> 8. The Two Roads > > HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE THERE IN HELL TODAY? > 1. What road are most people going along? > > “The gate is large and the road is WIDE that lead to DEATH AND HELL. MANY > PEOPLE go that way. But the [other] gate is small and the road is narrow > that lead to life. Only a few people find it” (Matthew 7:13, 14). > > These are sad words from Jesus. There are many more wicked people in the > world than good people. All who do not follow the right road will be lost. > They will not be in heaven or in God’s new earth. Those who do not want to > be ready will be lost. God will not be able to save them. > > Some religions (churches) teach that when a person dies he goes to a place > called “hell.” He or she is burned with fire forever and ever. Heathen > religions (churches who teach people to believe in other gods, not the > true > God) have taught this for thousands of years. This false teaching came > into > the Christian church hundreds of years ago. However, our question is, > “What > does the BIBLE teach about hell?” > > 2. Does punishment by fire begin at death, or does it come later? > > “By God’s word the heavens and earth of today are being RESERVED for fire. > They are being kept for the day when God will judge. Then ungodly people > will be destroyed” (2 Peter 3:7). > > Peter says that the world will be made clean by fire some day in the > future. > Fire comes on the Day of Judgment. Paul teaches the same thing. In Acts > 24:25 he told a wicked ruler about the “time when God will judge > everyone.” > The wicked are judged in the court of heaven. They will not be punished > until they have been judged. > > 3. When does Jesus say wicked people will be punished? > > “The SON of Man is GOING TO COME in his Father’s glory. His angels will > come > with him. And HE WILL REWARD EVERYONE in keeping with what they have done” > (Matthew 16:27). > > No one will receive his reward until Jesus comes with all His angels. Dead > people are not burning now in a place called “hell.” > > “The very words I have spoken will judge him ON THE LAST DAY” (John > 12:48). > > Jesus says the wicked will be punished in the “last day.” The last day > means > the end of the world. > > A man who is hurt in an accident may be knocked unconscious. He does not > know anything. When he awakes, he cannot remember anything. The Bible > tells > us about Lazarus. Lazarus died and was buried. He was in his grave for > four > days. Then Jesus raised him. Lazarus said nothing about being in heaven or > hell. > > 4. When will fire put an end to the lives of sinners? > > “The field is the world. . . . The enemy who plants them [weed or bad > seed] > is the devil. The harvest [at the end of the world] is judgment day. And > the > workers are angels. The weeds are pulled up and BURNED in the fire. That > is > how it will be on JUDGMENT DAY” (Matthew 13:38-40). > > The fires of hell will burn at the end of the world. If somebody asks you, > “Are the wicked burning in ‘hell’ now today?” you can answer “No! Jesus > says > they will be destroyed by fire at the end of the world.” > > 5. What does Jesus say is going to happen in the future? > > “A time is coming when all who are in the grave will hear his voice. They > will all come out of their graves [in the resurrection]. Those who have > done > good will RISE AND LIVE AGAIN [FOREVER]. Those who have done evil will > RISE > AND BE FOUND GUILTY [AND THEN BE DESTROYED]” (John 5:28, 29). > > God says He is going to call the wicked from their graves. Jesus calls > this > the “resurrection of damnation (KJV).” If they are in hell now He cannot > call them from their graves. They would not be in their graves. Suppose > they > were burning in hell now. Would God need to call the wicked people from > their graves to be punished? No! They would already be suffering the > punishment. Jesus says they wait in their graves until God calls them out > to > be judged. He teaches that the wicked people SLEEP IN THEIR GRAVES until > they rise on the day of resurrection. Then they will receive their > punishment. THEY ARE NOT BEING PUNISHED AND SUFFERING IN HELL NOW. > > > WHERE IS HELL? > 6. What does the Bible say about the punishment of the wicked in the last > day? > > “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were > ended. > . . . They marched across the whole earth. They surrounded the place where > God’s people were camped. It was the city he loves. But FIRE CAME DOWN > from > heaven and BURNED THEM UP. The devil, who fooled them, was thrown into the > lake of burning sulfur. . . . Then Death and Hell were thrown into the > lake > of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not > written in the Book of Life was thrown into THE LAKE OF FIRE” (Revelation > 20:5,9,10,14,15). > > The wicked are those people who have disobeyed God and fought against Him. > They will be raised from the dead at the second resurrection. Punishment > comes to the wicked ON THIS EARTH. There is no special place called “hell” > where people are suffering in pain. God wants to make the universe clean > of > all sin. Fire will “devour” or burn up all those who are wicked. > > > THE COMPLETE END OF SIN > 7. What will happen to the wicked when they burn? > > “’You can be sure the day of the Lord is