Hell

TNG Radio, where today's culture and timeless truths come together.

It's reasoned, relevant content apologetics, worldview, and answers to the questions that you need to know. From Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, welcome to Truth For A New Generation Radio. And now the man who preached in 50 states in 50 days, speaker, writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Dr. Alex McFarland. Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth, they that have done good to the resurrection of life and they that have done evil to the resurrection of damnation. That's John 5, 28 and 29.

Do you know who said that? Jesus. Jesus talked about hell. Jesus talked about heaven and how to get in, but Jesus talked about the subject of hell. In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and a number of places, the Lord talked about the afterlife for those that die in a state of sin and of rejection of God's offer of salvation. Hi, Alex McFarland here.

Welcome to the program. So glad to have you listening today, and I want to share some facts about what the Word of God and what Jesus, the Son of God, have to say about the afterlife. And this is probably a subject that you're not going to hear spoken on by many a preacher.

In fact, I would warrant that the vast majority of you probably who do go to church, you could go to church for years, maybe even decades, and you probably will not hear a sermon on the subject of hell. Let me give a quote by C.S. Lewis, because this is an uncomfortable topic, and part of the reason that I'm sharing this with you, I was on a blog site and I was reading some remarks from those in the healthcare field who have been dealing with people dying of COVID. This is a time in which the tragedy of COVID and the pandemic has really brought our own mortality to the forefront of a lot of people's thought. And there were a lot of doctors and nurses that were sharing experiences of the final moments of people dying and many of them dying of COVID.

It was interesting how common the themes are. Many, many, many people talk about in their final moments seeing angels in the room, seeing loved ones that had long since departed. In fact, there were a number of anecdotes of people who claimed to have seen relatives or loved ones come to welcome them on into eternity and yet these were people that the one in the hospital bed could not have known that this person had already died.

And yet they talked as if they were in the room and then there were a fair amount of anecdotes of nurses and palliative care workers who said the room became bright. And by the way, I want to talk about the subject of hell and the afterlife, but for those that are atheists, and I've talked with many atheists, you know, when we're doing apologetics, we do what I call a cumulative case apologetic. When you look at the Bible, the resurrection, the history, archaeology, science, mathematics, logic, philosophy, all of these added together make a pretty compelling case for the fact that we do live in a supernatural world. There is God and there is the afterlife, but I want to talk about the argument of religious experience. Just the accounts from the medical field alone should cause the naturalist, the materialist, the secularist, the atheist to think about the fact that goodness, are all of these accounts of religious experiences to be dismissed and for what basis? I mean you have credible people, medical doctors, medical professionals, PhDs, and I've interviewed literally hundreds, hundreds of PhDs from every imaginable field of discipline who talk about answered prayer, experiencing Jesus.

So all of these things together make a very compelling cumulative case for the Christian worldview. But I was reading on this blog site last night of all of these people who talk about seeing Jesus, seeing angels, but there were also a fair amount of accounts from medical professionals of people in their final moments who had horrifying accounts of the afterlife. Speaking of falling into the fires of hell, demons coming to carry them away, patients in their final moments that were not religious or even atheistic, crying help me, help me, they're coming to get me, things like that. Now we don't draw our conclusions about the afterlife merely based on human accounts because human accounts can be incorrect and the Bible warns us that even Satan can appear like an angel of light to deceive people.

So all of our convictions about the afterlife, heaven and hell, saved and lost, we must temper through the lens of scripture. But some of the accounts were very poignant because nurses said that, you know, I served in the military, in the service of my country, I killed people, will I go to heaven? Because as a soldier I killed people. Now this is another apologetics topic we've talked about many times about how the six commandments says thou shalt not murder. But murder and killing are not necessarily the same thing. A soldier engaged in the job of national defense.

A homeowner engaged in the act of self-defense. It might involve a killing, but that was not necessarily a murder because God gives to nations and individuals and to law enforcement officers, peacekeepers, Romans 13, one through seven, God gives to nations and individuals the right to self-defense. So this one nurse was writing about how a man was on his deathbed just weeks ago with COVID and he was a veteran and he wistfully, humbly asked the nurse, will I go up or down, meaning heaven or hell? And she said, you know, I'm not a minister, but you seem like a good man.

And tearfully in his final moments this man said, but I killed people back in World War II, I did things I don't even want to think about. And you know my heart goes out because this is why biblical worldview is so important. But when we come back I'm going to talk about what the Bible does say for hell regarding those that reject Jesus because there is a serious, very real warning in the pages of God's Word about the fate of the unredeemed, the lost, the unsaved. Heaven is real, but so is hell. And we know that for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is from the teachings of Christ himself.

