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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s Word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. Here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calvaryoftampa.org. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s message will be a blessing to you and your family.

This is Jesus speaking to His disciples. He said, let not your heart be troubled. He believed in God, believe also in me. And my father’s house are many mansions, but we’re not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a state of mind for you. So what it says? I go to prepare a place for you. Heaven, mansion, whatever it is, it’s not a state of mind, it’s a literal place. Now Jesus was literally here. Jesus literally taught, and He said many wonderful things.

The Bible says that he was perfect means he can make no mistakes. Whatever he spoke would have to be the truth. He makes this statement and you ought to underline this there in verse 2. If it were not so, I would have told you if it wasn’t true I ought to told you. So what he does teach us, we are supposed to believe it is true. Jesus is the truth. And so the Bible is true. The teachings concerning heaven, they’re true.

He says, I go to prepare a place for you that where I am, there you may be also. And you have to know and understand and believe this is talking about another life. It’s talking about someplace other than the earth. It’s just talking about after you’re dead. I go to prepare a place for you. Now, the thing I want you to dwell upon as I go through some things this morning is the statement that he made. If it were not true, I would have told you if it wasn’t true.

Take your Bible and turn to the book of Revelation in chapter 22, the book of Revelation in chapter 22. Because we cannot see past this life. If it wasn’t for the Bible, there’s so much that you and I would not know. We wouldn’t really know what happens to a loved one when they die. You really don’t know if it wasn’t for the Bible. You can imagine, you can guess, but you can’t prove anything. Because you can’t go to the other side and come back.

You don’t know what happens. That’s why a lot of people because they can’t see. They just simply say the grave ends it all. Where you going to die to the grave? They’re going to put me six feet under and that’s all there is to it. Boy, how many times I’ve Bei. How many times I’ve heard? I’m telling Notwithstanding, I said, how do you know that’s true? Have you ever done it before? I said, Smarty. As one guy said, where are you going to go in your diet?

He says that’s where he’s going to be buried. I mean, after you leave the body, where are you going to go? He said, I don’t believe I’m going anywhere. He says, that’s all there is to it. Because you can’t see any further. You can’t see God. You can’t see heaven. can’t see hell. And yet you and I are asked to live our whole lives down here as though it’s true. Wouldn’t you want some proof of something? I mean, prove it?

Well, see, that’s what Christ did. Him being here, just the person being here, is the proof that the world needed, that everything He said was true. It was all prophesied, written about in advance, And he comes as a man and was born at the right place, at the right time, lived the right way, and died. Everything about him, all written in advance. Can you do that? Did you determine where you were going to be born and how you’re going to be born?

And you can’t determine anything. But all this was written about him before he ever showed up. And then the prophecies concerning things that are yet going to happen. And isn’t it amazing that of all the nations in the world it describes the one nation, the only nation that’s ever been cast out of their land and gone away for 2,000 years and come back and become established. There ain’t no other nation done it, but this nation did Israel. Coincidence, call of that if you want.

The Bible makes so many statements and it’s true. Look there in chapter 22. Chapter 22 and look in verse 11. In verse 11, says, He that is unjust, let Him be unjust still. You say, for how long, eternity? He, which is filthy, let Him be filthy still, for how long, eternity? He that is righteous, let Him be righteous still, for how long, eternity? He that is holy, let Him be holy still, for how long, eternity? at the end of life.

When you die, how you die saved or lost, you will be for eternity. If you die lost, you’ll be lost for how long? Eternity. If you die saved, you’ll be saved for how long? Eternity. However you die, that’s how you’re going to be from now on. And the Lord says that in verse 12, behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me. He’s going to reward those who have trusted Him as Savior and decided to serve Him because you’re rewarded according to your work.

See there in last part of verse 12? To give every man according as his work shall be. See salvation going to heaven that’s free. That’s because of what he did. That’s his work. It gives us eternal life as a gift. But he’s going to reward you according to your work. You say, well I ain’t working for the Lord. Okay, and then no rewards. But you don’t know until you get to heaven to see what it has really cost you.

That’s why he says, if it weren’t true, I’d have told you. But this is true and you’re supposed to believe it. You know what I wish I could do, but I can’t do. I wish I could make people believe. I wish I could make people believe. I can’t make people believe. I can’t make people see. I can’t make people hear. I can only proclaim and then it’s up to the individual to do whatever they want with that knowledge. I don’t try to make anybody do anything.

I like the sign, the sign that I saw about catching fish, you know. Concerned to learn. You catch him and he’ll clean him. I don’t mind catching the fish. I’ll let the Lord clean the fish. I don’t try to clean up people’s lives. You can clean up your life and nobody can stop you. And you can decide to live as ungodly as you want and nobody can stop you. At least not me. I’m not going to try to stop any person from living ungodly like you live as young God as you want to.

