Contents

Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix

. . Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

1 DoNotGotoHell! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2 TheRepentanceThatLeadstoSalvation . . . . . . 22

3 FaithMorePreciousThanGold . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

4 FaithandObedience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

5 RebirthI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

6 RebirthII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

7 ThereIsNoSuchThingAs ShamefulSalvation! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171

8 TheKingdomThatOnly theVictoriousCanEnter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

9 Je-e-sus! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

10 UptoSeventyTimesSeven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

11 SaintChunhyang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264

Afterword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

. . Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

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— Chapter 1 —

Do not Go to Hell!

There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.”

But Abraham replied, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.”

He answered, “Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.”

Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.”

“No, father Abraham,” he said, “but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.”

He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”

— Luke 16:19–31

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We call this passagetheparableoftherichmanandLazarus .Manyinsistthatthisisatruestory,notjust

aparable .Forinstance,JohnWesleywroteaboutthispassage:

Butisthe . . .accountmerelyaparable,orarealhistory?It has been believed by many, and roundly asserted,tobeamereparable,becauseofoneor twocircum-stances therein, which are not easy to be accountedfor .Inparticular,itishardtoconceive,howapersoninhellcouldholdconversationwithone inparadise .But,admittingwecannotaccountforthis,willitover-balanceanexpressassertionofourLord:“Therewas,”saysourLord, “acertain richman .”—Was therenot?Didsuchamanneverexist?“Andtherewasacertainbeggar named Lazarus .”—Was there, or was therenot?Isitnotboldenough,positivelytodenywhatourblessedLordpositivelyaffirms?Therefore,wecannotreasonably doubt, but the whole narration, with allits circumstances, is exactly true . And Theophylact(one of the ancient commentators on the Scriptures)observesuponthetext, that, “accordingto thetradi-tionoftheJews,LazaruslivedatJerusalem .”1

Thelegendalsosaysthattherichman’snamewaseitherNineveorPhinees .2Therefore, it isprobable that thestorywasanactualevent .

Evenif it isonlyafigurativestory,thisdoesnotpresentaproblemforus,becauseJesuswastheOnewhotoldthestory,andHeknowsaboutafterlifemorethananyoneelse .Moreover,itcanbeanadvantageforusifitturnsoutthatthestorydidnotactuallyoccur,becauseafactualstoryonlyshowsapartialaspectofafterlife,whileaparablerevealsageneraltruth .

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1.Deathisnottheend,butthebeginningofeternity.Manypeoplebelievethatdeathistheend,sotheyliveirre-

sponsiblelives,evencommittingsuicide .However,deathisnottheendofexistence .Afterwedie,therewillbejudgment(seeHebrews9:27),andwewillbeassignedeternallytoheavenorhell .Thatisthebasictruthrevealedinthispassage .

The Seventh-day Adventist church does not believe inthe immortality of souls . They insist on the mortality ofsouls .Sincetheybelievethatupondeathone’ssoulwillbedestroyed,theydenyhellastheJehovah’sWitnessesdo .TheydenythatthestoryofarichmanandLazarusisanactualevent, and they believe that it is one of the “Egyptian folktales,”whichJesusquoted .

Whetherornotthepassageisarealeventoraparable,itisafact .Besidesthispassage,allthescripturalpassagesaboutheavenandhellarerealtruth .ThistruthisfoundnotonlyinScripture,butitalsohasbeenproveninmodernmedicalscience .

Manyyearsago,Dr .MauriceRawlingswroteseveralbookson the topic of death . He had been a personal physician toGeneralDwightD .Eisenhower,andheiscurrentlyaspecialistincardiovasculardiseaseandaninternationalexpertonCPR .Hebecametheauthorofthebest-sellerBeyond Death’s Doorandisawealthyownerofapersonaljetandalakefronthouse .

MauriceRawlingshasbeenalifelongdoctorwhowitnesseddeath almost every day . He never seriously thought aboutdeath,though .Hebelievedthatafterlifewaseitheradreamorafantasy .

One day, a forty-eight-year-old postman named CharlesMcKaine was admitted to the hospital . While Dr . PamCharlesward was conducting an ECG test on Charles, hesuddenly experienced heart failure . To the two doctors’

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surprise, he did not realize that his heart had stopped, andhe kept on talking . After four or five seconds, he lookedconfused—as though he wanted to ask a question—whenhiseyesrolledbackwardandhefellintounconsciousness .Anurserantoconductmouth-to-mouthCPR,called“akissoflife,”whileanothernursepreparedanintravenousinjection .Dr .RawlingsusedaheartcontrollertomakeCharles’sheartbeatregularlyagain .

