Eternity. Infinity. Forever.  These are all words we use when talking about our undying love for another.  However, we often associate that with the end of this life.  “Til’ death do us part.”  When in fact, eternity actually starts the day you take your last breath.  This life is but a vapor – but eternity? It’s immeasurable.  Someone once described eternity in this way: “count the grains of sand in the desert, each as a 1,000 years, and that’s just the beginning of eternity.”  My friends, you have a never-dying soul.  It goes somewhere.  That was never more evident to me than when I walked up to the casket and saw my mother lying there.  It was her body. But her spirit? it was gone.  It wasn’t being buried with her, it went on to heaven.  Not because every soul goes to heaven, but because she had made the choice while she was here.  She had bought, and paid for, her ticket to heaven.

A few months ago I made a mistake.  I repented.  But for a couple of days I believe God took his hand off me.  I couldn’t hear him.  Couldn’t feel him.  My soul was tormented.  I felt like I was in a dark, black hole and there were demons tearing at my insides.  I couldn’t escape it.  When it got almost intolerable, when I was on my knees crying out, God showed up and wrapped me in his love and mercy.  And he immediately spoke this to my heart  … “THAT was just a glimpse of what hell will be like.  You could barely endure 2 days without my presence, can you imagine how it will be for those who have to live like that forever?”  In that moment the fire burning within me grew.  I no longer looked at people the same.  My family, my friends, people I’ve never met who are strangers on the street – they are walking around in these earthly bodies but they are carrying a never-dying soul.  One that will live on forever in one of two places:  Heaven is real.  Hell is real.

I know this isn’t a popular, feel-good, happy message like I normally post.  But it’s the truth and you need to know and contemplate the truth. A lot of churches today don’t preach about hell because they don’t want to ‘upset people’.  They preach nothing but a waterfall of grace =  large numbers = big offerings.  I’m blessed to go to a church that cares about the never-dying souls of those who walk through the door and trust God to supply what’s needed to run the church.  It’s why we see miracles in our church.  It’s why chains are broken and people are set free, truly free.  If you are walking around with that ripping and tearing at your soul, find Jesus.  Find freedom.  Rest in God’s presence and mercy.

 Some of you are reading this and saying “Yes, but that doesn’t apply to me.  I’ve sinned too much.  I’ve gone too far.” If you accept Jesus into your heart God can no longer look at you and see abortion, adultery, greed, deceit, sin…  All he can see is the blood of Jesus which covers our sins.  “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, ALL things are become new” 2 Corinthians 5:17

How will you spend eternity??

“For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Romans 6:23