that thing figured out. If I count three seconds from there to there holding the button down, it's supposed to be at the green spot, but it didn't happen that time. But we'll figure it out one of these days. Take your Bible, if you wouldn't, and turn to Luke chapter 16. This morning we're going to speak a little bit about why we do what we do. And, I mean, this is the bottom line. I love getting to the bottom line of things. I love to get things the simplest. And, you know, one of the secrets of preaching or teaching, especially to kids, is the ability to take something complex and then bring it right down to something that's absolutely simple. And I want to try to do that this morning as far as why we do what we do. And that's why we're looking at Luke chapter 16 this morning. Are we all there? Father, we come to You this morning and we are thankful that we can be in church. We're thankful for the freedom that we have to be able to assemble, to exercise our speech and our religion. And we thank You for men that have sacrificed their lives that we might be able to do this. We thank You for You who sacrificed Your life that we might have eternal life, that we can sit here and worship the Creator of the universe and have a relationship with the wonderful God. Lord, I pray this morning that You would help us to see some things from Thy Word. Father, I pray that You would help us to understand. I pray also, Lord, that our eyes might be opened a little more as far as the plight of the wicked are concerned. and the need to preach, and the need to witness. Lord, I pray this morning you take this piece of dirt, stand behind this pulpit, and me and my flesh dwells no good thing, and without you I can't do anything. And I believe that. And so Father, I pray this morning that you would fill this clay vessel with your Spirit. Because we don't need to hear from the clay vessel, we need to hear from your Spirit. And Lord, I pray you'd move up and down these aisles, stand behind this pew, this pulpit. And Lord, I pray that you would minister to us. And Lord, if you could, if you would, create more of a burden in our hearts for those people that don't know you as their Savior. And Lord, we'll thank you for it in Christ's name. Amen. Luke chapter 16, we'll start at verse 19. Very familiar text, if you read your Bible. Very familiar text. and often misunderstood, but very familiar. Starting at verse 19, the Bible says, and desiring to be fed with crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried, and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember thou that in thy lifetime receivest thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things. But now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. Beside all this, between us and you, there is a great gulf fixed, so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldst 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. Abraham said unto him, They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. He said, Nay, father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto them, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither be they persuaded, though one rose from the dead. You know, in our society today there are some things that people absolutely hate about Christianity. They hate the fact that they call it the exclusivity of Christianity. They just hate the idea that you Christians think you're right and nobody else is right. Well, that's true of the atheists too, right? That's true of the Mormons too, correct? But we are the ones that seem to get labeled with that. You know, you think you're right and everybody else… That's one of the things people despise about Christianity. They despise about the fact that we say that Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh. The world can handle a great teacher. The world can handle another prophet. But the idea of Jesus Christ being God manifest in the flesh, the God that created the universe, the God that will sit on the great white throne, they have a problem with that. And thirdly, they have a problem with this concept of an eternal damnation, eternal hell. They don't like the idea of having to suffer for their sins. They don't like the idea of that eternal damnation being eternal. How could God let that go on forever? So this is a subject that is quite controversial. So we're going to look this morning from the Bible to see just exactly what the Bible says about this. In May of 2001, and a survey has been taken throughout the years, but May of 2001, 71% of the people believed in a literal hell. 13% were not sure, 15% don't believe. By 2004, 71% did not believe. 