John 3:17-18 (NKJV) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Those who reject the salvation plan of God through His only Son, Jesus Christ, stand condemned because there is no other way to be saved. Jesus has declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Hell is where they will be headed when they die if they refuse to acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Saviour!
Revelations 20:14-15 (NKJV) Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Every person is accountable for their lives. There will be no excuses from the individual in the presence of God. The place of torment is described as the lake of fire, and is not a pleasant place to spend eternity. We have heard a lot about the grace and mercy of God, but we also need to remember that He is a holy and righteous God who must judge sin and sinners who blatantly rejected Jesus.
Luke 16:24…28 (NKJV) “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me…for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’
This passage from the Gospel of Luke reveals that the spirit man has left for Hades, a place of torment for those who do not have God in their lives. There is absolutely no second chance for those who have been sent to this place. They will not complain or try to defend themselves by making excuses because they are aware of the choices they made while they lived on Earth—this is the second death, or spiritual death. The spirit man has senses, which is why the Spirit of God can lead us and be an inner witness for Christians. The spirit of man will live for eternity. Hades is a place where unbelievers will not only be tormented through their senses by the flame, but also in their minds because of the regrets of not having chosen to receive Christ while they could.
While everyone will experience physical death, not everyone has to go through the second death if they choose to respond to the gospel. What they need is someone to share the Good News with them! We have been called and sent to do it now!
Sermon Series: One Soul for Christ
成为那一位
约翰福音3:17-18 因为神差他的儿子降世,不是要定世人的罪,乃是要叫世人因他得救。信他的人,不被定罪。不信的人,罪已经定了,因为他不信神独生子的名。
那些拒绝接受上帝藉着祂的独生爱子耶稣基督而制定的救恩计划的人,将会被定罪,因为没有其他方法可以靠着得救。耶稣宣称:“我就是道路、真理、生命。若不藉着我,没有人能到父那里去。”(约翰福音 14:6)如果他们拒绝承认耶稣为他们的主和救主,那么死后就会去地狱!
启示录20:14-15 死亡和阴间也被扔在火湖里。这火湖就是第二次的死。若有人名字没记在生命册上,他就被扔在火湖里。
每个人都要对自己的生命负责。在上帝面前不会有个人的任何借口。这痛苦的地方被描述为火湖,并不是一个愉快的地方来度过永恒。我们听过很多关于上帝的恩典和怜悯,但我们也需要记住,祂是一位圣洁和公义的上帝,祂必须审判罪和公然拒绝耶稣的罪人。
路加福音16:24…28 就喊着说,我祖亚伯拉罕哪,可怜我吧…因为我还有五个弟兄。他可以对他们作见证,免得他们也来到这痛苦的地方。
路加福音的这段经文揭示了人的灵魂已经已经离开去了地狱,那里是那些没有上帝在生命中的人的痛苦之地。被送到这个地方的人绝对没有第二次机会。他们不会抱怨或试图找借口为自己辩护,因为他们知道他们在世上活着的时候所做的选择——这是第二次的死,或属灵上的死。灵人有感官,这就是为什么上帝的灵可以引导我们,成为基督徒的内在应证。人的灵会永远活着。地狱是一个让非信徒不仅在感官上被火焰折磨,而且他们的思想也会受到折磨的地方,因为他们后悔没有在还有机会的时候选择接受基督。
虽然每个人都会经历肉体上的死,但如果他们选择回应福音,并不是每个人都必须经历第二次的死。他们需要的是有人与他们分享好消息!我们现今被呼召和差派去做这件事!
讲章系列: 为基督赢得一个灵魂
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