and what if hell is real? 4 things you need to consider before you die
there are many different religions out there, all of which have distinct views regarding both life and death. though vastly different, almost all of the religions believe in heaven and hell. even those that claim to be “atheist” say things like “go to hell”, which proves that not only do they acknowledge hell is a real place, but it’s somewhere they don’t wanna be. so, what if hell is a real place? where’s your soul going to go once your spirit leaves your physical being? if there’s even a glimpse in your mind of the existence of hell being a “real thing”, here’s some things you probably want to keep at the forefront of your mind.
4). have you accepted Jesus in your life?
just because you’ve tackled the religion of going to church, singing in the choir and doing routine rituals, doesn’t mean you know God as your personal Savior. likewise, just because you avoid committing certain sins doesn’t mean you’re closer to Him than the next person. creating and maintaining a relationship with Jesus takes consistent work. when you’ve accepted him as your personal Savior, you realize that His death was payment for your sins and that His resurrection is your guarantee of eternal life. and, it’s not enough just to know it; your actions have to reflect it. if you’ve accepted Jesus as your personal Savior and none of the people around you know that you’re a Believer, that’s a sign that your actions aren’t consistent with your beliefs. despite popular opinion, you can’t be saved by the faith of those around you. you’ve got to know Him for yourself. if you aren’t sure whether or not you’ve accepted Him, feel free to repeat the following to yourself: “Father, i realize that i am a sinner. i am truly sorry, and now i want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. i believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. i invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and do Your will for the rest of my life. in Jesus' name i pray, Amen.”
3). how do you treat others?
there are many different scriptures that talk about us walking in love. 1 Peter 4:8 says “above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” 1 John 3:15 says “everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” Mark 12:31 tells us, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself. there is no other commandment greater than these.” and probably one of the most known scriptures about love, 1 John 4:20 tells us that “whoever claims to love God but hates his brother or sister is a liar. for whoever does not love his brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” so basically, it’s important that we are always evaluating ourselves on how we treat others to ensure that we are walking in love. people are more than their last mistake. and don’t get me twisted, i’m not saying that the mere fact of you not walking in love and treating people poorly guarantees you a ticket to hell. but, i’m challenging you to ask yourself, “if I’m not walking in love, have i truly accepted Jesus as my personal Savior?
2). how sober are you?
1 peter 5:8 says, “be alert and of sober mind. your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” within this scripture, we see that the enemy is constantly seeking new recruits for hell. the keyword there is constantly, meaning without ceasing. so essentially, none of us can afford to be “off” our game, ya know? we’ve got to be alert. we’ve got to be on point. and, don’t pigeon hole yourself into thinking that being sober is just about drinking alcohol, because it’s not. sobriety isn’t as much about minimizing your alcohol intake as it is about your ability to be clearheaded. anything that stops you from making decisions with a clear and level head is making you ‘drunk’. yes, that could be liquor, but it could also be a toxic relationship or a habit you’ve been trying to break. the thing to remember is that it could be a number of things making your drunk and incapable of making sound decisions. once you’re at this point of clouded judgment, you’re likely to make bad choices and we all know bad choices yield bad outcomes…such as being devoured by Satan and company. yikes.
1). everyone isn’t going to Heaven.
It’s a sad (but true) reality. some folks are going to Hell. that’s just how it is. and, it won’t be because there was no more space in Heaven. it’s not like this is a club or party where the bouncer can’t accept more people because Heaven is at capacity. this ain’t that at all. rather, many people are going to Hell because of their decision to live in a way that is displeasing to God. our actions are based off of our decisions. our decisions are shaped by our thoughts. this is why it’s imperative that we guard our hearing to the best of our ability and make sure we have a direct line of communication with God. my thought is…if we change our hearing, we will change our thinking. if our thinking becomes renewed, our actions will follow suit and become aligned with our thoughts. but it all begins with what we are allowing to be deposited into us, remember that. and instead of running from the realization that everyone won’t go, we need to acknowledge it. stop going to funerals and saying things like, “they’re looking down on us now” or “God got another angel to sing in the choir” when everyone knows this person lived their life in such a way that didn’t even reflect that they knew God at all let alone had a relationship with him. it sends a false message that everyone goes to Heaven when they die and although everyone can go, we all won’t.