12% were not sure. 17% said they didn't believe. May of 2007, 69% believe in hell. 8% were not sure. 22% don't believe. And that's the direction it's going. And even in the seminaries, A survey was conducted in 1981, 50% of the theology faculty in various seminaries did not believe in the existence of hell, 61% Roman Catholic, 34% Protestant. Another survey was done in the mid-1980s of the American Evangelical College and seminary students that revealed that one in ten believed that the first step in influencing unbelievers for Christ should be to warn about hell. Forty-six percent of the seminary students believed that to emphasize to nonbelievers that eternal judgment would be the consequence of rejecting Christ was in poor taste. And so there we are. This is the society that we live in. And honestly, it's not something that is preached about that often. It's not something you like to bring up. I've preached in street corners throughout this country, and I have said with apology, I'm sorry it has to be this way. I'm sorry there has to be a judgment for sin, but that's the way it is. And let's look at some things this morning. Luke chapter 16, by the way, is not a parable. The Jehovah's Witnesses will say, well, it's just a parable, and then they give their interpretation, which is just out of this world. But it's not a parable. For one thing, in a parable you don't have specific names. Here we have a specific man by the name of Lazarus. This place, as you read it, is treated like a real place. That rich man is treated like a real person. That's the phenomenal thing when you read this particular account in Luke 16. Jesus mentioned Lazarus and He mentioned the rich man and He said, Lazarus was laid at the rich man's gate. There were people within the sound of His voice, I'm sure, that knew who Lazarus was, knew where Lazarus was laid, and knew who the rich man was that Jesus was talking about. This text is not in the normal form of a parable. Usually when a parable is given there's an introduction, there's an analogy, and then there's an application. Not in this case. It doesn't use the principle of comparison. Most parables, the kingdom of heaven is like unto, or the kingdom of God is like unto. That doesn't set up this way. This is a historical story. And usually there are not long discussions in a parable. So this is not a parable. This is a true actual story. When you read Luke 16 starting at verse 19, look at it this way. It's like a newspaper giving a report. What I'd like to discuss this morning is the doctrine of hell. There's a lot of ways you can approach this. There's a lot of things about it. I believe you should understand what the Bible teaches about it before you do anything else. I've heard some great messages, some emotional messages on the subject. I think we need to understand it first before we can get emotional about it. Charles Spurgeon, if I remember correctly, in his ministry, for Sunday school, he would teach the text And in the service he would preach the same text. And he believed this. He said, I can't preach it until I've taught it. I can't try to influence and persuade people about it until they actually understand what it is. So that's what we want to do this morning. We want to look at the doctrine of this thing and see exactly what the Bible teaches. So take your bobby wood and turn to Matthew chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12. Let's start there. Matthew chapter 12, and in Matthew chapter 12 toward the end of the chapter, Jesus is having another discussion with the Jewish leaders. They wanted a sign. In verse 38 of Matthew chapter 12, it says, And certain of the scribes and the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. Give us a show. And it's like, where have you guys been? I've been healing people, there are dead people that are alive, blind people that are seeing, where have you been? And they said, we want a sign. And so in verse 39 it said, But he answered and said unto them, An evil, adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of the prophet Jonas, or Jonah. And then he says in verse 40, whereas Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights, now notice the phrase, in the heart of the earth. Three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Now I've studied a little bit about the life of Jesus and I don't see any time in His life when He would have been in the heart of the earth other than between the crucifixion and the resurrection. That's when he would have had that time in the heart of the earth. And notice he says, in the heart of the earth. It's not somewhere on the surface of the earth. If I have a ball of something in the heart of this ball, you wouldn't be looking on the surface, you'd be wanting to go inside and see inside that thing. So we're not talking about some place on the surface of the earth, we're talking some place in the center, the heart of the earth. So keep that in mind. There was coming a time, Jesus said, when the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Now go to Ephesians chapter 4. Ephesians chapter 4. Paul is speaking in Ephesians chapter 4 and he is going to be quoting Psalm 68. But Ephesians chapter 4 in verse 8 he says this, Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. So we'll talk about that leading captivity captive here in just a little bit. But notice it says, when He ascended up on high. When did He ascend up on high? Forty days after He rose from the dead, correct? From the Mount of Olives. Now if you look at verses 9 and verse 10, you'll notice that they have parentheses. That's called a parenthetical insert. In other words, here's a thought that's kind of different, but goes along with it. It's kind of a side thought. In verse 9 it says, now that He ascended, And when we talk about the word ascended, ascending is, here's the point here, and I'm taking a movement this way. That would be ascension, okay? It says, now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended? So here's the point again, ascension is this way, descending is this way. If the point is the heart of the earth, he ascends off the earth in the Mount of Olives, but he descended first this direction. And Paul says this, What is it but that they also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? Now