Quote: Jim Elliot, 12

~ Hell ~

Why Does God Send Men to Hell?

The following is an excerpt from a book.

Now, God can’t do anything else but send some men to hell. What would you have Him to do? Would you have Him pass over the whole thing, as soon as that man, after he’s lived his life of crookedness and passed sweetly into a coffin, comes before God? What would you have God do about it? Would you have God say, “Oh well, it’s all right. Forget it.” Well, God can’t do that. I mean, say that He would even like to. But don’t you see the problem, which to you is not just a theological problem, but also a practical one?

You now have a very real problem arising in your mind. The problem between justice and mercy. You’d like to see the man get off in a good thing. You’d like to see him, just because you’re a good fellow yourself, you’d like to see him get on by in eternity. But somehow, you say, it can’t be and really be just. There is mercy in you like there is in God, and there is justice in you like there is in God to a certain degree, and these things argue against one another.

What would you have God do? God’s got to do something with every man He has created because He just made men to live forever, that’s all. And as He does that, He also decides that He will give the ultimate Word to man, and that Word is given to us in the person of Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ taught us that those kinds of men were going to hell along with lots of other people who didn’t want to really say they were crooked. They wanted to say, “Well, I really haven’t hurt anybody.” But they still live for themselves, they have not given themselves over to God. God demands obedience.

Jesus Christ taught us this much about heaven, that it was God’s throne. And until a man was subjected to the idea that God was on His throne in heaven, he wasn’t going to receive anything from God by way of real blessing.

~ from “JIM ELLIOT: A Christian Martyr Speaks to You, pgs 108-109  (ISBN: 9781615797646)

Learn more about this important book at Amazon, the Publisher, or the Author’s website.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

4 Dinner Parties

~ Choose Your Dinner Party Carefully ~

(1)  Supper of Grace—Salvation in the Gospel  ~  “Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, ‘Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!’  Then He said to him, ‘A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, “Come, for all things are now ready.” But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, “I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.” And another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.” Still another said, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.” So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.” And the servant said, “Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.” Then the master said to the servant, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.”’” (Luke 14:15-24).

(2)  Supper of Communion—Fellowship in the Church  ~  “Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you” (1 Corinthians 11:17-22).

(3)  Supper of Glory—Worship in Glory  ~  “Then he said to me, ‘Write: “Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!”’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true sayings of God.’ And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy’” (Revelation 19:9-10).

(4)  Supper of Judgment—Consequences on Earth  ~  “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God’” (Revelation 19:17).

What does this all mean? The choices made on earth will determine your eternal destination. Every human being travels in life along their chosen path to one of two final destinations:

the final destination to choose:  Everyone who accepts the invitation to the (1) Supper of Grace is qualified to be a participant in the (2) Supper of Communion and will be in the (3) Supper of Glory. This is the final and eternal destination for those who choose to believe God’s Word.

the final destination to avoid: Everyone who fails to act upon the invitation to the (1) Supper of Grace is not invited to the (2) Supper of Communion and prohibited from the (3) Supper of Glory—rather they will be compelled to attend the (4) Supper of Judgment. This is the final and eternal destination for those who choose to not believe, or who never consciously make a choice, to believe God’s Word.

One of my prayers is that I will see all of my readers at the Supper of Glory!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight (http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/).

3 Literal Places

~ 3 Chapters of Luke Present 3 Different Real Locations ~

Earth  ~  Chapter 14 of the Gospel According to Luke provides a look at The Gospel Feast, known more commonly as the Parable of the Great Supper. Sinners are invited and the parable describes how some neglected their great opportunity while others responded appropriately.

“Now when one of those who sat at the table with Jesus heard these things, the man at the table said to Jesus, ‘Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, “Come, for all things are now ready.” But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, “I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.” And another said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.” Still another said, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.” So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.” And the servant said, “Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.” Then the master said to the servant, “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper”’” (Luke 14:15-24). This parable was given by Jesus while He walked on a real place—planet earth!

Heaven  ~  Chapter 15 of the Gospel According to Luke provides a look at the return of the prodigal son and his reception and restoration.

Jesus continued this parable, “And the prodigal son arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry” (Luke 15:20-24).  This is a parable of our heavenly Father and how He loves us and is preparing a heavenly feast for us. Yes heaven is a real place.

Hell  ~  Chapter 16 of the Gospel According to Luke provides a look at a rich man’s life, death, burial, and eternal doom.

Jesus Christ speaking: “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead’” (Luke 16:19-31). Jesus Christ confirms with no uncertainty that hell is a real place prepared for the devil and his angels—a place where those who reject Christ’s offer of salvation will spend eternity in torment. 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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