 Now one night I had a dream a nightmare really and all I remember from this dream was that my mind was conscious I sensed this discomfort because I I just wasn't familiar with these surroundings and I was suspended in darkness in any direction that I looked I saw nothing nothing but deep deep darkness in all directions as far as I could see and then I realized something I realized that I had no movement I had no hands to move no arms to move no legs to move in this nightmare I was just a mind disconnected from any physical body suspended in the darkness that discomfort I felt began to intensify until it became pain but the pain was peculiar because I couldn't even tell you where it was coming from it was just the state of agony and no matter how much I struggled to find movement no matter how much I searched for footing as often as I looked for reference there was none nothing but confusion nothing but questions did I die am I an a coma how long will this last is there anyone else here those thoughts echoed in the blackness with no one to respond now I must have had that experience for no more than two three minutes but it seemed like much longer now I don't know how much of what is described about hell is literal I don't know how much exactly is figurative but if hell is anything like that dream I had you don't want to go there but the David are you trying to scare people into getting saved no I simply share the truth and we don't respond to the gospel because of our fear of hell we respond to the gospel because we recognize our need for a savior now in Luke chapter 16 I'm going to begin reading at verse number 19 Jesus said there was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with swords as Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man's table the dogs would come and lick his open swords verse 22 of Luke 16 finally the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet the rich man also died and was buried and he went to the place of the dead there in torment he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side the rich man shouted father Abraham have some pity send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue I am in anguish in these flames but Abraham said to him son remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted and besides there was a great hasm separating us no one can cross over to you from here and no one can cross over to us from there then the rich man said please father Abraham at least send him to my father's home for I have five brothers and I want to warn them so they don't end up in this place of torment but Abraham said Moses and the prophets have warned them your brothers can read what they wrote the rich man replied no father Abraham but if someone is sent to them from the dead then they will repent of their sins and turn to God but Abraham said if they won't listen to Moses and the prophets they won't be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead now the bible very clearly lays out a picture of hell for us here how much is figurative how much is literal is really not the point because there are certain things we can learn about hell that are certain as i'll go over in a moment but you know there's this really wicked doctrine that's floating around the world and making its way into certain parts of the church it's a doctrine of devils let me just be very clear about this it's a doctrine of devils called universalism and what's happening is in an attempt to make the gospel more palatable in an attempt to make the gospel more friendly or nice sounding people are beginning to twist the scripture especially by looking to the original language in an attempt to erase the idea of hell simply put whether they will admit it or not what's actually taught in that doctrine is that ultimately everyone goes to heaven no matter what they did with jesus and some look at this parable and they say well it was just a parable surely it wasn't grounded in reality surely it wasn't an actual account now it's quite possible that this story of the rich man in hell was a parable not an actual account but consider this have you noticed that jesus's parables were always grounded in reality he used real life constructs to tell a story for example agriculture if the story of the rich man is a parable then all this means is that jesus is using the reality of the afterlife to help make a point parable or not the torments described here must be real jesus would not use a lie to communicate a truth and consider also that in verse 29 the scripture says but abraham said moses and the prophets have warned them in other words this was understood even in the ancient world the old testament contains enough truth about this reality that someone is properly warned of the terrors of hell simply by reading the old testament so what can we glean from this portion of scripture about this place of torment well as you look to the scripture you will not see this idea of a torture chamber and demons running around in charge of the place they too are punished in this place it's possible that the bible is not even describing literal flames but what we do know is that this is a horrific place of separation from god that people who do not receive christ go to when they pass into eternity in verse 23 we see that it's a place of consciousness there in torment he saw abraham this man was aware of his surroundings we imagine that passing into eternity will be like falling asleep moving into some hazy disconnected reality with smoky vision unclear apparitions all around us no my friend slipping into eternity passing from this world to the next is not like falling asleep it's more like waking up and the split second that was this life relative to eternity this moment this vapor will be some distant memory as we become aware of the even more vivid reality surrounding us in eternity it's a place of consciousness you are aware it's a place of torment and anguish it's a place of sight you will see you will sense you will hear you will touch that's what the scripture describes sadly it's a place of memory but abraham said him son remember that during your lifetime people dwelling in this constant state of agony will remember every single time they rejected the gospel message they'll look back with torment on the days that they received the call to respond to the gospel and repent of their sins and they'll be filled with regret as they remember every altar call they ignored every time a sermon was preached that they brushed it off every time a family member or loved one warned them please avoid this place they'll remember it and be filled with regret it is a place of permanence no one can cross over to you from here and no one from there can cross over to here my friend once you've passed into eternity your fate is sealed it's done and the scripture tells