He doesn't call it the heart of the earth like Jesus did. He called it the lower parts of the earth. And notice He says lower parts, that's plural. At least two parts. So when Jesus Christ died, He descended His terminology into the heart of the earth, Paul's terminology into the lower parts of the earth. And that's why when you read Luke chapter 16 there are two parts. There's Abraham's bosom. Remember this is before the cross. Abraham's bosom and a place of torment with a gulf between the two. So we have the heart of the earth. We have the lower parts of the earth. But we haven't named it yet. Go to Acts chapter 2. In Acts chapter 2 it's going to get named. Acts 2, Peter is preaching one of his great messages in Acts 2. He's got the keys. He's opening up the door of the gospel. Acts 2, verse 27, and he's quoting the psalmist. But in Acts 2 in verse 27 he says this in reference to Christ, "...because thou wilt not leave my soul in," and he doesn't say the heart of the earth, he doesn't say the lower parts of the earth, he says hell. "...neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption." What's he talking about? Well if you drop down to verse 31 he's talking about the resurrection. The Holy One's body did not see corruption in those three days in the grave. But his soul spent three days on the earth, in the lower parts of the earth, in a place Peter called hell. Now, go to Psalm 16 and verse 10. In Psalm 16 and verse 10, this is what Peter is quoting, it's almost verbatim. Psalm 16 and verse 10, this is a messianic psalm. So what's a messianic psalm? Any psalm that refers to the Messiah. There are quite a few of them in the book of Psalms. Psalm 22 is a beautiful messianic psalm. Psalm 16, verse 10, it says this, For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to seek corruption. Almost verbatim. Peter is quoting that when he's preaching in Acts chapter 2. Now here's what's interesting. If you didn't know what the Hebrew word for hell was in the book of Psalms, we know the Old Testament is primarily written in Hebrew. There was some Syriac in there, but primarily written in Hebrew. If you didn't know what the Hebrew word was for hell, and if you didn't know what the Greek word was for hell in the New Testament, what you would know is this, that whatever the words are, they're referring to the same place. And they're referring to the same place which is in the heart of the earth and in the lower parts of the earth. You know, if the Jehovah's Witnesses would put those four verses together, they would leave the kingdom hall and join a good Baptist church. They just can't manage to put the two together. They get caught up, you know, in the meaning of the Greek word and the Hebrew word, which they don't even get that right. Hebrew word is Sheol. The Greek word is Hades. By the way, it's actually pronounced Hades. But since everybody pronounces it incorrectly, that becomes the correction. So we say Hades. So what we have here is Jesus Christ going into the heart of the earth, into the lower parts of the earth, into a place that is called hell. Now you say, preacher, do you believe Jesus died and went to hell? Here's what it is. That heart of the earth, those lower parts of the earth, that whole underworld was referred to as hell. The word hell, we go back and do the study of the English word hell. The word hell means a covered place or a concealed place. That's the meaning of the word. The roofers in the Middle Ages were called hellers because they put a covering on buildings. I was in that trade 25 years. I'm thinking that's a perfect term for those guys. Hellers, I mean that fits your roofers just to a T. We have the word helmet. Helmet, a covering for our head. So the word hell actually means a covered place or a concealed place. And yet we know from other texts that there is part of that place which is a place of torment. You say, Preacher, I don't get that. Okay, if I told you I'm going to New York, Some of you would think, wow, he's going to see the Empire State Building, get on the Staten Ferry, see the Statue of Liberty, see the World Trade Center Memorial and all that, the Times Square, and then I say I'm going to go to Rochester, New York. One is a general statement as far as the state, but then the city is a specific place. When we talk about hell being in the heart of the earth, that's a general statement for the underworld. But there is a specific place, which is a place of torment, which we get that from Luke chapter 16. I also do not believe, and there are some that do, and if this is what you believe, you know, help yourself and all that. I do not believe Jesus Christ had to go into the torment part of hell to continue to pay for our sins. I don't believe that. I know those guys that teach that. I don't believe that. I don't believe that because on the cross Jesus says, it is finished. What do you think that meant? I think it meant I was finished. Sins were paid for. His life wasn't finished because after that he's going to say, I thirst and Father into thy hands I commend my spirit. But when he said it is finished, he said sins are paid for. When he went into the heart of the earth, he's going in there as the victor. He's triumphing over those forces that are there. He's letting everybody know, hey, we won. Sins are paid for. And by the way, when Jesus died, He said, Father into Thy hands I commend my spirit. We know Joseph of Arimathea with the help of