Hell. Is it real?
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Is it place far
under the ground somewhere?
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And is it burning now?
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That's our fiery
topic on His Voice Today.
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Welcome to
another His Voice Today
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with Steve Wohlberg.
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Welcome to the hot
topic of hell part 1.
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It was a Sunday
night, November 23rd 1998.
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Southern
California realtor Bill Weise
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and his wife had
been to prayer meeting,
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and then they went to bed
somewhere around 11 o'clock.
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At 3 a.m. Bill had a
frightening experience.
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In his words as he
describes it apparently,
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he was taken in
some kind of a vision,
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he was picked up out of his body
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and he was taken to
a place called hell,
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and he saw just
incredibly scary things.
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His vision lasted for 23 minutes
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and at exactly 3:23,
he came out of his vision
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and he just was
screaming in the living room
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and his wife woke
up looked at the clock,
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saw that it was exactly
3:23, went into the living room
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and found him
screaming and crying.
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And when he regained his
sanity he told her the story
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of what had happened
and how he had been to hell
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for 23 minutes, and
that Jesus had shown him
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just a whole host
of frightening things.
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It wasn't long until Bill was
invited to give his testimony
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in different churches,
then he went on the radio,
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he went on television,
eventually near 2006,
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his book was
published and it went to the top
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of the New York
Times best seller list,
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describing his experience
of 23 minutes in hell.
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The back cover of
the book has this to say,
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"Bill Weise saw the
searing flames of hell.
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He felt total isolation
an experienced the putrid
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and rotting stench,
deafening screams of agonizing,
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terrorizing demons
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and finally the strong hand
of God lifting out of the pit.
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And then he heard a
voice apparently from Jesus
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that said, tell them that
I am coming very, very soon."
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There's a whole lot of
people that have read this book,
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they've watched his
testimony on YouTube,
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and they've heard him in person.
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And you know, I
should think about that
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and you would just try to
make sense of his experience,
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we really have
one of two options,
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at least major options
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and one is that God
gave him this vision,
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this out of body
experience to teach us
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the truth about hell, and
to direct us to the Bible.
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The other option
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which lot of people don't
often think about is that,
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this supernatural experience
could have from the dark side.
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It could have come from Satan
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to lead us
astray from Bible truth.
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So we are here
in His Voice Today
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to examine what God's voice
really says from the Bible?
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What is the truth
about the subject?
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By his grace we
are going to find out.
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So if you have a Bible,
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I invite you to
follow along with me
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and let's take a close look
at many different Bible verses
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and try to make sense
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at what the Bible
actually says about hell.
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The first text we're
gonna look at is in Matthew 23,
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a correction that's Matthew 13.
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Matthew 13 gives a
series of stories and parables
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that Jesus Christ told
when He was here on earth,
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and one of these
stories described and explained
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in verses 37 to 43
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is a story where
Jesus told about a farmer
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and about a field
and about a harvest.
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His disciples asked
Him to explain this parable
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and so Jesus did.
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And we can find his explanation
going on in verses 37 to 43.
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And in verse 37, Jesus
answered and told his disciples.
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"He said, he who
sows the good seed
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is the Son of Man,"
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representing
Himself, He is the farmer.
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The field is the world,
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the good seed are the
children of the kingdom,
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and the weeds are the
children of the wicked one.
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The enemy who
sowed them is the devil,
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and the harvest is
the end of the world,
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and the reapers are the angels.
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Verse 40, "As
therefore the weeds are gathered
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and burned in the fire,
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so shall it be at
the end of this world.
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The Son of Man shall
send forth His angels,
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and they will
gather out of His kingdom
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all things that offend,
and them which commit sin,
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and he will cast them
into the furnace of fire.
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And there will be
wailing and gnashing of teeth.
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Then shall the
righteous shine forth
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as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father.
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He who has ears to
hear, let him hear!"
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Now I certainly want to
hear what Jesus had to say,
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and I believe you do too.
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And as we look at
these words carefully,
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there's a number of
points I want to make.
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And it seems to me and
hopefully it impresses you,
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that as you read
these words it's very clear
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that Jesus Christ Himself
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certainly
believed in a real fire.
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He talked about furnace of fire,
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He talked about people
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eventually are being
thrown into this fire.
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He talked about people
wailing and gnashing their teeth
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which represents,
some people are crying,
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some people are angry, gnashing
the teeth has to do with anger.
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And so Jesus
definitely portrayed this
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as something very, very real,
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and I want you to
know that I believe this.
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I believe that the Bible is true
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and then what
Jesus says is real.
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But now notice something,
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there's something significant
in Jesus' explanation
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of the parable
in verse 39, He said
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that the "Enemy who sowed
the bad seeds is the devil
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and the harvest is
the end of the world."
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Notice the end of the world.
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The reapers are the angels
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and as therefore
the weeds are gathered
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and burned in the fire,
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so shall it be in
the end of this world.
