It is written: “And in hell he lift up his eyes, … Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.” (Lk. 16:23, 27-28)
It is truly an amazing thing that most people go through this life with little to no thought of what their entrance into eternity might bring. The enormous bulk of those who give a smidgen of a reflection to what eternity might hold usually have some fairytale view of it. Some folks believe that death is the finality of all things, an absolute nothingness absence of all conscientiousness. Others believe the body’s energy flows into an oneness with a mystical higher energy. Some believe all mankind will exit in glory at various levels of blissfulness. Of course, there are many other strands of thought that also do not come into agreement with the Holy Word of God. Few there are that even accept the reality of the Hell written of in the Scriptures.
Whatever one may have as an opinion, it is in all reality irrelevant. The God of all creation is the supreme authority over the whole of the matter, and He has declared there is a heaven for the redeemed and there is a hell for the unbelievers. It is not a matter for human debate. God has made it so, and so shall it forever be.
The “certain rich man” in the text of Luke was hurdled into the reality of this truth and proclaimed, “I am tormented in this flame.” Unbelief became belief. The factual existence of hell is now all too real to him. Life after death in a tormenting flame for all the ungodly is a fact that must not be ignored. This “certain rich man” no longer thinks of hell as a myth or a subject to be taken lightly. As the text reveals, he now has a missionary heart, “…testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.”
Every soul in hell has a new heart today, a heart for missions. Each has a heart for the testimony of Jesus Christ. Sadly, it will do them no good now for their eternity is sealed. But, what if we could hear the cries of the missionary hearts of hell in our hearts? Could you imagine the impact it would make across the world? Have we the believers become so cold and indifferent to the destiny of men? I would to God we could hear the hearts of the condemned in hell!
Pastor, Dr. Manuel J. Seymour Sr.
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