Written by a valued member of the team: I’ve been wanting to broadcast to the ends of the earth, the following. But before I do I must confess my current state of affairs. I have definitely been sanctimonious and self righteous as so many of us well intending so called christians have been. I know I continue to slip into this most ungodly attitude more often than I’d like to admit
I also am not currently and have not, for quite a long time, experienced what many would describe as success in life. In short, I have a lot of issues. So, without further ado, I’d like to share with you some things that have weighed very heavy on my heart for quite a while. I passionately claim to be a christian. But I quickly add that there are many who claim to be a christian who don’t have a clue what a christian is. Here I am sounding/being extremely self righteous and sanctimonious. Please consider that I may not be completely wrong. When I have the opportunity to bring up the subject of religion/church/god . . ., many people quickly share that they believe in god. Here’s the kicker. When I ask them what they believe about hell, most people say they do not believe in a literal hell. Now what do I mean by literal hell? Well, to begin with it's not simply an imaginary place. I am amazed at the number of people who claim to be preachers who refuse to talk about or more likely do not believe in hell. Yet they talk about the bible all the time as if it is their all time favorite book. So, what does the bible say about hell. Or is the bible not credible, or is only part of it credible? Just for the sake of trying to tie everything together in a way that makes sense, let's say that the bible is credible. Of course you can always argue that nothing has to make sense. Many people seem to like this approach. Please stop reading if this is you, because I desperately want this to make sense. So what does the bible say? Well, very briefly and frankly, it says that it is fire and brimstone, unimaginable torment, inescapable, unending, unchanging. So what’s the big deal. Hell sc1hmell. Well for me, and some others, the concern has been how do I not go there. Of course, this concern has arisen because of the direct teaching of the bible that people go there. If the bible is not credible, were all off the hook. No problem. But my friends, if it is credible, we certainly have something to think about. At this point many people have checked out. All of the other religious options just got a lot more appealing. And of course there are the really tough people who dismiss any and all religious/spiritual element. If you are still with me, you either are enjoying what you conclude to be total stupidity or perhaps, just perhaps God is calling you. Well, what to do, what to do. The gospel, ooooooh, there’s a religious term. The gospel simply states that all are bound for hell and may escape only through God’s provision. Kinda paradoxical. God provides a way of escape from His judgement. Hm, interesting. I think many who are reading this have already heard this several times. If you have never been drawn I don’t think you ever will be. But who knows, maybe. Anyway, the gospel is very simple. God created us, we fell/sinned, He died and rose again to rescue us. Pretty simple. Reject this and you will be summarily sent to hell upon your death. If you want to know more about God, read what He wrote. Thinking He is a little presumptuous will quickly abate as you learn of the creator/redeemer. I know this note seems a little sarcastic/jaded. Please forgive my tone. I’m tired of people avoiding the truth about hell. None of us would ever want anyone to ever go there. We must stop being afraid to proclaim the whole Gospel. Jesus did not suffer and die a horrible death to save us from some slight punishment. His death saved us from eternal, hell, fire, damnation. Would we deal with God if hell were not a reality? I’m sure there are many that would say yes. I would probably not have given God the time of day. Guess that makes me pretty bad. As I have gotten to know God through His Word, I have come to know that He loves me and all of us. I have kind of gone from fear of hell to thank you Lord for loving me. Hell is an integral/essential non-negotiable part of the gospel. Stop leaving it out. No one can come to Christ without it!
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AuthorJoseph Zeiss, servant of The King Archives
May 2021
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