Nicodemus took his body to a tomb. His soul went in the heart of the earth. On that third day everything came together. But when he went into the heart of the earth, he preached according to 1 Peter chapter 3. He had some preaching to do when he was down there. And he also led captivity captive. We read about that in Ephesians chapter 4. There were people in Abraham's bosom, what we would call paradise. They were believers, but they had to go there. They couldn't go directly to heaven because he had not died and offered the supreme sacrifice for the sins of the world. Once that was done, could lead captivity out of there. So I don't believe Jesus Christ went to the place of torment in the heart of the earth. I do know where He went. Go to Luke 23. We know where He went after He died. Luke 23. Luke 23, Jesus is on the cross. He's nailed with two malefactors or two thieves. They are railing on him as this thing starts along with everybody else. But somewhere in that process, one of these thieves had a change of heart. Look at verse 39. One of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us. So he's still at it. Verse 40. But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? This one thief suddenly has a change of heart. We call that repentance. A change of heart that leads to a change of action. So he says to that other guy, why don't you shut up? We're getting what we deserve, but this man, he hasn't done anything wrong. So he's repenting. He says in verse 41, and we indeed justly, he said, we're getting what we deserve justly. For we receive the due reward of our deeds, but this man hath done nothing amiss. And by the way, when somebody is repentant, that's what they're going to feel, that's what they're going to say. When someone is repentant, and listen, don't tell me I've repented, I'm a Christian, and you're still blaming your family, you're still blaming society, you're still blaming the government, you're still blaming everything you can blame but yourself, don't tell me you've repented of your sin. Don't tell me you've got things right with God. Listen, somebody getting right with God says, it's me, it's me, it's me, oh Lord. I'm the one that's guilty. That's a repentant person. And that's what this thief is saying. He said, we're getting what we deserve. And then he looks toward Jesus. In verse 42, and he said unto Jesus, and this is amazing when you just stop and think about it. It blows my mind every time I read it. He looks toward Jesus. Here's Jesus hanging on the cross, crown of thorns on his head, stripes of blood running down his face. He's been beaten almost beyond recognition. And that thief turns toward Jesus and says, Lord, Lord. He's looking by faith. But he goes beyond that. He says, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Coming into a kingdom? He's going to be dead in about three hours. So this thief must believe that even though Jesus is going to die, somehow he's going to come back and set up a kingdom. I think he kind of believes in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. But then look what Jesus says to him. Verse 43, And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Remember, He's going to the heart of the earth, the lower parts of the earth in a place called hell. But Jesus said, today thou shalt be with me in paradise. Now, unless you're a sadomasochist, you're not in the torment side. You were in Abraham's bosom, that place called paradise. That's where Jesus went. Now He may have stepped over the gulf and preached to the people that were there and explained everything to them and let them know why they're there. But His primary purpose was going to that paradise side because there are a bunch of other believers waiting for this day. And although it was a place of comfort, they're waiting for this day. Because here's what's going to happen. Take your Bible and turn if you would to 2 Chronicles chapter 12. There is going to be a change going on here. Jesus is going to move paradise from the heart of the earth. Look at 2 Corinthians 12. And by the way, 2 Corinthians 12 is kind of hard to really get a hold of until you've read the whole thing and realize Paul is referring to himself when he speaks about, I knew a man. He's referring to himself, but he's trying to keep himself humble. He's in the position where he doesn't want to say, boy, this is what I went through. He just tries to set himself out of the picture. Anyway, look at verse 2. Paul says, I knew a man in Christ about 14 years ago, whether in the body I cannot tell, or whether out of the body I cannot tell, God knoweth. So this is what we would call an out-of-the-body experience. Such a one caught up to the third heaven. So it says this guy was taken up to the third heaven. Now unless you're a Mormon there are only three heavens. There's the open firmament where the birdies fly around in. There's the outer space where the sun, the moon and the stars are. Ready for this? There's a massive body of water beyond that. Then there's the third heaven which is where God's throne is. Paul said, I knew such a man caught up to the third heaven. And then in verse 4, he says it again but names it, he says, he that was caught up into paradise. So the third heaven is now where paradise is. So, when Jesus Christ went into the heart of the earth, He took captivity captive in all of paradise. He took it out of the heart of the earth and took it up to the third heaven. Now, after the death