SuddenlyCharles screamed, “Don’t stop! I’m inhell! I’minhell!”

Dr . Rawlings thought Charles was seeing an illusion, sohereplied,“Youwrestlewithhell .Iambusytryingtosaveyourlife!”

Thiswasaveryrarecase .Mostpatientswouldcomplaintothedoctor,“Stopjabbingmyribs!Youaregoingtobreakmy ribs!” The chest compressions cause very severe pain,evenbreakingtheribsofsomepatients,butthemanwantedtocomebackdesperately .

Thinking that his response was unusual, Dr . RawlingsknockedonCharles’schestandasked,“Whydon’tyouwantmetostop?”

Charlescriedout,“Iaminhell!”Dr .Rawlingsreplied,“Youmean,youareafraidtogoto

hell .”Upon hearing the doctor’s words, Charles yelled, “No, I

aminhell .Don’tletmego .Please,don’tletmego .Don’tyouunderstand?I’minhell .WheneveryoustoptheCPR,Iaminhellagain .Please,don’tletmegotohellagain!”

Untilthen,Dr .Rawlingshaddisregardedthecomplaintsofpatients,butthispatientwasveryserious .Firstofall,hewassurprisedat the lookonhispatient’s face .Hehadnotseensuchaterrifiedlookonanyone’sfaceinthepasttwenty-

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fiveyears .Charles’sfacewaslividwithfear,anditwasclearthathewasinthemostfrighteningtimeofhislife .

Dr . Rawlings continued to try to save his patient’s life .Suddenly,Charlesyelledwithapanickedvoice,“HowcanIescapefromhell?”

Dr .Rawlingsreplied,“HowaboutprayingtoGod?”Charlesaskedhimtoprayforhim .Startled,Dr .Rawlingsgrumbled,“Iamnotapastor,”but

thesharplooksfromthenursespromptedhimtoreluctantlycomeupwithaprayer:“Followafterme,JesusSonofGod!Savemefromhell .IfIliveagain,Iwillliveforyou .”

Thepatientrepeatedhisprayerdesperately,thenamiracletook place . He became peaceful and soon returned to anormalstate .

Thenextday,whenDr .RawlingswenttoCharles’sroom,hewasreadingtheBible .3

Thisisatruestory .ItshockedMauriceRawlings,andhebecameinterestedindeathnotasadoctor,butasahumanbeing .Italsocausedhimtostudydeathwithawhole-hearteddevotion,usingtwomethods .

First,hetalkedwithpeoplewhohadhadnear-deathexpe-riences,thenheanalyzedandcomparedtheirstories .

As a result, he discovered that these experiences hadstrongcommonalities .Hehadgenerallybelieved thatonlyafewpeoplecouldhavesimilarillusions .However,hecametoconclude that itwas impossible for somanypatients tohave essentially the sameandcontinual illusions .Further-more, these patients were normal, discerning people whocouldjudgerealitycorrectlyandbelievedtheirexperiencestoberealandnotfantasies .

Second,hebeganacomparative studyofworld religions .Hecomparedandanalyzedthereligious theories fromholy

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booksincludingthelawsandTalmudofJudaism,theQuranofIslam,VedasoftheIndianUpanishad,BrahmanofHinduism,theZoroastrianholybook,thesayingsandanalectsofConfu-cius,theAgamaofJainism,Buddhistholybooks,theJapaneseShintoKojiki,andLaoTzu’sTaoism .Subsequently,herealizedthatonlyonebookmostaccuratelydescribedthenear-deathexperiencesofhispatients:theChristianBible .

Throughhisstudy,hebecameconvincedthatChristianitywastheonlytruereligion .Hewasnotabelieverbeforehisstudy,buthebecameafaithfulChristianafterward .Heavenandhellarenotfiction,butreality .