coming. My anger will burn like a > furnace. All those who are proud will be like straw. So will all those who > do what is evil. The day that is coming will SET THEM ON FIRE,’ says the > LORD who rules over all. ‘NOT EVEN A ROOT OR A BRANCH will be left to > them. > . . . Then you will stomp [walk hard] on sinful people. They will be like > ASHES under your feet’” (Malachi 4:1-3). > > The wicked will be burned up. There will be nothing left of them. Men have > written terrible things about people burning in hell. They talk of pain > and > trouble as the wicked cry in the fires of hell. But the Bible teaches > clearly that the lost will be destroyed completely. There will be nothing > left. Jesus says in John 3:36 that the lost “will not have life.” The > punishment for sin is everlasting death. This is the “second death.” No > one > wakes up from this death. It is the end for sin and sinners. > > God wants to make an end of sin. To do this He must destroy sinners. Our > God > is a God of love. He does not burn the wicked forever in hell. This would > not be right or just. Would it be right to punish people in hell forever? > No! God sends fire and it destroys them. > > 8. What will happen to the fire that cleans sin and sinners from the > earth? > > “They are just like straw. Fire will burn them up. They can’t even save > themselves from the powerful flames. They are NOT LIKE COALS that can warm > anyone. They are NOT LIKE A FIRE to sit by” (Isaiah 47:14). > > No fire, not even one burning piece of wood, will be left when the wicked > are burned up. The fires of hell will burn and then go out. What does > David > say? > > “But sinful people will die. The LORD’s enemies will be like flowers in > the > fields. THEY WILL DISAPPEAR LIKE SMOKE. In a little while, there won’t be > any more sinners. Even if you look for them, you WON’T BE ABLE TO FIND > them” > (Psalm 37:20,10). > > When God destroys the wicked there will be nothing left. No matter how > carefully we look, there will be no mark or sign that they ever lived. > > 9. How much will we remember of the sad past when we are in heaven? > > “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death > or sadness. There will be no more crying or pain. Things are no longer the > way they used to be” (Revelation 21:4). > > God is kind and loving. His heart is sorry for the ones who chose not to > obey His commandments and lose heaven. In His great love, Jesus will take > the great “handkerchief” of His mercy and wipe away all tears. He will > wipe > away sad memories of the past. In Isaiah 65:17, we read, “the things that > have happened before will not be remembered. They will not even enter your > mind.” Other Bible versions say, “neither shall there be any more pain.” > There will be an end to the suffering of lost. > > > DIFFICULT TEXTS > 10. Some Bible texts talk about “eternal torment” which will last “forever > and ever.” They speak of “eternal fire” and “unquenchable fire” (fire that > cannot be put out). We shall make short explanations about these texts. > > FOREVER AND EVER: Revelation 14:11 and other texts use the words “forever > and ever.” In the Bible, these words often mean the lifetime of a person. > See 2 Kings 5:27; Exodus 21:6; 1 Samuel 1:22, 28. In Jonah 2:6, Jonah says > he was in the sea forever. How long was this “forever”? Only three days! > When the Bible uses the words “forever,” it does not mean that the wicked > will burn always. They will burn until they die and are destroyed. When a > thing is burned “forever”, it can never be burned again. > > ETERNAL FIRE: Jude 7 tells about the two wicked cites called Sodom and > Gomorrah. God destroyed these cities in the days of Abraham. He used > eternal > fire (KJV). But they are not burning today. The fire was eternal because > it > could not be put out before it had burned everything. It was eternal > because > there was no escape. Its work was complete and final. When the eternal > fire > had finished its work, it stopped burning. The fire at the end of time is > the same. It will stop burning when it finishes its work and there is > nothing left to burn. > > UNQUENCHABLE FIRE (FIRE THAT CANNOT BE PUT OUT): Mark 9:43-48. Outside > Jerusalem, there was the valley of Gehenna. It is like a landfill dump > where > people threw their rubbish and dead animals there. Even the bodies of > wicked > men were sometimes thrown there. Fires were always burning in the rubbish > (trash or garbage). There were worms, too, that ate the rubbish. In some > Bibles, the people who translated it from the Greek language have called > Gehenna, “hell.” The Jews often called this rubbish pit “hell.” Anything > thrown on it was destroyed. The fire is not put out. It would only burn > until it was all gone. > > “Unquenchable fire” destroyed Jerusalem (Matthew 3:12 & Jeremiah 17:27). > This fire burned while there was something to burn, then the fire went > out. > But while it was burning no one could put it out. This is the way it will > be > at the end of the world. The texts in sections six to nine make it clear > that the wicked will be destroyed when God makes the earth clean by fire. > All marks of sin and sinners will be taken away from God’s kingdom for all > time. > > > GOD OF LOVE > 11. How does God feel when He sees the wicked