of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of Christ, when a believer dies, we don't have to make the trip down to go up. When the believer dies, absent from the body, present with the Lord. We're right there with Jesus Christ. Prior to the cross it wasn't that way. They had to stay in the heart of the earth in paradise. But Jesus led captivity captive. That's where He went when He died. Now, there's another place. There's another place. Take your Bible and go to Isaiah chapter 34. Right now in the heart of the earth, since the believers in paradise were taken out, right now when we talk about hell, it can only mean a place of torment, not the earth. I know that there have been, you know, I've heard the accounts where the Russians have been drilling deep into the crust of the earth and what have you with a microphone on there and you could hear cries and screams and all that. I've heard the audio of that. You know, there is crying and there is screaming. You can hear it. I don't know what that's all about. Actually, I don't have to have the Russians verify it with a microphone. I've got a Bible that verifies it. But it is interesting. If we could drill right through the crust and into the mantle or whatever it is, we would end up getting into the heart of the earth to a place where people are being tormented. But there's another place, Luke chapter 34. And look at verse 1, let's set the context. He says, Come near ye nations to hear, and hearken ye people, that the earth here, and all that is therein, the world, and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies. So now this is kind of setting it being at the time of the Tribulation because it's a judgment on all the world, all the nations. If you look down at verse 4, And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, sound familiar? You read about that in Revelation. And it says, And the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll. Again, that's end of the tribulation stuff. All their hosts shall fall down. Revelation speaks about the stars falling. You're talking about a meteorite shower. And Jesus said, men's hearts will fail them for fear seeing what is coming upon this earth from the sky. So we're talking tribulation time here in Isaiah chapter 34. Look at verse 5, My sword shall be bathed in heaven, behold it shall come down on Idumea, and upon the people of my curse to judgment, the sword of the Lord is filled with blood. That's the second coming. That's Revelation 19. Verse 7, and the unicorns, say wait a minute preacher, unicorns, aren't there some creatures that are no longer in existence? What's the term for that? My brain is slipping me. Animals that once existed, extinct, extinct. The Bible talks about unicorns, how could that be? They're extinct. But you know what, you can go back in history and hear people describing them. Anyway, he says in verse 7, "...the unicorns shall come down with them, the bullocks with the bulls, their land shall be soaked with blood." How deep is the blood in Megiddo? To the horse's bridle? So we're talking about the end of the tribulation. Verse 8, For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion. So this is the end of the tribulation. This is Jesus Christ coming back with His armies from heaven. And then look at verse 9, And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, that's like liquid asphalt, the dust thereof into brimstone, molten rock, the land thereof shall become burning pitch, So there's part of this land that's going to be on fire. Verse 10, it shall not be quenched night nor day. The smoke thereof shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste. None shall pass through it forever. So somewhere at the end of the tribulation, somewhere in that area, the land will be on fire like burning pitch, hot asphalt. with smoke. Go to Isaiah chapter 66. We're not talking about the heart of the earth now. We're talking about someplace on the surface of the earth. Isaiah 66 and look at verse 23. And it's fitting that the last book of Isaiah, which matches the last book of Revelation, the last few verses of Isaiah, which matches the last few chapters of Revelation, would say this in verse 23. And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another, from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. When is that? That's during the millennium. Because the requirement during the millennium is for the nations that survive the tribulation, that survive the judgment of the sheep and goats that enter into the millennium, the requirement of those nations is that once a year they make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship Jesus Christ sitting on the throne. It shall come to pass, and from one new moon to another, one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me." So as they make the trip to Jerusalem, they will be able to see some place where there are carcasses of men. that failed to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look what he says in the rest of that verse. For their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be in a boring to all flesh. Sound familiar? Jesus said, Where the worm dieth not, the fire is not quenched. So as they head to Jerusalem, somewhere outside of Jerusalem, it may be in the valley of Megiddo, where Armageddon was fought. It may be in the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is always pictured hell in the New Testament. It's called Gehenna. It's somewhere