us that we're not promised tomorrow life is but a vapor you don't know when you will pass into eternity life my friend is a thin fragile glass upon which we walk and with every step that we take we compromise it for every moment that we exist we're stepping closer to the moment that we step into that place wherever we are going every year you pass the date of your death and you don't even know it our bodies are temporary and the body was created wonderfully but relative to other things it's quite fragile once it's broken beyond a certain point the soul disconnects 2nd Thessalonians chapter 1 verses 7 through 9 say this and God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven He will come with his mighty angels in flaming fire bringing judgment on those who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the good news of our Lord Jesus they will be punished with eternal destruction forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power it's a place of judgment the consequence for every sin meets the wrath the justice in the holiness of God and worse yet it's a place of separation from God of all the things I described the worst thing about hell is that you're separated from God now we say things like how how could a loving God allow this why would a god of mercy and love and compassion be for something like this and you've heard it said from people filled and drunk on their own pride and arrogance they say things like well that just wasn't a god I wanted to serve isn't it amazing that when it comes to the sins of others we demand justice when it comes to our own we cry out for mercy isn't it amazing that when we read an article of someone who committed some horrific crime that we're quick to comment on facebook we're quick to comment on instagram we're quick to send that text saying they need to send them to the chair oh I wish they allowed lethal injection in that state all they need to suffer all they should torture them then kill them that my friend is your sense of justice knowing that wickedness needs to be punished what we say when we communicate things like why would a loving God allow a place like hell or I can't believe he would what we're actually saying is I don't like that he's actually going to punish my sin the reason my friend that the idea of hell is so troublesome to you the reason that the idea of hell offends you is because you're not offended enough by the idea of sin realize just how wicked the things we do are compared to the holiness of god it is foolish to reject the light and then become indignant when you find that there exists a place of only darkness hell is only hell because it lacks all the goodness that is and proceeds from the nature of god turn off the light we say and then in the next breath how could god allow a place of darkness by rejecting god you reject goodness itself by rejecting god you reject love you reject peace enjoy to push away everything that is god is to push away all that you enjoy in this life hell no amount of regret can appease it for every moment that passes another moment is added to the extent of one's stay deep frustration hopeless turmoil and constant confusion forever possessed the soul hope is destroyed after all there is no mercy beyond this point the instant your eyes catch a glimpse your pride and stubbornness are broken but it's too late the moment you sense the evil you desire the opportunity to repent but god is not mocked the reality is confirmed everything you knew in your heart to be true is now visibly apparent you escape the thought on earth hoping the thought would never manifest its own reality every moment of sinful pleasure every comment of mockery every laugh at god they turn to be regrettable sorrowful even to know that safety was within reach is a tormenting thought why such foolishness why such carelessness it could have all been prevented that is a most tormenting thought no time exists hell is the constant state of highest anguish it is darkness that will never again see light pain that will never know comfort and loneliness that will never again find companionship it is the justice of god can you grasp the vastness of the universe that's temporary hell is a universe void of all things good pride is the door to hell and stubbornness is the step that takes you through what sort of pride would walk into hell fire what pleasure is worth the soul mock laugh scoff doubt and push it from your mind it remains a reality only fools go to hell when salvation is so near frustration that causes physical tension fear that causes your heart to race anger that brings depression and pain that causes you to cry out these are the reactions of a hellish existence they are the eternal marks of a tormented rejected soul that's what i wrote when i woke up from that dream it just flowed if you saw someone on the train tracks playing around i don't know why they're playing on the tracks don't ask me would you not cry out if you saw a train coming get off the tracks move out of the way it's coming my friend i don't speak of these things because i love the idea that someone will be tormented i speak of these things because i love you now jesus did say also he goes to prepare a place for us once you realize that hell is not just something to be avoided but that it was something we all deserved it makes you wonder about god's goodness and grace so much preaching today on how god needs me and i'm i'm i'm this and god needed me for that and god did not need you god does not need you well the cross speaks about my value and worth no it speaks about god's mercy because he could have very easily just begun again and jesus said behold i go to prepare a place for you think about the fact that the father god looked down and knowing his standard of justice who he is he is just he says within himself i can't let it happen how how can we satisfy because god is holy and his justice must be satisfied for god so loved the world that he gave his one and only son and whosoever believed in him shall not perish but have everlasting life my friend the good news of the gospel is that there's a cure for the sickness that is sin all have sin and the wages of sin is death every single one of us deserves that punishment all of us every single one of us deserve to be judged in that way but god in his mercy and his compassion god in his grace and his love because he is good because he is loving because he is merciful he decided to do something that he did not have to do he came to earth as a man died and suffered upon a cross taking your place your punishment your shame and that great exchange is this that if you give him your temporary life he'll give you his eternal one thank you for watching encounter tv don't forget to subscribe and click the notification bell also help us 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