I’ll try to talk to you do it the best again, but physically I’m not going to do anything to you. I’m not going to take a nail you down and handcuff you and whoop you and all that. No, I ain’t going to do nothing to you. That’s God’s job and I believe he’ll do a pretty good job. Now look in Revelation 21. Revelation chapter 21 I want to look in verse 8 and notice what he says. If it weren’t true, it shouldn’t have been put in the Bible.

Think for a moment. If it wasn’t for the Bible, what would you know about hell? Would you know that there is even a place called hell, not without the Bible? It’s the book that tells you that there’s a hell. Now, if it wasn’t true, he shouldn’t have said so. True? There is no hell he should have said. There is no hell. Can you find one verse in the Bible that says there is no hell? But you can find a lot of verses in the Bible that says there is.

So the Jehovah’s Witnesses that teach there is no hell, they’re a joke. They’re not speaking the truth. They’re not quoting the Bible correctly. It’s because they personally, they don’t want to believe there’s a hell. There’s a lot of people don’t want to believe that there is a hell. They don’t want to face the issue. I got news for you. There is one. If it wasn’t so, he would have said so. the one that planted those truths in the Word, put those thoughts in our minds.

And it makes the statement of verse 8, but the fearful and unbelievable murders, hormones, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with what? Fire and brimstone. Now does the Bible teach that unbelievers and liars and murders and hormones and all the… that’s hit. lake of fire. But remember, all this that’s mentioned in verse 8, those are all the references to the flesh, the first birth. But sometimes people don’t understand if it just said flesh, but let them list those sins.

In other words, if you have sinned, you are in danger of eternal hell fire. So how many people are in danger of eternal hell fire? Everybody, until they What? The deal they trust Christ is their Savior. And a person who trusts Christ as Savior, then he doesn’t have to worry about that. He’s not going to go there. Only those who have been born the first time without the second birth. See, if you’re born twice, you only die once, but if you’re born once, you die twice.

The second death means that you’re separated from your body. That’s the first death. And to be separated from God, that’s the second death. That’s why this is called the second death. Eternal separation from God. from God. If your wife was to die right now, that’s one death. She has been separated from her body. Second death is when she’s separated from God, if she hasn’t trusted Christ. So a person who’s been born twice can only die once. But a person that’s been born once will die twice.

You can think about that for a while. Look at her also in Revelation chapter 20. Look at their inverse 10. I’m going backwards just a little bit, but I want you to understand If it wasn’t so, He would have told you. If it wasn’t true, He would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. If it wasn’t so, I would have told you. It is so. It is true. And what He has told us is the truth.

There is a hell. and says in verse 20, and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire, a lake of fire. I want you to think for a moment. How many in this room have ever experienced pain? Let me see here. You’ve experienced pain. Now, if there is a wonderful kind loving God, would He allow you to experience pain? There’s Jehovah’s witnesses knock at your door if God really loved you. He wouldn’t allow you to suffer pain and hell.

Well if this wonderful kind love in God wouldn’t let you suffer in hell for eternity. Why does He let you suffer pain temporarily? The difference between Christianity and the religion of Islam is if we don’t believe what they teach, their God told them to kill us. Christianity tells us that if they don’t believe what we teach, we’re to love them. Is there a difference? There’s a difference. We’re to love them anyway. Looking at the last part of verse 10, where the beasts and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for how long?

Forever and ever. There’s people who won’t believe that. Also look there in verse 15. Verse 15 of Revelation chapter 20, just look at this and whosoever was not found written in the book of life, cast into the lake of fire. Cast into what? A lake of fire. Whose name was not written the book of life. Now look up here just a moment. This is what I believe. When you’re born into the world the first time, at first birth there is the flesh birth.

When you trust Christ as your Savior there’s a spiritual birth to a different birth. This one, the flesh birth, your first birth is the book of the living. And you can be cast out of the book of the living. But whatever you do as a person in the first birth is recorded in a book. And you’re going to be rewarded according to your works, the works of the flesh and God’s going to render to every man according to his works.

You trust Christ as your Savior’s, your name’s written in the Lamb’s book of life. The Lamb’s book of life is the second birth and as you as a Christian serve the Lord, when you stand before the Lord, He’s going to reward you according to your works as a believer. This one is a lost, saved. Two different books. When you read there in verse 12 and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God and the books were open and another book was open, which is the book of life.

The dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. So you have books that were open and everybody in verse 15, a 15 that was not in the lands book of life or the book of life was cast to the lake of fire. See, when man died it’s lost. If he hasn’t trusted Christ as his Savior, his name is not recorded in the book of life, because he never trusts the Lord.

