From His Heart

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There is a hell. But what's it going to be like? Here's Pastor Jeff Shreve.

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There's surely certainly going to be a resurrection of the righteous. And all the righteous are going to have to stand at the judgment seat of Christ and give an account of their lives.

There's also a resurrection of the wicked. What happens when a non-Christian dies? What happens when an unbeliever dies?

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There is hope that you always dream of. He can hear every scar.

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This is from his heart with Pastor Jeff Shreve. And no matter how smart you are, how popular you are, or how much money you have, you cannot escape death. And though we don't know when we'll die, when is not the pertinent question as it relates to death. The important question for each of us is what's going to happen to me after I die?

The message today from Pastor Jeff is appropriately entitled "What Lies Beyond the Grave?" And it is the last from the timely six-message series that we've been in this month called "Life's Big Questions," addressing six of the most profound questions we know. This series and Pastor Jeff's booklet, "The ABCs of the Christian Life," are our two special gifts to you for your support this month of any amount. You can find out more at fromhisheart.org, or I'll tell you more later.

Hey, this is a great and encouraging message to end on. It's actually comforting. So let's get started today on the broadcast. Open your Bible to Acts chapter 24 as Pastor Jeff answers the big life question: What lies beyond the grave?

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What happens when I die? Well, I want us to look at three discoveries to the question: What happens to you? What happens to me after we die? Because really, that is the critical question.

Discovery number one. Most religions teach of a life after death. Most religions do. The big ones teach of a life after death. Judaism teaches of a life after death. Christianity obviously teaches of a life after death. Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, all teach of a life after death. But has anyone ever conquered death? Well, you mark it down. There's only been one who has conquered death, and his name is Jesus. The tomb of Confucius, the tomb of Gautama Buddha is occupied. The tomb of Mohammed is occupied. But there's an empty tomb in Jerusalem that says Jesus Christ has conquered death, hell, and the grave. And he is the only one that has ever done that. That's why you can't say that Christianity is just one religion among all other religions. Christianity is different from everything else. Why? Because the founder went to die and rise again. And then he died and rose again and was seen by all sorts of people. See, only Jesus conquered death, and only Jesus offers true victory over death. And this Jesus, he is the one who is going to judge every single person. You have believers and unbelievers, saved and lost, Christian and non-Christian. So Paul said there will certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.

So let's look at discovery number two: the resurrection of the righteous. When a Christian dies, discovery number two, he or she goes to heaven. That's what happens to a Christian. You go to heaven. And the translation from earth to heaven is immediate. You breathe your last in this life and your first in the next with the Lord. You say, where do you get that from? 2 Corinthians 5:8. The Bible says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. But now here is the truth for every believer. The judgment seat of Christ awaits every believer. The scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad."

You know, some people say, "Well, I don't care, just as long as I'm at the judgment seat of Christ. Just as long as I know I'm going to heaven. It doesn't really matter to me about any rewards." Baloney. It matters because the Lord expects you to do something with what he gave you. And the Scripture talks about when he returns. First John, chapter two. Some are going to shrink back in shame at his coming because they're so ashamed of the way that they've lived. And some are going to stand at the judgment seat of Christ. You know, he tests everything by fire. And if you build with wood, hay, and straw, it's consumed by the fire. And you have nothing to show for your Christian life, whether you are a Christian five years, ten years, twenty years, fifty years, whatever it was, you have nothing to show for it. And you're gonna have such tremendous shame before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. "Lord, I did nothing with my Christian life. Nothing with my Christian life."

The Scripture says in First Corinthians, chapter three, "You're saved yet so as through fire." But you have no reward. You suffer loss of reward. Man, I don't want that to be true of me. You can build. I can build with gold and silver and precious stone. We can abide in the Lord, because he said, "Apart from me, you can do nothing," but with him we can do all things. And when we abide in him, and we let his light so shine among men that men may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. When we do those good works that we've talked about for years in here, we shine for Christ. When we share his story, when we walk in the light with him, then we earn eternal reward.

