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The Other Side
When someone said to my friend, “See you in a year,” it sounded odd when he replied, “Yes, see you on the other side.” He meant that he’d see him on the other side of a one-year deployment for the US Navy. But because the phrase is often used of heaven, it made me think about the uncertainty of life. I wondered, Who will be here in another year? Who might by then be on the other side—in heaven?
What Jesus Says About Heaven And Hell And What That Means For Us
Listen to a parable that Jesus told. It is both sobering and fascinating. It is the only parable that Jesus gave us that has its major action on the other side of the grave. As you listen to the parable, what can you learn from it about life after death—especially for those who die apart from God. What do you learn about hell?
[Max McLean reads this story from Luke 16:19-25.]
There are sections of the Bible that I love to talk about. For example, I enjoy preaching on the parable of the prodigal son. It is the story of God’s kindness and grace to people who don’t deserve it. In that sense, it is my story. Sometimes when I tell men and women about God’s grace—or think about it—I am moved to tears of joy. I revel in the good news of the gospel. If I could I would preach on God’s grace all the time.
A Serious Discussion About What Determines Our Eternal Home
Here is a parable that Jesus told. As you hear it read, try to answer a very basic question: Why does the rich man end up in hell? Why does the beggar end up in paradise?
“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
The Blackness Of Midnight
When I was a young boy, our family visited an old abandoned copper mine. Having descended into the mine, our guide suddenly turned off his flashlight and we were enveloped by an oppressive blackness. It seemed as though we could feel the darkness.
How Would You Answer?
Sir Norman Anderson was invited to give a television talk on the evidence for Christ’s resurrection, a subject that he had written much about. When his son died of cancer, the program producers offered to cancel his participation, saying, “You can’t speak about the resurrection when you’ve just lost a son.” But Anderson said, “I want to speak about it now even more.” And so, sad in heart but with great assurance, he spoke of Christ’s resurrection, and ours as believers.
Don't Go There!
Though it’s a frequently used word in the English language, it’s one of the least talked about. It’s used as an exclamation, an interjection, and a noun. What word is it? Hell.
Pollsters tell us that most people who use the word don’t believe in the existence of hell. While 90 percent of Americans said they believe in heaven, only 25 percent indicated that they believe in hell.
