Final Destinations – Heaven Or Hell

Luke 16: 19 – 31

Final Destinations – Heaven or Hell

19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ 27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”

Mark Twain gave some interesting quotes during his lifetime. One such amusing statement was, ‘Go to heaven for the climate, hell for the company.’ He along with others, do not realize how horrible hell will be. We do not hear much about hell these days from the pulpits. Many preachers want to give the friendly upbeat sermons that please the congregations. I like the statement that as Pastors we should ‘comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.’ If Pastors do not warn their flocks about everything the bible teaches, then they should resign. Our Master, King, Lord, and Savior Jesus Christ took the time to teach us in the way we should live our lives so as His representatives we must also remain faithful and obedient to tell others about the Good News of Eternal life through the perfect Lamb of God. .

You might think ill of me but I enjoy a good laugh whether it is a joke or cartoon. My favorite cartoons were the ‘Far Side’ and ‘Calvin and Hobbes’. I told you not to think ill of me. Anyway, the reason I mention this, is due to our teaching. Satan does not want us to talk about hell. He will try to convince mankind that it is a funny place; that it does not exist at all; or that it isn’t such a bad place to wind up in. This cannot be farther from the truth as I hope you will come to understand.

We have already three strikes against us the moment we step out of bed. We fight the world, our sinful flesh, and the devil. These three evils working against us cause us to think incorrectly. We picture Satan and his fellow fallen angels and hell differently than what the Bible says. For one thing, we view Satan and Hell as humorous such as;

When we were looking to buy property I had this overzealous realtor show us what can only be described as a totally worn-out old farm. I mean the land had just been worked to death. The weeds were hardly even growing.

The smiling super salesman said, “Now really, all this land needs is a little water, a nice cool breeze and some good people.”

I replied, “Yeah, I agree, but couldn't the same be said of Hell?”

Our ancestors tried to mock Satan. If you travel to Europe you will see buildings adorned with gargoyles. How would you describe what Satan looks like? You would probably say that he is ugly and has horns. He wears a red suit. Has a tail and carries a pitchfork. This could not be further from the truth. In the book of Ezekiel chapter 28 we read, “… “ You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 “ You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.”