“‘And in hell [the rich man] lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'” (Luke 16:23-24; KJV)
WEEPING DREAM
I don’t always talk about my dreams with people other than my wife, but I happened to have this dream long ago where – of course, I could tell which parts had to do with the “pizza” I ate for dinner! – and yet there was also a part in my dream where I found myself weeping.
It was the kind of weeping that has a depth to it.
I was literally heaving due to a heavy sorrow.
It was an awful weight in my heart.
Which (I realized later) had everything to do with the state of lost men and women’s souls.
23 MINUTES IN HELL
I’d wake up from that dream and I knew why I was dreaming that way.
The book had been recently passed to me, 23 Minutes In Hell by Bill Wiese.
In it the author recounts an experience that God gave by allowing him to literally be in hell.
Now I’m not in any way endorsing this book as completely true.
(I have my own opinions on it.)
But the bottom line of it all, it was why I was weeping in my dream.
It was because I’d been reading that book.
And so God used it in that way to revive in me the reality of what awaits sinners after this life is through should they choose to refuse Christ.
And it’s a horrible state that awaits the unsaved.
A CONCIOUSNESS IN HELL
In the above passage in the Gospel of Luke, our Lord makes it clear that there’s a conciousness in hell.
Did you notice the rich man could see, recognize individuals, cry out, beg for mercy and desire for drink?
There’s a consciousness in hell.
TREMENDOUS SUFFERING IN HELL
And then secondly, there’s a tremendous suffering (for unbelievers!).
There’s a “tormenting flame” to be endured.
What that’s like I have no idea and I don’t want to ever find out.
This is just a small reminder about hell (like I’d been reading and my dream had been to me!).
HELL IS REAL
Hell is a horrible place.
Hell is real.
It is there.
And we ought to be broken over the state of men and women who don’t know Christ with the horrors of hell in mind.
Are you broken?
Are you broken enough to tell others about Jesus?
“Help us, Lord, to do all that we can to rescue people from the flames.”
(The parable of the Rich man and Lazarus depicting the rich man in hell asking for help to Abraham and Lazarus in heaven by James Tissot picture file above is in the public domain: click here.)
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- 10 Mistakes People Make with Death and Dying (plus 1 bonus)
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About Pastor Mike
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