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So putting
these pieces together,
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we know that
there is a real fire,
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Jesus believed in a
fire, I believe in a fire,
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I hope you believe that
this is what the Bible says.
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And hopefully you
believe that it's true.
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But then the second point
is according to Jesus Christ,
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this furnace of fire is
something that will happen,
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it's not happening right now,
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but he said it will
happen at the end of this world.
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Let me read it again,
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"The harvest is
the end of the world,
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the reapers are the angels
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as therefore the
weeds are gathered
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and burned in the fire,
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so shall it be in
the end of this world."
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So Jesus taught
there is a real fire
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but He didn't put it
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as something that
is happening right now,
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He put it far down
to the very end of time,
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the end of the world.
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Now let's see if
there is some another verses
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that keeps the same thing.
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Let's go to 2 Peter 3.
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2 Peter 3 is a chapter
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where Peter
describes the end of the world,
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the day of the Lord that will
come like a thief in the night.
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He described this in verse 10.
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Peter wrote that
"The day of the Lord
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will come like a
thief in the night,
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in which the
heavens will pass away
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with a great noise,
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and the elements will
melt with fervent heat,
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the earth also and
the works that are therein
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shall be burned up."
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So in the day of the Lord
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which obviously
hasn't happened yet,
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there's going to be a fire,
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there's going to
be a great noise,
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there's going to be fervent heat
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and it's going
to burn up the earth
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and its wicked works, or
at least the wicked works
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that people are
doing in the earth.
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Now if you go back to verse 7,
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Peter basically says
the same thing, he says,
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"The heavens and the earth,
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and the word heaven doesn't
mean the place where God is,"
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it refers to the
atmospheric heaven
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is where the,
where the birds fly.
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The birds flying in
the midst of heavens
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the Bible talks about.
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"But the heavens and the earth,
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which are now, by the same word,
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referring to the word of God,
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are kept in store and
they are reserved unto fire
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against the day of judgment
and perdition of ungodly men."
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So Peter is basically
saying what Jesus said
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that there is
gonna be a real fire,
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it's really going to burn,
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but Peter puts it not right now,
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he puts it at
the day of the Lord,
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at the end of the world.
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And Peter is very clear
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that the ungodly
referring to the wicked,
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they are reserved
for that day, reserved
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and the heavens in
the earth are reserved
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for fire against
the day of judgement
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and perdition of ungodly men.
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So ungodly men are
going into the fire
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but it's going
to be not right now,
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but it's going to
be at end of the world.
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If you go back to
chapter 2, and look at verse 9,
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Peter says something
similar, he says that the,
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he wrote that, "The Lord knows
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how to deliver the
godly out of temptations,
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and to reserve the unjust
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unto the day of
judgement to the punished."
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So this verse says
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that God knows how
to protect His people,
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He knows how to preserve
and keep them from temptations
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but He will reserve
or preserve the unjust,
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it says until the day of
judgement to be punished.
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So when do the
unjust get punished
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according to 2 Peter 2:9.
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He said, Peter wrote
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and this is what the Bible says,
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"That the
unjust will be punished
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on the day of judgement,"
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which obviously
has not yet taken place
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for people around the world.
00:10:20.35\00:10:25.19
So when you put
these verses together,
00:10:25.22\00:10:27.29
we have these
significant points.
00:10:27.32\00:10:30.56
Let me read these to
you, from my own notes here,
00:10:30.59\00:10:33.96
very clear right from the Bible.
00:10:34.00\00:10:35.83
Point number one,
00:10:35.86\00:10:37.20
is there is going
to be a real fire,
00:10:37.23\00:10:39.20
Jesus taught
that, Peter taught that
00:10:39.23\00:10:41.44
and there is a lot of
other verses that teach this
00:10:41.47\00:10:43.37
and we'll look at
many of those other verses.
00:10:43.41\00:10:46.17
According to Jesus
and according to Peter,
00:10:46.21\00:10:48.04
point number two
00:10:48.08\00:10:49.41
is that this fire
occurs at the end of the world.
00:10:49.44\00:10:52.45
Point number three,
00:10:52.48\00:10:53.82
it is synonymous with occurring
on the day of judgement.
00:10:53.85\00:10:58.32
Point four is the fire will burn
00:10:58.35\00:11:01.32
the atmospheric heavens
00:11:01.36\00:11:03.02
and the earth that we
are now walking on top of,
00:11:03.06\00:11:07.16
and then point number
five is that is when the lost,
00:11:07.20\00:11:11.03
or the unjust, or the wicked
00:11:11.07\00:11:13.17
will finally get
their punishment.
00:11:13.20\00:11:16.77
Now, that's what the Bible says,
00:11:16.81\00:11:18.47
that's what Jesus
taught in Matthew 13,
00:11:18.51\00:11:21.81
and that's what
Peter taught in 2 Peter 2,
00:11:21.84\00:11:25.51
and in 2 Peter 3.
