TEXT: Revelation 20:11-15
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
The Judgment of the Living Dead (Part 12)
In order to fully understand the reality of the Lake of Fire, we have begun looking at the major aspects of the Lake of Fire. In other words, we are answering the question, What kind of place is the Lake of Fire? There are twelve main aspects of the Lake of Fire spoken of in the Bible. We have already looked at six of them:
1. The Lake of Fire is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
2. The Lake of Fire is a place of outer darkness.
3. The Lake of Fire is a place of multiple torments.
4. The Lake of Fire is a place of sorrows.
5. The Lake of Fire is a place of unsatisfied desires.
6. The Lake of Fire is a place of hopelessness.
Today, we are looking at the fact that the Lake of Fire is a place of bitter memory. The account of the rich man in Hell shows us that people will still retain their memories. In Luke 16:25, Abraham said, “Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things…” ***
In Hell, the rich man could remember the things he had said and done on Earth.
They say that when you die, your entire life flashes before your eyes. Well, those who end up in Hell will have an eternity to contemplate those memories. Every person who enters Hell will be tormented by the memories of past sins. They will be tormented by the memory of the times they could have accepted Christ, but didn’t.
Jimmy Chapman said, “‘Remember’ is the first voice, the perpetual voice which meets every man when he steps across the threshold of earth in to the portals of hell. When men remember there, they will remember very differently from the way in which they remember here. Memories there will come swimming out of the depths of the waters of oblivion. There is no torment like an accusing memory. In Hell, forgetting is a thing impossible. The rich man did not take his money, but he took his memory.”
You might be tormented by memories today, but, in most cases, you can do something about it. If it’s something you’ve done wrong, you can confess and repent of it. If it’s something someone has done wrong to you, you can confront them. If it is a lifestyle issue or addiction, you can change the way you have been living. But in Hell, you can do nothing about your memory. You don’t want to go there.
The Lake of Fire is a place of bitter memory. You do not want to go there.
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Allow me to share with you how you can trust Jesus Christ for salvation so that you can avoid that awful place.
First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”
Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.
Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.
If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! Congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door.” Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you
The Gospel Light Minute X 