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  • When was hell created?

    When was hell created?
    2021/08/13
    Scripture speaks of two locations as places of torment. Both places are commonly called “hell.” Hades is the current place of departed spirits who are not with the Lord, that is, those who never accepted the forgiveness that God offers in Jesus Christ. The rich man in Luke 16 describes his current location as a place of torment as the result of fire (verses 23–24). The second place of torment is Gehenna or the lake of fire, which will be the final place of punishment for those who die in their sins. Of course, whatever the differences between Hades and the lake of fire, one will probably be no better than the other for those who are experiencing them. In popular usage, hell is somewhat of an amalgamation of the two biblical terms. If, when speaking of “hell,” one is thinking of the current holding place of the unrighteous dead, Scripture simply does not tell us when that place was created. Presumably it would not have been needed until the first unrighteous person died. Obviously, God may have had this place prepared some time in advance, but we simply don’t know. If by “hell” one is thinking of the final place of punishment, the lake of fire, then we are given a little more information, but not very much. In Matthew 25, Jesus speaks of a time of final judgment. To those who are finally condemned He says, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (verse 41). If this refers to the lake of fire, then we know that it was created primarily for the spirit beings that rebelled, and their rebellion may very well have taken place long before the actual creation of the world. When we think of God and time, it is always a bit confusing because God is not bound by the constraints of time, as we are. God does not have to “wait and see” in order to respond to a situation. From our time-bound perspective, it makes sense to think that the lake of fire was created after the rebellion of Satan but before the rebellion of human beings or else it would have been created for Satan, his angels, and people who follow in that rebellion. Although God knows the end from the beginning, there is some sense in which God did not create the lake of fire for people, even though those who refuse to bow the knee to Him will go there anyway. The most important question is not when hell was created but how to avoid it. Those who have been born again by the power of the Holy Spirit will not be affected by the second death (Revelation 20:6). To avoid hell, cast yourself upon the mercy of Christ, the One who died to pay for the sins of all who would trust in Him. www.keithmuoki.com
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    6 分
  • Do gay people go to heaven?

    Do gay people go to heaven?
    2021/07/10
    The question of whether gay people go to heaven or hell is much discussed today, and there is confusion surrounding the issue. On one side are churches that teach that homosexuality is blessed by God. On the other side are churches that condemn all homosexual thoughts and actions as deserving of eternal judgment. Is being gay a ticket to heaven or hell? First, a clarification. Our world labels people according to their weaknesses, sin tendencies, addictions, or sexual inclinations. When we do that, we create an adversarial, “us vs. them,” position. We begin to see people in categories, rather than as individuals, and this is dangerous. When we ask if gay people go to heaven or hell, we may be using the label gay rather than considering the individual who may be struggling with temptation or confused about his or her sexual identity. For the purposes of this article, we will define gay as “practicing a homosexual lifestyle.” When God created human beings, He designed them male and female, in His own image (Genesis 1:27). Adam and Eve were created perfect, and God blessed their physical union in the first marriage (Genesis 1:28). Homosexuality was not part of God’s creation. When the first man and woman chose to disobey God’s command, sin entered the world (Romans 5:12). With that sin came brokenness of all kinds: thorns, tornadoes, drought, sickness, disease, cruelty, and sexual distortions. Since that time, every human being has been born with a sin nature. Our natural selves demand the right to be our own gods. When we desire something contrary to the will of God, the desire itself becomes sinful (James 1:13–15). We may sin in different ways, but it is all sin. Some have an overwhelming desire to lie. Some are unfaithful to their spouse. Some may overcome outward sins—and are puffed up with arrogance. And some may be tempted to engage in sexual acts with their own gender. It’s all sin. It is all unacceptable to God. And we all need a Savior. God, our Creator, could have wiped out the human race and started over. He owes us nothing. Because of our high treason against our Creator, we all deserve hell. Heaven is perfect, and we are not; we are disallowed from God’s presence. In His great love, God made a way that we sinners can be made righteous (Ephesians 2:4–5). Jesus, the Son of God, offered Himself as our substitute on the cross, thereby taking the punishment we deserve (John 10:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21). God poured out His wrath against sin upon His own Son so that those who trust in that sacrifice can have their sins transferred to His account (Colossians 2:14). In exchange, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. God then declared that whosoever trusts in Jesus as their Lord and Savior be granted eternal life in heaven (John 3:16–18). That divine exchange—our old life for His new one—brings about a transformation from the inside out. Second Corinthians 5:17 says that, if anyone is in Christ, he or she becomes a new creature. All the sin, selfishness, pride, and perversion that were part of our lives before that moment are wiped clean, and we are pronounced righteous before God (Psalm 103:12). God then takes on the task of conforming us into the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29). We are not saved from hell to continue in the same sins Jesus died for. We are saved so that we can become all God designed us to be (Ephesians 2:10). That includes renouncing our past and our sinful tendencies and embracing the wholeness we were created to experience. In answering the specific question about whether gay people go to heaven or hell, we can substitute the words gay people with other sin groups. Do adulterers go to heaven or hell? Do kleptomaniacs go to heaven or hell? Do prostitutes go to heaven or hell? Paul answers these questions clearly in 1 Corinthians 6:9–10. People who live in unrepentant sin have no place in God’s kingdom. Those who practice sexual sin, including homosexuality, are on that list. Paul, anticipating...
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    19 分
  • How can I be prepared to die?

