IN SUCH AN HOUR AS THIS

HELL ~ IS IT REAL?

"There Is Life After Death"

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Today´s World

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Many Die in Vain

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Can you recall the last time (in church or on TV) that you heard a good sermon about Heaven? I don't mean just a five-minute talk about it, or the Pastor alluding to it. I mean a real sermon on Heaven. I am certain, the chances of this are far greater than going to church and hearing a sermon about Hell. Have you ever wondered why the subject of Hell has been swept under the carpets in the sanctuaries of America? Perhaps this accounts for much of the moral decay, the lack of true loyalty to the cause of Christ, and to the general complacency that lives in many of today's churches.

It is easy to sit in the pew and smile and think on Heaven and say: "Even now come, Lord Jesus!" But the moment the subject of Hell is mentioned, the pew warmers start to squirm. Granted, Hell is not a pleasant subject, but it is as real as Heaven, and for preachers to neglect this teaching it is Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!!! I am not a preacher, but I am a Christian who recognizes the need for exposing the truth about life after death.

I live in a relatively small town and there are two churches that have huge signs on the front lawns. It is my habit to look at the signs anytime I pass these churches, because they always have a short saying that has much to say. Recently, I saw these words on one of the signs: "Friends Don't Let Friends go to Hell!" Those words immediately burned into my mind. Often in that week, and without warning, those words have preyed upon my mind and cut into my heart. So, it is for this reason, that I am going to write about this unpopular subject ~ for if I do not do so it would be neglect, and neglect is sin.

I will not apologize if this is graphic, nor will I sugar-coat the Truth because too much of that occurs on a regular basis in our homes and churches. Countless souls are already in hell, and too many now wait for their final judgment (the Lake of Fire). Is it God's fault these souls are in hell? Absolutely not! God never wanted anyone to go into the abyss of hell ~to spend the eternity of eternities without the presence of the Almighty Every (real) Christian has a purpose for being on Planet Earth, and our purpose is to win the masses who have no hope without Jesus. The fields are ripe unto Harvest because we have neglected the commandment to go into all the world and preach the gospel.

Deception has crept into many churches and pastors and their congregations now claim that there is no biblical basis for the place called Hell. And all I can say to these people is, You Have Not Read The Word!! There is more scripture about the place of eternal punishment then there is Heaven.. I also realize that there are many who refuse to believe that hell is a real place. These people feel that God would never make such a place for mankind, and that He would never dare to send someone to a literal Hell, because it would be against His nature. It is true that He is a God of love and that He is merciful and compassionate. But, nonetheless, God is also a God of judgment.

When Adam sinned, God had no choice but to change the rules. He is a God of judgment but just as certainly a loving God. He gave us free will and we make our own choices. It is man not God, who condemns himself to hell. It was never God's intention for men to go to Hell. He sent His only Son to die on a cross, to provide a way for us to escape sin, death and hell. God does not condemn us. We condemn ourselves if we reject His gift of salvation. Many people think that everyone goes to Heaven. That theology is a misconception by those who want to live in the world and play at being a Christian. If God allowed sinners into Heaven along with the saints, it would not take long before Heaven looked more like Hell than Heaven! ~ Tara

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Now if (all these things are true, then be sure) the Lord knows how to rescue the godly out of temptations and trials, and how to keep the ungodly under chastisement until the day of judgment and doom. (2 Peter 2:9)

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Today there seems to be many people (including some Christians) who no longer believe that there is a literal Hell (Gehenna) but most everyone believes that there is a Literal Heaven. Many people contend that God is a good God and that He could never put sinners in Hell. The reason that some do not believe this, is because they have not taken time to read the Bible. Hell has been mentioned multiple times in the Old and New Testaments, in fact, many more times then Heaven is mentioned in the Bible.

As you read this page, I pray that you will glean many new thoughts about Hell and our need of soul winning. It is every Christian's duty to win the lost for Christ!

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Sheol is a Hebrew word that means, 'the non-permanent place of the souls of the dead.' This is not the grave, the grave holds the body not the soul. Nor is this the eternal location of the souls of the dead. It is just as it says, 'a temporary holding place for the unsaved who have died.' Another word that means the same thing is Hades (a Greek word for this place). Sheol or Hades is the place spoken of in Luke 16: 19-31. Some think that this story is a parable, but it does not line up with the other parables ~ and it is not even mentioned as being a parable in Luke's account. Parables do not contain the names of real people. But, if the One who related this incident was Jesus Himself, then apparently, Jesus had been acquainted with the beggar and the rich man; which alludes to the fact that in His ministry, Jesus had known these two men and even called them by name.

