Escape from Hell!
Dear Friends and Family,
Once a year or so I like to study the scriptures that pertain to the reality of heaven and hell. This year I found myself becoming a little cold and indifferent to the plight of the unsaved, but as I began to meditate on what the Bible has to say about the final judgment a great burden came upon me. Often, when the Holy Spirit gives us revelation we think that every Christian on earth ought to be just as excited about the present truth as we are :o) I realize that God is emphasizing many different truths to various parts of the Body of Christ, and it may be that not everyone will sense such an alarming need to proclaim the truth about hell with bold conviction. However at the risk of sounding sensational or harsh (which is not my intention) I felt the need to share this message that God gave me from Amos 9.
"Escape from Hell" describes four, vain ways that people attempt to escape the knowledge of hell. Despite their efforts, however, judgment is sure to come and sadly a terrible place of eternal suffering awaits. As Christians I don't think we need to sit around and be depressed, or heavy all the time. I believe people should see the joy of the Lord in our lives and be attracted to Jesus' love in us, but surely there is a time and a place for us to soberly consider what it will be like if one of our loved ones sinks down to hell. Surely it is appropriate for us to let this truth deeply impact us and shake us up. Surely it is wise to study the crafty ways that people avoid the knowledge of God in hopes that we might turn them from the error of their way. And surely it is appropriate to allow this truth to overflow from our burdened hearts in rivers of prayer and intercession on behalf of our loved ones.
I hope you are blessed by this message. If you are a Christian I hope you receive a fresh burden to pray for the people you know who are not born again. If you do not know God, If you are not 100% sure that the wrath of God no longer abides upon you, I pray that you will carefully listen and consider this message. Search the scriptures regarding this topic for yourself. There is an escape from hell provided by our loving heavenly Father. The door to that place of refuge is at the foot of the cross.
Sincerely,
Rick Arnold
Escape from Hell!
Four Ways People Try to Escape Hell
Amos 9:2-3,5
2 “Though they dig into hell,
From there My hand shall take them;
Though they climb up to heaven,
From there I will bring them down;
3 And though they hide themselves on top of Carmel,
From there I will search and take them;
Though they hide from My sight at the bottom of the sea,
From there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them;
5 The Lord GOD of hosts,
He who touches the earth and it melts,
And all who dwell there mourn;
All of it shall swell like the River,
And subside like the River of Egypt.
I. "Dig into hell"
1. To "dig into hell" is to embrace darkness. To love darkness rather than light. Such people become twisted, shockingly depraved, those that call good evil and evil good.
2. Their consciences become seared as with a hot iron. They no longer feel guilt and even delight in their evil.
3. They have convinced themselves that there is no hell and even of there is they suppose themselves to the special guests of Satan himself. They imagine that hell will be a really good time.
4. I often see and am amazed and horrified by the manifestation of this deception.
II. "Climb up to heaven"
1. Climbing to heaven speaks to me of "getting high"
2. People seek to escape the truth of the reality of hell by unreservedly embracing the pleasures of the world.
a) Sex
b) Drugs
c) Alcohol
d) Lust of the flesh
e) Lust of the eye
f) Pride of life
3. Through the gratification of the flesh we seek to silence the voice of the conscience.
4. In the old days worldly activities were called diversions because that is exactly what they do. They divert our minds away from eternity and from the things of real significance.
5. How much bigger is the sun than a marble, and yet a marble can block our view of the sun if we hold it close enough to our eye.
6. Don't dull the pain of your conscience with the pleasures of this world, but rather deal with it at the foot of the cross and find true pleasure. There will be no pain killer in hell, and our minds will never be diverted from the torment which we must endure forever.
III. "Hide themselves on the top of Carmel"
1. I assume that the Carmel here refers to the same Mt. Carmel where elijah defeated the prophets of Baal and therefore to "hide on carmel" is to hide behind false religion
2. Many try to escape the certainty of hell and appease their guilty consciences through dead works and false religion
3. (Matt 23:33) Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, "You serpents, you generation of vipers how can you escape the damnation of hell?" All those who practice a false religion, regardless if they call themselves Christian or not, can be sure that they will end up in hell. How can we know if our religion is false?
a) Any religion that leaves the heart, the inward man, unchanged is a false religion. You must be born again.
b) Any religion that does not bring you to the foot of the cross, humbled and broken, ready to exchange your insufficient self-righteousness for the righteousness of Christ is a false religion.
c) Any religion that does not fill your heart to overflowing with the precious Spirit of God is a false religion
d) Any religion that is not based on faith in God and does not lead you into a heart-felt joy and trust in the Father is a false religion
e) Any religion that does not produce within you a true and lasting peace with God, so that you are convinced that you have passed from death to life and that the wrath of God no longer abides upon you, is a false religion.
f) Any religion that does not bring you into an actual, first-hand relationship with God is a false religion
IV. "Hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea"
1. In the Bible, the sea often represents humanity
2. People try to escape hell by pleading their humanity as an excuse - "I am just human " or "Oh well, all humans are sinners."
