1939AFC092719 – A Hellacious Outcome
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Luke 16:22-23 – 22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom*. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades**, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus in his bosom.
* Bosom: a familiar source of protection, security, or affection; also, describes a friend to whom somebody is very close.
** ᾍδης (hadés) {hah’-dace} Hades, the abode of departed spirits, i.e. the present dwelling place of all the departed (deceased) as in שְׁא֣וֹל (sheol) { sheh-ole’} → the place to which people descend at death; grave, hell, pit; the “first death,” the end of earthly life.
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. Today we have “guest authors.” Most of what I put before you will be Scripture. Some of it will be quotations from other writers, but mostly it will be what the Holy Spirit inspired in others. If it seems to you that we are “stuck” on a certain theme, I think you may be right. I did not plan to write about this; however, it seems to fit in well with several previous posts (index #s 1912, 1914, 1916, 1920, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1938, and now 1939). We don’t want to hear about it, it is seldom preached for the pulpit, and bringing it up makes people cringe and turn away. Why, then, am I choosing this topic again? Let me share as briefly as possible how these posts are prepared.
After the Friday post goes out on the Internet at 12:06 AM[i], I usually put a link to it on Facebook that morning. Then I go to the USCCB website and review – and usually copy – the readings for the next Sunday. I read all of the Scriptures for that Sunday and usually spend a couple of days of thinking about what I read, then a passage “jumps out.” I research that passage and it becomes the Key Verse. Once the Key Verse is located, usually the title comes immediately along with it (although sometimes the title shows up first and that leads me to the Key Verse). From there I search for Scripture, commentaries, quotes, whatever I can find that treats the topic of the title and key verse. That’s why today you’re going to get a walloping dose of Scripture because it says what needs to be said. I’ve also included a few quotes from other writers because there was no point in rewriting what they have so clearly said. You’ve already guessed the subject matter based on the Key Verse, so let’s get going.
Wisdom 1:12-16 – 12 Do not invite death by the error of your life, or bring on destruction by the works of your hands; 13 because God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living. 14 For he created all things so that they might exist; the generative forces of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them, and the dominion of Hades is not on earth. 15 For righteousness is immortal.
16 But the ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death; considering him a friend, they pined away and made a covenant with him, because they are fit to belong to his company.
Job 24:19 – 19 Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters; so does Sheol [Hades] those who have sinned.
Proverbs 27:20 – 20 Sheol [hell1] and Abaddon [Destruction2 – the “Second Death”] are never satisfied, and human eyes are never satisfied. Humanity’s lust and avarice are never satiated; so also for death and hell – they are always “open for business,” and their business is everlasting torment.
1 שְׁא֣וֹל (sheol) { sheh-ole’} → the place to which people descend at death; grave, hell, pit; the “first death,” the end of earthly life
2 אֲבַדֹּה (wa-’ă-ḇad-dōh) or וַ֭אֲבַדּוֹ (wa-’ă-ḇad-dōw) → used together signify utter destruction
Daniel 12:2 – 2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Isaiah 28:9-20 – Use the link to see this excerpted passage in context: 15 Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement; when the overwhelming scourge passes through it will not come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter”; 16 therefore thus says the Lord God, See, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: “One who trusts will not panic.” This passage shows God speaking to his Children and chiding them for failing to listen to Life but rather “making a deal with Death.” Watch the news tonight and you will see thousands doing the same thing!
Psalm 103:20 – 20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word. We can model our behavior after theirs, always ready to be obedient to his spoken word (Scripture).
