Hell the Motivator

Cold Pulpits in a Season of Hell

Many pulpits have grown cold on the topic of Hell. Gone are the days of fire and brimstone sermons.

the punishment of hell will not be enjoyable

The punishment of hell will not be enjoyable.

Those days have been replaced with lessons that are warmer, and make Christians feel better about themselves and life in general. But the silence has come at an extreme cost. We have several generations who have heard many lessons on the love of God and the grace of God— which I firmly believe must be taught. But they have never heard about Hell.

How can Christians truly appreciate the love and grace of God if they don’t understand His wrath? I was not much older than 4 or 5 years of age when I first comprehended the concept of Hell. While I didn’t understand all of the dynamics, I knew this was a horrible place to which I never wanted to go. During my adolescence and formative years, the fear of Hell kept me out of many bad situations, as my conscience reminded me of the consequences of choosing the wrong path.

Hell was a real motivator in my early years, as I knew I didn’t want to “burn.” That “motivating factor” has been diminished in the past few decades—but not of my own choosing. I honestly cannot recall the last “hellfire and brimstone” sermon I’ve heard. In fact, a few years ago I began speaking on the topic of Hell because I was afraid yet another generation would grow up having never heard this portion of God’s Word.

The darkness of Hell has been replaced with the sunshine of grace and love. Death has been replaced with fun and entertainment. Want proof? Take a look at the activities your youth group is involved in and the material they study and then compare them in light of Scripture: “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:2). Six Flags? Absolutely! The cemetery? Not on your life.

While we don’t like to think about it, every human being came into the world with an expiration date—this is a date that we will not miss (unless Jesus comes first). In Ecclesiastes 3:2 we are reminded that there is “a time to be born and a time to die.” The writer of Hebrews acknowledged, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

World Death Rates 2011 (according to the U.S. Census Bureau)

– 8 Deaths/100 Population

– 55.3 million people died each year

– 151,600 people died each day

– 6,316 people died each hour

– 105 people died each minute

– Almost 2 people died each second

Most humans cringe at the very thought of stepping out into eternity. As such, we make light of the concept of Hell. We joke about this “devil” creature with horns and a pitchfork. We find it much easier to laugh than to truly meditate on the reality of Hell. But that light-hearted attitude and the ongoing silence in pulpits has caused many Christians to become apathetic in our outreach to the lost. If we aren’t worried about or focused on people actually going to Hell, why would we reach out? The silence from the pulpit and “feel-good” propaganda from popular preachers has damaged the church and has cast many souls into danger.

Add to this that modern-day charismatic preachers are telling people that Hell is either not real or won’t last for eternity. Rob Bell had a New York Times best-selling book titled Love Wins in which he contended that the phrase “eternal punishment” should be translated as “a period of pruning” or a “time of trimming.” Bell proclaimed, “If we want Hell, if we want Heaven, they are ours. That’s how love works. It can’t be forced, manipulated, or coerced. It always leaves room for the other to decide. God says yes,we can have what we want, because love wins.”

Love wins? Then how shall we reconcile the words of Jesus when He said: “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46)? Are we to believe that Jesus was wrong or lying about this “everlasting punishment”? Christ went on to say, “But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12). If Hell is not a real place that lasts forever, how do we harmonize the sobering instructions of Jesus: “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to Hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched’” (Mark 9:43-44)?

An honest evaluation demonstrates that Jesus believed in Hell, a place of torment and everlasting devastation. This is supported by a passage found in Revelation 20:10: “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever ”

Consider that after a soul has been in Hell for 150,000 years, they have no hope of relief. This is a torment that will go on and on through eternity. We read, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).

Our casual and relaxed attitude has caused us to forget that sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). We don’t truly meditate on the holiness of God. Consider what we find in Habakkuk 1:13, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness.” God is holy (1 Peter 1:16).

For just a moment I want you to imagine what it would be like if we could peel back the lid of Hell. What would it sound like? What would it smell like? During my time at Vanderbilt Hospital, I witnessed many gruesome sights. But the area that always stood out the most was the burn unit. Once you have smelled burning flesh, you will never forget that smell.

Could it be that we have come to view sin as not that big of a deal? Have we reached the point that we don’t view it as stench in the very nostrils of God? I believe that we have sanitized and recast God’s wrath and His Word. We view the Flood account as a cute children’s story—not grasping that God wiped out every human and animal except those on the ark. Jeremiah proclaimed, “Behold, the whirlwind of the Lord goes forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind; It will fall violently on the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord will not return until He has done it, and until He has performed the intents of His heart. In the latter days you will consider it” (Jeremiah 30:23-24). Nahum paints an even better picture of the wrath of God: “God is jealous, and the Lord avenges; The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies; The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked” (Nahum 1:2-3).