So whosoever’s name is not recorded in the Lamb’s book of life is cast where? Into the lake of fire. That burn it with fire and brimstone. Eternal torment forever and ever. You need to understand it. Believe that. Don’t get so caught up with the affairs of life that you lose sight of them. See Jesus said this, if it wasn’t so, I told you. But since He did teach this… And he spoke more on hell than he ever spoke on heaven.

It must be true. It must be true. Look in Revelation chapter 14. Revelation in chapter 14 verse 11. Now notice this in verse 11 and the smoke of their torment ascended up forever and ever have no rest day nor night. Now we’re not talking about smoke. We’re talking about the people. And it says, and they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name, because this is talking about doing the tribulation period that’s coming up on the earth.

And people are going to receive a mark of the last world government, whether on the forehead or on the back of their hand. And he says that these people, and we’re talking about people that they are going to have no rest day or night for how long? Forever. Now look there in verse 10, verse 10. The same shall drink of the wind of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation, and he shall be tormented, tormented with fire and brimstone.

In other words like hot, molten lava. You say, whenever you get the hell, you know, we’ll all see each other down there, you know, the lost people. They’ll see each other. Hey, there’s John over there. Hey, there’s Susie over there. Hey, how y’all done? Why don’t we take up them off from their air-condition this place? The Bible says it’s a lonely place. The Bible says there is no light there, no light. The Bible says there is like wandering stars in the midst of blackness forever.

Total blackness, no light, see nothing, no more, no light.” See, where does it say that? I knew you’d ask that. Look at Jude, we’ll be back there in a minute. And notice what he says here. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the Holy Angel and the presence of the Lamb, smoke of their tormented, send it up forever and forever. I read this to a man one day and I said, this is a picture of hell.

He says, it is not. There is no hell. I said, what is it? He says, it’s just a picture. I said, a picture of what? It’s just a picture. I said, a picture of what? Is it in your Bible? If you, when you opened your Bible, did you find Luke chapter 16? Is it in your Bible? Look there in verse 19, see if it’s in your Bible. There was a certain rich man which was clothed in purple and fine linen, fared sumptuously every day.

There was a certain beggar named Yankee which was laid as a gate full of sores. No name Lazarus. So we’re talking a story here about a rich man and a poor man. So we know that rich people go to hell and poor people go to heaven, right? No, that’s not the point of the story. In verse 21, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table, more over the dog. That was the name of the dog, more over the dog.

He came in and licked his sword. So we know that he was a poor man. He laid at the rich man’s gate. He had swords, all over his body, and the dogs would come and lick his source. How would you like to be Lazarus? You wouldn’t like to be Lazarus? You know, would you rather be the rich man? Come on now. You don’t want to be the rich man. You don’t want to be the poor man. Which man do you want to be?

Lazarus, though he was poor, for food, sores on his body, probably had nothing, but he was a saved man. He was a saved man. Why would God let a saved man be like this? You know I read a verse one time in the book of Psalms and it kind of made me feel good for a moment where David made the statement, I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed. begging bread, and I thought, well, David might not have saw it, but Lazarus did.

Lazarus was a saved man, begging for bread. And did God see him? Did God see this man begging bread? Did God see him with the sores? Did God know that the dogs were licking his sores? God know that this man had nothing and was begging outside of or Richmond did God see all of that and let it happen anyway, didn’t he? But he always knows it’s temporary. And now this man dies. The rich man both died. One saved, one lost.

Who is telling this story? Jesus is. Jesus is telling the story. And now, now if it’s not real, if it’s not true, he should have what? He should have told us. But he says a certain man, that’s not a parable. When he gives the name, that’s not a parable. You see, I read a lot of the parables. in the Bible. And it talks about the kingdom of heaven is as a man that does this and so forth, and they’re parables in the description.

That’s a parable. Now you read this and see if you found the word parable mentioned, not a parable. This is true. He said, well it’s just a picture, okay, if it’s just a picture, what is it a picture of? Of two people who died and went somewhere. true. And one was in total comfort, total bliss, and the other one was in torment. And look what he says there. In verse 23, and after waiting in the ground for centuries and centuries and a state of soul sleep, is that what he said?

No. And in hell, he lift up his, I know it’s a very moment, He died. Vermon, you die. You’re another place. And let me tell you this. Anybody who dies, if you died, means you left your body. A doctor may revive an individual that thinks dead, but once you leave your body, no doctor, nobody can bring you back. You’re gone. They can only revive a person because the person’s not gone yet. But when you’ve really died, you’re no longer there.