00:11:25.55\00:11:28.08
Now, what we've just read
00:11:28.12\00:11:29.88
is obviously
quite a bit different
00:11:29.92\00:11:33.32
from the common view of hell.
00:11:33.36\00:11:36.09
When most people think of hell,
00:11:36.12\00:11:37.79
they think of the
dream or the vision
00:11:37.83\00:11:41.93
or whatever it was
that Bill Weise had
00:11:41.96\00:11:44.77
and that other people have had.
00:11:44.80\00:11:47.20
Apparently they've
seen fire this fiery place
00:11:47.24\00:11:50.94
and most people think of it
00:11:50.97\00:11:52.44
as somewhere
way down, down, down
00:11:52.47\00:11:54.44
who knows how many miles
down underneath the ground,
00:11:54.48\00:11:57.18
way down possibly in
the heart of the earth,
00:11:57.21\00:11:59.91
and they see it as a fiery place
00:11:59.95\00:12:03.15
where a lost soul
will go after he dies.
00:12:03.18\00:12:08.69
And many times people
imagine or they believe
00:12:08.72\00:12:12.86
that the devil
will be down there
00:12:12.89\00:12:14.50
possibly with a pitchfork
00:12:14.53\00:12:15.93
or some kind of instruments
and instrument of torture
00:12:15.96\00:12:19.00
and his demons are down
there and people are screaming
00:12:19.03\00:12:22.27
and hauling, and there's just
all kinds of awful things like,
00:12:22.30\00:12:27.28
just like Bill described
in his dream or in his vision.
00:12:27.31\00:12:32.48
Let me read it again.
00:12:32.51\00:12:34.12
He saw the
searing flames of hell,
00:12:34.15\00:12:35.98
he experienced the
putrid and the rotting stench.
00:12:36.02\00:12:38.85
The deafening screams of agony,
00:12:38.89\00:12:40.96
terrorizing demons and
finally the strong hand of God
00:12:40.99\00:12:44.56
lifting him out of the pit.
00:12:44.59\00:12:47.20
This is the common view of hell.
00:12:47.23\00:12:49.43
This is what Bill saw,
00:12:49.46\00:12:51.83
and again did
God show this to him
00:12:51.87\00:12:54.80
or was it a
supernatural experience
00:12:54.84\00:12:57.51
that came from the dark
side to lead people astray?
00:12:57.54\00:13:01.58
The only way we're gonna find
out the answer to that question
00:13:01.61\00:13:03.78
is by looking
closely at the Bible.
00:13:03.81\00:13:07.42
Now, let me share with
you a very shocking fact,
00:13:07.45\00:13:11.52
and it's the truth,
you can check it out,
00:13:11.55\00:13:13.92
and I encourage
you to check everything
00:13:13.96\00:13:15.29
that I say out from God's book.
00:13:15.32\00:13:18.49
There is only one
place in the entire Bible
00:13:18.53\00:13:22.86
that seems to teach the idea
00:13:22.90\00:13:26.47
that hell is under
the ground far below us
00:13:26.50\00:13:30.21
and it's a place where a
lost soul leaves his body
00:13:30.24\00:13:33.44
at the point of death
and goes under the ground
00:13:33.48\00:13:36.31
and begins suffering
and writhing in the flames.
00:13:36.34\00:13:41.95
There's only one
place that teaches that
00:13:41.98\00:13:44.75
and that is the
story of the rich man
00:13:44.79\00:13:46.76
and Lazarus in
the Book of Luke 16,
00:13:46.79\00:13:50.46
which we are going to
examine closely in part two
00:13:50.49\00:13:54.80
of this little mini
series, the hot topic of hell.
00:13:54.83\00:13:57.37
But before we do,
00:13:57.40\00:13:58.73
I want to just impress you
with a very important fact,
00:13:58.77\00:14:02.97
an amazing fact.
00:14:03.00\00:14:04.34
And that is that
there is no other verse
00:14:04.37\00:14:07.28
not one in the
entire New Testament
00:14:07.31\00:14:10.98
or in the entire Bible
00:14:11.01\00:14:12.65
that seems to
teach that concept,
00:14:12.68\00:14:15.58
that hell is a
place under the ground
00:14:15.62\00:14:17.55
where a last soul
goes at the point of death
00:14:17.59\00:14:20.06
and he's burning.
00:14:20.09\00:14:21.92
If you read the Book of Matthew,
00:14:21.96\00:14:24.33
the first book
of the New Testament
00:14:24.36\00:14:25.69
you won't find that
particular doctrine anywhere.
00:14:25.73\00:14:29.00
You won't find it in Mark,
00:14:29.03\00:14:30.77
you won't find it
in the Book of John.