Ioncereadaboutamanwhowasanatheistandagambler .Afterhedied,theinscriptiononhisgravestonewaswrittenas follows: “Here lies a dicer; long in doubt if death couldkill the soul, or not: Here ends his doubtfulness; at lastconvinced;—but,ah!thedieiscast!”4

TryonEdwardssaid,“Hellisarealityseentoolate—dutyneglectedinitsseason .”5Itisaplacewhereoneregretsthatonehaddisregardedwhatoneoughttohavedone .

Therichmaninthepassagerealizedtoolatethatheavenandhellreallydoexistandthereforecouldnotavoidgoingtohell .Becarefulthatyoualsodonotrealizethistruthtoolate .Asyoureadthis,believeintheexistenceofafterlife,ofheavenandhell .Iwishthatyouwouldavoidhellandreceiveheavenasyourinheritance .

2.Pleasebeanywherebutinhell!The Bible speaks about hell much more than heaven . It

is probably because more people will end up in hell thaninheaven .IntheBible,thepersonwhomentionsthemostabout hell is Jesus . Obviously, Jesus knew about hell morethananyotherperson .

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In1747,JohnWesleywrotethefollowingwords:“Idesiretohavebothheavenandhelleverinmyeye,whileIstandonthisisthmusoflife,betweenthesetwoboundlessoceans;andIverilythinkthedailyconsiderationofbothhighlybecomesallmenofreasonandreligion .”6

Nowadaysmanypreacherscommitthesinofbeingsilentabouthell .Theydonotpreachabouthellbecausepeopledonotliketohearthosesermons .JonathanEdwardswroteofthenecessityofpreachingabouthell .

Anotherthingthatsomeministershavebeengreatlyblamedfor,andIthinkunjustly,isspeakingterrortothemwhoarealreadyundergreat terrors, insteadofcomforting them . Indeed if ministers in such a casegoabouttoterrifypersonswiththatwhichisnottrue,or to affright them by representing their case worsethanit is,orinanyrespectotherwisethanit is,theyare to be condemned; but if they terrify them onlyby still holding forth more light to them, and givingthem to understand more of the truth of their case,theyarealtogethertobejustified .Whenconsciencesare greatly awakened by the Spirit of God, it is butlightimparted,enablingmentoseetheircase,insomemeasure, as it is; and, if more light be let in, it willterrifythemstillmore .Butministersarenotthereforeto be blamed that they endeavor to hold forth morelighttotheconscience,anddonotratheralleviatethepain they are under, by interceptingand obstructingthelightthatshinesalready .Tosayanythingtothosewhohaveneverbelieved in theLord JesusChrist, torepresent their case any otherwise than exceedingterrible,isnottopreachthewordofGodtothem;for

Do Not Go to Hell!

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thewordofGodrevealsnothingbuttruth;butthisistodeludethem .7

Iagreewiththisstatementwholeheartedly .Ialsobelievethat preachers must not concern themselves with whatpeoplethink;theyshouldpreachabouthellmoreoften .Thefirsttopictheymustpreachaboutishell’srealexistence .Thenexttopicshouldbe“Whatkindofplaceishell?”Well,whatkindofplaceishell?

ThomasáKempissaysthisabouthell:“Onehourinthishellhole will produce more pain than a hundred years ofpenitential practice .”8 The following two points help us torealizehowpainfulthesufferingofhellis .

First,hellisthelakethatburnswithfireandbrimstone .

FatherAbraham,havepityonmeandsendLazarustodipthetipofhisfingerinwaterandcoolmytongue,becauseIaminagonyinthisfire .

—Luke16:24

. . .where“theirwormdoesnotdie,andthefireisnotquenched .”Everyonewillbesaltedwithfire .

—Mark9:48–49

Whatdoyou thinkwill bring themost severe sufferingintheworldtoaperson?Ibelieveitisfire .Themostfearfulinjuryisaburn .Itscureismostpainful .Hellisaplacefulloffire .InRevelation,fireisdescribedas“thelakeoffire”(Rev .20:15) or “the lake which burns with fire and brimstone”(Rev .21:8,nkjv) .

Thefollowingshockingtestimonyshowshowfrighteningthefireofhellis .In1948,GeorgeGodkinofAlberta,Canada,diedafteraprolongedillness .Atthattime,heexperienced

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Do Not Go to Hell!

hellforamoment .Heintroducedhisexperienceasfollows:

I was guided to the place in the spirit world calledhell .ThiswasaplaceofpunishmentforallthosewhorejectedJesusChrist .Inotonlywitnessedhell,butfeltthetormentofthosewhowillgothere .Thedarknessof hell was so intense that it seemed to have a pres-sure per square inch . Truly it was extremely black,dismal,desolate,heavy,andthick .Itgaveindividualsacrushing,despondentfeelingofloneliness .