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Most of us know or have heard the story of the rich man and the beggar man named Lazarus. Unfortunately most people believe this story to be a parable, but it is not. Parables do not contain the real names of people. Parables are hypothetical illustrations and never name specific individuals. In this story, here not only does Lazarus's name appear, but also Abraham, Moses and the prophets and they are real people. However, parables never refer to specific Old Testament saints. Luke does not call this a parable as he does in the thirteen other clear cases of a parable so designated. Jesus declared that there was a certain rich man who went to Hades (hell). This story is narrated like a real history because it is so.

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Parables deal with the commonplace of what is known to be true to illustrate moral lessons, and come from natural life. This does not. Hades is a Reality, not a figure of speech. There is no reason why Jesus could not have had in mind a particular case. He is describing what took place after death, in the cases of two men for the moral profit of His hearers.

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When the beggar died, angels carried him to Abraham's bosom (Paradise). The rich man also died, but it says of him, that he was buried. He did not go to the safety of Abraham's bosom; instead he was placed in the torment part of Hades. All of the dead were divided into two separate regions. Those who rejected Jesus in their lifetime, were placed in the side of torment ~ the ones who loved Jesus were placed in Paradise and they found blessed comfort and rest.

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And in Hades (the realm of the dead) being in torment, the rich man lifted up his eyes and could see Abraham far in the distance, and Lazarus in Abraham's bosom. That lost man looked into paradise and there he beheld what he had missed. He saw what would have been his rightful place in his life; he saw the one who had lived as a neglected beggar at his gate, now enjoying a bliss which he himself would never know. In his distress, he began to pray. Although it was too late, the rich man begged for mercy. He requested that Lazarus bring him some water to cool his tongue, because the flames of torment were so hot. Abraham reminded the rich man, that during his life, he had everything he ever wanted. He lived for self, never considering his need for God. Abraham also told the rich man to consider the great gulf that divided them. This gulf was impassable, those in the torment part of Hades could not cross over to Abraham's bosom. And neither could the believers cross over the great divide to the place of torment. Hades at that time, was one huge holding area with two separate places for everyone that died. The saved souls rested in the bosom of Abraham, the others on the other side of the gulf were the unsaved people in eternal torment.

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The rich man prayed and asked Abraham to send Lazarus to his house, so his five brothers could escape the torment he was experiencing. Abraham told him that they had the witness of Moses and the prophets ( then meaning the Old Testament scriptures) and that even if one rose from the dead to tell of the rich man's plight, that if they couldn't believe the testimony of Moses and the prophets, then neither would they believe someone who rose from the dead. Remember, this was still the time of the Law, Jesus had not yet been killed and resurrected. What Abraham told the rich man was relevant of many of that time period, such as the Jews. They had the witness of the prophets, they had the Son of God in their presence, and later a resurrected Messiah. However, they were still dull of hearing and blind to the Truth. And this scenario plays out everyday in our times.

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Before Jesus died, he told the thief on the cross that he would be with Him in Paradise. Paradise ~ like the word 'hell' are broad-spectrum words. Here paradise was referring to Abraham's bosom. When Jesus died, and the veil in the temple was rent from top to bottom, something curious happened. Matthew 27:51-53 says this: "And behold the veil of the temple was rent (torn) in twain (or in half) from the top to bottom: and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent ( were broken apart). The tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep in death were raised to life. And coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."

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Notice that the righteous souls (including Jesus after His death, and the thief) were in Abraham's bosom, not in the grave with the body. These graves were opened when the veil was rent, but the bodies didn't rise until after the resurrection of Jesus. The souls of these believers were resident in Paradise. Remember, this had to be the believers who had died under the law, because grace was not yet operational. The bodies of these saints did come out of their graves when Jesus resurrected. But, there is no mention of the souls coming out of the grave, only the bodies. That is because the souls were in Abraham's Bosom. At death only the physical body is in the grave. Like those who have gone before us, the souls that are in heaven are waiting for the day, when Jesus comes back to earth to take His Bride home to heaven with resurrected bodies. I do not believe in soul sleep at death, because the body does not sleep in the grave ~ it decays!

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In the Rapture (or catching away ~ if you will), the dead (bodies) shall rise first to meet their souls in the air. So it is possible to believe this same thing happened with these saints at His Resurrection. It is certain that dead bodies alone could not have gone into the City and ministered to many. I do not believe that these saints are still here on the earth. However, I am just assuming, that they had resurrected bodies like Jesus had, and because resurrected bodies do not die. This could have even been a foreshadowing of what will happen when the general resurrection ( the rapture) occurs.

