Heavenly Father,
00:00:09.44\00:00:11.47
Lord, as we begin this journey
00:00:11.51\00:00:13.01
into what is sometimes a
difficult subject for people.
00:00:13.04\00:00:17.45
We are asking You
to send us Your light.
00:00:17.48\00:00:20.78
We are asking You to
help us see the love of Jesus
00:00:20.82\00:00:23.79
and the cross of Calvary.
00:00:23.82\00:00:25.89
Help us to understand, Lord,
00:00:25.92\00:00:27.49
why there is a place called hell
00:00:27.52\00:00:29.49
and what is its purpose?
00:00:29.52\00:00:31.66
We ask that You'd open
our eyes and open our ears,
00:00:31.69\00:00:35.43
that You might
write precious lessons
00:00:35.46\00:00:38.00
on our hearts and
our minds tonight.
00:00:38.03\00:00:40.60
This we pray in Jesus' name.
00:00:40.64\00:00:43.17
Amen.
00:00:43.20\00:00:45.37
Robert's father
had a very bad habit.
00:00:45.41\00:00:49.44
Every time little Robert
would do something wrong,
00:00:49.48\00:00:52.21
he would grab his son
by the scruff of the neck,
00:00:52.25\00:00:55.02
throw him down on the couch
00:00:55.05\00:00:56.82
and he would
begin to lecture him,
00:00:56.85\00:00:58.95
and he would say "Now, son,
00:00:58.99\00:01:00.56
if you don't stop
doing these bad things,
00:01:00.59\00:01:03.32
if you don't stop
committing these sins, one day,
00:01:03.36\00:01:07.40
the almighty God's
gonna get a hold of you
00:01:07.43\00:01:10.37
and when He does,
He's gonna burn you,
00:01:10.40\00:01:13.74
and roast you, and toast you
00:01:13.77\00:01:16.64
in the ceaseless
ages of eternity."
00:01:16.67\00:01:20.64
And, of course, little
Robert would cower back in fear
00:01:20.68\00:01:23.85
at the thought of a God
who would do such a thing.
00:01:23.88\00:01:27.42
But as the years went by,
00:01:27.45\00:01:29.75
this was the
method of discipline
00:01:29.78\00:01:31.25
his father used
over and over again.
00:01:31.29\00:01:34.32
Eventually,
Robert became a young man
00:01:34.36\00:01:36.56
and he did some things
that were very embarrassing
00:01:36.59\00:01:38.83
to his father and
to his father's church.
00:01:38.86\00:01:41.63
And so once again, his
dad grabbed him by the neck,
00:01:41.66\00:01:44.53
threw him down on the same couch
00:01:44.57\00:01:46.30
and he said, "Now, son,
00:01:46.33\00:01:47.67
I don't know how
to get through to you.
00:01:47.70\00:01:49.37
I've told you
over and over again,
00:01:49.40\00:01:52.07
if you keep doing these things,
00:01:52.11\00:01:54.21
God's gonna get a hold
of you and when He does,
00:01:54.24\00:01:57.48
He's gonna burn you,
00:01:57.51\00:01:59.05
He's gonna roast
you, and toast you
00:01:59.08\00:02:01.75
throughout all the
ceaseless ages of eternity.
00:02:01.78\00:02:05.32
Is that what you want?"
00:02:05.35\00:02:07.46
At that point, Robert
couldn't take it anymore.
00:02:07.49\00:02:10.46
He had had that
shoved down his throat
00:02:10.49\00:02:12.99
all throughout his childhood.
00:02:13.03\00:02:14.73
And so he jumped off the seat
00:02:14.76\00:02:16.40
and he got in his father's face,
00:02:16.43\00:02:18.10
and he said, "Dad,
let me tell you something.
00:02:18.13\00:02:20.54
If that's the kind
of a God you serve,
00:02:20.57\00:02:23.00
I want nothing to do with Him.
00:02:23.04\00:02:25.11
I hate a God like that.
00:02:25.14\00:02:26.78
I hate Him."
00:02:26.81\00:02:28.48
And he walked out the door.
00:02:28.51\00:02:31.71
That man eventually went
on to college and university.
00:02:31.75\00:02:35.85
He had an
intelligent and a keen mind,
00:02:35.88\00:02:38.69
and he eventually became
00:02:38.72\00:02:40.22
one of the
world's foremost atheists.
00:02:40.26\00:02:43.46
His name was Robert Ingersoll,
00:02:43.49\00:02:46.76
a man who dedicated his life
to defying the existence of God
00:02:46.80\00:02:51.73
through lectures and
through the writing of books,
00:02:51.77\00:02:55.17
largely
influenced by this doctrine
00:02:55.20\00:02:57.97
of a forever burning hell.
00:02:58.01\00:03:01.74
Now the truth is many
people used the idea of hell
00:03:01.78\00:03:05.01
to try to threaten unbelievers
00:03:05.05\00:03:06.92
and to try to get their children
00:03:06.95\00:03:08.55
to do what is right.
00:03:08.58\00:03:10.09
In fact, there are
churches today every year
00:03:10.12\00:03:13.09
who give all kinds of
plays and dramatizations
00:03:13.12\00:03:17.16
that actually
depict the suffering
00:03:17.19\00:03:19.79
and the
unutterable anguish of someone
00:03:19.83\00:03:22.73
who is writhing
in the fires of hell.
00:03:22.76\00:03:25.17
And then afterwards,
00:03:25.20\00:03:26.53
they give a call to accept
Jesus Christ as your Savior.
00:03:26.57\00:03:30.94
But, folks, the truth is,
00:03:30.97\00:03:32.57
that's a very
poor line of reasoning
00:03:32.61\00:03:35.14
to use with anyone,
00:03:35.18\00:03:36.95
because it teaches
people to serve God out of fear,
00:03:36.98\00:03:40.72
instead of
serving Him out of love.
00:03:40.75\00:03:43.12
To give your life to Him
00:03:43.15\00:03:44.49
because you're
afraid of something
00:03:44.52\00:03:46.22
or you want to avoid something,
00:03:46.25\00:03:48.16
instead of looking
at what Christ has done
00:03:48.19\00:03:50.86
on the cross of Calvary
00:03:50.89\00:03:52.56
and responding to His
love and to His mercy,
00:03:52.59\00:03:55.60
those are two different things.
00:03:55.63\00:03:57.63
One looks at God
as a loving character,
00:03:57.67\00:03:59.93
the other looks at God
00:03:59.97\00:04:01.30
as some sort of
diabolical being.
00:04:01.34\00:04:04.47
And see, the reason
this subject is important
00:04:04.51\00:04:07.14
is hell has become
one of the most twisted,
00:04:07.18\00:04:10.48
abused, and misused doctrines
in the entire Christian church.
00:04:10.51\00:04:15.75
And as a result,
00:04:15.78\00:04:17.12
the character of God
has been marred and stained.
00:04:17.15\00:04:21.36
So it's very important
that we open up the Bible
00:04:21.39\00:04:24.59
and we let the
Bible speak for itself,
00:04:24.63\00:04:27.76
not tainted by the
traditions of the Middle Ages.
00:04:27.80\00:04:31.53
So as we go into
this, there's one question
00:04:31.57\00:04:33.40
we have to answer to begin with.
00:04:33.44\00:04:35.40
Number one, what
kind of a God do we serve,
00:04:35.44\00:04:38.31
a loving God
who wants to save us
00:04:38.34\00:04:40.98
or a cruel God who is
eager to send us to hell?
00:04:41.01\00:04:44.41
Which one do you think?
00:04:44.45\00:04:46.15
Yeah, a loving God.
00:04:46.18\00:04:47.68
In fact, notice what
it says in 2 Peter 3:9,
00:04:47.72\00:04:52.25
because before we
understand this subject,
00:04:52.29\00:04:54.66
we must know
what is God's attitude
00:04:54.69\00:04:57.13
towards hell and
towards the wicked.
00:04:57.16\00:05:00.50
The Bible says,
00:05:00.53\00:05:02.26
"The Lord is not slack
concerning His promise,
00:05:02.30\00:05:05.93
as some count slackness,
00:05:05.97\00:05:08.40
but is
longsuffering towards us..."
00:05:08.44\00:05:11.51
Now, what's another
word for longsuffering?
00:05:11.54\00:05:14.04
Patient toward us.
00:05:14.08\00:05:15.68
"Not willing that
any should perish,
00:05:15.71\00:05:18.28
but that all should
come to repentance."
00:05:18.31\00:05:21.22
Now notice, the Bible tells us
00:05:21.25\00:05:23.72
God does not want
to see anyone lost
00:05:23.75\00:05:26.82
or perish unnecessarily.
00:05:26.86\00:05:29.72
He is not eager to see people
eternally separated from Him.
00:05:29.76\00:05:34.33
Can you say amen?
00:05:34.36\00:05:35.70
In fact, it
says that He is eager
00:05:35.73\00:05:37.83
that all should
come to repentance.
00:05:37.87\00:05:41.27
Now not everyone
will come to repentance,
00:05:41.30\00:05:43.41
we have a free choice.
00:05:43.44\00:05:45.31
But it's very clear
God is not up in heaven
00:05:45.34\00:05:48.21
in partnership with the devil
00:05:48.24\00:05:50.21
looking down into the
chasms of the earth and saying,
00:05:50.25\00:05:53.25
"Hey, devil, I got
another one for you,
00:05:53.28\00:05:56.05
have fun with him."
00:05:56.08\00:05:58.12
That's not the way God works.
00:05:58.15\00:06:00.22
He's not looking to
keep us out of heaven.
00:06:00.26\00:06:02.79
He's not even
looking to send us to hell,
00:06:02.82\00:06:05.03
He's working to save us.
00:06:05.06\00:06:07.90
So we need to understand
what God's attitude is first.
00:06:07.93\00:06:12.23
Now to go even farther,
00:06:12.27\00:06:14.14
we also need to
know how is the word hell
00:06:14.17\00:06:17.14
used in the Bible
'cause this is important.
00:06:17.17\00:06:20.48
Every time you see the
word hell in the Bible,
00:06:20.51\00:06:23.65
it is not always talking
about the place of burning
00:06:23.68\00:06:27.18
we normally think of.
00:06:27.22\00:06:28.85
For example, 42
times in the Bible,
00:06:28.88\00:06:31.85
the English word
hell is translated
00:06:31.89\00:06:34.42
from the words
"sheol" or "Hades"
00:06:34.46\00:06:37.13
which simply means "the grave."
00:06:37.16\00:06:40.46
Eleven times it is translated
from the word "gehenna"
00:06:40.50\00:06:45.13
which means the
"place of burning"
00:06:45.17\00:06:47.07
we normally
think of, and one time
00:06:47.10\00:06:49.10
it refers to a
place of darkness.
00:06:49.14\00:06:51.14
So if I see the
word hell in the Bible,
00:06:51.17\00:06:53.91
and in the context,
00:06:53.94\00:06:55.28
it's talking about the grave,
00:06:55.31\00:06:57.08
but I think it's talking
about the place of burning,
00:06:57.11\00:06:59.91
I am going to come
to a misinterpretation.
00:06:59.95\00:07:03.49
So it's important
to read the context,
00:07:03.52\00:07:05.79
read the verses before
and read the verses after,
00:07:05.82\00:07:08.86
and it will be very clear
00:07:08.89\00:07:10.36
whether the Bible is
referring to the grave
00:07:10.39\00:07:12.59
or to the actual
place of burning.