00:14:30.80\00:14:33.03
When you read the Book of Acts
00:14:33.07\00:14:35.14
which is the story
of the early church
00:14:35.17\00:14:36.54
and what they preached,
00:14:36.57\00:14:37.91
what Peter preached
on the day of Pentecost
00:14:37.94\00:14:39.77
and what Paul
eventually preached
00:14:39.81\00:14:41.68
after he was
converted from Saul to Paul,
00:14:41.71\00:14:44.25
you can read his sermons,
Peter sermons, Paul sermons,
00:14:44.28\00:14:48.45
and you won't ever find
them teaching anything like this
00:14:48.48\00:14:51.79
in the entire Book of Acts.
00:14:51.82\00:14:53.89
Paul wrote most
of the New Testament,
00:14:53.92\00:14:55.96
the majority of the New
Testament books he wrote,
00:14:55.99\00:14:57.66
he wrote Ephesians,
Philippians, Colossians,
00:14:57.69\00:15:01.00
1 Thessalonians, 2
Thessalonians, 1 Timothy,
00:15:01.03\00:15:03.57
2 Timothy, he
wrote a lot of books
00:15:03.60\00:15:06.27
and yet amazingly
00:15:06.30\00:15:07.64
you will not find anywhere
in any of the writings of Paul
00:15:07.67\00:15:11.64
which includes
the Book of Romans,
00:15:11.67\00:15:13.88
all of his books this concept
00:15:13.91\00:15:16.01
that hell is a
place under the ground
00:15:16.04\00:15:18.21
where lost souls go
at the point of death,
00:15:18.25\00:15:21.68
it's just not there.
00:15:21.72\00:15:24.19
James wrote his little book
00:15:24.22\00:15:26.55
close to the Book of Revelation,
00:15:26.59\00:15:28.22
it's not in the Book of James.
00:15:28.26\00:15:29.99
Peter wrote 1 and 2 Peter
00:15:30.03\00:15:32.69
completely absent
from Peter's teaching.
00:15:32.73\00:15:35.70
The Book of Jude
which is the little book
00:15:35.73\00:15:37.60
right before the
Book of Revelation
00:15:37.63\00:15:39.37
talks about judgement,
00:15:39.40\00:15:40.74
talks about God executing
judgement upon the wicked
00:15:40.77\00:15:43.47
when Jesus Christ comes,
00:15:43.51\00:15:45.11
but the concept of hell
under the ground burning
00:15:45.14\00:15:48.41
it's just not there,
00:15:48.44\00:15:49.78
and when you read
the Book of Revelation,
00:15:49.81\00:15:51.98
it's not there either.
00:15:52.01\00:15:53.78
Like I said it's nowhere.
00:15:53.82\00:15:55.98
It's nowhere in
the Old Testament,
00:15:56.02\00:15:57.49
it's nowhere in
the New Testament
00:15:57.52\00:15:59.32
except one place
00:15:59.35\00:16:00.72
which is the story of
the rich man and Lazarus,
00:16:00.76\00:16:02.59
which we would
look at in part two.
00:16:02.62\00:16:05.56
The truth is that there
are two primary Greek words
00:16:05.59\00:16:11.83
that are translated
hell in our English Bibles.
00:16:11.87\00:16:16.17
And the words are Gehenna
and the other word is Hades.
00:16:16.20\00:16:20.74
I'd like to show you a
text where Gehenna is used
00:16:20.78\00:16:24.91
which is in Matthew 5:29.
00:16:24.95\00:16:31.89
Jesus definitely
believed in a fire,
00:16:31.92\00:16:34.72
but notice what he
said and what he didn't say.
00:16:34.76\00:16:38.89
Matthew 5:29 and 30,
00:16:38.93\00:16:43.47
Jesus warned about sexual sin
00:16:43.50\00:16:46.57
and he said, "If your
right eye offends you,
00:16:46.60\00:16:48.67
pluck it out and
cast it from you,
00:16:48.70\00:16:51.37
for it is profitable for you
00:16:51.41\00:16:53.41
that one of your
members should perish,
00:16:53.44\00:16:55.01
and not that your whole
body should be cast into hell."
00:16:55.04\00:16:58.21
Now the Greek word
there for hell is Gehenna,
00:16:58.25\00:17:01.72
and it's obvious when
you look at this verse
00:17:01.75\00:17:03.62
and look at the way
Gehenna is used in other verses
00:17:03.65\00:17:07.06
that Gehenna definitely
refers to a real place of fire.
00:17:07.09\00:17:11.49
In verse 30 Jesus
basically said the same thing,
00:17:11.53\00:17:15.13
"If your right hand offends you,
00:17:15.16\00:17:17.27
cut it off and cast it from you,
00:17:17.30\00:17:19.17
for it is profitable for you
00:17:19.20\00:17:20.54
that one of your
members should perish,
00:17:20.57\00:17:22.07
and not that your whole
body should be cast into hell."