Therewasheatofthemostdrying,dehydratingtype .Theeyeballsfeltsodrythatitseemedred,hotcoalswereintheirsockets .Thetongueandlipswereparchedandcrackedwithintenseheat .Thebreathfromthenostrilsfeltliketheblastfromafurnace .Theexteriorofthebodyfeltasthoughitwereencasedwithinawhite-hotstove .The interiorof thebody felt the tormentingsensationofscorching,hotairbeingforcedthroughit .Theagonyandlonelinessofhellwhichthehumansoulsfeelcannotbeclearlyexpressed;ithastobeexperienced!”9

The fire of hell, described above, is a place of torturoussuffering .Theworstplace in theuniverse ishell .Wemustavoidgoingtohellatallcost .

Hell is an eternal place . The fire of hell never dies, andthereisnodeathinhell .Therefore,hell’stormentiseternal .

Onetime,Iheardthrougharadioaboutamanwho,afterseparating fromhiswifeand feelingdespair,prayed thathemightdiebyfire .Imagineapersonwhojumpsintothefirewishing to die and yet does not die, but suffers agonizingtorment in the unquenchable fire . How terrible that wouldbe!Hellissuchaplace!Thefireofhellneverdies .Becauseofthedeeppit,itisimpossibletoescape .Asuicideisimpossible,

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too .ThatiswhytheBiblerecordspeoplewhofellintohellasfollows:

Hewillbetormentedwithburningsulfurinthepres-enceoftheholyangelsandoftheLamb .Andthesmokeoftheirtormentrisesforeverandever .Thereisnorestdayornight . . . .

—Revelation14:10–11

RichardBaxter,thefamousPuritanpreacher,wroteaboutthesufferingofhell .

Butthegreatestaggravationofthesetormentswillbetheireternity.Whena thousandmillionsof agesarepast,theyareasfreshtobeginasthefirstday .Iftherewereanyhopeofanend,itwouldeasethedamnedtoforeseeit;butFor everisanintolerablethought!Theywere never weary of sinning, nor will God be wearyofpunishing .Theyneverheartilyrepentedofsin,norwillGodrepentoftheirsuffering .Theybrokethelawsof the eternal God, and therefore shall suffer eternalpunishment . . . .As the joys of heaven are beyond ourconception,soarethepainsofhell .Everlastingtormentisinconceivabletorment .10

I have never read such a vivid testimony as that of awomannamedSusan,abouttheunendingsufferingofhell .Onenight,Susanwassittingonthesofainherlivingroom .Suddenly, she felt thepresenceofGodandwasfilledwiththeHolySpirit .SheheardtheLord’svoice:“Look!Keepyoureyesonhell!”

Assoonassheheardthewords,aburningwallappearedin frontofher .Ablue-hotflame likeacolumnoffirerose

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fiercelyfromthebottomofabrownfloor .Ajelly-likefigurestoodinthemiddleofthefire .Whileshewasgazingatit,itbegantotremblewithfear .

Aloudcrybrokeoutwithasob,“Oh,God,pleasehelpme .Pleasehelpme!”Itkeptweeping .

ThentheLordspoke,“Mybeloveddaughter,thesoulthatyouseeinthefireisamanwhohasbeeninhellforthelastonethousandeighthundredyears .Hestillkeepscryingouttomelikethis .”

Whyareyousurprised?Doyouthinkonethousandeighthundredyearsislong?No,itisnotlong .Onethousandyearsisnotevenclosetoonesecondinhell .Thatisbecausehellis an eternal place . Samuel Davies once described eternityvividlyasfollows:

Eternity!Itisadurationthatexcludesallnumberandcomputation; days, and months, and years, yea, andages,arelostinit,likedropsintheocean .Millionsofmillionsofyears,asmanyyearsastherearesandsonthe seashore, or particles of dust in the globe of theearth, and these multiplied to the highest reach ofnumber,allthesearenothingtoeternity .Theydonotbear the least imaginable proportion to it, for thesewill come to an end, as certain as day: But eternitywillnever,nevercometoanend . It isa linewithoutend; it isanoceanwithoutashore . . .It isan infinite,unknownsomething,thatneitherhumanthoughtcangrasp,norhumanlanguagedescribe . . . .Supposeabirdweretopickupandcarryawayagrainofsandordustfromtheglobeofthisearthonceinathousandyears,tillitshouldbeatlengthwhollycarriedaway;thedura-tionwhichthiswouldtakeupappearsakindofeter-nitytous .11

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Severalyearsago, I sawabonfireon thegroundsofmygrandfather’shouse .I threwabig log intothefire .Thelogburnedallday,butonlythesurfaceofitwasburned .Watchingitremindedmeofhell .Theloglookedlikesomeone’sthigh .IshudderedwithfearasIthoughtaboutthesoulsbeingeter-nallytormentedinhell .

Wemistakenlybelievethattheworldinwhichwelivetodaywillbeeternal .Thereisanendtothisworld,butheavenandhell, which seemed not real to us, truly exist and are ever-lasting .Therefore,wemustbecarefulnottogotohell .

3.Donotbeassuredbecauseyouarebaptizedandgotochurch.Youmustrepentofyoursins.

WhydidtherichmanfallintoHades?Whydidhegotohell?“No,fatherAbraham . . .butifsomeonefromthedeadgoes to them, they will repent” (Luke 16:30) . As impliedintheverse,therichmanwenttohellbecausehedidnotrepent .Thereasonhewenttohell is thesamereasonhisfivebrotherswillgotohell .Theywouldnotrepent .

ManyChristiansareconvincedthattheywillgotoheavenbecausetheyhavefaithinJesus,butIwanttoaskthem,“Haveyourepentedofyoursins?”Faithwithoutrepentanceisfalsefaith,whichwillnotrescueusfromhell .

Doyouwanttogotoheaven?Thenyoumustrepent .(See2 Peter 3:8–9 .) What sins should you repent of? There isnooneparticularsinofwhichyoumustrepent .Youmustrepentofall yoursins .Ifyouask,“God,whatsinmustIturnawayfrom?”thenGodwilldefinitelysay,“Fromallsins!”InEzekiel18:30–32,Godcommanded:

Therefore,OhouseofIsrael,Iwilljudgeyou,eachoneaccording to his ways, declares the Sovereign Lord .Repent!Turnawayfromallyouroffenses;thensinwill

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notbeyourdownfall .Ridyourselvesofalltheoffensesyouhavecommitted,andgetanewheartandanewspirit .Whywillyoudie,OhouseofIsrael?ForItakenopleasureinthedeathofanyone,declarestheSover-eignLord .Repentandlive!

Repentanceisnotmerelyregrettingandconfessingyoursins, but cutting off your sins . At the same time, repen-tanceiscuttingoff“allyouroffenses”(Ezek .18:30) .ThomasWatsonsaid,“Theyarebuthalf-turnedwhoturnfrommanysins but are unturned from some special sin .”12However,manyareignorantofthiscruciallyimportantpointaboutrepentance . I want to introduce to you some of the mostwell-knownsayingsregardingrepentance .

Yetbeitevermoreremembered,nosinnercanfindawelcomebeforethefaceofGodunlesshereturnsmostdeeplypenitent .Ah!YoudonotknowGodatallifyousupposeHecanreceiveyouwithoutthemostthoroughpenitenceandthemostamplerestitution .13

—CharlesFinney

Osirs,InGod’snameletmetellyou,itisnotthegivingupofonesin,norfiftysins,whichistruerepentance;itisthesolemnrenunciationofeverysin .Ifthoudostharbouroneofthoseaccursedvipersinthyheart,thyrepentanceisbutasham .Ifthoudost indulgeinbutonelust,anddostgiveupeveryother,thatonelust,likeoneleakinaship,willsinkthysoul .Thinkitnotsuffi-cienttogiveupthyoutwardvices;fancyitnotenoughtocutoffthemorecorruptsinsofthylife; it isallornonewhichGoddemands .14

—CharlesSpurgeon

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More importantly, this is what our Lord Jesus Christsaid:

Ifyourhandcausesyoutosin,cutitoff .Itisbetterforyou to enter life maimed than with two hands to gointohell,wherethefirenevergoesout .Andifyourfootcausesyoutosin,cutitoff .Itisbetterforyoutoenterlifecrippledthantohavetwofeetandbethrownintohell . . .where“theirwormdoesnotdie,andthefireisnotquenched .”Everyonewillbesaltedwithfire .