3. Certainly it is true that creation is not as God originally made it. There is no doubt that we are a fallen race living in a fallen world, but this does not excuse our sin.
a) We are perfectly conscious that we have a free will. We could just as easily do what is right as we can what is wrong, but we are aware that we are totally unwilling to do so. We will not surrender to God by our own free wills. We may do some moral acts, but we will not give our lives to God and honor and glorify him in all of our thoughts and deeds.
b) I do not claim to understand all of the aspects of the total depravity of man, but I can tell you that God is righteous and just. He would never command us to do what we are not able to do. He has made a way for us to escape the coming judgment. He has given us access to His mercy through the cross and power to live holy by His Spirit. All that He demands of us is that we get honest about our preset state and repent. To repent is to turn away from sin, from darkness and to embrace the truth. He commands us to have faith in Him and His work on the cross. To have faith is to simply put our trust in. If we do our part He will do His. He will fill us with His Spirit and deliver us from the power of sin. He will not cast us into hell but make a place for us to be with Him forever in paradise.
V. Closing
1. The day of judgment is coming
2. Hell is a real place and the Bible describes it as:
a) (Revelation 21:8) The final destination for the wicked
b) ( Revelation 20:10-15; Psalm 21:9; ) The final destination for the wrath of God
c) A place of hatred towards God and a bitter existence
d) (Mark 9:48) A place where your lusts burn but are never satisfied
e) (Matthew 8:12) Place of absolute and complete, unimaginable darkness. Separated forever from God and all that is good.
f) (Mat 25:41; Mark 9:43-49) A place of infinite and eternal suffering
3. Will you come to Jesus and escape the wrath to come?
Once a year or so I like to study the scriptures that pertain to the reality of heaven and hell. This year I found myself becoming a little cold and indifferent to the plight of the unsaved, but as I began to meditate on what the Bible has to say about the final judgment a great burden came upon me. Often, when the Holy Spirit gives us revelation we think that every Christian on earth ought to be just as excited about the present truth as we are :o) I realize that God is emphasizing many different truths to various parts of the Body of Christ, and it may be that not everyone will sense such an alarming need to proclaim the truth about hell with bold conviction. However at the risk of sounding sensational or harsh (which is not my intention) I felt the need to share this message that God gave me from Amos 9.
"Escape from Hell" describes four, vain ways that people attempt to escape the knowledge of hell. Despite their efforts, however, judgment is sure to come and sadly a terrible place of eternal suffering awaits. As Christians I don't think we need to sit around and be depressed, or heavy all the time. I believe people should see the joy of the Lord in our lives and be attracted to Jesus' love in us, but surely there is a time and a place for us to soberly consider what it will be like if one of our loved ones sinks down to hell. Surely it is appropriate for us to let this truth deeply impact us and shake us up. Surely it is wise to study the crafty ways that people avoid the knowledge of God in hopes that we might turn them from the error of their way. And surely it is appropriate to allow this truth to overflow from our burdened hearts in rivers of prayer and intercession on behalf of our loved ones.
I hope you are blessed by this message. If you are a Christian I hope you receive a fresh burden to pray for the people you know who are not born again. If you do not know God, If you are not 100% sure that the wrath of God no longer abides upon you, I pray that you will carefully listen and consider this message. Search the scriptures regarding this topic for yourself. There is an escape from hell provided by our loving heavenly Father. The door to that place of refuge is at the foot of the cross.
Sincerely,
Rick Arnold
Escape from Hell!
Four Ways People Try to Escape Hell
Amos 9:2-3,5
2 “Though they dig into hell,
From there My hand shall take them;
Though they climb up to heaven,
From there I will bring them down;
3 And though they hide themselves on top of Carmel,
From there I will search and take them;
Though they hide from My sight at the bottom of the sea,
From there I will command the serpent, and it shall bite them;
5 The Lord GOD of hosts,
He who touches the earth and it melts,
And all who dwell there mourn;
All of it shall swell like the River,
And subside like the River of Egypt.