00:17:22.10\00:17:25.94
Now I don't believe
Jesus is really recommending
00:17:25.97\00:17:28.14
that we actually take a knife
00:17:28.18\00:17:29.51
and cut off our
hands or take out our eyes
00:17:29.54\00:17:31.58
but his, the
context from verse 27 and 28
00:17:31.61\00:17:35.42
is that Jesus is
talking about sexual sin
00:17:35.45\00:17:37.79
and He's talking
about committing adultery
00:17:37.82\00:17:39.89
and not just the physical act
00:17:39.92\00:17:41.26
but dwelling upon these things
in your mind and you know,
00:17:41.29\00:17:45.43
seeing either a woman or a man
that you really want to be with
00:17:45.46\00:17:49.20
and basically creating a bed
in your heart and doing this,
00:17:49.23\00:17:55.50
committing
adultery inside of you,
00:17:55.54\00:17:58.47
and Jesus said if your
eye is leading you into sin,
00:17:58.51\00:18:01.54
He said it's really
better to take your eye out
00:18:01.58\00:18:03.45
than to go into hell.
00:18:03.48\00:18:04.81
It's really better
to cut your hand off,
00:18:04.85\00:18:06.18
if your hand is
leading you into sin,
00:18:06.21\00:18:08.05
and I think what Jesus is saying
00:18:08.08\00:18:09.82
is that whatever part of us
00:18:09.85\00:18:13.15
is leading us
into sexual immorality
00:18:13.19\00:18:15.36
or any kind of immorality,
00:18:15.39\00:18:17.03
we really need to
make a strong decision
00:18:17.06\00:18:20.06
to cut out that
practice from our lives,
00:18:20.10\00:18:23.37
that's what
Jesus is really saying.
00:18:23.40\00:18:26.97
But he uses the word
Gehenna here and he uses,
00:18:27.00\00:18:31.44
he talks about hell
where people will go,
00:18:31.47\00:18:35.51
and he says that your whole body
00:18:35.54\00:18:36.88
will eventually go there.
00:18:36.91\00:18:38.25
He doesn't say your soul
00:18:38.28\00:18:39.61
is gonna leave
your body and go there,
00:18:39.65\00:18:40.98
he says your whole
body is gonna eventually
00:18:41.02\00:18:42.35
end up in hell.
00:18:42.38\00:18:43.72
And the word here, again
the Greek word is Gehenna
00:18:43.75\00:18:45.19
which basically
means a place of burning,
00:18:45.22\00:18:48.26
a place of fire, so
again I believe it's real,
00:18:48.29\00:18:51.13
I believe it's coming,
00:18:51.16\00:18:52.79
and I believe
that Jesus' warning
00:18:52.83\00:18:54.53
needs to be taken seriously.
00:18:54.56\00:18:56.36
But in theses
verses Jesus does not say
00:18:56.40\00:19:00.14
that you're going to
go to hell when you die,
00:19:00.17\00:19:02.90
He just says that your
whole body will go there
00:19:02.94\00:19:05.34
if you continue to practice sin,
00:19:05.37\00:19:08.71
but He doesn't say
00:19:08.74\00:19:10.08
when it will
happen in this verse.
00:19:10.11\00:19:12.21
Now there is another verse,
00:19:12.25\00:19:13.58
there's actually a lot of verses
00:19:13.62\00:19:15.28
where Jesus talks
about the consequences
00:19:15.32\00:19:17.19
and going into the fire,
00:19:17.22\00:19:19.35
but in these
verses He doesn't say
00:19:19.39\00:19:21.09
exactly when and we did
read that in Matthew 13,
00:19:21.12\00:19:24.29
Jesus said, the
fire would take place
00:19:24.33\00:19:25.93
at the end of the world,
00:19:25.96\00:19:27.30
and we read in 2
Peter the same thing.
00:19:27.33\00:19:30.63
So now let's
look at the word Hades
00:19:30.67\00:19:34.77
and let's see what it means.
00:19:34.80\00:19:36.17
Hades is used a number of
times in the New Testament
00:19:36.20\00:19:39.14
and let's take a
look at one of them
00:19:39.17\00:19:40.61
which is in 1 Corinthians 15.
00:19:40.64\00:19:45.21
If you did your homework
00:19:45.25\00:19:46.58
and look up the word Hades
00:19:46.61\00:19:48.25
in a reputable Bible dictionary,
00:19:48.28\00:19:51.15
at least one that
knows what it's talking about
00:19:51.19\00:19:53.15
and you'll discover
00:19:53.19\00:19:54.52
that Hades really
should be correctly translated,
00:19:54.56\00:19:58.59
not a place of burning,
it's not under the ground
00:19:58.63\00:20:01.00
somewhere where souls
are being tormented by demons
00:20:01.03\00:20:04.07
with pitchforks.