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Notice in John 20:17, what Jesus says. "Jesus said unto her (Mary Magdalene), Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God and your God."

We know that He wasn't talking about the ascension (when the Disciples watched him go into heaven), because that same evening Jesus appeared to them all (except for Thomas). It seems plausible that He did ascend to His Father, perhaps that same day (the first day of the week when He arose), or possibly within the following week. In verses 24-29, we find that eight days after the meeting with all the disciples (except Thomas), Jesus appeared to them all again. This time Thomas was present. But note, Jesus allowed him to touched his nail scarred hands and feet and to thrush his hand into his wounded side at this meeting. So, it is my conjecture that sometime between the first meeting and the second, He indeed ascended to His Father. And thus, this is why he was then able to allow Thomas to touch him, whereas Mary couldn't the day He arose. Also, at the first meeting it says, He showed them His scars; no mention of any of them touching Him then. I also believe, since there is no more mention of those saints who rose from the dead, that Jesus took them to heaven with Him, when He ascended to the Father. I could be wrong, you must study and draw your own conclusions about this matter.

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During Christ's ministry, He resurrected other people, one being Lazarus the brother of Mary and Martha. Please remember that these resurrections, were accomplished before Christ's resurrection, when the souls of the dead believers were still in Abraham's bosom in the unseen world, not in Heaven. There is no place in the New Testament (after the resurrection of Jesus) to prove that dead believers are still, or ever will be again, in Abraham's bosom. Upon Christ's resurrection, a new Era began, and it was called the age of Grace. And with that came, 'Absent from the body, present with the Lord'.

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For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud cry of summons, with the shout of an archangel, and with the blast of the trumpet of God. And those who have departed this life in Christ will rise first. Then we, the living ones who remain (on earth), Shall simultaneously be caught up along with (the resurrected dead) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so always (through the eternity of the eternities) we shall be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort and encourage one another with these words. (I Thess. 4:16-18)

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But each in his own rank and turn: Christ (the Messiah) is the first-fruits ~ then those who are Christ's (own will be resurrected) at His Coming. This refers to the grave and the body, not a gathering place of the dead. However, the unsaved souls of those who have died since Christ's resurrection, remain in the torment side of Hades, awaiting their final judgment. In Rev. 20:13 we are told that Death (the grave which claimed what was the mortal part of man ~ his body), and Hades (that contains the undying spirits and souls of the lost) are thrown into The Lake of Fire. The New Testament, never employs Hades in connection with the final state of punishment. (1 Corth.15:23)

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It is imperative that we believe the Word, and by all means read the Bible and every Bible resource you have and make your own determination. I believe that after the period of Grace was instituted at His resurrection, that Abraham's Bosom was no longer a holding place for the souls of the believers.
Here are a few scriptures that shed light on this: Luke 23:43; 2Corinthians 5:6-8; Phil. 1:23; Rev. 6:9; 7:9; 15:2.

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'Tartarus' is the place of punishment for the fallen angels only. They are chained there in extreme darkness.

Then He will say, to those at His left hand, Begone from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matt: 25:41).

And angels who did not keep (care for, guard, and hold to) their own first place of power but abandoned their proper dwelling place ~ these He has reserved in custody in eternal chains (bonds) under the thick gloom of utter darkness until the judgment and doom of the great day. (Jude 6)

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Gehenna (Hebrew) may be an unfamiliar word to you, but it is the permanent dwelling place of destruction for the unsaved (both soul and body). Many today, even Christians, reject the fact that there is a literal Lake of Fire. It is currently uninhabited. The first occupants will arrive there after the Tribulation Period. They are the Beast (or Antichrist) and the False Prophet. They will remain there until after the 1,000 year Reign of Christ and His saints. During that time, Satan is unchained from the bottomless pit to work his last evil deeds. After Satan is defeated, he will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, along with all the unsaved from all the previous time periods. (Rev. 14: 9-11;19:20; 20:10).

