We live in a day when many in the church are asking the question, “Is Hell and the Lake of Fire real or figurative.” The problem is a mental struggle between the Holiness of God and the Love of God. The question is does the Love of God overrule His Holiness? According to the Bible, Holiness describes the basic essence of God. IN Isaiah 6:3, the Seraphim fly around the throne of God saying “Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory.” In describing Himself to the nation, God says, “I am holy” therefore you too, should be holy.” (Leviticus 11:44-45; 1 Peter 1:16). God’s holiness demands that God deal with sin, and because of that, sin cannot stand in the presence of God. But because of the love of God, He has provided the sacrifice for sin. Therefore, Love describes the basic Character of God. It is because His is also loving that He chooses to communicate with His creation. It is God’s love that caused Him to come down to man after he choose to rebel in the garden (Genesis 3:8). It is because of His love that He chose … READ MORE

Years ago, I was at a restaurant, and put my name in. My wife and I watched as people came in and were seated. Finally, after watching this for about a half hour, I went up to find out why we were being forgotten. Come to find out, someone had crossed us off the list, and we were forgotten. According to Revelation 20.12-13, there is going to be a judgment coming that people will hope that somehow they will be lost in the multitude of those being judged. The Great White throne judgment will be a time when God will open the books of heaven, which contains all the thoughts, words, and actions of every person who has ever lived. People will not be lost in the mass of humanity, nor will they be overlooked in the list. People can not hide themselves, and they will all give account of their behavior. This is a scarry time! People have told me for years that when they get to heaven they hope that their good deeds will out-way their bad deeds, but interestingly, this passage reminds us that it is not our deeds that are important, rather our relationship. Those not … READ MORE

What a magnificent and awesome sight we see in heaven as John share with us what he sees in heaven. The first thing John saw was “a great white throne, and him that sat on it!” This is reminiscent of Revelation 4 as John is caught up into heaven, but this time John is looking at the scene of a courtroom. God, as a judge, is on the throne, and so majestic is He that the very creation flees from his presence. Here we are reminded that the day of the Lord will come suddenly, unexpectedly, and with disastrous consequences for the unprepared. Introducing the final element in this fearful scene, John writes that he saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. We are reminded here that no one will escape the judgment of God, people will stand accountable for all their actions, and for their rejection of the work of Christ when He was on the earth. This is a reminder to us, that God is keeping a record of all the things we are thinking, all the words we are saying, and all the things we are doing. Nothing escapes His omnipresent gaze, and it … READ MORE