00:07:12.63\00:07:16.33
So for this subject tonight,
00:07:16.36\00:07:18.30
there's really
only three questions
00:07:18.33\00:07:20.80
that we need to
be able to answer.
00:07:20.84\00:07:23.27
Question one, when
does hell-fire burn?
00:07:23.30\00:07:27.61
Question two, where
does hell-fire burn?
00:07:27.64\00:07:31.71
And question three, how
long does hell-fire burn?
00:07:31.75\00:07:36.32
If we can answer
those three questions,
00:07:36.35\00:07:39.02
then we will have a very clear
understanding of this subject.
00:07:39.05\00:07:42.89
And I'm happy to tell you,
00:07:42.92\00:07:44.49
the Bible
answers all three of them
00:07:44.53\00:07:46.86
in a very clear and
a very powerful way.
00:07:46.90\00:07:50.87
Can you say amen?
00:07:50.90\00:07:52.27
So let's start with
question number one.
00:07:52.30\00:07:54.37
When does hell fire burn?
00:07:54.40\00:07:56.47
Is it burning right now?
00:07:56.50\00:07:58.07
Does it burn at
the end of the world
00:07:58.11\00:07:59.61
or does it burn
at some other time?
00:07:59.64\00:08:01.84
So here's what we're gonna do.
00:08:01.88\00:08:03.75
We're gonna let Jesus Himself
answer that first question,
00:08:03.78\00:08:07.92
'cause there's nobody
I trust more than Jesus.
00:08:07.95\00:08:10.55
Amen.
00:08:10.59\00:08:11.92
So take your Bibles,
00:08:11.95\00:08:13.29
and I want you to go
to Matthew Chapter 13.
00:08:13.32\00:08:16.93
And Jesus will clear this
up with one simple parable.
00:08:16.96\00:08:21.90
Matthew 13:24.
00:08:21.93\00:08:27.97
Now, while
you're looking this up,
00:08:28.00\00:08:29.90
this is known as the
Parable of the Tares.
00:08:29.94\00:08:33.21
Now, tares are simply weeds,
00:08:33.24\00:08:35.11
those nasty things
00:08:35.14\00:08:36.48
that none of us
want in our gardens.
00:08:36.51\00:08:37.98
So here's what we're gonna do.
00:08:38.01\00:08:39.51
I'm gonna summarize for you
00:08:39.55\00:08:40.88
the parable that Jesus told
and then in verses 36 to 42,
00:08:40.92\00:08:45.65
Jesus gives word for
word the interpretation
00:08:45.69\00:08:48.76
of what it means.
00:08:48.79\00:08:50.13
So here's the story.
I'm gonna summarize it.
00:08:50.16\00:08:52.89
Jesus tells the
story of a farmer
00:08:52.93\00:08:55.53
who has a field
00:08:55.56\00:08:57.30
and in his field he
plants good seeds or good crops,
00:08:57.33\00:09:01.90
but during the
night an enemy sneaks in
00:09:01.94\00:09:04.57
and plants tares or weeds there,
00:09:04.61\00:09:07.51
and they grow up
00:09:07.54\00:09:08.88
and start
choking the good crops.
00:09:08.91\00:09:10.98
Well, the servants of
the farmer say to him,
00:09:11.01\00:09:13.42
"Sir, did you not plant
good seeds in your field?
00:09:13.45\00:09:16.89
Then where did
these weeds come from?"
00:09:16.92\00:09:19.75
And the farmer says,
"An enemy has done this."
00:09:19.79\00:09:23.93
And the servants say,
00:09:23.96\00:09:25.73
"Do you want us
to go into the field
00:09:25.76\00:09:28.40
and pull out all of these tares,
00:09:28.43\00:09:30.57
these weeds?"
00:09:30.60\00:09:32.13
And the farmer, the master says,
00:09:32.17\00:09:34.04
"Don't do that,
00:09:34.07\00:09:35.40
because by doing so
you will trample upon
00:09:35.44\00:09:37.97
and destroy the good
seed, wait until the harvest,
00:09:38.01\00:09:42.58
which is the end
of the growing season.
00:09:42.61\00:09:45.08
At that time,
00:09:45.11\00:09:46.45
we will separate the
good seed from the bad seed,
00:09:46.48\00:09:49.32
we will bind
the tares in bundles
00:09:49.35\00:09:52.55
and throw them into
the furnace of fire."
00:09:52.59\00:09:55.99
That's the story
that Jesus tells.
00:09:56.02\00:09:58.73
Later that same
day the disciples come
00:09:58.76\00:10:02.13
and specifically ask
Him "What does that mean?"
00:10:02.16\00:10:06.77
Let's pick it
up in verse 36 now,
00:10:06.80\00:10:08.64
I'm gonna let you
read Jesus' interpretation.
00:10:08.67\00:10:12.54
The Bible says,
00:10:12.57\00:10:14.91
"Then Jesus sent
the multitude away
00:10:14.94\00:10:17.81
and went into the house.
00:10:17.85\00:10:19.91
And His disciples
came to Him saying,
00:10:19.95\00:10:22.55
'Explain to us the parable
of the tares of the field.'
00:10:22.58\00:10:26.99
"Now listen, verse 37,
00:10:27.02\00:10:29.16
"He answered and said to them,
00:10:29.19\00:10:32.33
'He who sows the
good seed is,'" who?
00:10:32.36\00:10:36.50
"The Son of Man.
00:10:36.53\00:10:37.90
The field is the world,
00:10:37.93\00:10:40.04
the good seeds are
the sons of the kingdom,
00:10:40.07\00:10:43.10
but the tares are the
sons of the wicked one.
00:10:43.14\00:10:46.24
The enemy who
sowed them is the devil,
00:10:46.27\00:10:49.14
the harvest is
the end of the," what?
00:10:49.18\00:10:52.71
Age or some version
say end of the world.
00:10:52.75\00:10:55.55
"And the
reapers are the angels."
00:10:55.58\00:10:58.89
Now notice verse
40, it's very clear,
00:10:58.92\00:11:01.52
"Therefore,
00:11:01.56\00:11:02.89
as the tares are
gathered and burned in the fire,
00:11:02.92\00:11:06.70
so it will be at
the end of this age.
00:11:06.73\00:11:10.27
The Son of Man will
send out His angels,
00:11:10.30\00:11:12.93
and they will
gather out of His kingdom
00:11:12.97\00:11:15.00
all things that offend,
00:11:15.04\00:11:16.84
and those who
practice lawlessness,
00:11:16.87\00:11:19.51
and will cast them
into the furnace of fire,
00:11:19.54\00:11:23.04
and there will be
wailing and gnashing of teeth."
00:11:23.08\00:11:28.28
Did you catch
what Jesus just said?
00:11:28.32\00:11:30.59
He said, just as at the
end of the growing season
00:11:30.62\00:11:34.49
during the harvest,
00:11:34.52\00:11:35.86
the farmer separates
the good from the bad
00:11:35.89\00:11:38.49
and throws the bad seed
or the tares into the fire,
00:11:38.53\00:11:42.10
Jesus says that's
what it's gonna be like
00:11:42.13\00:11:44.73
at the end of the world,
00:11:44.77\00:11:46.53
when the angels
separate the good from the bad
00:11:46.57\00:11:50.47
and the wicked are
thrown into the furnace of fire
00:11:50.51\00:11:54.01
where there is
weeping and gnashing of teeth.
00:11:54.04\00:11:58.21
So let me ask you a question.
00:11:58.25\00:11:59.58
According to
what Jesus just said,
00:11:59.61\00:12:02.18
when does hell-fire burn?
00:12:02.22\00:12:05.65
At the end of the world.
00:12:05.69\00:12:08.66
That's not my opinion,
00:12:08.69\00:12:10.39
that's not your opinion,
00:12:10.43\00:12:12.23
that's not a
denominations' interpretation,
00:12:12.26\00:12:14.63
that's clearly
what Jesus just said,
00:12:14.66\00:12:17.53
"It burns at the end of the age"
00:12:17.57\00:12:19.83
which is the end of the world.
00:12:19.87\00:12:24.04
Now, just knowing
00:12:24.07\00:12:25.54
that Jesus could clear
that up in one simple story,
00:12:25.57\00:12:29.04
let me ask you something.
00:12:29.08\00:12:30.78
Do you think that we
should find that taught
00:12:30.81\00:12:32.61
in other places
of the Bible too?
00:12:32.65\00:12:34.88
Absolutely.
00:12:34.92\00:12:36.25
Let's go to
something that Peter wrote,
00:12:36.28\00:12:37.62
and I've got this
printed on the screen.
00:12:37.65\00:12:40.22
In 2 Peter 2:9,
notice what it says.
00:12:40.26\00:12:45.53
"Then the Lord knows
how to deliver the godly
00:12:45.56\00:12:48.86
out of temptations
00:12:48.90\00:12:50.60
and to reserve the
unjust under punishment
00:12:50.63\00:12:53.77
for," when?
00:12:53.80\00:12:55.70
When's the time of
judgment, the Day of Judgment?
00:12:55.74\00:12:58.34
That's the end of the world.
00:12:58.37\00:13:00.61
So Peter agrees with
what Jesus said, now,
00:13:00.64\00:13:03.45
that would make
sense, don't you think?
00:13:03.48\00:13:05.41
Because when Jesus told
that parable back in Matthew,
00:13:05.45\00:13:08.85
was Peter there?
00:13:08.88\00:13:11.55
He was.
00:13:11.59\00:13:12.92
Peter was in the house,
he heard Jesus explain it.
00:13:12.95\00:13:16.16
So it would make sense
00:13:16.19\00:13:17.53
that Peter would
say the same thing,
00:13:17.56\00:13:19.33
hell-fire burns at
the end of the world.
00:13:19.36\00:13:23.80
So based on what the Bible says,
00:13:23.83\00:13:26.90
let's pose another question.
00:13:26.94\00:13:29.37
How many people are
burning in hell right now?
00:13:29.40\00:13:34.58
Absolutely none.
00:13:34.61\00:13:37.98
See, tradition may say yes,
00:13:38.01\00:13:41.08
but I am not
willing to look at Jesus
00:13:41.12\00:13:43.35
and tell Him that He's wrong,
00:13:43.39\00:13:45.59
or that He doesn't know
what He's talking about.
00:13:45.62\00:13:48.62
You see, where
did the idea come from
00:13:48.66\00:13:50.99
that hell-fire is
burning right now.
00:13:51.03\00:13:54.70
The truth is,
00:13:54.73\00:13:56.56
it comes from the Middle Ages.
00:13:56.60\00:13:59.53
It comes from the traditions
and the false doctrines of men
00:13:59.57\00:14:02.97
that have existed
ever since the apostasy,
00:14:03.00\00:14:05.77
even during the time of Rome.
00:14:05.81\00:14:07.61
Now, I want us to just
think through something here.
00:14:07.64\00:14:11.38
What would it be
like right now to think
00:14:11.41\00:14:13.55
that people are burning in hell?
00:14:13.58\00:14:16.92
That maybe I have a loved one,
00:14:16.95\00:14:20.22
who for whatever reason
chose not to follow the Lord.
00:14:20.26\00:14:23.99
And I would think that
right now they are burning,
00:14:24.03\00:14:26.70
and screaming, and writhing
00:14:26.73\00:14:28.83
in all sorts of
unutterable anguish.
00:14:28.86\00:14:33.40
And yet I could
still look at God
00:14:33.44\00:14:35.07
as though He is a God of love.