Hey, there's surely certainly going to be a resurrection of the righteous, and all the righteous are going to have to stand at the judgment seat of Christ and give an account of their lives. But he says, not only the righteous, there's also a resurrection of the wicked. What happens when a non-Christian dies? What happens when an unbeliever dies? Well, when a Christian dies, he goes to heaven. When a non-Christian dies, discovery number three: he goes to Hades. Hades. A terrible, horrible place called Hades. Remember, Jesus said, "I have the keys of death and of Hades." You say, "Hades and hell, are those the same thing?" Very similar, but not the same. Hades is kind of like the county jail and hell is the penitentiary. You know, if you commit a terrible crime, they arrest you and they put you in jail, and you're in jail until you appear before the judge, and then the judge sentences you. And then you go to the pen, and if you've committed a capital crime, you go to the pen for life. Hades is the county jail. It's very much like hell. It's a horrible, awful place.

Jesus told a story about a man who went there. He's an unnamed man. We just know him as the rich man. He's called in theological circles Dives, because Dives in Latin means rich man. But it says this in Luke 16: "Now it came about that the poor man, Lazarus, died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom. And the rich man also died and he was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment." Hey. Just as the translation for a Christian from earth to heaven in his soul, in his spirit, is immediate, so is the translation for the unbeliever. His soul, his spirit goes immediately to this terrible, horrible place called Hades, a place of torment.

There have been some interesting things recorded by well-known atheists on their deathbeds. Sir Thomas Scott, Chancellor of England, said, "Until this moment I thought there was neither a God nor a hell. Now I know and feel that there are both. And I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of the Almighty." Sir Francis Newport, who is the head of an English atheist club, he said this: "You need not tell me there is no God, for I know there is one and that I am in his presence. You need not tell me there is no hell. I feel myself already slipping. Wretches, cease your idle talk about there being hope for me. I know I am lost forever. Oh, that fire! Oh, the insufferable pangs of hell." The last words of a dying atheist, David Hume, the atheist philosopher, simply said this: "I am in flames." That is what awaits every unbeliever. They immediately go to a place called Hades. And Hades has the soul. It's the holding place for the soul and the spirit. Now the body, just like with the Christian, the body goes into the ground. But then the Lord is going to raise that up one day.

What happens at the end of time? Well, you have the rapture of the Church. That's what we're waiting for. First Thessalonians, chapter four. That's what we're waiting for. When the Lord comes back in the clouds and we are taken up, raptured, snatched away. That comes before the tribulation period. And then comes the seven years of tribulation. And then there is the return of Christ. The rapture comes first, and then the return. And the return of Christ. Jesus comes to the earth and he does battle with the Antichrist. And he wipes out the Antichrist and the false prophet, and he takes the devil, the dragon, he's called, and he binds him with a chain and he puts him in the bottomless pit and he sets up his kingdom: the millennial reign of Christ. And that lasts for a thousand years.

All those people who rejected Jesus, their souls and spirits are in Hades. Their bodies are in the grave. And at the end of it all, Jesus takes Satan and he puts him into the lake of fire. The beast and the false prophet are in the lake of fire. Hell is described as the lake of fire. That's this penitentiary. That's the place where they go forever and ever and ever. And then the scripture talks about the Great White Throne Judgment. It's the final judgment. And it's for every unbeliever. The Great White Throne awaits every unbeliever. This is what the scripture says about it. Revelation, chapter 20, verse 11: "And I saw a Great White Throne and him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them." You don't want to be anywhere near the Great White Throne. It's just pure holiness and justice at the Great White Throne. No grace, no mercy.

"And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. And books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them. And they were judged, every one of them, according to their deeds."

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And.

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And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the Lake of Fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. That is the scariest judgment.

Now, everyone who stands at the judgment seat of Christ, you stand there as a believer. Your citizenship is in heaven, but you are being judged based on your works as a Christian to determine reward or loss of reward. Unbelievers, they go to the Great White Throne judgment. And at that judgment, all that's determined, everyone there goes to hell. Everyone there goes to hell. And all that's determined there is how much punishment you're going to receive in hell.