Does this sound like the “love-and-grace-only” God you frequently hear about? Having traveled across the world, I am convinced that many who wear the name of Christian are—through our actions, words, or thoughts—offering up dung in the nostrils of God. Maybe it is the television show that we know Christians shouldn’t watch, but we tune in anyway. Or maybe it is the music with repulsive lyrics. Or maybe it is gossiping lips or a hateful attitude. For others it may be Internet pornography or immodest clothing. Or maybe it is sexual activity outside of marriage or drinking alcohol with friends. But the bottom line is we are offering up dung in the nostrils of the living God. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

Hell is a real place. I long for the days when that motivator is back and pulpits have warmed back up to this topic. The Bible records: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it” (Matthew 7:13). How many people will we continue to watch step out into eternity—who are not prepared—all because we would not speak up? All because we were afraid it might “offend” them? They need to know—and you are the perfect one to share the Truth in love.

Posted in Brad Harrub | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Hell the Motivator

The Bottom Line

The Bottom Line

As we make decisions, we all want to know what is on the bottom line. There may be several paragraphs with details of all matters, but we all want to get to the end because the bottom line clearly states the vital facts. It is so important that we examine the closing paragraphs of truth to see “the bottom line” of Christianity. What are those paragraphs?

we want to know the bottom line

We want to know the bottom line!

There is an Almighty God. If this is not true, then there is no bottom line of Christianity. We are animals who live about seventy years, and then it is all over. If there is no God, there is nothing beyond the grave, for there was nothing before birth.

The Almighty God, the Creator, has revealed Himself. Even if He existed, there is nothing about His existence that impacts our lives unless He has revealed Himself. He might exist, but there is nothing we can do to find Him unless He lets us know that He is.

The Almighty God has revealed Himself in a way we can understand Him. His grandeur surpasses all that we can imagine, but if His revelation is only to a select few, then we have no responsibility toward Him. Unless He has revealed Himself to common people like us, there is no way to respond to Him, for there is no way we can know about Him.

The Almighty God has revealed Himself by becoming a man, living among us and revealing Himself through this “man.” Here is the central focus of the matter. Before reaching this part of the closing paragraphs, only our intellect has been involved. However, if the claims of the man of Nazareth are true, then this totally changes the matter. Jesus is a man of history. Even if there was no Bible, there is overwhelming proof that He lived. Yet, He did live! One cannot be honest with himself without investigating Jesus. He is a man of history, and the details of His life must honestly be dealt with in the same way we deal with every man of history.

The Almighty God has proven that the man of Nazareth is the Son of God. The blind did see, the deaf did hear, the lame did walk, the lepers were cleansed, the tempest was calmed and the dead were raised. One cannot honestly ignore these facts! The final unanswerable truth is the empty tomb. Jesus of Nazareth was raised from the dead!

The Almighty God has given all authority to Jesus, and He will judge by how we respond to this authority. God is! He has revealed Himself! He has revealed Himself so that we can understand Him! He has come and lived as a man and revealed Himself to us! He has been raised from the dead! He did ascend to heaven’s throne! He will return to judge us someday!

Be sure to read the bottom line of Christianity!

Posted in Dan Jenkins | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The Bottom Line

Zombies! Zombies!

Zombies, Zombies… Everywhere!

Let’s face it; the above is probably not a title you ever thought you’d see in a religious article, let alone a church of Christ article. But I promise that if you’ll stick with it and read it to the end, you’ll find a very biblical, powerful, and practical point to this “Zombie” article!

zombies are hypothetical creatures and ugly

Zombies are hypothetical creatures… and ugly.

The fact is that no one ever used to hear too much about zombies, except as we approached that one time of year when Satan worshippers and the like began to gear up in anticipation of celebrating their most unholy day of the year – the time that to them is as sacred as Christmas is to the world of “Christendom” at large (and I use that term loosely) – that being the hokey Halloween holiday. But all of that has changed in the last few decades, as evil “zombies” have become an everyday, everywhere fixture in our current culture. They are the featured subject and fearful centerpiece of a countless number of extremely popular movies, videos, video games, television series, and even cellular telephone and other ad campaigns, which we are now exposed to year-round.

Let us begin with what we are told they are. Zombies are characterized and defined to us as being “the living dead.” David Chalmers has written, “Zombies are hypothetical creatures of the sort that philosophers have been known to cherish. A zombie is physically identical to a normal human being, but completely lacks conscious experience. Zombies look and behave like the conscious beings that we know and love, but ‘all is dark inside.’ There is nothing it is like to be a zombie” (www.philpapers.org).