So stay tuned. Alex McFarland here. We'll continue on this very important subject on today's edition of Truth for a New Generation, DNG Radio. The Apostle Peter wrote 1 Peter to remind us that Christians have true and lasting hope in their Savior, Jesus Christ.

Because Jesus conquered death in an incorruptible glorified body, we can be sure that our salvation has permanence as we walk through everyday life. The Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove presents Jesus Christ, Hope That Lives, Hope That Lasts for Every Believer, a special three-day seminar with Alex McFarland. Alex will dig into 1 Peter to help you gain truths to live by and assurance to keep going. Come to the Cove near Asheville, North Carolina, July 8 through 10, for three days of in-depth Bible study, fellowship, and refreshing. Jesus Christ, Hope That Lives, Hope That Lasts for Every Believer, a study of 1 Peter with Alex McFarland. Find out more and register at thecove.org. Have you ever wanted to raise your hand during a sermon?

Well, here's your chance. Hi, Alex McFarland here from the nationally syndicated radio program Exploring the Word. For more than 10 years, my cohost Bert Harper and I have taught Scripture and answered hundreds of Bible questions. We've compiled a brand new book of the top 100 Bible questions from listeners of all ages, from questions about supposed Bible contradictions to apologetics facts that prove the truths of Scripture. This new book features practical content that will make the Bible come alive for you.

Can we really be sure that God exists? Are there contradictions in the Bible? I need a book that will help me understand the Bible better. There's so much good content in this book.

100 Bible questions and answers published by Broad Street Publishers and available at your local bookstores and also through resources.afa.net. For apologetics resources, books by Alex McFarland, and to find out where Alex is speaking, visit alexmcfarland.com. Welcome back to the program. Alex McFarland here.

Thank you for listening. Our website, the newly designed alexmcfarland.com. I do want to remind you we've got some exciting things coming up. March 8th, 15th, and 22nd, we've got three television tapings in High Point, North Carolina, where we do our television program. I would like to invite you to come if you want to be a part of our studio audience.

Very special tapings, 6 to 7.30 p.m., so these are on three consecutive Tuesday evenings. Now, Tuesday evening, March 8, we have Will Graham in the studio, grandson of Billy Graham, phenomenal Christian communicator, author, in person, Tuesday night, March 8. Then Tuesday night, March 15, in person, in studio with us, David Barton, the famed historian, hands down the greatest expert on the religious history of America, David Barton, March 15, 6 to 7.30 p.m. And then finally on March 22nd, live in studio, Lauren Green of Fox News, just a beloved Christian figure and just one of the great journalists in our nation, Lauren Green. By the way, I don't know if you saw the recent story, how in Arizona, the Satanist clubs are fighting against child evangelism fellowship, CEF and the Good News Clubs. I saw Reece Kaufman in the news, the president of CEF. I've shared the podium with Reece Kaufman, a phenomenal Christian leader, talking about how the Satanist clubs are really attacking child evangelism fellowship.

Lauren Green of Fox News, who really broke the story nationally of the Satanists going after the Christian clubs in public schools, Lauren Green will be with us on Tuesday night, March 22nd. You can be there. We want to have a really good studio audience. So if you email us, just email me, alex at alexmcfarland.com. I and my staff will get these emails, alex at alexmcfarland.com.

If you want to come on Tuesday night, March 8 with Will Graham, Tuesday night, March 15 with David Barton, or Tuesday night, March 22 with Lauren Green of Fox News, email me alex at alexmcfarland.com and we'll tell you how you can be a part of the studio audience as we film our TV show. But the subject at hand, we're talking about the afterlife and hell. And before the break we talked about how Jesus warned of hell. Very famously in Luke 16 he talked about the rich man that died and went to hell. And I want to say this, good people don't go to heaven and bad people don't go to hell.

That's how we estimate, that's how we measure things as human beings. The Bible says that we're all born in sin. We inherit the guilt of Adam, then we do sinful things. We're sinners by birth, we're sinners by choice.

Now folks, it's wonderful news. The Bible talks about if you put your faith in Jesus, the Son of God, the perfect, sinless, righteous Son of God who gave his life on the cross, if you will trust what Jesus did on the cross, your sins can be washed away. But you're not merely in a state of innocence. If you're a believer, you have been declared righteous.

This is just wonderful. And folks, in the pantheon of world religions, this is absolutely unique. This concept that you're not merely washed clean and declared innocent. No in the eyes of God you are positively righteous.