Now, some people say this: "Well, I don't like the concept of hell, and I don't think hell is right." Because you say, Jeff, if you don't trust Christ, that you're gonna be at the Great White Throne. And what about the people in Africa? What about people out on the outskirts that have never heard the name of Jesus?

Remember this about judgment. When the people stand before the Great White Throne judgment, this is how they're judged. They are judged on the basis of what they knew. What did you do with what you knew? Because it's all based on revelation. How much revelation did you have? You know, some people, they don't have much revelation. All they have is general revelation. And Romans chapter one says that they are without excuse.

Why? Forever since the world was created, his invisible attributes, his eternal power have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made. So that they are without excuse. God gives every single person two witnesses: the voice of conscience and the voice of creation. If you don't have anything else, you have those two witnesses. And those two witnesses tell you there is a God.

And if you respond to that little bit of light, what does God do? He gives you more light. And you respond to that. More light. He gives you more light. More light. Until you come to a place where you see that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and you can put your faith and trust in him.

You say, "Well, I think there are people in some remote area that they've never heard of Jesus." Let me tell you something about the people in the remote area. You don't know them. You don't know what they know. You don't know what light they have. But he does. He does. God is not unjust. So don't ever get the idea that you're gonna throw something in the face of God and say, "Well, you're unjust because you're sending somebody to hell." God doesn't send anybody to hell. People send themselves to hell.

Now, here's the thing. God made you and he made me, and he made all of us with free will. And God doesn't make you believe in him. He invites you to believe in Him. And if you say, "Well, I'd rather not. No, thank you. I'm gonna do my own thing. I'm gonna go my own way. I'm gonna earn salvation my own way." You can do that if you want, but if you do that, you're going to end up at the Great White Throne Judgment and you're going to be judged.

Books were opened. What are those books? The book of all your deeds, the book of all your sins. God's keeping meticulous records on every sin that you've ever committed. And if you reject what Jesus did on the cross, see, he paid for all those sins. And if you reject that and you say, "Well, no, I'm going to get to heaven by my good works," then he's going to open the books and you are going to be judged based on the standard of perfection. Let's see how you measure up with that. You're gonna fall woefully short. That's why the Bible says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Now remember this. It says, "Books were opened." And another book is opened at the Great White Throne, which is the Book of Life. And if your name is not found in the Book of Life, you were thrown into the lake of fire.

Now, why does God do that? Why does he open up the Book of Life at the Great White Throne Judgment? The only people there are people whose names aren't in the Book of Life. He opens the Book of Life for this one reason: to show every single person at the Great White Throne Judgment that I had a place in my book for you. I died for you.

But just as Jesus prayed in the garden, as he sweat drops of blood, "Not my will, but thine be done." He is going to say at the Great White Throne Judgment to every single rejecter, "Not my will, but yours be done." You didn't want me? You didn't want to receive me. You didn't want to bow your knee to me. So not my will, but yours be done. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.

Now you mark this down. Eternal hell is not God's will for anyone. For anyone. He didn't make hell for people. It says in Matthew 25, he created hell for the devil and his angels. Although people go to hell, it's not because God wants them to go there. He hung naked on a cross so that no one would have to go there. But when you reject him and you reject his love, all that's left is a Christless hell. It's a horrible place.

Hell is so terrible, it's beyond description terrible. There was a man in England in the 1800s. His name was Charles Peace. He was a robber and a murderer and a terrible human being. The things that he did. On the day that he was being led to his execution, a pastor came and he began to read to him the word of God. And he read to him about heaven and he read to him about hell.

