me so much. It is grace that motivates true believers to love the lost. I thank God for this reminder to check my own heart and seek to love those who are ignorant of their guilt and condemnation apart from the grace of Christ Jesus, who is the Savior of all men. I want to tell them of the reconciliation, forgiveness and free righteousness that is through faith in Him alone.
"Oh, if you have the hearts of Christians or of men in you, let them yearn towards your poor ignorant, ungodly neighbors. Also, there is but a step betwixt them and death and hell; many hundred diseases are waiting to seize on them, and if they die unregenerate, they are lost forever. Have you hearts of rock, that cannot pity men in such a case as this? If you believe not the word of God, and the danger of sinners, why are you Christians yourselves? If you do believe it, why do you not bestir yourself to the helping of others? Do you not care who is damned, so you be saved? If so, you have sufficient cause to pity yourselves, for it is a frame of spirit utterly inconsistent with grace... Dost thou live close by them, or travel with them, or sit and talk with them, and say nothing to them of their soul, or the life to come? If their houses were on fire, thou wouldst run and help them; and wilt thou not help them when their souls are almost at the fire of hell?" (Richard Baxter).
That quote convicted me so much. It is grace that motivates true believers to love the lost. I thank God for this reminder to check my own heart and seek to love those who are ignorant of their guilt and condemnation apart from the grace of Christ Jesus, who is the Savior of all men. I want to tell them of the reconciliation, forgiveness and free righteousness that is through faith in Him alone.
The letter also challenges those in the reformed community: "There are many... who know the doctrines of grace, but how many know Jesus Christ the God of All Grace! Also, how many know of His mighty grace that can work through us to make Him known. Paul knew this grace: For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world (Titus 2:11-12)." Knowing this grace ought to help us remember our first love, repent, and do the things we did at first (Revelation 2:4-5).
May those of us privileged to know and love the grace of the Lord Jesus never get so involved with this world that we forget what is coming on the last day. Jesus calls His followers by grace, then He makes them fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).
June 30, 2008
How Does Jesus Comfort?
"Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." (See Revelation 2:8-11).
These are words Jesus spoke to a church that was undergoing extreme pressure. The Lord foretold the imprisonment of some of these believers. He comforted them greatly. Here is His promise to them, "You be faithful, even to the death, because then I will give you the crown of LIFE." Amazing! They die, and Christ gives them life. That is His promise.
The next verse continues:
"He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches; he that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death." (2:11). Even though Christ's people may die in poverty, torment, pain, perhaps executed for their faith, the promise is that "he who overcomes will not be hurt of the second death." Why not? Because Christ "was dead, and is alive" (2:8), and He holds the keys to death and hell (Rev. 1:18). No one who remains faithfully believing, trusting, relying on Him will suffer the second death, since Jesus already tasted it and overcame on their behalf when He suffered on the cross and rose the third day.
These Christians were dirt poor. They were not liked by their neighbors. People in the world did not look at them as just "nice people," they hated them and rejected their faith. But these Christians were rich beyond measure. They had eternal life, because they had the love of God in His Son, Jesus Christ. Do you have this wealth of grace and love? What is your heart set on, this world, or the promise of Life?
Thinking on these things is stirring me up to talk a little on evangelism. By God's grace, maybe next time. But for now, does the love of Christ cause you to pity those who do not have these promises? If so, please join me in prayer that God would raise up laborers to go into the harvest.
Grace, peace and love be with all who love our great God and King.
These are words Jesus spoke to a church that was undergoing extreme pressure. The Lord foretold the imprisonment of some of these believers. He comforted them greatly. Here is His promise to them, "You be faithful, even to the death, because then I will give you the crown of LIFE." Amazing! They die, and Christ gives them life. That is His promise.
The next verse continues:
"He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches; he that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death." (2:11). Even though Christ's people may die in poverty, torment, pain, perhaps executed for their faith, the promise is that "he who overcomes will not be hurt of the second death." Why not? Because Christ "was dead, and is alive" (2:8), and He holds the keys to death and hell (Rev. 1:18). No one who remains faithfully believing, trusting, relying on Him will suffer the second death, since Jesus already tasted it and overcame on their behalf when He suffered on the cross and rose the third day.
These Christians were dirt poor. They were not liked by their neighbors. People in the world did not look at them as just "nice people," they hated them and rejected their faith. But these Christians were rich beyond measure. They had eternal life, because they had the love of God in His Son, Jesus Christ. Do you have this wealth of grace and love? What is your heart set on, this world, or the promise of Life?
Thinking on these things is stirring me up to talk a little on evangelism. By God's grace, maybe next time. But for now, does the love of Christ cause you to pity those who do not have these promises? If so, please join me in prayer that God would raise up laborers to go into the harvest.
Grace, peace and love be with all who love our great God and King.
June 27, 2008
Hell and Grace
One of the essential truths that must be understood by all grace believers, is hell. Hell is the place of punishment for all who suffer the righteous judgment of God without forgiveness of their sins. Grace is God's free and undeserved favor toward some, sparing them from His wrath in hell by setting forward Jesus Christ as a propitiation instead. Without hell, grace would not be amazing, it would not even be necessary. But grace is necessary, because hell is real.
"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28 ESV).
"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority." (2 Peter 2:4-10 ESV).
"But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." (Hebrews 9:26-28 ESV).
May our praise of God be a combination of both healthy fear and joy with thankfulness. And let all saints who fear Him continually praise the Lord for His steadfast love and grace!
"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28 ESV).
"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority." (2 Peter 2:4-10 ESV).
Understanding hell is important, because it has to do with the righteous judgment of God, which is what makes salvation necessary. So it had significant meaning when Paul wrote: "among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved..." (Ephesians 2:3-5). Grace is amazing, because the justice of God is terrible. For all who have truly repented and have cast themselves completely on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, the judgment and wrath they deserved has already been poured out upon the Lord on the cross.
"But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." (Hebrews 9:26-28 ESV).
May our praise of God be a combination of both healthy fear and joy with thankfulness. And let all saints who fear Him continually praise the Lord for His steadfast love and grace!
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