Now, it's wonderful, Romans chapter 4, if you believe in Jesus, you are declared righteous. But let me say this, if you don't have Jesus, you have the unrighteousness of Adam. Because we are the children of Adam and Eve. We're part of the human race. We've descended. Even science says the human race came from a single male-female pair. Well the Bible says that's Adam and Eve, right?

Okay. We have the guilt of our father, Adam. Then we have the guilt of our own sinful deeds. We need redemption. We need forgiveness. We need to be saved. Now C.S. Lewis in his famous book, The Problem of Pain, was published in 1962, a year before he died. Great, great apologetics book.

C.S. Lewis said this, quote, �Some will not be redeemed. There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power. But hell, the doctrine that some go into eternity lost,� C.S. Lewis said, �it has the full support of scripture and especially of our Lord's own words. It has always been held by Christendom and it has the support of reason.� In other words, it's biblical, Jesus affirmed it, and it has the support of reason.

In other words, do we really believe in an afterlife where an Adolf Hitler or an Osama Bin Laden has the same afterlife of a Billy Graham or a Mother Teresa? Now here's what C.S. Lewis said, �In the long run, the answer to all those who object to the doctrine of hell is itself a question. What are you asking God to do?

To wipe away all their past sins and at all costs, give them a fresh start, smoothing out every difficulty and offering every miraculous help? But God has done this,� says Lewis on Calvary. Listen to this, �In all discussions of hell, we should keep steadily before our eyes, the possible damnation, not of our enemies nor of our friends, but of ourselves. This is not about your wife or son or about Nero or Judas.

It is about you and me,� says Lewis. �What have you done with Jesus?� Now the Bible, which is our authority on all matters regarding truth, says there is a hell for those that reject Jesus. Now if you ask many people what happens after a person dies, you'll discover a variety of responses just like the stories of the people on their deathbed from the medical community. But people are wondering about eternity. And even those who believe in heaven and hell very often give diverse answers, responses regarding how to get to heaven and what the afterlife is like. And many argue, even some Christians I've talked to or professed Christians, they'll say, �Well, who really knows?� Well, the person who really definitively knows about the afterlife is the person who has built their conclusions, convictions on what the Lord says and what the Bible says. When we come back, we're going to talk about this because you can know with certainty what the afterlife is like and how to be prepared. God wants you to be prepared. Stay tuned.

We'll continue after this brief break. TNG Radio Send your kids to a summer camp that will change their lives for the gospel and equip them to defend the faith. Truth for a New Generation presents the Unashamed Biblical Worldview Camp, Go Deeper with God at the Refuge Camp of Eastern North Carolina, July 17th through 22nd. Your 8th through 12th graders will hear from evangelist and apologist, Dr. Alex McFarland, as well as conference speakers, pro-family activists and radio hosts, Will and Miki Addison from American Family Radio, as they share with your kids ways to effectively engage and transform the culture. Campers will also enjoy swimming, canoeing, fishing, soccer, volleyball, archery, and a whole lot more. A great summer camp of fun and faith building, the TNG Unashamed Biblical Worldview Camp, July 17th through 27th at the Refuge Camp in Aiton, North Carolina.

To learn more and to register, visit alexmcfarland.com. Are you tired of liberal agendas ruining our country, but you don't know what to do about it? That's why Truth and Liberty Coalition was founded. We want to equip you to take back our country and impact the world. Here's how we do it. We educate through broadcasts, conferences, and our website with resources that inform, equip, and motivate. We unify by collaborating with like-minded organizations like the Family Research Council, the Family Policy Alliance, and My Faith Votes. We mobilize by providing practical tools you can use to impact your local community.

As Christians, we are called to make disciples of nations. Together we can change the course of our country for good. Join Truth and Liberty to connect with believers and organizations who not only want to see a change in our nation, but a community that is actually doing something about it. Join us online for our broadcast and subscribe for relevant updates on our website, truthandliberty.net. In the midst of a culture obsessed with relativism, Alex McFarland is a voice you can trust to speak the timeless truths of Christianity in a timely way. You're listening to Truth for a new generation radio. Welcome back to the program.

Alex McFarland here. Thanks for listening. Hey, we're going to continue our talk about eternity, the afterlife, and yes, hell. But I want to remind you that I'll be at the COVE, the Billy Graham Training Center in western North Carolina, July 8-10. It's going to be phenomenal. You can go to theCOVE.org, theCOVE.org, and register and attend. Also, our youth camp, it's going to be amazing. July 17-22, middle school, high school kids, they've got to be there because we're talking not only about what it means to know the Lord and be a disciple, we're talking about America and why we should care about our country, the U.S. Constitution.

