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One Minute After You Die: Week 4

One Minute After You Die: Week 4

MISPERCEPTIONS ABOUT HELL: 
  •   Some say there isn’t a hell.
  • Some say there is annihilation.
  •   Some say the devil reigns in hell.
  • Some say there is a second chance.
  •   “I would rather reign in hell than serve in heaven.”
  •   “I would rather party with my friends in hell than be with boring saints in heaven.”

THE REALITY OF HELL: THERE IS ONE.

  •   For further study, see Erasing Hell by Francis Chan.
    •   Last week, we talked about heaven. (Revelation 21)
    •   The books of deeds and The Book of Life (those who’re forgiven, whose price is paid) are two separate books.
    •   Remember the new heaven and new earth has upgrades, and there will be no devil.

Revelation 20:15 10And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

    •  This is not new, nor is it the only content in Scripture about hell. It is reinforcing the Old Testament.

THE OLD TESTAMENT POINTS TO A FINAL JUDGMENT AND HELL.

Daniel 12:1–3 1At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.

JESUS REVEALS HELL. (See also Matthew 8:11-12 and Matthew 25:41)

Matthew 13:36–43 36Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

JESUS TALKING ABOUT HADES, WHICH IS THROWN INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE. (See also Luke 16:23-26)

Mark 9:42–44 42If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. 43If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.

THE APOSTLES AFFIRM HELL EXISTS. (John wrote Revelation. See also Jude 6-7 and Thessalonians 1:8-9)

Revelation 14:9–11 9A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

DESCRIPTIONS OF HELL:

  •   Eternal (Revelation 14:9–12)
  • Everlasting shame (Daniel 12:2)
  •   Torment (Luke 16:19-31)
  • Outer darkness (Matthew 8:11)
  •   Gnashing of teeth in anger and pain
  •   Shut out from the presence of the Lord and the things God created (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)
  •   Outer darkness (the darkest darkness); no light and no hope
  •   Eternal destruction—being destroyed forever, but never being destroyed
  •   Consciousness, memory, and ability to see what is missing (Luke 16:19-31)

 THE BIG QUESTION: WHY ETERNAL HELL? (See Isaiah 6:2-7) 

  • Justice requires that the punishment meet the crime—an infinite God who has been sinned against.
  •   The one condemned to hell has rebelled against an infinitely Holy and righteous God who loved enough to reach out at infinite cost to Himself.
    •   We make light of sin because we are sinful. We make much of our goodness because we are proud.
    •   We grade ourselves on the curve.
    •   God is “Holy, Holy, Holy” and yet one who reacts in mercy.
    •   Rejecting Jesus means more than just ceasing to exist.
  •   We were created to be eternal and relational. Heaven is the place for those who have chosen to be in relationship with an infinite loving God. God honors the choices of the eternal, relational people He created. He will not force us to live with Him, and He cannot allow those who choose rebellion to hurt those who have not. If He allowed rebellious people to live in heaven, then heaven would become earth all over again.
  •   God is a relational God, and He honors the choices we make, but He warns us about the choices He makes, as well. He warns us about the consequences and then let’s us decide.

THE BAD NEWS: We all have fallen short of the glory of God, and our default setting is Hell.

But there is GOOD NEWS: We deserve hell, but we don’t have to go there. There are two separate books.

    •  See John 3:16–18 and 2 Corinthians 5:21!

SO WHAT DO WE KNOW FOR SURE?

  1. Hell is a real place of eternal existence.
  2. Salvation is possible, but it only comes through Jesus Christ. (John 14:6, Acts 4:12)
  3. Warning: We who are believers cannot make individual judgments about who goes to hell because we don’t know all that God knows.

OUR JOB: God sent us into the world to tell people Him and Judgement, but He decides where people go for eternity.

  •   We are disciples who make disciples. (Matthew 28:19)
  •   We are ambassadors. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)
  •   We are a light in a dark room, a city on a hill. (Matthew 5:14)

See also Romans 10:13–15 and Philippians 3:17–21

 

QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS IN LIFE GROUP OR WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS:

Passages to consider: Luke 16:19-31; Revelations 20:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:16-6:2

  1. What from the sermon was impactful or insightful to you?
  2. Look at Luke 16:19-31. What do you observe about what the rich man experiences after death? List as many things as you can.
  3. How does Jesus’ description differ, if at all, from what you have understood about hades/hell?
  4. A) How does knowing the realities of hell impact, motivate, or concern you? If you have questions, feel free to use [email protected].
  5. Conversations about eternity, heaven, and hell can be heavy. To those who believe and follow Jesus, there is comfort and confidence because of the heart of God and the grace He has given through the death and resurrection of Jesus. What confidence have you gained through this series?
  6. This topic also needs to move us to compassion and concern for our fellow humans—hell is real, eternity is long, and now is the time to choose Jesus. For whom do you have compassion and concern? Be specific. Ask God to give you His heart for that person. B) How can you be a part of bringing good news to that person?