—Mark9:43–49

Somepeoplemightquestionhowthispassageisrelevanttowhat Iwas talkingabout . It is relevantbecause Jesus issaying that it does not take hand, foot, and eye—in otherwords,manydifferentsins—togotohell;ifthereisevenonesinthatwehavenotgottenridof,wewillbethrownintohellalongwith that sin . Inaparable that teachesaboutrepen-tance,Jesusalsosaid:

I tell you that in the same way there will be morerejoicinginheavenoveronesinnerwhorepentsthanoverninety-nine righteouspersonswhodonotneedtorepent .

—Luke15:7

PreviouslyIusedtothinkthatbecauseofthewords“inheaven,” the “ninety-nine righteous persons” referred tosaintsinheaven .Imusthavethoughtsobecausetheyweredescribedas “personswhodonotneed to repent,”but the“ninety-ninerighteouspersonswhodonotneedtorepent”refertothoseonearthwhohavetrulyrepented .Thisfactisclear,becauseitiswritteninLuke15:4:

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Supposeoneofyouhasahundredsheepandlosesoneofthem .Doeshenotleavetheninety-nineintheopencountryandgoafterthelostsheepuntilhefindsit?

NowpleasepayattentiontowhatIamabouttosay!Therearetwokindsofpeople .OnekindconsistsofthoseinChristwhohaverepented;whilethesecondkindconsistsofthoseoutsideHisfoldwhohavenotrepented .Inotherwords,onegroupofpeoplewillgotoheaven;theothergroupwillgotohell .

WhatdoestheBiblesayaboutpeoplewhohaverepented?It says they are ”righteous persons who do not need torepent .” Therefore, those who want to go to heaven musthave no need to repent . They must not have even one sinremaining in them . All sins must be repented . Only trulyrepentantpersonsdeservetogotoheaven .

Somepeoplemayhavegreatdifficultydigestingthistruth,becausetheymayconfuserepentancewithconfession .Repen-tanceandconfessionaredifferent .Theobjectofrepentanceishabitualsin,andtheobjectofconfessionisaccidentalsin .Inprinciple,non-believersrepent,andbelieversconfess .There-fore,itdoesnotmeanthatapersonwhohassinstoconfessisnotrepentantandwillgotohell .Itmeansthatapersonwhohashabitualsin—inotherwords,sinthatneedstobethrownaway—isnotrepentantandwillgotohell .

Inordertofacilitateyourdecision,Iwilltellanimportantstory . One day, Rev . T . L . Osborne, an international evan-gelist,waswaitingforhisshipto leavetheharbor .Hehadenoughtimetowalkaroundthestreets .Thenaninterestingscene took place right in front of him . A herd of pigs wasfollowingitsherderinarowwithoutgoingastray .

Asmanyofyouknow,pigsareveryhardtocontrol .Whenyou beat them with a stick to the left, they will go to the

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right .Whenyoubeatthemwithasticktotheright,theywillgoleft .Nomatterhowmuchyoutry,theywillgowherevertheyplease .

Rev .Osbornehadoftenseenherdersusingbothhandstograbpigs’tailsinordertocontrolthem,andthepigswouldkicktheirlegstorunawayfromthem,buthehadneverseenarowofpigsfollowingtheirherdersoobediently .Puzzled,hefollowedthem,andtohissurprise,theyarrivedataslaugh-terhouse .Thepigsenteredthelargeironbarredgatewithouthesitation! Rev . Osborne, watching such a humorous andpitifulsightofpigs,waitedfortheherdertocomeout .Uponmeetinghim, the reverendasked thesecretof theherder’samazingability .

“Itissimple .Pigslikebeans .WhenIwalk,Idropahandfulofbeansontheroad,andtheyfollowthebeans,notme .Theyaresointentoneatingthebeansthattheydonotrealizetheyarewalkingtowardtheirdeath .”15Hewasshockedbythesewords!Herealizedthatthepeoplewhoarebusyindulgingthemselveswithpleasureandself-interestarejustlikethesepigs .

