No atheists in hell

 

John Blanchard wrote in his book, "Whatever Happened to Hell?" that ... "there will be no atheists in hell..." This is one of those truths that is, on one hand, so obvious, but on the other, so full of irony that I had to dwell on it for quite some time. Those who end up in hell are there because they chose not to believe in God; they chose not to accept Jesus as their Savior. Once there, they'll be in His presence, forever, enduring His wrath. (Revelation 14:10) They will never again be able to deny His existence.

So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked* from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” 

Matthew 13:49-50 NKJV

*The wicked are not necessarily "bad people" as you and I would define "bad". The wicked are those who have rejected Christ. We're all sinners. The only difference between the "just" and the "wicked" is our proclamation of our faith. The just have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and have repented.

in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” 

Revelation 14:11 NKJV

'Their worm* does not die

And the fire is not quenched.' 

Mark 9:48 NKJV

* In other words, their conscience does not die. It's their conscience that torments them day and night for all eternity.

John Blanchard explains it really well. He wrote, "Every single word thought and deed; all the pride, envy, jealousy, hatred, selfishness, dishonesty and purity, every neglected opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel, every failure to help those in need, all these will be endlessly replayed, endlessly remembered, and be the cause of endless remorse. Not least, they will be forced to admit that although God had given them life and breath and everything (Acts 17:25) they had squandered His generosity by living for themselves." ("Whatever Happened to Hell?")

Pray fervently for the lost so that they might be saved from an eternal life of torment.

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Please join me this week in praying for our loved ones who are not yet saved. It's not God's wish that any perish, but we need to petition Him for the unbelievers in our life by praying fervently and unceasingly for their salvation. 

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #hell #atheists #prayer

Which road are you on?

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Matthew 25:46 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for our loved ones who are not yet saved. It's not God's wish that any perish, but we need to petition Him for the unbelievers in our life by praying fervently and unceasingly for their salvation.

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #salvation #intercession #petition #unsaved #prayer #hell

A life of torment

 

One of the best illustrations of hell (IMO) is the story of 'The Rich Man and Lazarus'. We can surmise from this that hell is indeed a place of unbearable heat and flames. The residents live in constant torment and anguish for all eternity, and once there, they cannot do or say anything that will allow them to cross the "great chasm."

     I'm focusing on hell this week (or at least for a few days) because I think we tend to only talk about Heaven; it's as if the negative consequence doesn't exist. Maybe the unsaved don't have a good handle on what it means to spend eternity in hell. They only have this time here on earth to make the choice where they want to reside forever. And, we're not promised tomorrow, so it's really important that we make haste and say or do whatever's necessary to get people to understand that by not believing in Christ, by not repenting, they are actually making their decision about the afterlife.

     We don't "push" our beliefs on family members because they've maybe gotten angry with us in the past, or even threatened not to see us anymore, but we have got to find a way, to the best of our ability, to convey how important and how urgent this is. Start by praying like there's no tomorrow.

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Luke 16:19-31 ESV

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Please join me this week in praying for our loved ones who are not yet saved. It's not God's wish that any perish, but we need to petition Him for the unbelievers in our life by praying fervently and unceasingly for their salvation. 

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #Jesus #salvation #intercession #petition #unsaved #prayer #hell

Unpardonable Sin

There was a whole lot of research that I did for this week's prayer topic that I decided not to share because they're above my paygrade, so to speak. Theologians and other scholars explain it all much better than I could ever hope to (of course), so I'll just touch on the topics.

     So many Christians today seemingly choose to ignore anything in the bible that isn't in line with their beliefs; they pick and choose the passages that neatly fit the characteristics they want God to have. It just doesn't work that way. When you read and study the bible, when you spend time talking to Him, praying, you get to know Him and His character, and not just the warm and fuzzy aspects.

     I made the above sign, but it was a quote from a church sign I saw last summer and have just been waiting for the perfect time to share it. It is a very sad and unfortunate part of life; people reject God. In rejecting Him, they're choosing to live eternity in hell. 

     We as Christians do a terrible disservice to unbelievers (and perhaps it's a selfish and futile attempt to take the burden and pressure off of ourselves) when we don't openly talk about sin, hell, the elect. Time is running out. We have to talk about these things. Find a way. If you've ever wondered why you're here / what's your "destiny", this is it! It's the same purpose, the same destiny for all of us. We're here to share the gospel. Period. Plain and simple.

