“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.”
–Matthew 25:41 (NLT)

I remember giving my dad a copy of the New Testament, and inside was a bumper sticker which doubled as a bookmark. The sticker said, “Read the Bible. It will scare the hell out of you!” While this is funny, I have found that many people have very real questions about hell. Therefore, I would like to discuss some of them with you.

While the Bible makes it clear that hell is a very real place, many people choose not to believe that. They think hell is either a nonstop, no-holds-barred party, or a mere symbol of all this world’s troubles. Jesus taught differently on both counts when he said that hell is an eternal land of torment.
How then, you ask, can a loving God send a person there? Well, I’m glad you want to know, because that is what I will spend the remainder of my time discussing.

The truth is that while Satan likes nothing better than misrepresenting God, the Bible says that God is love. If you read the above scripture carefully, you will see that hell wasn’t prepared for us at all, but for the Devil and his angels.

God has done everything to ensure that man doesn’t end up in that place, so let me ask you a question: Would you die for someone else? Well, that is exactly what Jesus did for us. Get rid of all your churchy notions, and really think about that.

The Bible makes it clear that Jesus loves you as if you were the only person on this planet. That is why He died in your place. Unfortunately, mankind is determined to rely upon good works to save them, instead of that death. The problem is that these good works are tainted and impure, while Jesus is sinless. We cannot go into the presence of a holy God in our own righteousness. Only Jesus’ death and God’s presence in our lives will guarantee our eternal life with Him.

The lack of God’s presence is what the Bible calls hell, and if we choose to, we can spurn God’s love entirely. Fortunately, my father found and accepted God’s love a few years before he died. Today, you can choose to accept God’s love as well. All you have to do is open your heart to God’s Son, and admit that you have sinned. Choose to walk with Him, and find the abundant life that He has promised to give you.

Thank you for reading this, and may the Lord give you a wonderful week! We are trying to reach people who are hurting, so if God lays it on your heart, please consider becoming a partner with us. If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.hcmachaplains.org and click on the Donate Now link. You can also send donations by mail to HCMA (Healthcare Chaplains Ministry Association). Our ID number is 560. The address is 377 E. Chapman Ave., Suite 260, Placentia, CA 92870. Finally, check out our online store at www.amway.com/burdicksbargains. In order to support us, please register for free on our store website before purchasing anything. Thank you!

If you have questions, comments or prayer requests for Timothy or Stephanie Burdick, please call 641-715-3900, ext. 874157.