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Thread: Christians Must Talk About Hell to Evangelize the Lost

  1. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by Colonel View Post
    Preaching a lot about hell can become a substitute instead of presenting the things of the kingdom. The powerless can always attempt to stir up some fear of torment in the already slightly religious. Anyone can do that, all it takes is some inclination to believe in its reality. Ask "God hates fags" etc, they will tell you how to do that and with some results.
    Indeed.

    Jesus preached about hell.

    In the Gospels, we also see Jesus preached more often about money, than He did about Hell.

    Primarily, we see Him in the Gospels, preaching The Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven.



    .
    This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (futility) of their mind, having the understanding darkened...
    (Ephesians 4:17-18)

    Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly...
    (Psalm 1)

  2. #22
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GodismyJudge View Post
    Indeed.

    Jesus preached about hell.

    In the Gospels, we also see Jesus preached more often about money, than He did about Hell.

    Primarily, we see Him in the Gospels, preaching The Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven.



    .
    We should note that the new birth was not available at the time of Jesus' ministry, his teachings involve a transition from the old to the new covenant. His speech in the upper room at Easter time was more closely related to the fullness of the new covenant and the gospel message. That is where John 17:3 that I quoted earlier is taken from. If we look at the messages in the book of Acts, they weren't big on hell but they were big on redemption from sin and going from death to life. God judges sin in the lake of fire and the devil rules where death rules however.

  3. #23
    Senior Member Nikos's Avatar
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    Jesus taught on hell, and He did so to warn people not to go there. Hell is depicted in Scripture as an extremely nasty place from which there is no escape. The punishment of the wicked dead in hell is described throughout Scripture as "eternal fire" (Matthew 25:41), "unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12), "shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2), a place where "the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44-49), a place of "torment" and "fire" (Luke 16:23-24), a place where "the smoke of torment rises forever and ever" (Revelation 14:10-11), and a "lake of burning sulfur (brimstone)" where the wicked are "tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10). A loving and compassionate Savior could not be so described if He failed to warn us about hell. The apostle Paul was equally blunt about the fate of those who rejected the gospel of salvation through Christ alone. They are condemned to "everlasting destruction" (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).

    True preaching of the full gospel of Christ is not complete without preaching about hell. If today's pastors and preachers are to be consistent with the Scriptures, preaching and warning their flocks about the fires of hell must be part of their message. Today, people are invited to come to Christ so He can 'fix up' their lives, make their marriages better, or provide health, wealth, and prosperity. But the true message of the Bible is to come to Christ for forgiveness of sin.

    A balanced, biblical message consists of the reality of hell, a warning to escape it, and the only way to do so—through the shed blood of Christ on the cross for our sins.

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  5. #24
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    Actually, Luke 16:23-24 refers to Hades/Sheol and the other scriptures you quoted refer to the lake of fire. They differ in that Hades/Sheol is unholy, originally ruled by the devil who held the power of death. The lake of fire is God's creation and is holy, a place of judgment over everything that is unholy, including sinners, the devil, death itself and Hades/Sheol itself :

    Rev 22:10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
    ***
    14 Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
    15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

  6. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Colonel View Post
    We should note that the new birth was not available at the time of Jesus' ministry, his teachings involve a transition from the old to the new covenant. His speech in the upper room at Easter time was more closely related to the fullness of the new covenant and the gospel message. That is where John 17:3 that I quoted earlier is taken from. If we look at the messages in the book of Acts, they weren't big on hell but they were big on redemption from sin and going from death to life. God judges sin in the lake of fire and the devil rules where death rules however.


    Acts 28:30-31
    (30) And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,
    (31) Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.
    This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (futility) of their mind, having the understanding darkened...
    (Ephesians 4:17-18)

    Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly...
    (Psalm 1)

  7. #26
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    Hades/Sheol is real but it is not part of the kingdom of God, no more than death, the devil and sinners are. The lake of fire is part of the kingdom of God, separating away those things and keeping them under judgment for eternity.

  8. #27
    Administrator fuego's Avatar
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    Acts 24:25 King James Version (KJV)

    25 And as he (Paul) reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.

    You could say 'judgment to come' does deal with hell/lake of fire. And I'm pretty sure it's the 'judgment to come' that caused him to tremble. Generally people don't tremble at 'God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.'

    Having said that, I think Wheeze's approach is maybe the best, but I would use that healing/miracle as a springboard into the other.

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  10. #28
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    Notice the previous verse :

    24 Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about faith in Christ Jesus.

    Which suggests that Paul had talked about the gospel for a while before getting to that point. Verse 22 tells us that Felix was already well acquainted with Christianity and he wasn't so from the vantage point of being some sort of pious man, history tells us that he was cruel and licentious and that crime escalated during his rule. The next verses say that he hoped for a bribe from Paul. So Paul's speech must have brought revelation and Spirit conviction about things that he had already heard of.
    Notice that the two first terms in verse 25 deal with the righteousness of God and living according to that righteousness, that could have been what convicted him as much as the mention of final judgment. Or final judgment could have become clearer to him in relation to a revelation of the former things.

  11. #29
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fuego View Post
    Generally people don't tremble at 'God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.'
    Some people's version of that sentence involves none of the mentioned things, whether righteousness, temperance or a judgment to come.

  12. #30
    Senior Member wheeze's Avatar
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    gee guys shall we confess a mountain out of a mole hill?

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