15/10/2023
📖📖 *OPEN HEAVENS* 📖📖
📖📖 *DAILY DEVOTIONAL*📖
SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER, 2023
*THEME: THE LAND OF ENDLESS SUFFERINGS*
*MEMORISE:*
"And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:42)
*BIBLE READING: MATTHEW 13:24-30, 36-43*
*Matthew 13:24-30*
24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
*MATTHEW 13:36-43*
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
*MESSAGE:*
Those who don’t end up in the City of God will end up in another place that I cannot describe as a city. I can only describe it as a place of endless sufferings because it is a land of unimaginable horrors. All the residents of this horrific place are in constant suffering for eternity. That place is called hell fire (Mark 9:47).
The first thing you need to know about hell fire is that it is a place of torment. Luke 16:23 describes the experience of a man in hell as follows: ‘And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”
All occupants of hell are tormented non-stop. In Mark 9:48, Jesus tells us some of the things that torment them: “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”
The passage does not say ‘the worm’ does not die, but ‘their worm’. In other words, worms will be coming out of the body of the people there, and these worms cannot be killed. They just keep eating their victims up.
Also, there is an unquenchable fire there that keeps burning the occupants of hell non-stop. In Matthew 25:41, Jesus said the fire is everlasting. Revelations 14:11 says the smoke of their torment in hell goes up forever and that there is no rest day or night; the torment just goes on without stopping for eternity.
A drop of water will be a luxury to the people in hell (Luke 16:24). Can you imagine such torment? There is no nightmare that can compare to the actual experience of hell fire.
There are many passages in the Bible where Jesus described hell as a place where there will be a lot of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. Even assuming that the torments are the cause of their wailing, what then would make them gnash their teeth?
Gnashing of teeth is something people do when they regret their actions or inactions. The people in hell will be gnashing their teeth for eternity, regretting that they did not live holy lives when they were on earth.
You are still here on earth, so you have the opportunity that those people will give anything to have again. You have the opportunity to repent and start living holy now. If you delay until it is too late, you would remember this message in hell and wish you had listened. Choose wisely.
*REFLECTION:*
Think about it carefully: are you willing to go to hell because of that sin you keep committing? If not, stop it today.
*AUTHORS:* Pastor E. A. Adeboye
*BIBLE READING IN ONE YEAR:* MARK 6-7
*HYMN: STAND UP, STAND UP FOR JESUS*
1 Stand up! stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the Cross!
Lift high His royal banner;
It must not suffer loss.
From vict’ry unto vict’ry
His army shall He lead,
Till ev’ry foe is vanquished,
And Christ is Lord indeed.
2 Stand up! stand up for Jesus,
The trumpet call obey;
Forth to the mighty conflict,
In this His glorious day;
Ye that are men now serve Him
Against unnumbered foes;
Let courage rise with danger,
And strength to strength oppose.
3 Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own:
Put on the gospel armor,
Each piece put on with prayer;
Where duty calls or danger,
Be never wanting there.
4 Stand up! stand up for Jesus!
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor’s song;
To him that overcometh,
A crown of life shall be;
He with the King of glory
Shall reign eternally.