00:20:04.10\00:20:05.43
It is actually a word
00:20:05.47\00:20:06.80
that applies to
simply the grave itself.
00:20:06.84\00:20:09.84
We know this for sure
00:20:09.87\00:20:11.27
by looking at
how the word is used
00:20:11.31\00:20:13.04
in its context in
a number of passages.
00:20:13.07\00:20:16.38
1 Corinthians 15,
describes the great day
00:20:16.41\00:20:20.78
when Jesus
returns, His second coming.
00:20:20.82\00:20:24.79
Verse 51 says,
"Behold, I shew you a mystery:
00:20:24.82\00:20:27.06
Paul wrote we
will not all sleep,
00:20:27.09\00:20:28.42
but will all be changed."
00:20:28.46\00:20:30.23
Sleep preferring to death,
00:20:30.26\00:20:31.96
but we'll all be transformed
if we're true believers.
00:20:31.99\00:20:34.96
Verse 52, "In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye,
00:20:35.00\00:20:37.47
at the last trumpet."
00:20:37.50\00:20:39.07
And the last trumpet is
at the end of the world.
00:20:39.10\00:20:41.17
"For the trumpet will
sound, it'll be very loud
00:20:41.20\00:20:43.87
and the dead will be
raised incorruptible,
00:20:43.91\00:20:46.07
and we shall be changed.
00:20:46.11\00:20:47.98
For this corruptible
must put on incorruption,
00:20:48.01\00:20:50.25
and this mortal
must put on immortality.
00:20:50.28\00:20:53.92
So when this corruptible
shall have put on incorruption,
00:20:53.95\00:20:57.52
and this mortal
which is what we are now,
00:20:57.55\00:20:59.75
mortal beings shall
have put on immortality,"
00:20:59.79\00:21:02.92
on resurrection
day when Jesus comes.
00:21:02.96\00:21:06.16
Paul wrote, "Then shall
be brought to pass the saying
00:21:06.19\00:21:08.93
that is written, Death
is swallowed up in victory."
00:21:08.96\00:21:12.70
And then in verse 55,
he describes the words
00:21:12.73\00:21:15.24
that come out of
the mouths of the saints
00:21:15.27\00:21:17.01
on resurrection morning,
00:21:17.04\00:21:18.37
when they come out of the grave.
00:21:18.41\00:21:20.24
"O death, where is your sting?
00:21:20.28\00:21:22.38
O grave, where is your victory?
00:21:22.41\00:21:24.81
Now, I don't know
if you can see this
00:21:24.85\00:21:26.25
through the camera lens,
00:21:26.28\00:21:27.62
but in my Bible I've
circled the word grave here
00:21:27.65\00:21:31.32
and there is a little footnote
00:21:31.35\00:21:32.92
that takes you to a
marginal reference on the side
00:21:32.95\00:21:36.06
and the word there is hell.
00:21:36.09\00:21:38.19
And the Greek word is Hades.
00:21:38.23\00:21:40.13
And so what Paul
is basically saying
00:21:40.16\00:21:41.66
is that the saints
on resurrection morning
00:21:41.70\00:21:44.00
come out of the
grave which is Hades,
00:21:44.03\00:21:46.60
which is also translated hell
00:21:46.63\00:21:48.37
and they come out and they
are shouting and praising God,
00:21:48.40\00:21:51.84
because death has no
longer any power over them.
00:21:51.87\00:21:56.91
Now, think about it,
00:21:56.95\00:21:58.51
here we have Paul describing
the saints coming out of Hades
00:21:58.55\00:22:01.95
and shouting victory
over death in the grave
00:22:01.98\00:22:05.22
and obviously in this verse,
00:22:05.25\00:22:07.42
Hades is not a
reference to a place
00:22:07.46\00:22:09.49
burning under the ground
00:22:09.52\00:22:11.16
where the saints
art being tormented,
00:22:11.19\00:22:12.93
obviously not by demons
or devils but pitchforks,
00:22:12.96\00:22:15.66
but again Hades is simply a word
00:22:15.70\00:22:17.97
that describes the
grave and Paul is saying
00:22:18.00\00:22:21.07
that when even
the righteous die,
00:22:21.10\00:22:23.20
they go to the grave and
the wicked also go to grave
00:22:23.24\00:22:25.74
but when Jesus Christ
comes on resurrection morning,
00:22:25.77\00:22:28.74
then His people will come out
of the grave shouting victory,
00:22:28.78\00:22:32.31
praising the Lord
00:22:32.35\00:22:33.68
that they will
never have to worry
00:22:33.72\00:22:35.78
about the grave again.
00:22:35.82\00:22:37.22
So just to summarize,
00:22:37.25\00:22:38.59
we have two major
words in the New Testament
00:22:38.62\00:22:40.42
that are translated
hell in our English Bibles.