00:14:35.10\00:14:39.27
See, even here on earth,
00:14:39.31\00:14:42.08
we have a court system
that says you must be tried
00:14:42.11\00:14:45.95
before a judgment is made
00:14:45.98\00:14:47.32
as to whether
you're innocent or guilty.
00:14:47.35\00:14:49.32
How can God send
someone either to heaven or hell
00:14:49.35\00:14:53.66
before the time of judgment
at the end of the world,
00:14:53.69\00:14:56.42
when their life
has been reviewed?
00:14:56.46\00:14:59.06
If even earthly courts do
what's fair most of the time,
00:14:59.09\00:15:04.07
would we not say that
the God of the universe
00:15:04.10\00:15:06.84
will also do what is fair?
00:15:06.87\00:15:09.10
Can you say amen?
00:15:09.14\00:15:10.87
I mean, the idea
that if hell-fire burned,
00:15:10.91\00:15:13.88
is burning now,
that would mean that Cain
00:15:13.91\00:15:16.54
who murdered one person
00:15:16.58\00:15:18.51
is burning
thousands of years longer
00:15:18.55\00:15:21.48
than someone today
who's murdered like 50 people
00:15:21.52\00:15:24.52
as a mass murderer.
00:15:24.55\00:15:26.35
That's not fair.
00:15:26.39\00:15:27.82
Hell-fire does
not burn at the end,
00:15:27.86\00:15:30.23
until the end when people's
lives had been reviewed.
00:15:30.26\00:15:33.86
The truth is, it
comes from Middle Ages
00:15:33.90\00:15:35.83
when a false
doctrine was created.
00:15:35.86\00:15:39.17
That said, if
you gave indulgences
00:15:39.20\00:15:41.00
or enough money to the church,
00:15:41.04\00:15:42.97
you could buy the
soul of your loved one
00:15:43.00\00:15:45.61
out of
purgatory and rescue them.
00:15:45.64\00:15:48.64
And unfortunately,
00:15:48.68\00:15:50.01
that doctrine
came into Christianity
00:15:50.05\00:15:52.75
even in the Protestant churches
00:15:52.78\00:15:54.78
and made its way into the world
00:15:54.82\00:15:57.09
in these modern centuries
00:15:57.12\00:15:58.95
to where tradition says
hell is burning right now,
00:15:58.99\00:16:02.32
but Jesus clearly says
00:16:02.36\00:16:03.79
it burns at the
end of the world.
00:16:03.83\00:16:07.56
So we've answered that question
pretty easily from the Bible.
00:16:07.60\00:16:11.70
But we got a second question.
00:16:11.73\00:16:13.74
Where does hell-fire burn?
00:16:13.77\00:16:16.84
Does it burn on this earth?
00:16:16.87\00:16:18.64
Is it somewhere down in
the core, in the center?
00:16:18.67\00:16:21.41
Does it burn on
some other planet?
00:16:21.44\00:16:23.55
Where does this happen?
00:16:23.58\00:16:25.88
So let's take our Bibles now
00:16:25.91\00:16:27.88
and we're gonna go
to the prophetic Book
00:16:27.92\00:16:29.58
of Revelation.
00:16:29.62\00:16:30.95
And Revelation can
answer this in one simple verse.
00:16:30.99\00:16:34.92
Revelation 20:9,
00:16:34.96\00:16:39.06
in fact, we have read
this before in this seminar.
00:16:39.09\00:16:42.76
Revelation 20:9,
00:16:42.80\00:16:46.90
this is describing what happens
at the end of the millennium.
00:16:46.94\00:16:50.71
As the holy city,
00:16:50.74\00:16:52.17
the New Jerusalem
descends from God out of heaven.
00:16:52.21\00:16:55.71
Revelation 20:9.
00:16:55.74\00:16:59.91
The Bible says,
00:16:59.95\00:17:02.05
"And they went up on
the breadth of the earth,"
00:17:02.08\00:17:04.85
this is speaking of
the wicked and Satan,
00:17:04.89\00:17:07.22
"and they surrounded
the camp of the saints
00:17:07.26\00:17:10.19
and the beloved city.
00:17:10.23\00:17:12.06
And fire came down
from God out of heaven,"
00:17:12.09\00:17:16.13
and did what?
00:17:16.16\00:17:17.80
"Devoured them."
00:17:17.83\00:17:19.33
So where is this
scene taking place at?
00:17:19.37\00:17:23.10
On the earth.
00:17:23.14\00:17:24.47
And when you think about it,
00:17:24.51\00:17:26.17
where has sin been
for the last 6000 years?
00:17:26.21\00:17:29.94
On this earth.
00:17:29.98\00:17:31.41
Where has been all the
pain, all the suffering,
00:17:31.45\00:17:35.25
all the heartache,
00:17:35.28\00:17:36.62
where has the great controversy
00:17:36.65\00:17:38.92
between Christ and
Satan been taking place?
00:17:38.95\00:17:42.56
Right here on this planet.
00:17:42.59\00:17:45.19
So clearly, the
Bible is telling us
00:17:45.23\00:17:47.36
hell-fire burns on this earth.
00:17:47.40\00:17:50.70
I mean, that makes sense
00:17:50.73\00:17:52.17
because if God's
gonna create a new heavens
00:17:52.20\00:17:54.20
and a new earth,
00:17:54.24\00:17:55.57
hell- fire is gonna
purify the old sinful earth
00:17:55.60\00:17:59.07
so that God can make a new one.
00:17:59.11\00:18:01.71
Can you say amen?
00:18:01.74\00:18:03.51
In fact, you know,
00:18:03.55\00:18:04.88
many times if you
were to ask someone
00:18:04.91\00:18:06.61
"Well, where is hell?"
00:18:06.65\00:18:09.22
The traditional
response is where?
00:18:09.25\00:18:11.22
If you had a point,
if tradition was to point
00:18:11.25\00:18:13.36
where is hell,
which way would it point?
00:18:13.39\00:18:15.82
Down.
00:18:15.86\00:18:17.19
But you notice in this verse,
where does hell-fire come from?
00:18:17.23\00:18:22.76
Comes from up.
00:18:22.80\00:18:24.47
It's not down
yonder, it's up yonder.
00:18:24.50\00:18:28.10
It comes down
from God out of heaven,
00:18:28.14\00:18:30.74
destroys Satan,
destroys the wicked,
00:18:30.77\00:18:33.88
destroys sin, and
purifies this earth
00:18:33.91\00:18:37.65
so
righteousness can dwell again.
00:18:37.68\00:18:41.28
See, that's actually
the good news about hell.
00:18:41.32\00:18:44.59
I mean, it is sad to
think that there will be people
00:18:44.62\00:18:48.22
who will be destroyed.
00:18:48.26\00:18:50.83
People who will be
blotted out of existence
00:18:50.86\00:18:53.06
and that's gonna
break God's heart.
00:18:53.09\00:18:56.03
But the good news is,
00:18:56.06\00:18:58.13
hell is what ushers in
the perfect world again.
00:18:58.17\00:19:03.30
Hell is what ushers in,
00:19:03.34\00:19:05.07
in a sense the
Garden of Eden anew,
00:19:05.11\00:19:07.88
where God creates a new earth
where there's no more death,
00:19:07.91\00:19:11.05
there's no more sorrow, etc.
00:19:11.08\00:19:13.35
In fact, Peter writes about this
00:19:13.38\00:19:15.88
in 2 Peter 3:7,
00:19:15.92\00:19:17.62
notice something he said here.
00:19:17.65\00:19:20.66
"But the heavens and the earth
00:19:20.69\00:19:23.26
which are now
preserved by the same word,
00:19:23.29\00:19:26.83
are reserved for fire
00:19:26.86\00:19:29.00
until the day of judgment
and perdition of ungodly men."
00:19:29.03\00:19:33.80
Now, I gotta pause
on something there.
00:19:33.84\00:19:36.74
Do you know there is
something in that verse
00:19:36.77\00:19:40.04
that only our generation
has been able to understand?
00:19:40.08\00:19:44.51
There's something in that verse
00:19:44.55\00:19:46.08
that previous generations have
not been able to comprehend.
00:19:46.11\00:19:51.35
You know what it is?
00:19:51.39\00:19:53.79
Think about this.
00:19:53.82\00:19:55.39
We understand why the earth
has to be destroyed by fire.
00:19:55.42\00:20:02.00
But notice it says,
00:20:02.03\00:20:04.40
"The heavens and the earth."
00:20:04.43\00:20:09.04
Why did the heavens
have to be destroyed?
00:20:09.07\00:20:12.84
Now understand
that's not capital H heaven
00:20:12.87\00:20:15.41
talking about where God dwells.
00:20:15.44\00:20:17.11
That's talking
about the firmament,
00:20:17.15\00:20:18.81
the atmosphere above the earth.
00:20:18.85\00:20:20.62
Why does God
have to destroy that?
00:20:20.65\00:20:23.82
See, previous generations
didn't understand that.
00:20:23.85\00:20:27.36
I want you to
think about something.
00:20:27.39\00:20:30.36
It's only been in our lifetime,
00:20:30.39\00:20:33.06
let's say the
last hundred years,
00:20:33.09\00:20:35.70
that man has taken
sin beyond this planet.
00:20:35.73\00:20:42.04
It's only been in
the last hundred years
00:20:42.07\00:20:43.91
that man has walked on the moon,
00:20:43.94\00:20:46.71
that man has sent
his space shuttles,
00:20:46.74\00:20:49.61
and his space stations
out into the atmosphere.
00:20:49.64\00:20:53.18
That man has placed hundreds,
00:20:53.21\00:20:55.68
maybe even
thousands of his satellites
00:20:55.72\00:20:58.29
up there in the firmament,
up there in the atmosphere.
00:20:58.32\00:21:02.19
And those are the satellites
that beam down all the filth,
00:21:02.22\00:21:06.76
all the garbage, all the trash
00:21:06.80\00:21:09.13
that goes into
our television sets,
00:21:09.16\00:21:11.47
into our
computers, into our iPhones,
00:21:11.50\00:21:14.40
into any
wireless device we have.
00:21:14.44\00:21:17.54
It goes all the
way up into the heavens
00:21:17.57\00:21:19.87
and then it brings
all that stuff down
00:21:19.91\00:21:22.38
in our homes, in our offices,
00:21:22.41\00:21:25.15
maybe sometimes
even in our churches,
00:21:25.18\00:21:28.25
things that destroy
homes, that destroy marriages,
00:21:28.28\00:21:31.99
that destroy families.
00:21:32.02\00:21:34.76
And for that reason,
00:21:34.79\00:21:36.59
God also has to
destroy the heavens
00:21:36.62\00:21:39.49
or the atmosphere
that is above the earth
00:21:39.53\00:21:42.16
because man has taken sin there.
00:21:42.20\00:21:46.80
Now I believe
God has put a limit
00:21:46.84\00:21:48.30
on how far man can go,
00:21:48.34\00:21:50.24
I don't believe man's
ever gonna be able to live
00:21:50.27\00:21:52.24
or be civilized
in another planet.
00:21:52.27\00:21:54.04
I don't believe
God's gonna allow that
00:21:54.08\00:21:56.04
because man is
already messed up now
00:21:56.08\00:21:57.85
the firmament and the atmosphere
00:21:57.88\00:21:59.78
in addition to this earth.
