JESUS AND JUDGMENT
“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”.– Revelation 21:8
A 2007 Gallup poll found that Americans are far more likely to believe in God and Heaven than in the Devil and Hell. An earlier Gallup poll revealed that 77 percent of ever-optimistic Americans rated their odds of making heaven as “good” or “excellent.” Very few saw themselves as hell-bound.
But what is important today is not what Americans think about Jesus and judgment, but what you think about Jesus and judgment.
The fact is, we all like to talk about, and think about, Jesus and heaven more than we do Jesus and hell. But it is impossible to think biblically about heaven and Jesus without coming face to face with the reality of the judgment by Jesus, in the end.
It is Jesus who is speaking here in Revelation. And just as he constantly warned during His earthly ministry, He now declares from His throne in heaven that hell is real and that judgment is coming. For the wicked, and for the unbelieving, and for those who fear men rather than God — the end is an everlasting death, the lake of fire.
While there is complete forgiveness and unconditional love in Jesus Christ, there is also everlasting judgment for those He here describes. Which are you? Have you come to fear God, to trust in Jesus, to love His truth? (Baptist Bible Hour)
David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346