Mybelovedfriend,pigslikebeansthemost .Whatsindoyoulikethemost?ThatsinisSatan’sbean,thebaitthatheuses to drag you to hell . When you sin, do not say that “IcannotstopthissinbecauseIlikeittoomuch .”Justaspigsthatfollowthebeanswereactuallyfollowingtheherderwholedthemtotheslaughterhouse,wewhofollowourfavoritesin are in reality following Satan who steals, kills, anddestroys . Our destination is hell, which Jesus described as“everlastingfirepreparedforthedevilandhisangels”(Matt .25:41, nkjv) . Therefore, I wish that you would open youreyestothisrealityandcutoffyoursinrightnow .

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4.Wemustboldlyspreadthegospelwithcompassionforthelostsouls.

TherichmaninhellrequestedtwothingsfromAbraham .First,hebeggedforadropofwaterforhimself,andthenheasked forLazarus tobesent tohisbrothersonEarth .Thebest-writtenbookonhellisbyPastorMaryBaxter,titledA Divine Revelation of Hell .Recordingathirty-dayeyewitnesstestimonyofhell,thecontentofthebookisverysimilartothefollowingpassage .

Nextwecametothefirepot .Thesizeofthisfirepotwasthesameasthefirst,andskeletalfigureswereinit .Thevoicespoke,“Lord,havemercyonme!”OnlywhenhespokedidIrealizewhetheritwasamanorawoman .

He spoke with a sob . “Lord . . .I have been wrong .Pleaseforgiveme . . .Pleasetakemeoutofhere .Ihavebeeninthismisery . . .forsomanyyears .Pleaseletmeout!”Whilehewasbegging,hisskeletalfiguretrem-bledviolently .

IlookedatJesusandsawHimcrying,too .Helookedaboveandsaid,“MyFather,MyFather,havemercy!”

“LordJesus,haven’t I suffered longenoughfor thesinsIcommitted?”thevoicecriedoutfromthefire .“Ihavebeenhereforfortyyears .”

Jesusspoke,“It iswritten,therighteouswill livebyfaith .Itisnotbypayingthepenaltyforyoursinsthatyouaresaved,butitisbyhavingfaithinMe,JesusChrist,whileyouwereonearththatyouaresaved .Youdidnotbelieveinthetruth .EvenwhenMypeopleweresenttoyou to show you the way, you did not listen to them .Youscornedthemandrejectedthegospel .EventhoughIdiedforyou,youmockedMeanddidnotrepentfrom

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your sins . My Father gave you many opportunities toreceivesalvation .Ifonlyyouhadlistenedthen . . .”JesusshedHistears .

“Iknow,Lord .Iknow!”themanwailed .“ButIamrepentingnow .”

“Itistoolate,”saidJesus .“Thejudgmentisended .”The man continued to weep . “Lord, even now the

unrepentantpeoplestillcomehere .Pleaseallowmetotellthemthattheymustrepentfromtheirsinswhileonearth .Idonotwantthemtocomehere .”16

Likethisman,peopleinhellarereadytosharethegospelifonlytheyaregiventheopportunity .

Those who have seen hell are fired up for evangelism .Pastor Jung Pyeo Lee, the director of Hansin MinistryDevelopment, shared his testimony one day .17 While hewasinmiddleschool,hisclosefriendgavehimabook,A Calendar of WisdombyTolstoy .Thebookcontainedmanyfamous sayingsofBuddha,Confucius,LaoTzu, Jung-tzu,Socrates,andothers,butwhattouchedhisheartwerethewordsofJesus .Heaskedhisfriendiftherewasabookwithonly the sayings of Jesus, and his friend handed him theNewTestament .Whilehewasreadingit,hefeltshockedatthestoryoftherichmanandLazarusinLuke16 .Hedeter-minedthathemustbelieveinJesusjustsohewouldavoidgoingtohell!

Onemorning,duringhissecondyearofhighschool,hecoughedupblood .FromtheX-raytakenat thehospital, itwasdiscoveredthathisrightlunghadaholethatcausedthebleeding .Themedicationprescribedforhimdidnotworkatall .Withgreatdespair,hewenttothepharmacyandboughtalargedoseofsleepingpills .Beforetakingthepillstocausehisdeath,heclosedhiseyesforamoment,andsuddenlyhell

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appeared .Hesawtormentedskeletonsscreamingwithpain .The vision caused his eyes to open wide in shock, but thememoryofitdidnotimmediatelydisappear .Whenheclosedhiseyesagain,thescenereappeared .Outoffear,hegaveuphisplantocommitsuicide .Instead,hedesperatelyheldontoGod,washealed,andbecameapastor .Hedescribedtheeffectthevisionofhellhadonhim .