As to where they came from, the idea seems to have originated in the voodoo traditions of Haiti according to some sources, being later imported and popularized here in America with the release of the 1968 George A. Romero film, “Night of the Living Dead.” From the 1960’s American musical group known as “The Zombies,” to the 1983 Michael Jackson video, “Thriller,” even up to as recently as the 2013 release of the movie “World War Z,” zombies have grown in stature, exposure, acceptance and recognition. In fact, regarding the insanely popular zombie-slaughtering television series “The Walking Dead,” Wikipedia reports that: “AMC has renewed the series each year because of its consistently increasing Nielsen ratings, which have been unprecedentedly high for a cable series, including viewership of 17.3 million for its season five premiere, making it the most-watched drama series telecast in cable history.”

But here is by far the biggest thing that one needs to understand and consider regarding our current culture’s complete fascination and infatuation with these unfeeling and formerly human creatures: ‘As David Chalmers has written, “Zombies are hypothetical creatures.”’ In other words, they aren’t real. They not only don’t exist in the physical world but they can’t! Zombies (as pop culture currently portrays them that is) are simply the result of the mentally misfiring cracks and crevices of man’s most macabre imaginations! Those, incidentally, being the same dark and satanically-infested imaginations from whence false, futile, and useless man-made doctrines of religion actually, legitimately arise to terrorize and destroy mankind (as referenced in 1 Kings 12:28-33, Matthew 15:1-9, Mark 7:1-13, Colossians 2:8-23, 1 Timothy 4:1-5, 2 Timothy 4:3-4, 2 Peter 2:1-3, and so many more).

Folks, God’s word is clear: “It is appointed for man to die once, but after this, the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The moment the body draws its last breath, the spirit leaves the body lifeless and takes up residence in the Hadean realm, not to be raised again until the final judgment (See Ecclesiastes 12:7, Luke 16:22ff, John 5:28-29, 11:24, and etc). The only exception to this, was of course, the very special circumstances surrounding those raised from the dead by Jesus Christ and His hand-picked and Holy-Spirit endowed and empowered apostles (Mark 5:35-42; Luke 7:11-17; John 11:41-44; Acts 9:36-43, 20:9-12).

However, just because zombies – those who are by definition “all dark inside” – do not and cannot exist as Hollywood depicts them, that does not mean that the ‘walking dead’ do not exist at all! Oh no, far from it! In fact, they are all around us! They are everywhere, as the spiritually dead and separated from God masses of souls within which we all function and which swirl around us all each day, remain dead in their trespasses and sins, even as we once were (Ephesians 2:1-10). Their one and only hope is also the blood (vss. 11-18). But alas, many of them ignorantly and militantly prefer their walking dead state rather than to walk with the Lord (Luke 9:59-60; Galatians 5:19-25). They refuse to come to the light (cf. John 3:19-20), preferring instead to remain “all dark inside” and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2), “having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness” (Ephesians 4:18-19).

The living dead; the walking dead; these are the spiritually “dead” the bible describes – “spiritual zombies” if you will – and this type certainly does exist by the millions in modern day America. These are those whom we know and love who have not yet obeyed the gospel and experienced the saving grace blood of Jesus Christ. Let us remember that the next time we see anything even remotely related to “the living dead,” and realize the reality of the terror inherent in the eternities of the “real zombies” amongst and around us everywhere, and do everything we can to change that (Matthew 28:18-19)!

 

 

Posted in Doug Dingley | Tagged , | Comments Off on Zombies! Zombies!

The Peace Symbol

The Peace Symbol

Every year where I live, there is a city fair.  Oh, it has the usual things small towns have: carnival rides, truck pulls, livestock auctions, lots of food (that is probably no good for you, but it sure taste great) and a great parade.  My children just love parades.  Several floats and people all dressed up, waving their hands and throwing out gobs of candy.  This year however, in addition to throwing candy in our hands and on the streets, they were passing out necklaces with a particular design on them.  My daughter was given several.  Furthermore, she was given many stickers that also had this design or symbol on it.  And so, as little girls do, she went to put them on.  But, I had to ask her not to wear them and she wanted to know why?  Daddy, why can’t I wear the necklace?  Well, it was not long after that we went to Wal-mart where we were looking for some things and lo and behold, there that design was on children’s shirts.  Again, my daughter reminded of the parade, asked what that design or symbol means.

what is the peace symbol all about

What is the peace symbol all about?

The symbol was of “the Peace Symbol” as it is commonly known today.  This symbol is made into jewelry, embroidered on clothing, stamped on stationary, bumper stickers, posters and even toys.  It is worn by several different people who call it a peace symbol.  But, is this what it really means and more importantly, can a Christian wear it in good conscious?

The modern use of the symbol began in England, February 1958.  It was designed for us in the Aldermasterson Easter Peace Walk as an emblem of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.  According to Parade Magazine, June 28, 1970, the symbol was suggested by the late Bertrand Russell, a philosopher who is remembered for his atheism and his pro-communist beliefs.  Not only was Russell anti-God, he was, by his own admission, in league with Satan.  Now, Russell did not design the symbol, but he did adopt a well known symbol of the Anti-Christ.  If you look carefully at a peace symbol, you will see that it is a cross, turned upside down, with the arms broken.  The circle was later added to the design.