00:22:40.46\00:22:43.46
Gehenna which is
a place of burning
00:22:43.49\00:22:46.66
and Hades which
literally means the grave.
00:22:46.70\00:22:50.67
Now the word Hades
is used in another place
00:22:50.70\00:22:53.44
that I want to share with
you before we wind up part one
00:22:53.47\00:22:57.01
and that's in the
Book of Revelation 20.
00:22:57.04\00:23:01.31
Revelation 20 is a
very, very powerful passage
00:23:01.34\00:23:04.21
describing the
end of the millennium,
00:23:04.25\00:23:05.95
the end of the
one thousand years,
00:23:05.98\00:23:07.95
and it describes the
resurrection of lost people
00:23:07.98\00:23:11.55
in verses 12-14 who
eventually are judged
00:23:11.59\00:23:15.49
and then who go
into the lake of fire.
00:23:15.52\00:23:17.49
In verse 12 John saw in vision,
00:23:17.53\00:23:20.20
"I saw the
dead, small and great,
00:23:20.23\00:23:22.13
standing before God,
and books were opened.
00:23:22.16\00:23:24.87
And another book was opened,
which is the Book of Life.
00:23:24.90\00:23:27.27
And the dead were
judged out of those things,
00:23:27.30\00:23:29.44
which were written in the
books according to their works."
00:23:29.47\00:23:32.24
So this is what we call the
great white throne judgement
00:23:32.27\00:23:35.48
at the end of the millennium
00:23:35.51\00:23:37.08
and it is the lost
who are being judged.
00:23:37.11\00:23:39.61
Verse 13 says, "The
sea gave up the dead
00:23:39.65\00:23:41.92
which were in it,
00:23:41.95\00:23:43.28
and death and hell
delivered up the dead
00:23:43.32\00:23:46.29
which were in them.
00:23:46.32\00:23:47.69
And they were judged,
00:23:47.72\00:23:49.06
every man
according to their works."
00:23:49.09\00:23:50.93
And then verse 14 says,
00:23:50.96\00:23:52.29
"Death and hell were
cast into the lake of fire.
00:23:52.33\00:23:54.66
This is the second death.
00:23:54.70\00:23:56.40
Whosoever was not found
written in the book of life
00:23:56.43\00:23:58.87
was cast into the lake of fire."
00:23:58.90\00:24:01.80
And I'm gonna hold
my Bible up again here
00:24:01.84\00:24:03.37
so you can see this,
00:24:03.41\00:24:04.74
if you got great eyes or
just take my word for it.
00:24:04.77\00:24:07.58
In verse 13, I've
got the word hell there
00:24:07.61\00:24:11.68
that the lost are
coming up out of hell
00:24:11.71\00:24:13.78
and I've circled that word,
00:24:13.82\00:24:15.15
there's a marginal
reference which says the grave
00:24:15.18\00:24:17.92
and the Greek word,
the original word is Hades,
00:24:17.95\00:24:20.92
just like in 1 Corinthians 15.
00:24:20.96\00:24:22.79
So just like the
righteous come out of Hades
00:24:22.82\00:24:24.59
and shout for joy,
00:24:24.63\00:24:25.99
so at the end of
the thousand years,
00:24:26.03\00:24:29.40
the lost come out of Hades
as well which means the grave
00:24:29.43\00:24:34.20
and then they're judged
00:24:34.24\00:24:35.57
and then they go
into the lake of fire.
00:24:35.60\00:24:39.14
Now let me just summarize
these different points here.
00:24:39.17\00:24:42.98
Notice the order, at
the end of the millennium,
00:24:43.01\00:24:45.25
the lost come out of Hades,
00:24:45.28\00:24:46.92
they're judged and
they go into the fire.
00:24:46.95\00:24:49.48
It would certainly be strange
if a lost person dies today
00:24:49.52\00:24:53.49
and goes
immediately into the fire
00:24:53.52\00:24:56.02
and then at the
end of the millennium
00:24:56.06\00:24:57.86
he comes out of
the fire to get judged.
00:24:57.89\00:25:01.10
I mean why would
God judge a person
00:25:01.13\00:25:03.43
after He throws
him into the fire,
00:25:03.47\00:25:05.53
that doesn't make sense.
00:25:05.57\00:25:06.90
And then it
would be even stranger
00:25:06.94\00:25:08.60
if that lost person
were to then be sent
00:25:08.64\00:25:10.61
back into the
fire after he's judged.