in there. As these people make their pilgrimage to Jerusalem, they will look over and they will see this fire, this lake of fire, and they'll see carcasses of at least two men who would be the Antichrist and the False Prophet. It could also be the carcasses of those that received the mark of the beast during the tribulation time. They will look upon these men. They'll be an abhorring to all flesh. Go to Revelation chapter 19. Listen, you ought to read Revelation 19 any time you get depressed, any time you get discouraged, any time it seems like everybody is attacking me from everywhere. You ought to read it at the time you think, man, the devil is really pouring it on. You ought to read Revelation 19. You know what Revelation 19 is? The we win chapter of the Bible. I have, in the past, when things got really bad, I have read that chapter out loud to the devil. And no matter what's going on, I read that chapter out loud and say to him, we win. Revelation 19, great chapter. Revelation 19, look at verse 20. And the beast was taken, that's the Antichrist, which is not Donald Trump, and it's not Obama. Remember when Obama became president? Oh, he's the Antichrist. I'm thinking, the Antichrist needs a teleprompter? I don't think so. Anyway, verse 20. The beast was taken, with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. When does that take place? When Jesus Christ comes back. and He throws them not into the heart of the earth, but He throws them into that lake burning somewhere outside of Jerusalem that people will see as they make their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Now go to Revelation chapter 20. Revelation chapter 20 starts out with Satan being bound for a thousand years. They chain him up and they bind him for a thousand years. The millennial kingdom then gets into full swing. And by the way, during the millennium the earth is renovated. So, if the spotted owl can make it through the tribulation, he'll be in the millennium. And all the other endangered things, they'll be there. And the air pollution will be gone. And the Bible says the mountains will be knocked down, the valleys will be filled up. They'll blossom like roses in the desert, streams in the desert, stuff like that. The lion shall lie down with the sheep or what have you. A lion shall lay down with a lamb, a child shall play on the den of a poisonous serpent without having to worry about it. That's what the world will be like during the millennium and Jesus Christ is sitting on the throne. In verse 7 it says, When a thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and he shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog. The Russians have always been a sucker for him. to gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." So Satan gets loosed, they let him out, he goes around all the world and it seems like the Gogites and the Magogites again are the ones that fall for his lies the most. They have all kinds of people. You say, how can that be? I mean Jesus is sitting on the throne. Understand this, there will be people born during the millennium that have no idea of this life. All they know is we're born into this world. This is this guy sitting on the throne claiming to be God. That's all the world they'll know. And when Satan comes by, they'll fall for his lie. And he'll gather a large group of people up to try to overthrow Jesus Christ. And it's humorous. In verse 9 it says, And there went up on the breadth of the earth, and come past the camp of the saints, the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The Lord ain't messing around with them anymore. Boom! Fire comes down, their bodies are destroyed. Then look at verse 10. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, not were, are. A thousand years later they're still burning in this lake of fire. They're still conscious. They still exist. They didn't get burned up. And shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. So at the end of the millennium, before the great white throne judgment is set up, Satan is thrown in the lake of fire with the Antichrist, with the false prophet, with whoever else the Lord puts there. There is no death there. They will burn for eternity. Then after that, God destroys the heaven and the earth. Peter says it will melt with a fervent heat. So if you believe in the Big Bang, this is where it's going to happen. It didn't happen at the beginning, but it's happening right here. All the atoms will lose whatever it is that holds the nucleus together. That will be released in one great big nuclear explosion. And then all that will be brought back together eventually to create a new heaven and a new earth. But when the great white throne judgment of God is set up, there is no earth, there is no heaven as we know it. There will be a great white throne. Jesus Christ sits on that throne. We will judge with Him alongside that throne. The dead that were in the heart of the earth, and since there is no earth, They will be coming out of the heart of the earth and they will be resurrected. Jesus spoke of the resurrection of damnation. There will be a resurrection of the unbelievers so they will stand before Jesus Christ body, soul and spirit. But the amazing thing is stand on what? There is no earth so they are suspended before Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment. Look at Revelation 20 and verse 11. I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. The sea gave up the dead which were in them, which were in it. What does that mean? People that died at sea. Death and hell delivered up the dead within them, death being the grave, now the body is resurrected, and hell, the soul. So you have a resurrection of body and soul and spirit standing before God. Death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. They were judged, every man according to their works, and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. And this is the second death. Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. So when heaven and earth are destroyed, God's throne exists, His angels exist, His saints exist, the resurrection of the damned will stand before Him and the only other thing that will exist is this place called the Lake of Fire. And they will come one by one before Jesus Christ and make a defense for their unbelief and every one of them, every defense will be destroyed. He has a record of every opportunity every lost man has had to receive the gospel. Those that will stand up and say, why? I never heard, I never heard. And he'll say, you know what? I've got film of people putting a door hanger on your door that had a gospel track in it. You picked it off your doorknob, looked at it, cussed them out and threw it away. Don't tell me you didn't have the opportunity. And more than that. They're judged. Their name is found written in the Lamb's Book of Life. He says, Depart from me, you cursed and everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. And there they go into that place called the Lake of Fire. And that's the final place that the lost will end up. And there they burn for eternity. It's called eternal hell. The same word for eternal, by the way, is the same word for eternal heaven, eternal life. If their eternity ends, our eternity will end. but theirs will not end and ours will not end. You say, preacher, why did he do it that way? Okay. When a person dies right now, without Jesus Christ, they go to the heart of the earth. There, they await their time in court. They'll have their day in court at the great white throne judgment. when they're found guilty then they're taken to the final place of punishment. We do the same. I may be stepping out on a limb, but I imagine somebody in the Phoenix Mesa area last night committed a crime. I know that's stepping out on a limb. Might even have been a real bad one. Maybe somebody murdered somebody. Well listen, Mesa Police Department, Maricopa County, did not take them right to the penitentiary. They took them to the local county, local city jail. There they wait until they have their day in court. And unless you're O.J. Simpson, you're probably going to be found guilty. And then you're sentenced to go to whatever penitentiary it is around here you go. In Ohio, it's Lucasville. Lucasville, southern central Ohio. Lucasville is maximum security. The really bad guys are in Lucasville. So from Lucas County Jail in Toledo to the courthouse to Lucasville for their final time that they'll have to spend. The sinner dies without Jesus Christ. The heart of the earth is the local county jail. They wait there at least 1,007 years at this point. The Lord comes back right now. It will be another 1,007 years they are waiting for their day in court. They will get their day in court when they stand before Jesus Christ and the books are opened. And when they are found guilty, they are sentenced for eternity to the final penitentiary, the lake of fire. That's the doctrine of hell. Now take your Bible and go back to Luke 16. Why do we do what we do? Luke chapter 16. Look at verse 22. It came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels in Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried, and in hell he left up his eyes, being in torment. Why do we do what we do? Because people die, they're buried, and they lift up their eyes in hell in torment. That's why we do what we do. Simple bottom line reason this is why we do what we do. I mean, why do we spend the time printing covers for John and Romans and folding them, stapling them, cutting them, putting them in a bag, walking from door to door with signs that say, no soliciting, I found Jesus, I've got the good vacuum cleaner, I'm not voting this year. You know, why do we hang them on the doors? Because people die and are buried, and in hell they lift up their eyes being in torment. Why do we support those missionaries that are on the wall over there? Sending them money so they can go into various parts of the world and preach the gospel. Why do we do that? Because people die, they're buried, and in hell they lift up their eyes being in torment. That's why we do it. Why do we send the bus out to pick up the young people out of the different parts of this city and bring them in and have Johnny teach them? Brother John teach them the word of God and try to lead them to Christ. Why do we do that? As people die, they're buried, and in hell they lift up their eyes being in torment. Why do we have church? Is this a social club? I mean there's great fellowship here. Why do we have this church here? Gospel light. Why? Because people die. and they're buried, and in hell they lift up their eyes, being in torment. That's why we do what we do. That's the bottom line. We do all kinds of other stuff, but the bottom line is, unless somebody's changed the rules lately, people die, they're buried, and in hell they lift up their eyes, being in torment. keep that in focus. That's why we do what we do.