“It is not enough to simply make requests in hopes of help arriving. The fact is, help has already come! They are the angelic host that are waiting on US to declare God’s purposes. Because of increased enemy attacks, both natural and spiritual, heaven is calling for believers to SPEAK UP and announce the word of the Lord so that the demonic forces are not just taken down, but taken OUT. WE are the ones they take their cues from and then RUN to the battle to bring home the spoils!“ https://www.ifapray.org/blog/the-angelic-host-are-awaiting-our-decrees/ September 21, 2019 | Wanda Alger, IFA Field Correspondent
Who is behind all of this dissension, disruption, and dysfunction? You have three guesses, and the first two don’t count! Here’s a quote from Ray Comfort quoting Martin Luther: “Satan is the god of dissension.“ One person comes because he wants to escape the fires of Hell. But in his heart, he thinks God is harsh and unjust, because the Law hasn’t been used to show him the exceedingly sinful nature of sin. He doesn’t see Hell as being his just dessert, that he deserves Hell. Therefore, he doesn’t understand mercy or grace; and therefore he lacks gratitude to God for His mercy. And gratitude is the prime motivation for evangelism. There’ll be no zeal in the heart of a false convert to evangelize. And there’s a lack of gratitude; there’s not a burning zeal for the lost. You can’t say you’re on fire for God; in fact, you’re in danger of being one of the ones that are called “lukewarm” and will be spewed out of the mouth of Christ on the Day of Judgment (See Revelation 3:16) November 20, 2013.
Revelation 2:11 – 11 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.
Revelation 20:6 – 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years.
Revelation 20:14-15 – 14 Then Death3 and Hades** were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; 15 and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
3Death → Θάνατος (thanatos) {than’-at-os} → that separation (whether natural or violent) of the soul and the body by which the life on earth is ended; the misery of the soul arising from sin, which begins on earth but lasts and increases after the death of the body in hell [This is the Second and Eternal Death → YOLOF!]
Revelation 21:6-8 – 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
I am quite certain by now we all have gotten the point. Hell is vast, eternal, and has plenty of vacancies set aside for anyone who will not “repent and believe the Gospel.” Satan is clever and cruel and will come hard against anyone God blesses as in this illustration from Pilgrim’s Progress. Is it really that simple? Yes, it is absolutely that simple. Heaven awaits those who prepare for it, and Hell awaits for those who will not prepare for Heaven. Evil has an insatiable appetite called Death, and Death – along with everyone who “makes a deal with it” – will know The Second Death.
What is it going to be like there; is it really a lake of burning fire? I have no intention of finding out! I pray none of us do! But how do we make sure we don’t get suckered into this endless Life without God? Time for a variation on the old WWJD question: WDJD? Yes, what DID Jesus do? Think back to the temptation in the desert. What did Jesus do? He answered Satan with Scripture, he held his ground, he resisted temptations greater than any of us could ever imagine. St. James has a thought about that here in James 4:7 – 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist4 the devil, and he will flee from you.
4 ἀνθίστημι (anthistémi) {anth-is’-tay-mee} It is for the Believer to set oneself against, withstand, take a 180º contrary position publicly by conspicuously where they unswervingly stand. “Scripture has it” is a pretty good way to handle it, but remember that the Devil can also quote Scripture!
There’s more to it than that. It is recognizing what Old Scratch is up to, and here I’m going to recount something from a recent wonderful encounter with Fr. Tony Ricard (see more HERE on Facebook and several presentations on YouTube). He was talking to us about when Jesus was reprimanding Peter right after he named Peter the “Rock on which I will build my church.” You’ll remember right after that, Jesus said he had to go to Jerusalem and die (See Matthew 16:13-23 especially vv. 21-23. Jesus recognized that Satan had seen and heard Jesus naming the future head of the Church. Satan was using someone loved by Jesus to hurt him by hurting the one he loved. Jesus rebuked Satan by saying, “Be behind me Satan,” publicly and vocally, and then said Peter needed to be thinking the way God thinks, not as earthlings think. That was an AHA! moment for me because I realized all the self-recrimination I have recited for decades over things God has already forgiven (!!) was Satan trying to suck me into his pit; so I said, “To Hell with Satan! I’m with the Lord!!” Now that you’ve seen what that Old Dragon has in store for folks who choose him over God, you’ll be saying the same thing, too. God said it, I believe it, and that’s the end of it. No hellacious outcome for us!!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.
[i] What? Why 12:06 AM for publishing these posts. I entered the world at 12:06 AM MST on November 20, 1946. My posts enter the world at the same time. Sort of silly I guess, but who wants to be serious all the time??
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