And by the way, let me just say this. It costs us $91 a day. If you talk about staff, the program, the food, the activities, insurance, $91 a day to take a teenager to Christian camp. And so for this summer, I need to raise $91 a day times $420 if you talk about all the teens. So basically, 420 days of summer camp this summer times $91. Maybe you might feel led to underwrite your $91 tax-deductible gift will send a young person to camp.

And I'm there, Will and Miki Addison from AFA. Please, if you would pray about it, go to our website, AlexMcFarland.com. You may donate securely online, AlexMcFarland.com, or you can write to us, P.O. Box 485, Pleasant Garden, North Carolina, 27313. P.O.

Box 485, Pleasant Garden, North Carolina, 27313. And you can help us make a difference in the lives of young people for God and country. Well, the subject of hell and eternity. Even though the majority of people say they don't believe in hell anymore, the majority of pastors will never preach a message on hell. As we said, it's in the Bible. Christ affirmed it. Some of the greatest thinkers throughout history from C.S. Lewis to Billy Graham have obediently preached the gospel, and we're trying to obediently give this nation the full counsel of God.

Okay, let's reason through this together. Point A, the Bible is a book shown to be of supernatural origin by many compelling lines of evidence. Fulfill prophecy, the words of Christ. The Bible is not the word of man, but it is the word of God. The Bible, the word of God, teaches on the subject of hell.

Okay, the Bible is the word of God, and to disbelieve the Bible is to disbelieve God. The content of the Bible includes teachings about the reality of hell and the nature of hell. Therefore, hell is real, and it is the Christian's duty to accept what God has revealed about the subject through his word. Now, the Bible teaches that those in heaven will see God. Matthew 5-8, blessed are the pure in heart, they will see God. But the Bible also says that the souls in heaven and hell are everlasting. The souls in each are there forever. Yes, the saved will eternally experience God's grace and kindness. Ephesians 2-7, that into the ages, into the eons, we will know about the goodness and greatness and mercy and love of God.

But sadly, this is really unsettling to ponder. Everlastingly, the lost will realize the horrific darkness of the choice they made to reject God. That's why I would say to everyone listening, if you've never trusted Christ, do that today.

We often say this, Jesus is as close by as a prayer. And we have this life, this opportunity to call on the name of Christ and be saved, but after death there is no second chance. There is no second chance after death.

Please do not be misled. There is no reincarnation, there is no such thing as coming back and another life. There are no past lives, there is no second chance after death.

You have this life, and in this life you must respond to the light that you've been given. Now the Church has always, at least up until the affluent, arrogant hubris of 20th and 21st century Christians, we've always believed for 2,000 years what the Word of God says about sin, righteousness, salvation, morality, sexual ethics, gender. Friend, we are in a crisis of truth because many who profess to be believers are living wildly erratic lives, believing wildly eclectic, unbiblical, and sometimes even anti-biblical things. The earliest Christians took the Bible's descriptions of heaven and hell literally. Now 1 Corinthians 13, 12 talks about the fact that those in heaven will know each other in a state of love and absolute purity, but read Luke 16, those in hell are very cognizant of the horrific choice they made. And you think about this, the tragedy of eternally knowing you had the opportunity to turn to Christ and did not. And so oftentimes we think about the fires of hell, and yes the Bible says it is fire. Friend, I take that literally. Now I don't know, I have to believe it's a thousand times worse than human language can actually convey, but obviously the worst part of hell is going to be separated from God.

And we really don't know what that's like. I mean you think about it, in this world with all of the troubles and pains of this world, still wherever you are in this world you're in the presence of God and can call out to God. But I've tried to help many an atheist understand, we don't know what it is to be completely alienated from the presence of the Lord, and yet one minute after death, there's no turning back.

So friend, eternity is real, choose carefully. And right now Jesus Christ offers forgiveness. His resurrection proves that everything He taught about the afterlife is real. Jesus rose from the dead, that confirms the man and the message, who He was and what He taught. And Jesus Christ said, whoever turns to Him, He would receive. Have you turned to Christ?

Do you know the Lord? I close by reminding you, heaven, hell, or some utopia are not found in this world as many assume. And the saved in heaven are not just sitting on clouds forever strumming or plucking a gold harp. You're not going to get bored in heaven, nor will there be a party in hell. This is very, very serious. So let's know Christ, let's help others find Christ, and let's do our best with God's help and for God's glory to populate heaven and prevent those around us from going to hell. Thank you.