destroyed? > > “Tell them, ‘WHEN SINFUL PEOPLE DIE, IT DOES NOT GIVE ME ANY JOY. But when > they turn away from their sins and live, that makes me very happy. And > that > is just as sure as I am alive,’ announces the LORD and King. ‘So turn away > from your sins! Change your evil ways! Why should you die, people of > Israel?’” > (Ezekiel 33:11). > > Jesus wants people to accept Him as their Saviour today. God wants them to > accept His love and follow Him all the way now. Many people are foolish. > They put off obeying God until it is too late. There is no need for them > to > die in their sins and be lost. God does not want to hurt anyone. He says > to > all, “Please come to Me and be saved.” > > 12. What does God call the sad work of destroying the wicked? > > “He [God] will do his work, but it will be STRANGE WORK. He’ll carry out > his > task [work], but it will be an UNEXPECTED one” (Isaiah 28:21). > > The sad work of destroying the wicked is a “strange work” for God. It is > something different from what He usually does. God sent Jesus to die for > all > sinners. What a sad day it is for God when He must destroy those whom He > loved so much! Jesus gave His life for them. God loves them. But they > would > not believe Him or obey Him. > > Here is a sad story of something that happened years ago. A man murdered > or > killed another man. He was taken to court. The judge said he must die > because he was wicked and broke the law. An officer was given the duty of > putting the wicked murderer to death (execution). The time came for the > executioner to do his work and put the murderer to death. When he saw the > man, he was not only surprised but also very sad. They grew up together > and > were close friends when they were young boys. But their lives had changed > and they separated. They did not meet again until this sad time. The > murderer was a wicked man, but he was sad when he saw his old friend. The > executioner stopped, and said, “How can I do this? How can I take your > life? > You were my friend.” Tears were in the prisoner’s eyes as he said, “You > have > to do it; I deserve to die. You are doing your duty. Do what you have been > told to do.” > > It was very hard and sad for that man to do his duty. Just the same as it > is > harder and sadder for God to destroy those whom He has made and for whom > Jesus has died. > > 13. What terrible hour is coming? > > “’You can be sure that I live,’ says the Lord. ‘And you can be just as > sure > that EVERY KNEE WILL BOW down in front of me. EVERY TONGUE WILL TELL THE > TRUTH to God.’ So we will all have to explain to God the things we have > done” (Romans 14:11, 12). > > Wicked people shall stand before the Judge of the entire world. This is a > day for them to fear. They will see the face of Jesus. They have disobeyed > Jesus and fought against Him. Jesus has done all He can to save them. At > last, the wicked will bow down with shame. They have no more excuses. All > will cry out and say, “Jesus Christ is Lord” and “He is just [fair].” > > Remember, God gives every man the choice of life or death. If a man does > not > choose to be saved, God cannot help him. All who accept Christ as Saviour > will be saved. But we must choose to give up sin. If we choose to hold > onto > our sins, we cannot be saved. We must pay the price of sin, the second > death. > > 14. How should we live now? > > “So everything will be destroyed. And what kind of people should you be? > You > should LEAD HOLY AND GODLY LIVES. . . . Dear friends, I know you are > looking > forward to that. So TRY YOUR BEST TO BE FOUND PURE AND WITHOUT BLAME. Be > at > peace with God” (2 Peter 3:11, 14). > > God will soon burn this old world with its garbage heap of sin. He will > clean the whole universe from the memory of sin. Sin will be destroyed > everywhere in all places where it is found. If it is in your heart, you > will > be destroyed. Jesus loves you and calls you to give up your sins. He does > not want to destroy YOU. Confess your sins to Jesus. Ask Him to help you. > Be > ready to see Jesus without shame or sin. > > 15. Who will not be allowed in heaven? > > “Only what is PURE will enter it [heaven]. No one WHO FOOLS OTHERS OR DOES > SHAMEFUL THINGS will enter it. Only those whose names are written in the > Lamb’s Book of Life will enter the city” (Revelation 21:27). > > “Anyone whose name was not written in THE BOOK OF LIFE was thrown into the > lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). > > Will you give your heart to God right now? No person with sin in his or > her > heart can enter heaven. Sin put Jesus on the cross. Do not hold onto sin. > Let Jesus make you free from sin. Let Him write your name in the book of > life now. > > 16. Who else will be glad if we are saved? > > “I am the one who wipes out your lawless acts [sins]. I DO IT BECAUSE OF > WHO > I AM. I will not remember your sins anymore” (Isaiah 43:25). > > For His own sake, God wants to save you. It is hard for Him to think about > one person being lost. Will you say, “Lord, I want to be your child. I > want > you to help me. Give me the strength to obey. Amen.” > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > ANSWER SHEET 8 - The Two Roads > > Your Name: (First & last name) >
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