00:21:59.81\00:22:04.15
But see the good
news is in verse 13,
00:22:04.19\00:22:07.82
because then Peter reminds us
00:22:07.86\00:22:10.09
"Nevertheless,
00:22:10.13\00:22:11.86
we according to His promise,
00:22:11.89\00:22:14.60
look for a new
heavens and a new," what?
00:22:14.63\00:22:17.63
"A new earth in which
righteousness dwells."
00:22:17.67\00:22:21.70
Do you
understand what that means?
00:22:21.74\00:22:24.14
That means that no more
00:22:24.17\00:22:26.27
will I ever have
to read about a child
00:22:26.31\00:22:28.68
being caught in the crossfire
of a drug deal gone wrong.
00:22:28.71\00:22:33.28
No more will I ever
have to read about some thug
00:22:33.31\00:22:37.55
beating up a lady
taking a few dollars
00:22:37.59\00:22:40.22
out of her pocket book
to support his drug habit?
00:22:40.26\00:22:43.39
Nevermore will I have
to go to another funeral?
00:22:43.43\00:22:46.49
Can you say amen?
00:22:46.53\00:22:47.90
Never more will I
have to see commercials
00:22:47.93\00:22:50.37
about millions of children
starving to death in Africa.
00:22:50.40\00:22:55.07
Nevermore will I have to read
00:22:55.10\00:22:57.77
about a terrorist flying a plane
00:22:57.81\00:23:00.18
into a building somewhere.
00:23:00.21\00:23:02.24
Nevermore will I
have to read about a mommy
00:23:02.28\00:23:05.81
and daddy
screaming at each other
00:23:05.85\00:23:08.02
and about children
and spouses being abused.
00:23:08.05\00:23:11.42
Why?
00:23:11.45\00:23:12.79
Because the new
earth is gonna be a place
00:23:12.82\00:23:14.42
where righteousness dwells.
00:23:14.46\00:23:16.52
It's gonna be the
place of perfection,
00:23:16.56\00:23:18.93
a place where Jesus'
righteousness shines brightly
00:23:18.96\00:23:22.80
and where love reigns supreme.
00:23:22.83\00:23:25.93
And it's all possible
00:23:25.97\00:23:27.57
because of what Jesus
Christ has done for you and me.
00:23:27.60\00:23:31.14
If you and I are
there in the new earth,
00:23:31.17\00:23:33.11
it's not gonna be
because of our good works.
00:23:33.14\00:23:35.74
It's not gonna be because
we made every choice perfect.
00:23:35.78\00:23:39.05
When we are there it
00:23:39.08\00:23:40.42
will be because Jesus Christ
laid His life down on Calvary.
00:23:40.45\00:23:45.09
That He was willing to
carry His cross to Golgotha,
00:23:45.12\00:23:48.82
and He was willing to
give us His righteousness
00:23:48.86\00:23:51.79
so that you and I can be saved.
00:23:51.83\00:23:53.63
The reason we
have victory over sin,
00:23:53.66\00:23:56.16
the reason I can look
forward to these new heavens
00:23:56.20\00:23:58.40
and new earth is
only because of Jesus
00:23:58.43\00:24:01.84
and His victory over sin.
00:24:01.87\00:24:04.21
So tonight we ought
to say praise His name.
00:24:04.24\00:24:08.24
One day sin
will be gone forever.
00:24:08.28\00:24:14.25
Now in that quick span of time,
00:24:14.28\00:24:16.65
we've just answered
the first two questions.
00:24:16.69\00:24:19.19
When does hell-fire burn?
00:24:19.22\00:24:21.42
And where does hell-fire burn?
00:24:21.46\00:24:23.86
And the Bible
has been very clear.
00:24:23.89\00:24:27.26
But now comes
the third question,
00:24:27.30\00:24:30.60
how long does hell-fire burn?
00:24:30.63\00:24:35.67
And this is the part
00:24:35.70\00:24:37.04
where sometimes
we get tripped up.
00:24:37.07\00:24:41.94
Now the Bible
doesn't say exactly
00:24:41.98\00:24:45.01
how long hell-fire will burn.
00:24:45.05\00:24:48.38
But you're gonna
find as we look up
00:24:48.42\00:24:49.95
in number of these verses.
00:24:49.98\00:24:52.32
I can confidently
stand up here tonight
00:24:52.35\00:24:55.62
and make this statement.
00:24:55.66\00:24:58.26
"According to the
Bible, and the Bible alone,
00:24:58.29\00:25:02.53
hell-fire
definitely does not burn
00:25:02.56\00:25:06.00
through the
ceaseless ages of eternity
00:25:06.03\00:25:09.04
and God will not
torture people to no end.
00:25:09.07\00:25:12.94
Yes, there is a hell,
00:25:12.97\00:25:14.64
and yes, God will use
it to get rid of Satan,
00:25:14.68\00:25:17.25
and sin, and the wicked,
00:25:17.28\00:25:18.98
but He is not
going to torture people
00:25:19.01\00:25:21.18
in agony to no end,
00:25:21.22\00:25:23.08
at some point it will go out.
00:25:23.12\00:25:28.06
Now, you may be
thinking, "Well, Pastor Dave,
00:25:28.09\00:25:30.63
you realize that
what you just said
00:25:30.66\00:25:32.86
goes against the majority
of the religious world?"
00:25:32.89\00:25:36.13
Yes, I do realize that.
00:25:36.16\00:25:38.40
But truth is you
figured out by now,
00:25:38.43\00:25:40.74
I'm really not that interested
in what the majority thinks.
00:25:40.77\00:25:43.97
And I'm really
not that interested
00:25:44.01\00:25:45.47
and neither are you
with the traditions of men
00:25:45.51\00:25:47.74
that came from the
apostasy of the Middle Ages.
00:25:47.78\00:25:50.31
The only thing
we're concerned about
00:25:50.35\00:25:52.41
is what does the Bible say
00:25:52.45\00:25:54.78
and what does it say
about the character of God?
00:25:54.82\00:25:59.42
So here's what we're gonna do?
00:25:59.45\00:26:01.39
We're gonna go
through some Bible verses
00:26:01.42\00:26:02.96
that usually we
just read on the surface,
00:26:02.99\00:26:06.33
and we miss the
deeper meanings of it.
00:26:06.36\00:26:08.56
But before I go there,
00:26:08.60\00:26:09.93
I want to share with
you three logical reasons
00:26:09.96\00:26:12.10
why hell-fire
must come to an end.
00:26:12.13\00:26:15.30
Let's just think that through.
00:26:15.34\00:26:16.97
Now, not everything
is answered by logic,
00:26:17.01\00:26:19.31
but I think if we
think this through
00:26:19.34\00:26:21.08
it makes a lot of
sense according to the Bible.
00:26:21.11\00:26:24.25
Reason number one,
00:26:24.28\00:26:26.58
how many people are
willing to say "Yes,
00:26:26.61\00:26:28.62
I believe there will be
new heavens and a new earth."
00:26:28.65\00:26:31.25
Can I see your hands?
00:26:31.29\00:26:32.72
I think almost
everybody agrees with that.
00:26:32.75\00:26:35.69
Well, if the Bible says,
00:26:35.72\00:26:37.53
"God creates new
heavens and a new earth."
00:26:37.56\00:26:41.83
How can He do that
00:26:41.86\00:26:44.10
if hell-fire is burning
on this earth for eternity?
00:26:44.13\00:26:48.67
Think about that.
00:26:48.70\00:26:50.17
If the holy city
descends from God out of heaven,
00:26:50.21\00:26:53.78
and comes down to the new earth
00:26:53.81\00:26:55.71
where righteousness
is supposed to dwell,
00:26:55.74\00:26:58.78
how can that happen
00:26:58.81\00:27:00.35
if this earth is
going to be one ball of fire
00:27:00.38\00:27:03.28
throughout eternity,
00:27:03.32\00:27:04.65
and how could
righteousness dwell here
00:27:04.69\00:27:06.76
if hell lasts forever?
00:27:06.79\00:27:09.72
That's a very simple
and logical question.
00:27:09.76\00:27:12.49
See, the fact that
there's gonna be a new earth
00:27:12.53\00:27:15.30
tells us that hell-fire
must end at some point.
00:27:15.33\00:27:21.64
In fact, to illustrate this,
00:27:21.67\00:27:23.00
let me ask you to
think about something.
00:27:23.04\00:27:26.57
Sometimes people
have said, "Well,
00:27:26.61\00:27:29.14
you know, what's gonna happen
00:27:29.18\00:27:30.51
is the New Jerusalem
will be here on this earth,
00:27:30.55\00:27:32.58
and we'll be able to look
through the gates of the city
00:27:32.61\00:27:35.58
and somewhere over on the earth
00:27:35.62\00:27:37.29
we'll be able to see the wicked
00:27:37.32\00:27:39.55
who are writhing in
pain and burning in hell,
00:27:39.59\00:27:43.02
and that will remind us
that sin is coming to an end.
00:27:43.06\00:27:47.96
Folks, I have to be
very blatantly honest.
00:27:48.00\00:27:51.80
I find nothing more sickening
than that kind of theology.
00:27:51.83\00:27:56.50
Because think
about what that saying.
00:27:56.54\00:27:59.77
Are we saying that I can
be in the kingdom of heaven,
00:27:59.81\00:28:04.98
that I'm gonna look
out the gates of that city
00:28:05.01\00:28:08.38
every day
00:28:08.42\00:28:10.22
and I'm gonna watch people,
00:28:10.25\00:28:11.95
maybe somebody I know,
00:28:11.99\00:28:14.86
maybe God forbid a child
00:28:14.89\00:28:16.42
who didn't
choose to follow Jesus.
00:28:16.46\00:28:19.09
And I'm gonna look out
00:28:19.13\00:28:20.46
and I'm gonna watch
them scream, and writhe,
00:28:20.50\00:28:24.00
and cry out in pain and anguish,
00:28:24.03\00:28:26.90
while God turns a deaf
ear for all of eternity.
00:28:26.94\00:28:31.21
And then I'm gonna be able
to look at the throne and say,
00:28:31.24\00:28:33.78
'God is love.'
00:28:33.81\00:28:37.01
Nothing blasphemes
the character of God
00:28:37.05\00:28:41.18
more than that.
00:28:41.22\00:28:43.99
The fact that
there's a new earth
00:28:44.02\00:28:46.49
tells us that one day
hell-fire is going to go out.
00:28:46.52\00:28:51.83
Logical reason number two,
00:28:51.86\00:28:54.56
do we all agree
that God is a fair
00:28:54.60\00:28:56.97
and a just God?
00:28:57.00\00:28:58.33
What do you think, do
we all agree with that?
00:28:58.37\00:28:59.70
God is fair, God is just,
00:28:59.73\00:29:01.14
I think every
denomination agrees with that.
00:29:01.17\00:29:04.54
Would it be fair and just
00:29:04.57\00:29:07.38
for God to take a
person who is a sinner,
00:29:07.41\00:29:10.78
let's say 70-80
years of their life,
00:29:10.81\00:29:13.05
that's the
average lifespan today.
00:29:13.08\00:29:15.38
And for 70-80 years of sin,
00:29:15.42\00:29:18.19
burn them for all of eternity.
00:29:18.22\00:29:22.82
Does that seem fair?
00:29:22.86\00:29:25.39
In fact, to help
us comprehend this,
00:29:25.43\00:29:28.40
let me give you a little analogy
00:29:28.43\00:29:30.13
as to how long eternity is.
00:29:30.17\00:29:33.57
I want you to picture a seagull.