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The Lake of Fire! Even the name of this place should instill fear and trembling to those who reject Jesus and Salvation. The days of deception that are prominent in these last days, have many Christians questioning the literal meaning of the Lake of Fire. There is concrete evidence of the literal existence of eternal punishment, as there are numerous passages in God's Word that speak of the final destination of those who are lost for eternity. Those who lived their lives in the presence of Satan and rejected God's plan of salvation certainly will reap the second death as they stand in before God at the Great White Throne Judgment. Sitting on His Throne, God will pronounce judgment of these lost sinners. Believers, angels and the people of every dispensation will watch as the books are opened in which all of the evil works of the lost. Not one soul will escape, as the lost pass into the unutterable doom. Having been judged, the unnumbered throng is dismissed into the Lake of Fire, which is the second death! Physical death is a separation of soul and spirit from the body, but spiritual death is a separation of soul and spirit from God Himself. The second death means continued and conscious existence separated from the God of the Universe. These lost are destined to the Lake of Fire, and the wicked are subject to various degrees of retribution because they have been judged according to their works.

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Revelation 19:20 (Future)
And the beast was seized and overpowered, and with him the false prophet who in his presence had worked wonders and performed miracles by which he led astray those who had accepted or permitted to be placed upon them the stamp (mark) of the beast and those who paid homage and gave divine honors to his statue. Both of them were hurled alive into the fiery lake that burns and blazes with brimstone, and bound them for 1000 years.

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Perhaps the hardest thing for us to understand, is how a body could burn forever and never be consumed. My first answer to that would be that these souls have resurrected bodies. Remember when Moses experienced a supernatural occurrence when he stood before the burning bush, and the bush burned and was never consumed? I think this could be symbolic of the state of eternal burning. The Lake of Fire is not something born in Time, but Eternity. Thus, it is difficult for us as humans living in Time, to relate to things outside our existence.

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From this point onward is not going to be pleasant, but in order for us to understand the magnitude of Hades, we must understand the torments of those who will reside there. And, with this understanding, I hope that many Christians will become more adamant about soul winning, and have a heart for the lost. Today there is so much talk about finding one's destiny (in this life), but those who are now in Hades and await their final destiny, would surely, cry out to us if we could hear: "This life is but a vapor, soon it will be gone. Plan not your destiny around this life, prepare it with eternity in mind."

"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched. Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched!" (Mark 9: 43-44 )

"And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against ME; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." (Isaiah 66:24)

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There is a Greek Word called 'skolex', and this word rendered in English means 'worm'. 'Skolekobrotos' means 'eaten of worms'. But to put it more aptly, it refers to grave worms, or the worms that eat upon the dead flesh of those in the grave. (cf. Isaiah 14: 9-11; Acts 12:23; Job 21:26)

The Greek word 'asbestos' is rendered in the English as, 'never shall be quenched'. In the natural, asbestos is a substance that never burns. It is also an insulator and retains any heat in which it comes into contact. The flames in the Lake of Fire will burn eternally, and although those in this abode will not be consumed by the fire, they will be forever in the heat of the flames.

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We need to understand that between death and resurrection the immaterial part of man will either go to the Lord, if he is saved, or he will go into conscious torment and punishment of eternal judgment.

Jesus replied, "This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent (that you cleave to, trust, rely on, and have faith in His messenger." (John 6:29)

"He who believes in Him (who clings to, trusts in, relies on Him) is not judged (he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is no rejection, no condemnation ~ he incurs no damnation) but he who does not believe (cleave to, rely on, trust in Him) is judged already (he has already been convicted and has already received his sentence) because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only begotten Son of God, (He is condemned for refusing to let his trust rest in Christ's name)." (John 3:18)

The rejection of Christ is the all-inclusive sin. It not only does "despite" to the Spirit of grace, rejecting the infinite love of God. But, if it were possible, the Christ rejecter would take his sin off from the Lamb of God and lay it back upon himself to his eternal condemnation. ~ L. S. Chafer, D.D.

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Currently all the lost dead reside in Hades

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Our Lord Jesus Christ meant us to understand that if we die in our sins, if we go out of this world loving the things which God hates and hating the things which God loves, we must be separated from Him forever. ~ Tara

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Eternity is difficult for us to fathom. Seventy years seems like a long time when we think about it in Time. But eternity never ends, it just continues on forever and ever. The best way I can illustrate this point, and it does not even come close to understanding, is this. Think about one tiny grain of sand. Then in your mind, imagine that you were able to throw the grain into the depths of the universe. After doing so, then your next step was to find the tiny grain of sand. Of course, we all know that this defies possibility and renders us void of conceptual eternity.

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Eternity is never ending, so no matter what you do in this lifetime, make sure that you are covered by the blood of Jesus and holding onto His gift of salvation.