No doctor can reach out into space and get ahold of your spirit and put it back into your body. Well, I know this person was dead for 15 minutes. No, there was somebody they thought was dead for 15 minutes and they revived them. And there’s people they drug out of a water and they pump their stomach out and they revive. What? Dead. When you’re dead, you’re dead. No doctors bringing you back. So how do you know that? Go about a book.

Don’t go about nothing else. Trust the Bible. You’ll be so safe. But it makes the statement here in verse 23 and in hell, he lift up his eyes being and what? Now, who’s telling the story in Jesus? He’s telling a story about a man who died and is in No, wait a minute. If that’s not true, he should have said so, or would have been better off not to said it at all if it ain’t true. Why would he tell this story to make us think something that wasn’t true?

Well, unless it is true, unless it’s true. Aren’t you glad you trusted Christ as your Savior and you have eternal life and you’re going to heaven and you’re going to heaven and you’re going to, aren’t you glad? You know there’s a lot of other people who love me just as glad as you. I just talk to them. You get one here and you get one there, but talk to them. But he makes a statement and he says, Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.

He cried and says, 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. What’s those words? Torminate. Tormented in this flame. And this isn’t even the permanent hell. This is just a temporary holding tank until they have the great white throne judgment, then they’re cashing to the lake of fire, to the final Gahina. Take your Bible and look in the book of Jude, the book of Jude, right before the book of Revelation.

And notice this very quickly. He makes the statement here in verse 20, but ye belevered, building up yourselves on your most holy faith. Pray and end the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God. That means serving God in the center of his will because that’s what God would love for you to do. And it says in verse 22, and of some have compassion making a difference. And others save with fear. There’s two motives mentioned there, compassion of love and fear, pulling them out of the fire.

Now this is also mentioned the last part of verse 7 where he talks about suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Here he’s talking about pulling them out of the fire. In other words, as you look at the world, remember this and look at it this way, everybody’s on their way to hell. Everybody’s going to hell because all have sinned. All going to die. They’re all one to hell. And every person you win the Christ, you are pulled that person out of hell.

Everybody’s on their way to hell. And everyone that you win the Christ is like pulling them out of the fire. Pull them out of the fire. This is how I envision it and I picture this for the last 40 years. That’s why I like giving the gospel because I think, well, some man may walk in here, some woman, some little teenage or whatever, and I’ll give the gospel and I’m pulling that person out of the fire. And I care.

And that’s why I want to make the gospel as simple as clear as I can because I’m not interested in impressing some grown-up adult. I’m interested in the person who can just simply understand the basic knowledge that I’m interested in. of a truth because if it wasn’t so he should have said so. I believe that there is a hell and I want to make a difference. That’s why I want you to give the mission so we can support missionaries so that they can make a difference.

I want you to make a difference on your job. I want you to make a difference with your relatives. You may be the only link between somebody that’s going to hell. You say well I’m afraid of chasing my way. Where are they going if you don’t. We’re going to chase them too. Well, I’m afraid of chasing them away. They’re already on the way to hell. Where else are you going to chase them to? A poor presentation of the gospel is better than no presentation of the gospel.

Let God use you to reach people and look for opportunities. This hand, hand represents Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. He came into the world because He loves us. He hates our sin because our sin separates us from him. So Christ took the sin, paid for it on the cross, came back from the dead. And God said that if we would believe that He did it for us, He would give us as a free gift. Everlasting life we will go to heaven on what He did for us.

Now if you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, I urge you to do so. You cannot earn eternal life. You can’t work for it. This Celtch can’t save you. This preacher can’t save you. But Jesus Christ can. Let’s pray, shall we? With every head bowed and every eye closed, no one looking around. If you have not accepted Christ as your Savior, believe this, God does love you. He wants you to have eternal life. He wants you to go to heaven.

But He doesn’t force you. He will let you make that decision. He’ll let you suffer the consequences of the wrong decision and allow you to enjoy the wonderful bliss of making the right decision. I can’t make it for you, no one else can, but I pray that you will be wise enough to realize there’s no tricks to this, there’s no gimmicks. I’m not going to have you forward, not going to embarrass you, but right where you’re sitting. So yes, I’ll trust Christ as my Savior, and preach I like you to pray for me.

Would you just slip your hand very quickly and put it right back down? If you’ve never done it before, we’d do it right now. So yes, I’ll trust Christ as my Savior, and I like you to pray for me. Our Father, we do thank You so much for Your blessings to us. I pray Lord for wisdom and the things that are said and helped me to warn as I should. And Father, to have a balance in the things that are taught to be wise.

Help me be a blessing in Christ name I pray. Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that You were blessed by today’s message. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bible line and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll free 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to hear today’s program again or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage.

If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Life broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arden. Friend, one day it will happen, the trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Hot up to meet the Lord in the air.

So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.