Sometimes I wonder…
“The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’” ~ Luke 16:22-24 (ESV ~ emphasis mine)
Since I drive about 30 miles everyday to and from work I see a lot of bumper stickers. Some are very offensive; others – I just shake me head. I really wonder what people were thinking when they put silly bumper stickers on their car. This week I saw one that said: ‘Cute as Hell’…I wonder if this person really thinks that Hell is cute?!?
Okay, I am not a Bible scholar or theologian, but to me Hell is not a place I like to be in after death. I know that many pastors today shy away from the ‘Hell and Brimstone’ sermons. They like to only preach about the positive: love, mercy, grace, forgiveness; sermons that don’t make the congregation squirm in the pews. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love hearing about the good things, but once in a while I need to be reminded that there is a flip-side – God’s punishment.
I know that many believe that Hell is really not a place, ‘just’ the separation from God (which is bad enough). I personally believe that Hell is a real place, just as I believe that Heaven is real – there can not be one without the other.
“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” ~ John 14:2-4 (ESV)
Let me share something I read – from the ‘Reformation Study Bible’:
“These are the issues of eternity that must be realistically faced… Those in hell will realize that they have sentenced themselves to be there because they loved darkness rather than light, refusing to have their creator as their Lord. They preferred the self-indulgence of sin to self-denying righteousness, rejecting the God that made them.” (page 1432 ~ emphasis mine)
Why am I sharing my thoughts on Hell with you today? Because I think that nothing can be cute about Hell…And hopefully next time when I see a ‘Cute as Hell’ bumper sticker, I have the opportunity to share with the driver my views on Hell…
Lord of Heaven and Earth. Thank You for taking the punishment in my place so that I will not have to spend eternity in Hell. Lord, may You give me the opportunity to share with someone in real life my thoughts on Hell; help me to point to the only hope – to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. In His precious name I pray ~ Amen.
Thank you for stopping by today — be blessed today and always…
Hi Iris,
what you wrote today is exactly how i feel .
Most people think the devil is a joke or does’nt exist at all.
I know different.
Here (where i live) it is almost impossible to find someone to share
my thoughts about my Lord and my beliefs.
I’m so glad you showed me this site . Thank you .
Have a nice weekend and God bless Benita
I don’t get why people dress their kids up to look witches and devils also. I guess when you are brought up in that of culture – hell can be cute.
I agree it’s a place – one I would never ever want to see.
I am SO in agreement with you, my friend! We CANNOT shy away from this truth! Thank you, Thank you.
Yes, I totally agree my dear friend, love you.
In todays world, Christians are afraid to speak of hell because it is not the “correct” / “comfortable” speech. Yes, there is a hell and we sometimes forget to emphasis that point because it is so much nicer to speak of Jesus & Heaven. Thank you for the reminder that we must tell “the rest of the story” if we truely love those around us. Bless you this week end…Sharon
I grew up hearing about hell and knowing I don’t ever want to go there. Of the many things I can say about it, cute is definitely not one of them. Thank you for sharing this.
For too long we have allowed people to think that the Devil is just something made up that dresses in a red cape and carries a pitch fork. Satan is real and he is out to steal, destroy and kill and we need to RUN from him. love and appreciate you Iris – Laurie
It is definitely not something to take lightly. Amen, thank you for this timely reminder that some times we can make a joke not realizing the seriousness of what is being said.
I definitely agree with you. People don’t get it. Our youth group leader asked us a question the other week and we really don’t know our doctrine well. Our pastor does teach “Fire and Brimstone” messages, but we don’t take time out of our busy lives to study the Scriptures for ourselves. God is a merciful God, but He will bring punishment if you don’t obey Him. People have become so numb to Hell and the fact that it is a real place.
What a powerful post! I so agree…I think we need reminders of the consequences of our ignoring the Cross. Of refusing to believe—or follow our Lord.
To be honest—the pew squirming sermons are something that keeps me punched up and ready for battle….much more so than the “all’s bright and pretty—full of grace and mercy”…while that is good—and needed—the full on facts are necessary.
Bless you friend for writing boldly about the facts of Hell. It’s not cute. At all.