When Jesus Talks About the Reality of Eternity WHAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT ETERNITY DETERMINES HOW YOU LIVE TODAY. It’s impossible to separate eternity from the teachings of Jesus. Matthew 4:17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Matthew 7:13-14 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. If we don’t accept reality of hell we will never appreciate glory of the Gospel. WHY DOES HELL EXIST? 1. Hell exists for God to deal righteously with Satan. Revelation 20:10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 2. Hell exists for God to deal righteously with unbelievers. It is impossible for God to be holy without being JUST! 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. Matthew 13:40-43 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand! God is not only just, God is LOVE. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 5:8-9 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 1 Corinthians 2:9 “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” What is Heaven Like? Revelation 21:1-5, 7 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” … 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.’ It’s the ABSENCE OF EVIL and the presence of God! We will know one another, love and be loved. (1 Cor 13:12) Heaven will be a place of unimaginable beauty. (Rev 21:15-21) In heaven, you will see Jesus face to face. (1 John 3:2) You will have new and perfect bodies. (1 Cor 15:35-55, Mal 4:2, Isa 35:5-6) Heaven is the absence of everything bad, painful, and evil. It’s the presence of everything good, holy and glorious. (Isa 65:21-22, Rev 21:24) Good people don’t go to heaven, forgiven people do. Romans 3:23-25 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. So what do we do? 1. We surrender our lives into the hands of a merciful God who loves us and gave Himself for us. We place our faith in him and FOLLOW Him BOLDLY. 2. We boldly share the hope that we’ve found with those who don’t know. And we do so with the same clarity, and the same grace that Jesus has for us. Charles Spurgeon - If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay… let not one go unwarned and unprayed for. WHAT YOU BELIEVE ABOUT ETERNITY DETERMINES HOW YOU LIVE TODAY.