The origin of the “Peace Symbol” dates back to the first century.  According to Nestrorius the Syrian, the Patriarch of Constantinople (428-431 A.D.), the Roman Emperor Nero (54-68 A.D.) designed the symbol as a broken cross to show his personal disrespect for Christ at the crucifixion of Simon Peter (Peter was supposedly crucified head down on such a cross, but not confirmed).  Yet, from that time until this present generation it was known as the “Nero Cross” and was freely flaunted any place and on any occasion where the anti-Christ theme prevailed.

The symbol has also been called a “witch’s foot” and a “crow’s foot.”  It was used in the middle ages as an omen of evil and death.  Rudolph Koch describes the use of the symbol in his book of Signs (Dover Publications, p. 83).  Marquis de Concressault says, in symbol of the Anti-God, (Brittany press, 1969) that the symbol is visible in several 16th century wood-cuts illustrating the Black Mass and the Witches Sabbath, as an ornament on their altars.  The symbol was often referred to then as “the mark of the beasts.”  Contemporary Satanists Anton LeVey said in November 1968, that a modern day “Black Mass” includes making fun of the cross by walking on it, or by hanging it upside down.  This was done both to show defiance of God and faith in Satan.  Mr. Richard Wurmbrand, a minister, was imprisoned and persecuted by the secret police of Rumania.  When he was finally released, he stated before a congressional committee that “this communist peace symbol is still commonly recognized in Europe as a symbol of the devil.”

Christians are certainly in favor of peace, since we follow the Prince of Peace.  But, no Christian should want to wear, support, or show respect for any symbol which indicates allegiance to the opponents of Christianity.  If one must have a peace symbol, let it be something which honors Christ, the outward appearance of the heart.  Let it be the Christian light in the world (Matt. 5:16; Eph. 5:11).

Posted in Robert Notgrass | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The Peace Symbol

Godliness

Great is the Mystery of Godliness

christians strive to have the purity of godliness

Christians strive to have the purity of Godliness.

When we look at the purpose statement for Paul’s first epistle to his young protégé, Timothy, then we see that the “the mystery of godliness” comes to the forefront (1 Tim. 3:14- 16). Yet, we should not be surprised that the message bubbling from within Paul by inspiration and the motivation that prompted him to face such severe persecution (cf. 2 Cor. 11:24-28) was this mystery, which elsewhere he refers to as “the mystery of Christ” (cf. Eph. 3:1-13; Col. 4:2-4). As a matter of fact, he had already briefly introduced this earlier in the context when he discusses the qualifications of deacons and stated, “They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience” (1 Tim. 3:9). This concept—“the mystery of godliness” or “the mystery of the faith”— simply refers to the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the means of attaining the quality of godliness. As Paul is about to discuss such, the phrase “without controversy” (1 Tim. 3:16) comes from a Greek term that refers literally to one who confesses. In fact, one translation renders this expression as “common confession” (NASV). In other words, this is a declaration of absolute confidence.

What is that to which Paul is absolutely confident? The object of such is the great “mystery of godliness.” The word “mystery” is from the Greek word musterion, which we find twenty-seven times in the New Testament. Unfortunately, our English translation of this term often brings to our minds a different understanding of what this word actually means. I know that when I think of this term, I often think of the related adjective “mysterious,” and one might also think that this term applies to that which is impossible to understand. However, this word is better understood by the term “secret,” just as we see this concept in the Old Testament: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29). This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible, and it poses a contrast between that which is “secret” and that which God has revealed; thus, we are able to understand what this term “secret” (or “mystery”) means, for it is as Paul explains in Ephesians 3: “…how the mystery was made known to me by revelation…” (Eph. 3:3), and Paul goes on to explain that it was not revealed earlier, but was now revealed to him and other inspired writers for the purpose of enlightening everyone through the sacred scriptures that they wrote (Eph. 3:2-7). As a matter of fact, Jesus used this term to explain to His twelve apostles why He spoke in parables (Mark 4:11); it was not time yet to reveal everything. In other words, that which one time was unrevealed is now revealed in the word of God! The gospel is no longer a mystery or “sacred secret” today, as it once was (cf. Rom. 16:25- 27; 1 Pet. 1:10-12)!

Therefore, Paul does not refer to this “mystery of godliness” as being “great” because there is no way of understanding it, but because this revealed secret—the message now revealed—is a great message of a great God and has great consequences for us! As Paul will discuss the great “mystery of godliness,” he will do so through six propositions that are rooted in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Please consider a discussion of these six propositions in the other articles of this issue, and may we all benefit thereby!

Posted in Sam Willcut | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Godliness