00:29:33.60\00:29:35.10
Let's say we have a
seagull here in Missouri.
00:29:35.14\00:29:37.91
And we send that seagull
all the way to the east coast.
00:29:37.94\00:29:42.24
And that seagull picks
up one little grain of sand,
00:29:42.28\00:29:45.38
flies all the way
across the country
00:29:45.41\00:29:47.38
to the west coast,
00:29:47.42\00:29:48.95
and drops that grain of sand,
00:29:48.98\00:29:51.25
then flies all the way
back to the east coast,
00:29:51.29\00:29:55.02
picks up another grain of sand
00:29:55.06\00:29:56.96
and flies it all the
way back to the west coast.
00:29:56.99\00:30:01.06
How long do you think
it will take that seagull
00:30:01.10\00:30:03.77
before he empties
every grain of sand
00:30:03.80\00:30:06.20
on the east coast
00:30:06.23\00:30:07.57
and drops it off
at the west coast?
00:30:07.60\00:30:08.94
How long do you
think that would take?
00:30:08.97\00:30:11.31
A long time.
00:30:11.34\00:30:13.84
Do you realize by the time
the seagull accomplishes that,
00:30:13.88\00:30:18.31
that will be only the
first second of eternity?
00:30:18.35\00:30:23.79
Are we really willing to say
00:30:23.82\00:30:27.36
that God is going to burn
00:30:27.39\00:30:29.39
and torture people for millions,
00:30:29.42\00:30:33.13
and billions, and trillions,
00:30:33.16\00:30:36.56
and
quadrillions, and quintillions,
00:30:36.60\00:30:40.14
and sextillions,
00:30:40.17\00:30:41.80
and octillions of years?
00:30:41.84\00:30:44.87
I don't know what
comes after octillion.
00:30:44.91\00:30:47.51
Are we really willing to say
00:30:47.54\00:30:50.75
that's the God who
gave His life on Calvary?
00:30:50.78\00:30:55.28
What would that say
about God's character?
00:30:55.32\00:30:59.19
That would make Him
look worse than Hitler.
00:30:59.22\00:31:03.43
That would make Him look
worse than the devil himself.
00:31:03.46\00:31:07.23
Because then the devil's
accusations would be true
00:31:07.26\00:31:10.20
that Lucifer made in
heaven, "God is not fair.
00:31:10.23\00:31:12.97
God is not just.
00:31:13.00\00:31:14.34
God is not love."
00:31:14.37\00:31:15.90
Jesus Christ died on the
cross and went to the grave
00:31:15.94\00:31:19.54
so that you and
I could be saved.
00:31:19.57\00:31:23.35
Yes, He'll get rid
of sin through hell,
00:31:23.38\00:31:26.68
but He's not
interested in torturing people.
00:31:26.72\00:31:29.68
Now, how many of you,
let's think about it this way,
00:31:29.72\00:31:31.85
let's use a
personal application.
00:31:31.89\00:31:34.22
How many of you
have ever burned yourself
00:31:34.26\00:31:36.19
before in your
life, can I see your hand?
00:31:36.22\00:31:38.43
Okay, most people.
00:31:38.46\00:31:39.79
Now, how did that feel?
00:31:39.83\00:31:42.53
Hurt, how much?
00:31:42.56\00:31:44.27
A lot.
00:31:44.30\00:31:45.63
In fact, when
you burned yourself,
00:31:45.67\00:31:47.10
depending on how bad it was,
00:31:47.14\00:31:49.57
does it stop hurting the minute
00:31:49.60\00:31:51.01
you take your
hand out of the fire?
00:31:51.04\00:31:53.31
Oh no, that can throb in pain
for days or weeks afterward,
00:31:53.34\00:31:58.45
depending on how severe it is.
00:31:58.48\00:32:01.92
In fact, you can
do permanent damage
00:32:01.95\00:32:03.65
just having your hand
in the fire or on a stove
00:32:03.69\00:32:06.49
just for a couple seconds.
00:32:06.52\00:32:09.52
I remember when I
was a kid growing up
00:32:09.56\00:32:11.29
in York, Pennsylvania,
00:32:11.33\00:32:13.09
I don't know if
anybody in York, Pennsylvania
00:32:13.13\00:32:14.56
will ever watch these videos.
00:32:14.60\00:32:16.23
But in York, Pennsylvania,
00:32:16.26\00:32:17.93
they make a big deal
over the 4th of July,
00:32:17.97\00:32:20.17
let me tell you.
00:32:20.20\00:32:21.54
You go down to the fairgrounds
00:32:21.57\00:32:23.37
and they have the
symphony orchestra
00:32:23.41\00:32:25.41
playing patriotic music
00:32:25.44\00:32:27.28
and you sit in the grandstand
00:32:27.31\00:32:29.01
while fireworks are
going off at the same time.
00:32:29.04\00:32:31.81
It's really quite a show.
00:32:31.85\00:32:33.75
I used to love that as a kid.
00:32:33.78\00:32:36.18
But, you know,
on the 4th of July's
00:32:36.22\00:32:37.92
that we didn't go
to the fairgrounds,
00:32:37.95\00:32:40.96
I grew up in the inner city.
00:32:40.99\00:32:43.63
And just across the alley
00:32:43.66\00:32:45.89
was a guy who would go
out and buy his own fireworks,
00:32:45.93\00:32:50.27
and I'm talking
about the big stuff,
00:32:50.30\00:32:52.53
stuff that was probably illegal.
00:32:52.57\00:32:54.77
He would get the M80's,
00:32:54.80\00:32:56.77
you know, and all this
stuff that made a big noise
00:32:56.81\00:32:59.34
and it shot
things up in the air,
00:32:59.37\00:33:01.78
and I remember thinking
"Boy, I want to go see that"
00:33:01.81\00:33:04.28
You know, I'm a kid
00:33:04.31\00:33:05.65
and my mother
would always say to me
00:33:05.68\00:33:07.02
"You're not going
over into that guy's yard.
00:33:07.05\00:33:09.22
That stuff is
illegal, you stay right here."
00:33:09.25\00:33:11.05
She'd never let me go.
00:33:11.09\00:33:12.69
And so you know
what I got stuck doing?
00:33:12.72\00:33:15.69
What's the only
thing that's legal?
00:33:15.72\00:33:18.39
Sparklers.
00:33:18.43\00:33:19.79
So while all my
friends are watching
00:33:19.83\00:33:21.53
these awesome fireworks,
00:33:21.56\00:33:23.26
I got to stay in my yard
00:33:23.30\00:33:25.23
blew around a
bunch of sparklers.
00:33:25.27\00:33:27.60
And I remember I held
them in my hand one time
00:33:27.64\00:33:30.21
and I wasn't paying attention.
00:33:30.24\00:33:32.17
That thing burned down
all the way to my finger.
00:33:32.21\00:33:35.38
Let me tell you, that
thing might be just a sparkler
00:33:35.41\00:33:37.55
but that hurt.
00:33:37.58\00:33:39.01
I dropped that
sparkler, ran into the house,
00:33:39.05\00:33:41.72
and I put my
finger under cold water
00:33:41.75\00:33:43.95
for quite a while.
00:33:43.99\00:33:45.32
And you know what?
00:33:45.35\00:33:46.69
Even when I took my
hand away from the water,
00:33:46.72\00:33:48.06
that hurt like crazy.
00:33:48.09\00:33:51.43
Am I really willing to say
00:33:51.46\00:33:54.63
that God is
going to torture people
00:33:54.66\00:33:57.17
in unutterable
agony just that way?
00:33:57.20\00:34:02.80
Am I willing to say
00:34:02.84\00:34:04.17
that the God who
gave His life on the cross
00:34:04.21\00:34:07.84
will enjoy hearing
the cries of the wicked
00:34:07.88\00:34:11.91
throughout eternity?
00:34:11.95\00:34:14.28
Folks, if Jesus could
be beaten, and mocked,
00:34:14.32\00:34:16.99
and have His beard pulled out,
00:34:17.02\00:34:18.65
and be nailed to a cross
00:34:18.69\00:34:20.36
and not destroy His persecutors.
00:34:20.39\00:34:23.79
What makes us think
00:34:23.83\00:34:25.16
that He would all of a
sudden change character
00:34:25.19\00:34:27.43
and absolutely
enjoy torturing people?
00:34:27.46\00:34:32.03
Logical reason number three.
00:34:32.07\00:34:34.50
The Bible says that man
is not naturally immortal.
00:34:34.54\00:34:38.47
Only those who believe in
Jesus are given immortality
00:34:38.51\00:34:41.78
at the resurrection.
00:34:41.81\00:34:43.35
So think this through.
00:34:43.38\00:34:44.91
If the wicked burn for eternity,
00:34:44.95\00:34:47.35
that means they
live for eternity.
00:34:47.38\00:34:49.48
The only way you
can burn forever,
00:34:49.52\00:34:51.62
is if you live forever,
00:34:51.65\00:34:53.46
and nowhere in the
Bible are the wicked
00:34:53.49\00:34:56.09
ever promised
eternal life or eternity,
00:34:56.12\00:34:59.39
it is only for
those who are saved.
00:34:59.43\00:35:03.06
So those are the
three logical reasons.
00:35:03.10\00:35:05.63
But let's go to something
more powerful than logic, amen.
00:35:05.67\00:35:08.64
Let's go to the Bible.
00:35:08.67\00:35:10.11
Now I've put some
scriptures on the screen here,
00:35:10.14\00:35:12.47
ones that we know very well.
00:35:12.51\00:35:15.04
Romans 6:23 is a
very popular one.
00:35:15.08\00:35:18.41
Notice what it says,
00:35:18.45\00:35:21.02
"For the wages of sin is," what?
00:35:21.05\00:35:24.49
"Death."
00:35:24.52\00:35:25.85
Not eternal
punishing, not torture, death,
00:35:25.89\00:35:30.16
that's a final state.
00:35:30.19\00:35:32.39
"But the gift of
God is eternal life
00:35:32.43\00:35:35.86
in Christ Jesus our Lord."
00:35:35.90\00:35:38.37
So you see the two options.
00:35:38.40\00:35:40.00
It's either eternal
life through Christ or death.
00:35:40.04\00:35:44.37
The wages of sin is death.
00:35:44.41\00:35:47.81
Let's go to the most
popular verse in the Bible.
00:35:47.84\00:35:50.18
Which one do you think that is?
00:35:50.21\00:35:52.81
John 3:16.
00:35:52.85\00:35:54.65
In fact I would like you
to read this one with me.
00:35:54.68\00:35:56.95
You can participate
with me on this one.
00:35:56.99\00:35:58.99
You're ready?
00:35:59.02\00:36:00.72
"For God so loved the world
00:36:00.76\00:36:03.46
that He gave His
only begotten Son
00:36:03.49\00:36:06.86
that whosoever believes
in Him should not perish
00:36:06.90\00:36:11.37
but have everlasting life."
00:36:11.40\00:36:14.07
Do you notice the
two options there again?
00:36:14.10\00:36:16.27
You either perish,
that's a final state,
00:36:16.30\00:36:19.64
or you have everlasting life.
00:36:19.67\00:36:23.24
That's all it's ever
been, perishing or eternal life.
00:36:23.28\00:36:28.98
Even in the Old Testament,
00:36:29.02\00:36:31.39
notice what was hinted
at in the Book of Psalms.
00:36:31.42\00:36:34.36
Psalm 37:20,
00:36:34.39\00:36:36.79
the author says, "But
the wicked shall," what?
