OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-THURSDAY-25/02/2016-HELL
IS REAL -BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
Memorise
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.
KJV
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 someday. 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 angles, 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.
Bible in one year
Luke 21:25-23:5, Job 28:20-29:6
No comments:
Post a Comment