In the Beginning GOD created the first Adam from the dust of the earth. When we die, we all return to dust. The grave lies silent. The dust of decay perhaps anticipates our finished work here on earth. The dust in the grave awaits the sound of the trumpet and His glorious coming of His waiting Bride!

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My prayer is that we never put off telling others about Jesus and His escape from this awful place called Gehenna. If we neglect to win the lost for Jesus, He will hold us accountable. I know how difficult it is to witness to those who just won't listen, and it is even harder to approach our family and friends, but we must! There are many ways to witness besides just talking to them. We can leave gospel tract in homes, in offices, stores, and even greeting cards, etc. One of the best ways to witness is to share gospel videos and Christian CDs with them.

We can start deep conversations about atheists, Creationism, and about the times we live in. We can relate to those who are experiencing sorrow and grief, and with those with hardships and bad relationships. We should never preach to them or insist that they must get saved immediately, this turns many people off. When talking to unsaved people we should not be pushy, instead we should lean on the Holy Spirit for He is the one who convicts not us. It is easy to interject a Bible verse, or tell them of a miracle we have received. The avenues are endless. But most importantly, we must demonstrate the love of Jesus by our godly lives. It is amazing how many people come to Jesus, because they see the joy, love, and truth in others lives. ~ Tara Hart

We are living in the end times and Harvest time is here ~ the fields are ripe but where are the workers?

Tara Hart © 2006
All Rights reserved by the author

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In the Beginning, GOD created the first Adam from the dust of the earth. When we die, we all return to dust. The grave lies silent. The dust of decay perhaps anticipates our finished work on earth ~ and the dust in the grave awaits the sound of the trumpet, as our glorious Lord and Savior descends from Heaven to snatch His Bride away!

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Many have attempted to find an escape for the wicked, so that they would not be objects of eternal punishment. From a human perspective this may be desirable, but the Bible never suggests that the punishment of the wicked only continues for a certain amount of time. Death is a physical thing that happens to all of us. The body alone stays in the grave to decay and the unregenerate soul goes to Hades to await judgment. The righteous who dies goes immediately into the presence of God.

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At the Resurrection, the saints are given bodies that will never die. This resurrection is only for the righteous. The unsaved are not resurrected until the Great White Throne Judgment, at which time they are brought before Christ for evaluation. At this time (apparently) they are given bodies that are indestructible and suited for eternal punishment. Otherwise, how else would the beast and the false prophet still be burning after a 1,000 years? The same punishment that the False Prophet and Beast will have, will be the same as the final state of the unsaved dead.

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The Destiny of the Wicked.

The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of offense (persons by whom others are drawn into error or sin) and all who do iniquity and act wickedly, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and wailing and grinding of teeth. (Matt: 13:42)

Then He will say to those at His left hand, Begone from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matt: 25:41)

Then they will go away into eternal punishment, but those who are just and upright and in right standing with God into eternal life. (Matt: 26: 46)

And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no respite (no pause, no intermission, no rest, no peace) day or night ~ these who pay homage to the beast and to his image and 'Whoever' receives the stamp of his name upon on him (Rev. 14:11).
Those who receive the mark of the beast are declared to be the objects of eternal punishment!

But I will warn you whom you should fear: fear Him Who, after killing, has power to hurl into hell (Gehenna); yes, I say to you, fear Him! (Luke 12:5)

And the tongue is a fire (the tongue is a) world of wickedness set among our members, contaminating and depraving the whole body and setting on fire the wheel of birth (the cycle of man's nature), being itself ignited by hell (Gehenna).

The wicked shall be turned back (headlong into premature death) into Sheol (the place of the departed spirits of the wicked), even all the nations that forget or are forgetful of God. (Psalm 9:17)

Such people will pay the penalty and suffer the punishment of everlasting ruin (destruction and perdition and eternal exclusion and banishment from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power. (2 Thess: 1:9)

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Then I saw a great White Throne and the One Who was seated upon it, from Whose presence and from the sight of Whose face earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. I also saw the dead, great and small; they stood before the throne and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is (the Book) of Life. And the dead were judged (sentenced) by what they had done (their way of feeling and acting, their aims and endeavors) in accordance with what was recorded in the books. And the sea delivered up the dead who were in it, death and Hades (the state of death or disembodied existence) surrendered the dead in them, and all were tried and their cases determined by what they had done (according to their motives, aims and works). Then death and Hades (the state of death or disembodied existence) were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found recorded in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the Lake of Fire.

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More verses to consider about death, the grave, hell and resurrection

Questions? Comments?
Email: tarahart@thetruthconnection.com