00:36:36.83\00:36:40.70
"Perish,
00:36:40.73\00:36:42.06
and the enemies of the Lord
00:36:42.10\00:36:43.67
like the splendor of
the meadow shall," what?
00:36:43.70\00:36:46.94
"Vanish" or the King
James says consumed into smoke,
00:36:46.97\00:36:50.77
they shall
vanish or consume away.
00:36:50.81\00:36:54.71
Not being eternally
punished or tortured,
00:36:54.74\00:36:57.51
vanish, perish,
consumed, that's a final state.
00:36:57.55\00:37:04.19
But then comes the clearest text
00:37:04.22\00:37:06.55
in all the
Bible on this subject.
00:37:06.59\00:37:09.29
We perhaps could have
read this and gone home,
00:37:09.32\00:37:11.63
but I want to give
you more than that.
00:37:11.66\00:37:13.86
I want you to go in your
Bibles to Malachi Chapter 4.
00:37:13.90\00:37:18.30
Now, we have not been
here yet in the seminar.
00:37:18.33\00:37:21.00
Malachi is a very
easy book to find.
00:37:21.04\00:37:23.67
Just go to the Book of Matthew,
00:37:23.71\00:37:25.81
go one book backwards
and you are in Malachi,
00:37:25.84\00:37:29.54
the last book
of which testament?
00:37:29.58\00:37:33.11
The Old Testament.
00:37:33.15\00:37:34.82
Malachi 4
00:37:34.85\00:37:37.22
and I'm gonna read verses 1-3
00:37:37.25\00:37:40.79
and then we're gonna
summarize what Malachi wrote.
00:37:40.82\00:37:44.03
Malachi 4:1,
00:37:44.06\00:37:47.76
the Bible says,
00:37:47.80\00:37:49.83
"For behold, the day is coming,
00:37:49.86\00:37:53.54
burning like an oven,
and all the proud, yes,
00:37:53.57\00:37:57.87
all who do
wickedly, will be," what?
00:37:57.91\00:38:00.81
"Stubble.
00:38:00.84\00:38:02.18
And the day which is
coming shall burn them up,
00:38:02.21\00:38:05.15
says the Lord of hosts,
00:38:05.18\00:38:07.35
that will leave them
neither root nor branch."
00:38:07.38\00:38:11.35
Verse 2, "But to
you who fear My name,
00:38:11.39\00:38:14.72
the sun of
righteousness shall arise
00:38:14.76\00:38:17.56
with healing in his wings
00:38:17.59\00:38:19.36
and you shall go out
00:38:19.39\00:38:20.73
and grow fat like
stall-fed calves."
00:38:20.76\00:38:23.40
Verse 3,
00:38:23.43\00:38:24.77
"And you shall
trample the wicked
00:38:24.80\00:38:26.97
for they shall be
ashes under the soles
00:38:27.00\00:38:29.80
of your feet on
the day that I do this,
00:38:29.84\00:38:32.94
says the Lord of hosts."
00:38:32.97\00:38:36.04
Now let's put a
little summary here.
00:38:36.08\00:38:38.01
This is what Malachi just said.
00:38:38.05\00:38:40.22
The wicked will be
stubble, it will burn them up.
00:38:40.25\00:38:45.05
What will be left?
00:38:45.09\00:38:46.96
Neither root nor branch,
00:38:46.99\00:38:49.09
it says they will
be turned to ashes,
00:38:49.12\00:38:51.19
in other words,
they will cease to exist.
00:38:51.23\00:38:54.76
At some point when life
is snuffed out of the wicked
00:38:54.80\00:38:58.60
and they are turned to
ashes and nothing is left,
00:38:58.63\00:39:01.60
the fires of hell go out.
00:39:01.64\00:39:04.01
God is going to be just,
00:39:04.04\00:39:05.91
but God is also going to
be merciful at the same time.
00:39:05.94\00:39:10.55
See He is loving,
00:39:10.58\00:39:12.15
but He is not
interested in torturing people
00:39:12.18\00:39:14.82
that He created,
00:39:14.85\00:39:16.48
and even people that He died for
00:39:16.52\00:39:18.69
because He died
for the wicked too.
00:39:18.72\00:39:21.66
It's just that they
chose not to accept the gift.
00:39:21.69\00:39:27.76
You say, "Wow, that is
so clear, Pastor Dave."
00:39:27.80\00:39:31.00
And it's amazing
00:39:31.03\00:39:32.37
when you put all the
verses of the Bible together,
00:39:32.40\00:39:35.30
it's unquestionable.
00:39:35.34\00:39:37.84
However,
00:39:37.87\00:39:40.58
there are just a
couple verses in the Bible
00:39:40.61\00:39:43.68
that seem to
confuse and perplex people
00:39:43.71\00:39:46.92
on this subject.
00:39:46.95\00:39:48.52
There's a few verses
00:39:48.55\00:39:49.88
that almost seem
to say the opposite
00:39:49.92\00:39:52.82
of what we have
just studied here.
00:39:52.85\00:39:55.12
And so in order to be fair,
00:39:55.16\00:39:56.99
we're gonna have to
cover those topics too.
00:39:57.03\00:39:59.16
Is that true?
00:39:59.19\00:40:00.53
I mean, it's not fair
to just look at one side
00:40:00.56\00:40:02.16
and not look at the other.
00:40:02.20\00:40:03.67
So if I don't cover them,
00:40:03.70\00:40:05.07
someone will put it in
the question box anyway.
00:40:05.10\00:40:07.67
So let's go ahead
and ask the question.
00:40:07.70\00:40:10.31
What about the phrase,
the biblical expression
00:40:10.34\00:40:14.34
"forever and ever?"
00:40:14.38\00:40:17.55
Let's go to one of
these perplexing texts.
00:40:17.58\00:40:20.42
Let's go to Revelation 20:10.
00:40:20.45\00:40:24.89
And we're gonna
use this as an example
00:40:24.92\00:40:27.16
of how to
properly study the Bible.
00:40:27.19\00:40:29.96
Revelation 20:10,
00:40:29.99\00:40:33.33
and even though this
is a serious subject,
00:40:33.36\00:40:35.60
we're gonna have
a little bit of fun
00:40:35.63\00:40:36.97
with this verse.
00:40:37.00\00:40:38.33
Revelation 20:10, now,
00:40:38.37\00:40:41.44
verse 9 has just said
that fire came down from heaven
00:40:41.47\00:40:44.77
and devoured them.
00:40:44.81\00:40:47.08
But then comes verse 10
that almost seems contradictory
00:40:47.11\00:40:51.05
because it says,
00:40:51.08\00:40:53.15
"The devil who deceived them
was cast into the lake of fire
00:40:53.18\00:40:58.05
and brimstone
00:40:58.09\00:40:59.42
where the beast and
the false prophet are,
00:40:59.45\00:41:02.96
and they will be
tormented day and night,"
00:41:02.99\00:41:06.76
how long?
00:41:06.80\00:41:08.13
"Forever and ever."
00:41:08.16\00:41:13.17
That presents a wee bit
of a problem, doesn't this?
00:41:13.20\00:41:16.67
We can't ignore the
fact that it does say
00:41:16.71\00:41:19.61
"forever and ever,"
00:41:19.64\00:41:20.98
doesn't it?
00:41:21.01\00:41:22.34
It's not like I
can take the eraser
00:41:22.38\00:41:23.71
and erase what
the Word of God says.
00:41:23.75\00:41:27.55
If that's what it means,
00:41:27.58\00:41:30.49
that means that it
has just contradicted
00:41:30.52\00:41:32.65
the rest of the Bible.
00:41:32.69\00:41:34.99
That means the Bible
would not be consistent,
00:41:35.02\00:41:38.53
and we could not
trust it to be inspired.
00:41:38.56\00:41:42.10
Now, I'm not willing
to say that, are you?
00:41:42.13\00:41:44.70
There must be
something about this phrase
00:41:44.73\00:41:48.30
that we're not understanding
00:41:48.34\00:41:50.71
and here's some
things that you learn.
00:41:50.74\00:41:53.78
Contrary to popular belief,
00:41:53.81\00:41:56.71
do you know that
is the only verse
00:41:56.75\00:41:59.15
in the entire Bible
00:41:59.18\00:42:02.08
that uses the
phrase "forever and ever"
00:42:02.12\00:42:04.15
to describe hell?
00:42:04.19\00:42:05.62
Did you know that?
00:42:05.65\00:42:06.99
You can look from
Genesis to Revelation.
00:42:07.02\00:42:08.99
That is the only
verse in the Bible
00:42:09.02\00:42:10.99
that uses that phrase in
conjunction with hell-fire.
00:42:11.03\00:42:15.56
And interestingly enough,
it's in a book in the Bible
00:42:15.60\00:42:20.00
that is a symbolic book
00:42:20.04\00:42:22.77
that is not meant
to be taken literally.
00:42:22.80\00:42:27.31
On top of that, let
me ask you a question.
00:42:27.34\00:42:32.25
Do the meanings of words change
00:42:32.28\00:42:35.48
over the centuries?
00:42:35.52\00:42:36.85
Yes or no?
00:42:36.89\00:42:38.22
They do.
00:42:38.25\00:42:39.59
In fact, let me
give you an example,
00:42:39.62\00:42:40.96
and I'm not trying to be
funny, it's just a good example.
00:42:40.99\00:42:43.53
If I were to read some
literature back in the 1800s,
00:42:43.56\00:42:46.70
let's say the 17th century,
00:42:46.73\00:42:48.86
and that literature was saying
that a certain person was gay,
00:42:48.90\00:42:53.70
what would that mean?
00:42:53.74\00:42:56.20
They're just happy,
carefree and joyful.
00:42:56.24\00:42:59.81
But if I were
reading from literature
00:42:59.84\00:43:02.04
in the 21st century today,
00:43:02.08\00:43:04.45
and someone is described as gay,
00:43:04.48\00:43:06.45
does that mean
something different?
00:43:06.48\00:43:08.62
It does, it
refers to a different
00:43:08.65\00:43:10.32
or an alternate lifestyle.
00:43:10.35\00:43:12.85
So if I'm reading
something from literature
00:43:12.89\00:43:15.22
back in the 1800s,
like using the word gay,
00:43:15.26\00:43:18.39
but I try to put
today's meaning into it,
00:43:18.43\00:43:22.20
am I gonna
misinterpret something?
00:43:22.23\00:43:24.40
You better believe it.
00:43:24.43\00:43:26.23
Same thing here.
00:43:26.27\00:43:27.60
If I try to take our modern
meaning of forever and ever,
00:43:27.64\00:43:31.11
and put it into this first
century Book of Revelation,
00:43:31.14\00:43:34.41
I'm gonna
misunderstand something
00:43:34.44\00:43:36.51
because the truth is the term
00:43:36.54\00:43:38.18
forever and ever is used
very loosely in the Bible,
00:43:38.21\00:43:41.88
and that here's a statistic
00:43:41.92\00:43:43.28
that really helps to
make some things clear.
00:43:43.32\00:43:45.72
If you were to
get out of concordance
00:43:45.75\00:43:47.72
and look up the word forever,
00:43:47.76\00:43:49.76
you would find that
over 50 times in the Bible,
00:43:49.79\00:43:54.20
the word forever is
used to describe things
00:43:54.23\00:43:58.40
that have already ended.
00:43:58.43\00:44:01.77
Did you know that?