     Since I'm not going to type out this week's research and notes, I do want to at least share some resources:

     If it's still on Netflix, you need to watch "American Gospel". It's really informative, mostly covering the prosperity gospel, but it has a lot more to it than that. Note Ray Comfort's approach to sharing the gospel. Several years ago, he completely changed my mind about Creation with his DVD "God vs. Evolution", which I also recommend.

     Next, I recommend the book, "Whatever Happened to Hell?" by John Blanchard.

     Finally, my husband suggested this awesome sermon which I listened to today and it gave me chills. If I weren't already a Christian, this would've scared me enough to convert. It's called "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by the theologian Jonathan Edwards. He preached this sermon in 1741 and it has withstood the test of time. Below the video you'll find the transcript of the sermon so you can follow along - that's what I did.

The link to the transcript of the sermon can be found here.

Here's an excerpt from it:

It is everlasting wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your thoughts, and amaze your soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all. You will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless vengeance; and then when you have so done, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that all is but a point to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite. Oh, who can express what the state of a soul in such circumstances is! All that we can possibly say about it, gives but a very feeble, faint representation of it; it is inexpressible and inconceivable: for “who knows the power of God’s anger?”

     Because of his sermon, I feel even more compelled to share not only the Good News but also the Bad News for those who do not repent. Non-believers see us as judgmental, hypocritical. They need to understand that we all sin, and why we sin, and why, because of our sin, our loving and merciful Father in Heaven sent His only begotten Son to die a horrible, horrible death and bear God's wrath for all of our sins. 

This is often referred to as The Unpardonable Sin...

“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

Matthew 12:31-32 NKJV

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Please join me in praying that we as believers get to know all the characteristics of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through spending time in the word, and through prayer. Let's pray that we grow in knowledge and understanding so that we can share the truth with others. Pray that we're given the words and encouragement to share the gospel with unbelievers and save many souls from an eternity in hell.

 

I'll post daily reminders on:

twitter @7DegreesOfMe

Instagram @archadia27
Pinterest Prayer Group #7thHourPrayerPower

Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #compensation #forgiveness #grace #hell #justice #mercy #sin #sovereignty #wrath

Father's hand

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, 

and they follow me. I give them eternal life, 

and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, 

and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

John 10:27-29 ESV

I will prepare a place for you

And if I go and prepare a place for you, 

I will come again and will take you to Myself, 

that where I am you may be also.

John 14:3 ESV

Good courage

For the wages of sin is death, 

but the free gift of God is 

eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23 ESV

So we are always of good courage. 

We know that while we are at home in the body 

we are away from the Lord, 

for we walk by faith, not by sight. 

Yes, we are of good courage, 

and we would rather be away from the body 

and at home with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 ESV

Many rooms

“Let not your hearts be troubled. 

Believe in God; believe also in me. 

In my Father's house are many rooms. 

If it were not so, would I have told you that 

I go to prepare a place for you? 

And if I go and prepare a place for you, 

I will come again and will take you to myself, 

that where I am you may be also.

John 11:25 ESV

The greatest Gift

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Let's pray with thanksgiving for the hope and comfort of eternal life in Christ Jesus. I'll post daily reminders on:
twitter @7DegreesOfMe
instagram @archadia27
facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

How to live forever

People spend a lot of money and effort trying to turn back time on their aging faces and bodies. It just so happens that Jesus has promised us a new body and eternal life. He suffered and bore the wrath of our sins so that we can have this hope and promise. To me, this life is us gaining our education for the next life. The Bible is our textbook. Learn it. Live it. Be prepared.

Behold! I tell you a mystery. 

We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

1 Corinthians 15:51-54 ESV

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Let's pray with thanksgiving for the hope and comfort of eternal life in Christ Jesus. I'll post daily reminders on:
twitter @7DegreesOfMe
instagram @archadia27
facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power

Heaven and Hell

A true testimony to Heaven and Hell is watching people pass on. Those who are saved go peacefully; welcomed and led into the next life by family and friends who have gone before them. Those who are not saved are scared and cry out to loved ones but can't see them or follow.

The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever.

Psalm 23 NKJV