I. "Dig into hell"
1. To "dig into hell" is to embrace darkness. To love darkness rather than light. Such people become twisted, shockingly depraved, those that call good evil and evil good.
2. Their consciences become seared as with a hot iron. They no longer feel guilt and even delight in their evil.
3. They have convinced themselves that there is no hell and even of there is they suppose themselves to the special guests of Satan himself. They imagine that hell will be a really good time.
4. I often see and am amazed and horrified by the manifestation of this deception.
II. "Climb up to heaven"
1. Climbing to heaven speaks to me of "getting high"
2. People seek to escape the truth of the reality of hell by unreservedly embracing the pleasures of the world.
a) Sex
b) Drugs
c) Alcohol
d) Lust of the flesh
e) Lust of the eye
f) Pride of life
3. Through the gratification of the flesh we seek to silence the voice of the conscience.
4. In the old days worldly activities were called diversions because that is exactly what they do. They divert our minds away from eternity and from the things of real significance.
5. How much bigger is the sun than a marble, and yet a marble can block our view of the sun if we hold it close enough to our eye.
6. Don't dull the pain of your conscience with the pleasures of this world, but rather deal with it at the foot of the cross and find true pleasure. There will be no pain killer in hell, and our minds will never be diverted from the torment which we must endure forever.
III. "Hide themselves on the top of Carmel"
1. I assume that the Carmel here refers to the same Mt. Carmel where elijah defeated the prophets of Baal and therefore to "hide on carmel" is to hide behind false religion
2. Many try to escape the certainty of hell and appease their guilty consciences through dead works and false religion
3. (Matt 23:33) Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees, "You serpents, you generation of vipers how can you escape the damnation of hell?" All those who practice a false religion, regardless if they call themselves Christian or not, can be sure that they will end up in hell. How can we know if our religion is false?
a) Any religion that leaves the heart, the inward man, unchanged is a false religion. You must be born again.
b) Any religion that does not bring you to the foot of the cross, humbled and broken, ready to exchange your insufficient self-righteousness for the righteousness of Christ is a false religion.
c) Any religion that does not fill your heart to overflowing with the precious Spirit of God is a false religion
d) Any religion that is not based on faith in God and does not lead you into a heart-felt joy and trust in the Father is a false religion
e) Any religion that does not produce within you a true and lasting peace with God, so that you are convinced that you have passed from death to life and that the wrath of God no longer abides upon you, is a false religion.
f) Any religion that does not bring you into an actual, first-hand relationship with God is a false religion
IV. "Hide from my sight at the bottom of the sea"
1. In the Bible, the sea often represents humanity
2. People try to escape hell by pleading their humanity as an excuse - "I am just human " or "Oh well, all humans are sinners."
3. Certainly it is true that creation is not as God originally made it. There is no doubt that we are a fallen race living in a fallen world, but this does not excuse our sin.
a) We are perfectly conscious that we have a free will. We could just as easily do what is right as we can what is wrong, but we are aware that we are totally unwilling to do so. We will not surrender to God by our own free wills. We may do some moral acts, but we will not give our lives to God and honor and glorify him in all of our thoughts and deeds.
b) I do not claim to understand all of the aspects of the total depravity of man, but I can tell you that God is righteous and just. He would never command us to do what we are not able to do. He has made a way for us to escape the coming judgment. He has given us access to His mercy through the cross and power to live holy by His Spirit. All that He demands of us is that we get honest about our preset state and repent. To repent is to turn away from sin, from darkness and to embrace the truth. He commands us to have faith in Him and His work on the cross. To have faith is to simply put our trust in. If we do our part He will do His. He will fill us with His Spirit and deliver us from the power of sin. He will not cast us into hell but make a place for us to be with Him forever in paradise.
V. Closing
1. The day of judgment is coming
2. Hell is a real place and the Bible describes it as:
a) (Revelation 21:8) The final destination for the wicked
b) ( Revelation 20:10-15; Psalm 21:9; ) The final destination for the wrath of God
c) A place of hatred towards God and a bitter existence
d) (Mark 9:48) A place where your lusts burn but are never satisfied
e) (Matthew 8:12) Place of absolute and complete, unimaginable darkness. Separated forever from God and all that is good.
f) (Mat 25:41; Mark 9:43-49) A place of infinite and eternal suffering
3. Will you come to Jesus and escape the wrath to come?
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