00:44:01.80\00:44:03.20
See, today we
kind of use the word
00:44:03.24\00:44:04.81
and think "Oh, it
never has an end."
00:44:04.84\00:44:06.68
But the way the
Bible uses the word,
00:44:06.71\00:44:08.51
it's very loosely used.
00:44:08.54\00:44:11.11
Fifty times it refers to
things that have actually ended.
00:44:11.15\00:44:14.92
In fact, let me show you
00:44:14.95\00:44:16.28
one of those
verses in the Bible,
00:44:16.32\00:44:17.65
it has nothing to do
with the subject of hell,
00:44:17.69\00:44:20.26
but I want to show you
how the word forever is used.
00:44:20.29\00:44:23.46
This is back in 1 Samuel 1:22.
00:44:23.49\00:44:27.13
And if you remember,
00:44:27.16\00:44:28.50
when Hannah gave
birth to the prophet Samuel,
00:44:28.53\00:44:32.17
Hannah had promised the
Lord if you give me a child,
00:44:32.20\00:44:35.10
I will dedicate him to the Lord,
00:44:35.14\00:44:36.81
he will serve you in the temple.
00:44:36.84\00:44:39.57
So now let's pick it up here.
00:44:39.61\00:44:40.94
1 Samuel 1:22, the Bible says,
00:44:40.98\00:44:45.01
"But Hannah did not go
up," that means to the temple,
00:44:45.05\00:44:48.52
"for she said to her husband,
00:44:48.55\00:44:50.59
'I will not go up
until the child is weaned,
00:44:50.62\00:44:54.06
then I will take him,
00:44:54.09\00:44:55.62
that he may
appear before the Lord
00:44:55.66\00:44:57.93
and remain there,'" how long?
00:44:57.96\00:45:00.40
"Forever."
00:45:00.43\00:45:01.76
In other words, you
know, he's still breastfeeding
00:45:01.80\00:45:03.57
and Hannah says, "Listen,
when he's done being weaned,
00:45:03.60\00:45:06.17
I'll take him up to the temple,
00:45:06.20\00:45:07.84
he can work with Eli
00:45:07.87\00:45:09.20
and I'll fulfill
my vow to the Lord."
00:45:09.24\00:45:11.24
And she said he was gonna
be with the Lord at the temple
00:45:11.27\00:45:14.61
how long?
00:45:14.64\00:45:16.01
Forever.
00:45:16.04\00:45:17.38
So if forever always means
00:45:17.41\00:45:20.02
through the
ceaseless ages of eternity,
00:45:20.05\00:45:22.68
then where should
Samuel be right now?
00:45:22.72\00:45:25.42
He should still
be in that temple.
00:45:25.45\00:45:27.19
Is he?
00:45:27.22\00:45:28.96
No, Samuel's dead.
00:45:28.99\00:45:30.76
What's the
longest period of time
00:45:30.79\00:45:32.63
Samuel can possibly
serve the Lord in the temple?
00:45:32.66\00:45:36.06
As long as he lives.
00:45:36.10\00:45:37.80
And that's why in
verse 28, she says,
00:45:37.83\00:45:40.74
"Therefore, I also
have lent him to the Lord,
00:45:40.77\00:45:44.91
as long as he lives
00:45:44.94\00:45:46.88
he shall be lent to the Lord."
00:45:46.91\00:45:49.74
And when you understand
00:45:49.78\00:45:51.18
how the Bible
uses the word forever,
00:45:51.21\00:45:53.82
that many times it simply means
as long as a person shall live,
00:45:53.85\00:45:58.22
you take the
Bible's interpretation,
00:45:58.25\00:46:01.56
not mine, not some
churches, not the Middle Ages,
00:46:01.59\00:46:05.79
but the Bible's
interpretation of forever,
00:46:05.83\00:46:08.93
put it back into
Revelation 20:10,
00:46:08.96\00:46:11.63
and it makes perfect sense.
00:46:11.67\00:46:13.47
It is simply saying the wicked
will burn as long as they live.
00:46:13.50\00:46:18.14
When life is snuffed out
and they are turned to ashes
00:46:18.17\00:46:21.61
and they cease to
exist, the fire will go out.
00:46:21.64\00:46:26.55
That's the proper
way to study the Bible.
00:46:26.58\00:46:29.18
Put the text together,
00:46:29.22\00:46:30.89
don't build a
doctrine around one text
00:46:30.92\00:46:33.52
while ignoring 50
others that are crystal clear,
00:46:33.56\00:46:36.93
that's why we
have so many doctrines
00:46:36.96\00:46:38.69
in the religious world today.
00:46:38.73\00:46:41.16
In fact,
00:46:41.20\00:46:43.13
did you know there are
some places in the Bible
00:46:43.16\00:46:45.83
where the word forever means
an even shorter period of time?
00:46:45.87\00:46:50.41
Let me show you one just
so this can be more clear.
00:46:50.44\00:46:53.78
In Jonah, we all
know the story of Jonah
00:46:53.81\00:46:56.01
being swallowed by the big fish.
00:46:56.04\00:46:58.41
When he was in
the belly of the fish,
00:46:58.45\00:47:00.08
he describes that
experience in Jonah 2:6,
00:47:00.12\00:47:04.32
he gets a
little bit poetic here.
00:47:04.35\00:47:06.12
But notice what he says.
00:47:06.15\00:47:08.29
"I went down to the
bottoms of the mountains,
00:47:08.32\00:47:11.89
the earth with her bars
was about me," how long?
00:47:11.93\00:47:15.83
"Forever."
00:47:15.86\00:47:17.40
Now how long was Jonah
in the belly of that fish?
00:47:17.43\00:47:20.47
Three days and three
nights, according to Jonah 1:17.
00:47:20.50\00:47:24.17
So here's an example,
00:47:24.21\00:47:25.67
where forever simply means
three days and three nights.
00:47:25.71\00:47:29.04
The Bible uses
the term very loosely.
00:47:29.08\00:47:32.85
And the truth is,
00:47:32.88\00:47:34.58
so do we even in
modern times, don't we?
00:47:34.62\00:47:38.79
I want you to pretend
when this meeting is over,
00:47:38.82\00:47:41.46
you're going home
and you tell your husband
00:47:41.49\00:47:43.26
"Listen, I need to
get some milk and eggs
00:47:43.29\00:47:45.56
for breakfast tomorrow.
00:47:45.59\00:47:46.93
Let's stop at Walmart
just for a couple minutes."
00:47:46.96\00:47:49.63
So he agrees.
00:47:49.66\00:47:51.00
You drive by Walmart
00:47:51.03\00:47:52.37
and he sees no
need for a parking space
00:47:52.40\00:47:54.07
'cause you're only gonna
be in there five minutes.
00:47:54.10\00:47:56.10
So he parks by the
door, puts the flashers on,
00:47:56.14\00:47:59.07
you go into the store.
00:47:59.11\00:48:00.44
You go right to the aisle,
you get the milk and the eggs,
00:48:00.48\00:48:03.18
you look for the shortest line
and since it's late at night,
00:48:03.21\00:48:06.25
there's probably
only two aisles open,
00:48:06.28\00:48:08.45
and you're waiting and
lo and behold, what happens?
00:48:08.48\00:48:10.99
The few people that
are in front of you,
00:48:11.02\00:48:13.05
somebody wants to write a check
instead of using a debit card,
00:48:13.09\00:48:15.89
and takes forever.
00:48:15.92\00:48:17.43
Someone has like 25
coupons that have to be scanned.
00:48:17.46\00:48:21.03
Oh, and God forbid,
00:48:21.06\00:48:22.40
someone picks up a
product with no barcode on it.
00:48:22.43\00:48:25.33
Now you got to do a price check.
00:48:25.37\00:48:27.54
And before it's
all said and done,
00:48:27.57\00:48:29.37
it's been 20 minutes long.
00:48:29.40\00:48:31.64
You're frustrated,
you get out to the car,
00:48:31.67\00:48:34.31
your husband, his face is red,
00:48:34.34\00:48:36.41
beads of sweat are
coming down his forehead,
00:48:36.44\00:48:38.81
and he looks at you and he says,
00:48:38.85\00:48:40.45
"What took you so long?"
00:48:40.48\00:48:42.52
And what are you gonna say?
00:48:42.55\00:48:43.89
"Oh, I had to wait
in line," how long?
00:48:43.92\00:48:47.26
"Forever."
00:48:47.29\00:48:49.06
But how long
did you really wait?
00:48:49.09\00:48:51.46
Twenty minutes.
00:48:51.49\00:48:52.86
Even we use the term loosely
just like the Bible does.
00:48:52.89\00:48:59.30
One more perplexing text.
00:48:59.33\00:49:02.24
This one is in Mark 9:43-44,
00:49:02.27\00:49:05.97
it's actually
the words of Jesus.
00:49:06.01\00:49:07.88
Jesus said,
00:49:07.91\00:49:09.94
"If your hand causes
you to sin," do what?
00:49:09.98\00:49:13.98
"Cut it off.
00:49:14.02\00:49:15.35
It is better for you
to enter into life maimed,
00:49:15.38\00:49:19.05
rather than having
two hands, to go to hell,
00:49:19.09\00:49:22.72
into the fire that
shall never be quenched."
00:49:22.76\00:49:28.46
Okay, that's a little problem.
00:49:28.50\00:49:30.83
Jesus just described
hell as unquenchable fire,
00:49:30.87\00:49:35.80
fire that can never be quenched.
00:49:35.84\00:49:37.94
Now, what are we
gonna do with that verse?
00:49:37.97\00:49:39.51
It seems to
contradict all the others.
00:49:39.54\00:49:42.64
Well, first of
all, we have to ask,
00:49:42.68\00:49:44.11
is Jesus
speaking literally here?
00:49:44.15\00:49:46.38
Because if we're
going to say yes,
00:49:46.41\00:49:49.18
then we've got
a bit of a problem
00:49:49.22\00:49:50.55
with the first
part of that verse
00:49:50.59\00:49:52.15
because I don't know any church
00:49:52.19\00:49:53.52
that follows the first
part of that verse literally.
00:49:53.56\00:49:56.46
If your hand causes
you to sin, do what?
00:49:56.49\00:49:59.73
Cut it off.
00:49:59.76\00:50:01.10
And somewhere
else in the gospels
00:50:01.13\00:50:02.46
I believe He says,
00:50:02.50\00:50:03.83
if your eye causes
you to sin, do what?
00:50:03.87\00:50:05.57
Pluck it out.
00:50:05.60\00:50:06.94
Do you know any churches
that got that as a doctrine?
00:50:06.97\00:50:09.14
"You know, sorry, you did
something bad with your hands
00:50:09.17\00:50:11.11
so we're gonna cut it off
during the worship service."
00:50:11.14\00:50:13.84
There'll be a lot of
people handless and eyeless
00:50:13.88\00:50:16.38
if that's to be taken literally.
00:50:16.41\00:50:18.45
So that's the first clue,
00:50:18.48\00:50:19.81
it's not meant to
be taken literally.
00:50:19.85\00:50:21.92
The other clue is
this, unquenchable fire.
00:50:21.95\00:50:25.25
We got two options here.
00:50:25.29\00:50:27.46
Either it means
that it will never go out
00:50:27.49\00:50:29.76
and it will burn ceaselessly,
00:50:29.79\00:50:31.86
which would really
contradict the rest of the Bible
00:50:31.89\00:50:34.50
or it means it
cannot be put out by man
00:50:34.53\00:50:39.13
until its work is done
because it's a judgment of God.
