As mere mortals, the life of man is destined for an impending end and afterward, his soul is set for eternity. However, this eternity has two sides - heaven and hell. As the latter meant eternal damnation, man must be wise on how he can get to heaven.
With this, a minister shared how people can "escape the eternal fire of Hell" and spend everlasting life with the LORD.
Dan Delzell, pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Nebraska, warned about the reality of heaven and hell and declared that man's destination after death depends on what he did with Jesus while in the world.
"The lake of fire is also known as Hell. This is where lost souls will suffer eternal torment consciously and bodily. Jesus often spoke about the reality of both Heaven and Hell," Delzell wrote on The Christian Post.
"God takes Heaven and Hell extremely seriously. These extreme destinations are where human beings will spend eternity. You need to wrap your mind around the fact that you will spend eternity in Heaven or Hell. And what you do with Jesus here on Earth will set your course for eternity," he added.
The pastor emphasized the significance of the "Book of Life", which, he said, is mentioned in the Bible seven times.
Citing Revelation 20:10-12 and 15, he shared about Apostle John's revelation on future events concerning "the devil, the Book of Life and the lake of fire."
He then unveiled the way on how people can "escape" hell.
"If you rely upon your efforts to get into Heaven, you will be condemned due to your sins detailed in the 'books.' (Rev. 20:12 ) On the other hand, if you rely upon Jesus to forgive your sins and cleanse your soul, your name will be found in the Book of Life and you will escape the lake of fire," he said.
In Revelation 20:14, the Bible states that the lake of fire is the "second death". Hell is so horrific that God, out of His love for mankind, gave His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross just to save them from it. All a person has to do is to accept Him as his Lord and Savior.
Delzell pointed out the relevance of repentance from sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to gain salvation.
He urged the people to come to Jesus and repent from their sins immediately, cautioning them that waiting for another time might be too late for them.
Further, he encouraged them to pray and ask the Holy Spirit for conviction of their sins and their need for Jesus as Savior.
He stressed that Jesus is their only hope and refusing to call on Him will lead them into paying their sins in hell. He added that God is just being patient, not wanting anyone to perish, as written in 2 Peter 3:9.
Toward the end of his article, the pastor repeated his plea for people to repent of their sins and turn to Jesus for forgiveness, reiterating the warning in Revelation 20:15, which states that those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will be thrown into the lake of fire.
"You can turn away from sin today as you pray these words in faith: 'Wash me Jesus in your precious blood.' God will change your life forever," Delzell concluded.