And Charles Peace said this to him: "Sir, if I believed what you say you believe about hell, I would walk across England on my hands and knees and consider it worth my while to save one soul from that hell you so glibly talk about." You know what's wrong with lots of us as believers? We don't look into the faces of people and say that person without Christ is one day gonna stand before the Great White Throne. They're one day gonna be cast into the terrible, horrible place called the Lake of Fire. The second death, separated from God forever and ever and ever and ever. Where the fire is not quenched and the worm dies not. A place of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

And how can we not think about that place and break down? Because we have friends and neighbors and loved ones, and they're on the highway to hell. It should hurt us at the core. I like what John Hagee said one time. He said, "Well, you know, you can't be too strong with people because you're going to scare them off." He said, "Scare them off where? To Hell number two?" I mean, there's no other. They're on the highway to hell. Where are you gonna scare them to? You need to scare them to get them to think, "I'm in trouble."

You know, when I got saved as a 17-year-old high school senior, you know what? God used to show me that I needed him. He showed me that if I died, I'd go to hell. And I deserved to go to hell because I was a sinner and I had sinned against a holy God. And when I understood, "I'm in trouble here. Oh, God, have mercy on me. Jesus, save me." And he did. He'll do that with anyone who puts his faith and trust in him.

The Bible says he's not willing. He's not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. A forgotten word in so many churches. Repentance. But what did John the Baptist preach when he came on the scene? "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." What did Jesus preach when he first came on the scene? "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus said, "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."

What is the message we have to share with the world? Repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. We turn from sin and from self, and we turn to the Savior and we give him our lives. And when you do that, you're saved. And you go from darkness to light, from a child of the devil to a child of God, from an unbeliever to a believer, from the wicked to the righteous. And all that happens just like that. When the Lord comes in, the light comes in, the life comes in. He came that you might have life and that you might have it abundantly, that it would be full and that it would be eternal.

Hey, if you're not sure about your relationship with Jesus Christ, you're not sure that you have really given your heart to him. You've turned from sin and turned to the Savior. Today is the day to make sure. Life is short, death is sure, sin is the curse, and Christ is the cure.

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The Bible tells us that when we repent and believe, we become a child of God. And to that end, from his heart, we've created a special section on our website designed to give you the proper, practical, and powerful information that you seek about who Jesus is and what he means to your life. For now, and especially for eternity, you'll discover what it means to have a personal relationship with God, who created you for a purpose, and how to fulfill that purpose and find meaning, love, peace, and joy in this life. It sounds too good to be true, but it is true for those who repent and believe in Jesus alone.

Simply go to fromisheart.org, click the "Why Jesus" link to discover the answers your heart is longing for, and download some free materials from Pastor Jeff that'll guide you in your journey. Again, go to fromisheart.org and click the "Why Jesus" link. You might be unnecessarily afraid of death because of the sin that remains in your life or that you've never forgiven yourself for. We invite you to go to the "Why Jesus" link there for some free downloads that'll help you understand how God forgives sin and how much he loves you.

This month, we've been airing this foundational series called "Life's Big Questions," and it's our special thank you gift for your support this month of any amount to From His Heart. You can get all six messages on a USB flash drive or CDs. You can watch the messages on DVDs or as an immediate MP3 download when you make that gift today. When you do, we'll include Pastor Jeff's booklet, "The ABCs of the Christian Life." Call 866-40-BIBLE (866-40-BIBLE) or go online to fromhisheart.org and request the "Life's Big Questions" series and the booklet "The ABCs of the Christian Life." It'll be right there on the homepage, easy to find.

Thank you so very much for joining with us to tell the world that Jesus is Lord and that he loves them beyond measure and is looking forward to their arrival in Heaven. Thank you for joining us today on From His Heart and all this month so far as Pastor Jeff continues to answer more of the important and even controversial questions that we face in this life. Tomorrow, we'll continue this theme with some select messages from another series called "Now That's a Tough One: Answering the Difficult Questions of Life." Be with us on Thursday to learn why bad things happen to good people as Pastor Jeff opens up God's Word and shares real truth, real love, and real hope from God's heart, here on From His Heart.

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There is treasures true There is love, There is hope that you always dream Love he can heal every scars of.

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From His Heart is the listener supported Broadcast Ministry of Dr. Jeff Shreve speaking the truth in love to a lost and a hurting world. Remember, no matter what, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Find out more@fromisheart.org.