IcouldnothelpbutspreadthegospelbecauseIhaveseenthevisionofhell .Inwhateverchurchorcommu-nitythatIwentto,Iearnestlyevangelizedwithacry,“BelieveinJesus!”

While in An-yang, I served as an army chaplain .While sharing the gospel there, I habitually told thesoldiers,“Ifitweren’tforhell,Iwouldnotbepreachingthegospellikethis .Buthellisreal .”

We must spread the gospel . That is because hell reallyexists .Ifwedonotsharethegospel,peoplearounduswillgotohell .

Nowthisismyconclusion .

Thetimecamewhen thebeggardiedand theangelscarriedhimtoAbraham’sside .Therichmanalsodiedandwasburied .

—Luke16:22

InlaterJudaicthought,itisbelievedthatwhenarighteousmandies,hissouliscarriedawaybygoodangels,butwhenanevilmandies,his soul iscarriedbydarkangels . InoldKorean myths, there are dark spirits in black garb, but noangels .ThatisbecausewithoutJesus,thereisnosalvation .ThismeansthatbeforethegospelreachedKorea,thenation’s

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mainreligionsofBuddhismandConfucianismwerenotabletosaveonesoul,butsentallpeopletohell .

CharlesFinney,thegreatevangelist,said:

Inallagesithasbeencommonforsomedyingsaintsto hear music which they supposed to be of heavenand to see angels near and around them . With eyesthatseewhatotherscannotsee,theyrecognizetheirattendingangelsasalreadycome,“Don’tyouhearthatmusic?” say they . “Don’t you see those shining ones?Theycome,theycome!”Butattendingfriendsareyettoocarnaltoseesuchobjectsandtohearsuchsounds;for it is the mind and not the body that has eyes . Itis themindthatsees,andnotthebody .Nodoubt insuchcases, theydoreallyseeangelic formsandhearangelicvoices .TheBiblesays,“PreciousinthesightoftheLordisthedeathofhissaints .”Howgloriouslydotheseclosingscenesillustratethistruth .

If this be true of saints, then doubtless wickedspiritsareallowedtodragthewickeddownfromtheirdyingbedstohell .Nor is itunreasonabletosupposethattheytooreallyseeawfulshapesandheardreadfulsounds .“Whoisthatweepingandwailing?DidInothearagroan? Is therenotsomeoneweepingas if inawfulagony?O,thatawfulthing;takehimaway,takehimaway!Hewill seizemeanddragmedown; takehimaway,away!”18

Thisistrue,andtherearetoomanyreal-lifecaseslikethis .Duetotimelimitations,Iwillintroduceonlytwoshortcases .

InthebookPeople Who Met AngelswrittenbyJoanWesterAnderson,thefollowingstoryappears .An11-year-oldChris-tian boy was dying of peritonitis . He suddenly told those

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aroundhim,“Look,Mom!Thereareangelsaroundus .Oneangelisprettierthantheotherangels .”

Momreplied, “I cannot see anything .”Thinking thathewasseeinganillusion,shetriedtoconsolehim .

Nevertheless, thesonkeptsaying, “Look .Theangelsarehere .TheyaresocloseIcantouchthem .”Atlast,theparentsrealized that theirboywas seeinga realityand feltgreatlycomforted .19

Inanothercase,Rev .Dr .DavidNelsonrecordedthenear-deathexperiencesofpeople .Heobservedtheincidentsasadoctorwhilehewas still anunbeliever .Hewrote that theunbelieversscream,“Ah,thefrightfulfigure!Pleasetakehimoutofthisroom .Whydon’tyoutakehimout?”20

Whentherepentantdie,angelscometoescortthem,butwhen the unrepentant die, evil spirits come to take themaway .Ifyouweretodie,whodoyouthinkwillcometoescortyou?Whowouldyouliketoescortyou?Ofcourse,youwouldliketheangelstocome .ThenIwishthatyouwouldatoncerelyuponthebloodofJesus,confessallyoursins,andcutoffallyoursins .