00:50:39.17\00:50:43.41
Which one of those do you
think is the biblical one?
00:50:43.44\00:50:46.68
Number two.
00:50:46.71\00:50:48.11
It's a judgment of God,
00:50:48.14\00:50:49.74
it cannot be put out
until its work is done.
00:50:49.78\00:50:52.75
How do we know that?
00:50:52.78\00:50:54.12
Because if you were to look
up the term unquenchable fire
00:50:54.15\00:50:57.12
in a concordance once again,
00:50:57.15\00:50:59.22
it would tell you that
the term unquenchable fire
00:50:59.25\00:51:03.09
has been used numerous times
00:51:03.12\00:51:06.13
to describe
things that have ended.
00:51:06.16\00:51:10.37
I'll show you one
example in Scripture,
00:51:10.40\00:51:12.07
we don't have time to
go through 14 of them.
00:51:12.10\00:51:14.50
Jeremiah 17:27,
00:51:14.54\00:51:16.67
when Jerusalem was unfaithful,
00:51:16.71\00:51:18.14
God uttered this
prophecy, He said,
00:51:18.17\00:51:21.01
"Then I will kindle
a fire in its gates,
00:51:21.04\00:51:24.61
and it shall devour
the palaces of Jerusalem,
00:51:24.65\00:51:28.32
and it shall not be," what?
00:51:28.35\00:51:31.22
"Quenched."
00:51:31.25\00:51:32.59
Now this happened
when Nebuchadnezzar
00:51:32.62\00:51:34.02
and Babylon conquered
the city of Jerusalem.
00:51:34.06\00:51:36.99
Now, if Jerusalem was
burned by unquenchable fire,
00:51:37.03\00:51:40.70
and if I'm going to conclude
that unquenchable fire means
00:51:40.73\00:51:43.40
it burns throughout eternity.
00:51:43.43\00:51:45.73
What should
Jerusalem be doing right now?
00:51:45.77\00:51:48.34
It should be burning.
00:51:48.37\00:51:49.70
Is it?
00:51:49.74\00:51:51.07
No, if it was it
would certainly be on CNN.
00:51:51.11\00:51:54.01
It simply means that
it's a judgment of God,
00:51:54.04\00:51:57.08
man will not be able to
stop it until its work is done.
00:51:57.11\00:52:02.25
And when you put
that definition to hell,
00:52:02.28\00:52:05.45
it again makes perfect sense.
00:52:05.49\00:52:07.12
It's God's judgment on
sin, man will not stop it,
00:52:07.16\00:52:10.63
but it will go out
when its work is done
00:52:10.66\00:52:13.66
and the life of the
wicked is snuffed away
00:52:13.70\00:52:16.20
and God creates the new
heavens and the new earth.
00:52:16.23\00:52:20.44
Satan, sin, and
the wicked are gone,
00:52:20.47\00:52:24.97
sin will never rise again.
00:52:25.01\00:52:30.45
See, that is the
Bible truth about hell.
00:52:30.48\00:52:36.08
God is a merciful God.
00:52:36.12\00:52:38.79
He will be just,
00:52:38.82\00:52:41.82
but He's not
interested in torturing people.
00:52:41.86\00:52:45.89
You see, friends,
00:52:45.93\00:52:47.60
the Bible actually describes
hell as God's strange act.
00:52:47.63\00:52:53.17
It's not something He
wants to do necessarily,
00:52:53.20\00:52:57.14
but God knows if He is
going to get rid of sin,
00:52:57.17\00:53:00.68
the day will have to come
00:53:00.71\00:53:02.04
when the fires of
hell will be ignited.
00:53:02.08\00:53:05.61
And I truly believe
00:53:05.65\00:53:08.38
that will be the worst
day of God's existence.
00:53:08.42\00:53:12.65
Because that means He will
have to destroy people He loves,
00:53:12.69\00:53:18.29
people He created,
00:53:18.33\00:53:21.56
people He tried so hard to save,
00:53:21.60\00:53:25.70
people that He had
prepared a place for
00:53:25.73\00:53:28.24
in the kingdom of heaven,
00:53:28.27\00:53:31.11
but they were too
busy to hear His voice.
00:53:31.14\00:53:36.01
I believe there will be tears
in the eyes of God that day.
00:53:36.04\00:53:40.92
And even though we always
think of God is comforting us
00:53:40.95\00:53:44.99
on the day that hell fire burns,
00:53:45.02\00:53:48.12
we may have to comfort God.
00:53:48.16\00:53:51.99
It would be like this,
00:53:52.03\00:53:54.70
any of you ladies if
you have ever lost a child,
00:53:54.73\00:53:59.37
you know the absolute pain
and anguish that that causes.
00:53:59.40\00:54:04.54
And if I were to
come to you as a minister
00:54:04.57\00:54:06.51
to try to comfort
and minister to you,
00:54:06.54\00:54:09.04
and I came to you in
your home and I said,
00:54:09.08\00:54:10.78
"Ma'am, I know it hurts,
00:54:10.81\00:54:12.38
but you really
don't have to cry anymore.
00:54:12.41\00:54:14.38
I know you lost
one child but hey,
00:54:14.42\00:54:16.69
you have three more,
00:54:16.72\00:54:18.12
don't weep for the
one that you lost."
00:54:18.15\00:54:21.36
What would you say to me?
00:54:21.39\00:54:24.09
Well, you'd slap me in the face
00:54:24.13\00:54:25.53
and you'd march me
right out of your house.
00:54:25.56\00:54:28.53
Because yes, you may
have three children left
00:54:28.56\00:54:32.20
but no one,
00:54:32.23\00:54:34.34
no one will ever be able to take
00:54:34.37\00:54:37.91
the place of the
one that you lost.
00:54:37.94\00:54:41.01
There will forever
be a void in your heart.
00:54:41.04\00:54:45.01
If that's what a
mother's love is like,
00:54:45.05\00:54:48.45
what do you think the
Creator's love is like?
00:54:48.48\00:54:51.45
Yes, He may have
many who are saved.
00:54:51.49\00:54:54.86
But there will always
be a void in God's heart
00:54:54.89\00:54:58.19
for the children
that He did lose.
00:54:58.23\00:55:02.96
That's why God works
so hard to save you and I.
00:55:03.00\00:55:07.07
Why is it that
sometimes we're so stubborn
00:55:07.10\00:55:10.34
and we put other
things before Him?
00:55:10.37\00:55:13.68
Tonight, let's end with
God's invitation in John 3:16,
00:55:13.71\00:55:17.05
where He says,
00:55:17.08\00:55:18.41
"God so loved the world
00:55:18.45\00:55:21.02
that He gave His
only begotten Son,
00:55:21.05\00:55:24.65
that whosoever believeth
in Him should not perish
00:55:24.69\00:55:28.69
but have everlasting life.
00:55:28.72\00:55:32.16
Friends, whatever
stands between you and Jesus,
00:55:32.19\00:55:35.06
let it go.
00:55:35.10\00:55:37.20
Make the decisions
you need to make, now.
00:55:37.23\00:55:42.30
Tonight, are we
willing to pray the prayer
00:55:42.34\00:55:44.57
and say, "Lord,
00:55:44.61\00:55:46.54
I want to be in the
kingdom of heaven with You.
00:55:46.57\00:55:50.11
Lord, I want you to save me.
00:55:50.15\00:55:53.72
I want you to
prepare a place for me."
00:55:53.75\00:55:58.55
Are we willing to
pray that prayer tonight?"
00:55:58.59\00:56:04.99
I want to invite you to
get out your response cards
00:56:05.03\00:56:07.13
this evening.
00:56:07.16\00:56:08.83
These are the ones
that we use on most nights.
00:56:08.86\00:56:11.90
Write down the
questions you have,
00:56:11.93\00:56:13.47
write down if it made sense.
00:56:13.50\00:56:15.87
But I want to add
something on there
00:56:15.90\00:56:17.97
that is not on that card.
00:56:18.01\00:56:21.54
If in your heart,
you would like to say,
00:56:21.58\00:56:23.45
"Lord, I feel like I just want
to rededicate my life to You.
00:56:23.48\00:56:29.02
I want to give
myself to You, Lord."
00:56:29.05\00:56:31.72
I want to invite
you to write the word
00:56:31.75\00:56:33.72
rededicate on the
back of your card.
00:56:33.76\00:56:37.13
And sometime
during this seminar,
00:56:37.16\00:56:38.89
maybe during the last night,
00:56:38.93\00:56:41.30
anyone who just simply wants
00:56:41.33\00:56:42.66
to rededicate
their life to the Lord,
00:56:42.70\00:56:45.03
maybe we'll all just
come up here as a group
00:56:45.07\00:56:47.14
and we'll just have a
special prayer of dedication,
00:56:47.17\00:56:50.07
saying, "Lord, I just
want to give myself to You
00:56:50.11\00:56:52.91
all over again."
00:56:52.94\00:56:54.88
If that's
something that's a desire
00:56:54.91\00:56:56.44
or a conviction on your heart,
00:56:56.48\00:56:58.35
just write me a little
note in the back of card
00:56:58.38\00:57:00.28
and say "Yes, I
would like to participate
00:57:00.32\00:57:02.62
in a rededication prayer."
00:57:02.65\00:57:04.89
And we'll make that
part of this seminar
00:57:04.92\00:57:06.65
before we end a week from today.
00:57:06.69\00:57:10.73
Would you pray
with me as we close?
00:57:10.76\00:57:14.60
Heavenly Father,
00:57:14.63\00:57:17.07
we thank You that we
saw Your love tonight
00:57:17.10\00:57:19.40
even in this subject.
00:57:19.43\00:57:22.70
But, Lord, we now ask
for is that You would give us
00:57:22.74\00:57:24.97
the strength and power
00:57:25.01\00:57:26.34
to follow You
with all of our heart,
00:57:26.37\00:57:28.14
with all of our soul,
and with all of our mind.
00:57:28.18\00:57:31.41
If there's anything, Lord,
that is keeping us from You,
00:57:31.45\00:57:34.92
show it to us, Lord,
help us to let it go.
00:57:34.95\00:57:40.02
Now with every head
bowed, every eye closed,
00:57:40.06\00:57:44.63
if you would just
simply like to say "Lord Jesus,
00:57:44.66\00:57:47.16
I want You to save me
00:57:47.20\00:57:49.76
and I want to be in
the kingdom with You.
00:57:49.80\00:57:53.70
I want to invite you to
slip up your hand at this time.
00:57:53.74\00:57:57.21
All other heads are
bowed, eyes are closed,
00:57:57.24\00:57:59.27
my eyes are the only
one that are open right now.
00:57:59.31\00:58:02.21
You're lifting up
your hand and say, "Lord,
00:58:02.24\00:58:03.78
I want You to save me.
00:58:03.81\00:58:05.15
I desire to be in
the kingdom with You.
00:58:05.18\00:58:10.09
Lord, you see these
hands that are raised.
00:58:10.12\00:58:13.69
I pray, Lord, that
You would bless them,
00:58:13.72\00:58:15.32
that You would
bless their families.
00:58:15.36\00:58:17.73
Give them the
strength to do what is right
00:58:17.76\00:58:20.56
and to put Jesus
and Your Word first.
00:58:20.60\00:58:24.43
We ask it in Christ's name.
00:58:24.47\00:58:27.10
Amen.
00:58:27.14\00:58:28.47