00:25:10.64\00:25:13.91
Imagine two people dying,
00:25:13.94\00:25:15.44
one person died a 1000 years ago
00:25:15.48\00:25:17.28
and he was very wicked
and he goes into the fire
00:25:17.31\00:25:19.61
and he's burning,
00:25:19.65\00:25:20.98
and then another
wicked person dies today
00:25:21.02\00:25:22.75
and then he goes
down into the fire
00:25:22.78\00:25:24.22
and he joins that first person,
00:25:24.25\00:25:26.65
that would mean
that the second person
00:25:26.69\00:25:29.06
burn for a 1000 years less
00:25:29.09\00:25:31.09
and the first person
burn for a 1000 years longer
00:25:31.13\00:25:33.66
because they both,
00:25:33.70\00:25:35.93
because they died
at different times
00:25:35.96\00:25:38.13
and now what that make sense.
00:25:38.17\00:25:39.50
And the Bible says the God
is gonna judge people justly
00:25:39.53\00:25:42.40
and then he's
going to punish them.
00:25:42.44\00:25:44.67
And so it doesn't make
sense based on these scriptures
00:25:44.71\00:25:47.91
that a lost person would
go down into the fire now
00:25:47.94\00:25:51.25
and then become,
and then get resurrected
00:25:51.28\00:25:53.98
and then get judged, and
then go back into the fire.
00:25:54.02\00:25:57.85
Revelation 20:15 says,
00:25:57.89\00:26:01.56
that at the end
of the millennium,
00:26:01.59\00:26:03.46
"Whosoever was not found
written in the book of life
00:26:03.49\00:26:06.49
was cast into the lake of fire."
00:26:06.53\00:26:08.40
I believe in a
real fire, it's coming,
00:26:08.43\00:26:10.70
but when does that fire
come, how long does it burn,
00:26:10.73\00:26:14.17
do people go there today?
00:26:14.20\00:26:16.10
I don't think so,
that's not what the Bible says,
00:26:16.14\00:26:19.04
and what is really
the truth about hell?
00:26:19.07\00:26:22.71
Well, this is the
conclusion of part one
00:26:22.74\00:26:25.35
in our next installment
we'll pick up with part two,
00:26:25.38\00:26:28.15
the hot topic of hell.
00:26:28.18\00:26:29.65
We'll make it very clear
00:26:29.68\00:26:31.12
and we'll do it
right from the Bible,
00:26:31.15\00:26:32.99
so that when we're done,
00:26:33.02\00:26:34.36
you will know
that you have heard
00:26:34.39\00:26:36.29
not Steve Wohlberg's opinion,
00:26:36.32\00:26:37.96
but you have
heard His Voice Today.
00:26:37.99\00:26:41.06
Don't miss part two.
00:26:41.10\00:26:43.30
We hope you've
enjoyed this timely message
00:26:43.33\00:26:45.37
from Pastor Steve Wohlberg
00:26:45.40\00:26:47.14
and we want you to know
00:26:47.17\00:26:48.50
that White Horse
Media is deeply committed
00:26:48.54\00:26:50.67
to bringing you
many more simple messages
00:26:50.71\00:26:53.14
straight from the Bible
designed to educate the mind,
00:26:53.17\00:26:56.14
inspire the heart
and helping our viewers
00:26:56.18\00:26:58.45
and their
families closer to God.
00:26:58.48\00:27:00.92
To learn more
about White Horse Media
00:27:00.95\00:27:02.82
or to watch more
00:27:02.85\00:27:04.19
of Pastor Steve's
television programs online
00:27:04.22\00:27:06.45
including his powerful new
series of two minute talks,
00:27:06.49\00:27:09.89
visit hisvoicetoday.com,
00:27:09.92\00:27:12.13
that's hisvoicetoday.com.
00:27:12.16\00:27:15.06
If you have any prayer request,
00:27:15.10\00:27:16.50
you can email them to us at
prayrequests@hisvoicetoday.com.
00:27:16.53\00:27:21.87
If you would like a free copy
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00:27:21.90\00:27:24.77
behold of White Horse you
can call us at 1.800.78.BIBLE.
00:27:24.81\00:27:29.88
That's 1.800.78.BIBLE.
00:27:29.91\00:27:33.42
We hope you'll
join us next time,
00:27:33.45\00:27:35.38
for another inspiring
His Voice Today presentation
00:27:35.42\00:27:38.32
with Steve Wohlberg.
00:27:38.35\00:27:40.02
The Bible teaches
that hell is real,
00:27:40.06\00:27:42.16
but is it burning now
00:27:42.19\00:27:43.76
or its flames crackling
somewhere beneath our feet.
00:27:43.79\00:27:46.76
Steve Wohlberg's pocket book,
00:27:46.80\00:27:48.23
the hot topic of hell
00:27:48.26\00:27:49.73
separates Biblical
truth from popular midst.
00:27:49.76\00:27:52.67
To request your free
copy, call us at 1.800.782.4253.
00:27:52.70\00:27:59.07
You may also write to
us at White Horse Media,
00:27:59.11\00:28:01.68
PO Box 130,
Priest River, ID 83856
00:28:01.71\00:28:07.02
or online at
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00:28:07.05\00:28:10.22