    How can I be prepared to die?
    2021/07/10
    Death and dying are uncomfortable subjects for most people, particularly when it comes to one’s own death. Many of us make our way through life never giving a thought to our mortality until a serious illness, the loss of a loved one, or some other jarring occasion confronts us with the inescapable reality that one day we will die. Ecclesiastes 7:2 tells us that “death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.” How do I take my own death to heart? How can I be prepared to die? Scripture calls death an enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26). Because of death’s finality and because so much about it is unknown, it’s not unusual for us to feel anxious about death and afraid of dying. But the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ has destroyed the enemy of death once and for all: “Now with the coming of our Savior Christ Jesus, he has . . . destroyed death, and through the Good News he has brought eternal life into full view” (2 Timothy 1:10, GWT). Those who have trusted Jesus Christ for salvation need not fear death but can have full assurance and confidence in facing the grave. After death comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27), and most people are not ready to “meet their Maker.” The first and foremost way to prepare for death is to be sure we are in a right relationship with God. Having a right relationship with God starts with acknowledging our sin before Him through confession and repentance. It means placing our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, NLT). Salvation is God’s gift to us (Ephesians 2:8); we only need to receive it by faith. A right relationship with God through Jesus Christ frees us from the penalty of sin (1 Thessalonians 1:10; Romans 8:1–2; Hebrews 9:15) and from death itself (1 Corinthians 15:22–23; Romans 5:12–17; 7:24). It also liberates us from the fear of dying: “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying” (Hebrews 2:14–15, NLT). The sting of death is removed for true Christians because we know where we are going when we die. Our perishing bodies will be transformed into immortal ones that will live forever with Christ in God’s eternal kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:42–58). In reality, we are never truly ready to live until we are prepared to die. After we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, we can further prepare for death by staying in right relationship with the people in our lives. We ought to consider our relationships with family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Are there any relationships that need to be reconciled? Is there someone we need to forgive or someone who needs our forgiveness? Are there words that need to be said? Concerning practical ways to prepare, we ought to realistically consider the financial impact our death will have on our family and do our best to plan ahead. Do we need to draw up a will or other legal documents, purchase life insurance, or set aside funds for funeral and burial expenses? Another thoughtful arrangement is to leave written instructions for our memorial service. Scripture teaches us to live with an awareness of our death and an eternal perspective. This means investing our time, talents, and resources in things that have everlasting value. Jesus described this eternal mindset as daily dying for Him: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (Luke 9:23–24, NLT). Believers live their lives with the hope of heaven and a readiness to lay...
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    16 分
  • If aborted babies go to heaven, why is abortion wrong?

    If aborted babies go to heaven, why is abortion wrong?
    2021/07/10
    We who defend the sanctity of life sometimes face questions similar to this: “Why do you say abortion is wrong, if babies go to heaven when they die?” That question often has a follow-up: “Aborted children never have a chance to grow up and reject Jesus; thus, by your own reasoning, abortion fills heaven and keeps people out of hell. Isn’t that a good thing?” Considering abortion as mercifully sending babies to heaven is an invalid option for Christians for several reasons. First, if we believe that heaven and hell are real, then we have to believe that there is a God. And, if there’s a God, we need to care what He’s said on the subject of abortion. By that measure alone, we cannot justify killing the unborn, an action that God expressly forbids (Leviticus 20:1–5; 2 Kings 24:2–4). God commands us not to commit murder (Exodus 20:13), He knows the child before birth (Jeremiah 1:5), and, in the Mosaic Law, He prescribed punishment for killing an unborn child (Exodus 21:22–25). Abortion is never an act of mercy; it is always an act of shedding innocent blood (see Proverbs 6:16–17). So, the first reason that we reject the idea of a mercy-motivated abortion is fairly simple: because God said not to kill. Regardless of what else we may think, God told us that killing the innocent is wrong. Period. Just as with a parent-child relationship, the only thing we ultimately need to know is that the Father has said, “No.” The second reason that abortion cannot be justified as a merciful act is that we are not absolutely sure what happens to those who die before they are born. We have many good reasons to think they’ll be in heaven, but we don’t have explicit biblical proof. So we can’t definitively say that aborting a soul will rescue it from hell. We dare not take such an awful risk with the souls of other people. With both of those reasons in mind, we can pose a useful statement: “God didn’t just kill Cain before he sinned.” That fact doesn’t tell us exactly why we should not abort a child for mercy’s sake, but it does tell us that God does not see killing to prevent sin as a viable option. A third reason that we cannot justify abortion on the basis that it sends babies to heaven involves eternal rewards. An aborted child has been denied the chance to serve God in this life and gain rewards for heaven. A child killed in the womb is being denied the chance to honor God in this world and earn rewards in the world to come. The chance to serve God is one of the things abortion steals from a human being. Logically, the attitude that abortion is merciful in that it sends babies straight to heaven would lead us to kill all children, unborn or not. After all, if it really is “better” for them to be dead, then we should do them the favor of killing them and sending them to a better place. Anyone who takes seriously the idea that babies in the womb should be killed to send them to heaven would logically have to favor the killing of every single child who is—in his opinion—under the age of accountability. Following the same rationale, he’d also be inclined to kill other believers to prevent them from sinning any more before they get to heaven. Given that God is a God of logic, and given that He specifically tells us to protect the weak and innocent (Proverbs 31:8–9), to have children (Genesis 1:28), and to see them as a blessing (Psalm 127:4–5), we can’t justify abortion on any moral grounds whatsoever. Abortion is the murder of the unborn, and we can’t mitigate the heinous nature of the act by injecting some perverse sense of human “mercy” into the equation. . . . . . Keith Muoki is a KJV bible believer who is saved by grace through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. He lives in Nairobi, Kenya, and preaches every day on Spreaker.com Podcast, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Bitchute, Soundcloud, Twitter, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Google Podcast, Castbox, Deezer, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, iTunes/Apple podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music/Audible,...
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    14 分