Call-ins Radio Broadcast Thursday 07/22/2021

Call-In Classic Christianity Radio – Bob George P653 (07-22-21)

Wisdom from scriptures for the common and practical questions of life

Bob George provides wisdom from the scriptures for the common and practical questions of life. A man calls in concerning a conflict between he and his wife. Another man calls in asking if hell is a real place and do people go there. And also, what about Judas Iscariot, did he go to hell? There are also more questions asked even today about end time events and the end of the church age.

As far as marital strife, remember that we can make plans but God can change them. Where there is a disagreement, remember that love considers others more important than yourself, and these issues have to be talked through. A woman has a limited time after a certain age in which she can have children, so that must be taken into consideration. You must also consider the fact of trusting God for your daily needs. Ideally we would all like to have no debts, but then life can hit us with curve balls. Any one of us could get in a major car accident, get laid off from our job or incur major medical bills. So are we casting our cares upon Him? Are we living by faith in the one who says do not worry. Jesus said, “I take care of the lilies of the field, that are here today and gone tomorrow, so how much more shall I take care of you.” We have to live by faith. So with truth in your mind and with love in your heart, you go to the Lord together to resolve any differences you may have.

As far as Judas Iscariot, it really should not be our concern to know whether he went to hell or not, now that he has already died, and that not in our lifetime. We do have the passage of scripture where Jesus said to Judas, “It is better for you that you had never been born”. Some people think that is an indication Judas went to hell. No one in their right mind would want to hear such words from Jesus. Neither would we want to hear Jesus’ response to us, if we were not born again, as he did to a person after his death, who said to Jesus, “Did I not cast out demons in your name?” and Jesus responded, “Depart from me, you evil doer. I never knew you.”

So what is the most important thing in life; is where are you personally going when you die? Have you settled the Life and Death issue of your eternal destiny? Have you received the resurrected life of Christ Jesus in you? Have you changed your mind (true repentance) from what you think you can do for God to allow you into heaven, to what God alone did for you by His death on the cross, burial and resurrection for you?

If you, being born again, have indicators that your friends or loved ones do not know the Lord, then our responsibility is to be messengers of the gospel, to be a conduit of love to them, with the same love we received from God, while also presenting the truth of the gospel to them, to the degree they are willing to listen. You may be planting seeds, or watering them, but it is God’s job to make them grow [1 Corinthians 3:6-9]. In the final analysis, the only person who really knows if he is saved is God and that person. Who knows what change of heart a person had on his death bed?

There are many passages in scripture that talk about hell. Jesus talked about hell when he walked on the earth, in the story of the rich man and Lazarus for example. There are passages in scripture that makes it very clear there is a literal hell, described as a place of raging fire, where the fire never goes out and the worm never dies and a place of outer darkness. It is a place a person never gets out of and a place of torment and agony forever away from God. With an internet browser, you can type in “hell scriptures” or use a concordance or search using online bible software for every occurrence of “hell”, or other words like “fire”, or “outer darkness”. We know hell is real because we have confidence in what the bible says about hell, knowing that the scriptures are the word of God, and God is not a liar.

People go to hell because they choose to go there. The Spirit has gone out into all the world to draw all men unto himself. But man has a free will and he can defiantly say to God, “If Jesus is in heaven, I do not want to be there”. If he never changes his mind while he is still alive on this earth, hell is where he will go. A fool says in his heart there is no God. But God has done everything possible so man can come to Him to have life. Do you want life, God’s life living in you, where you can experience the life of God in you, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control? That is the fruit of the Spirit, the Spirit that God puts in you when you are born again, who produces such things you should really desire.

Bob teaches that everyone should be as a Berean, where they go back into the scriptures and check out the Word of God for themselves. Anyone could be lying to you or even unknowingly teaching error. There are many times people, false teachers and false prophets will share things about end time events that are not true. But if you read scriptures carefully for yourself, in its proper context, relying on the Holy Spirit to teach you, then, in due time, you can know what things people say are true or not. Some are teaching that we are in the 1000 year reign, others are teaching that everything took place in 70 AD. There are scriptures in Matthew 24, 2 Thessalonians, Ezekiel 38, Daniel and Revelation that give more insight into end time events. Some people feel, with Jewish people back in the State of Israel, since May of 1948, people are wondering about those passages in Matthew 24 and Ezekiel 38, and if those events described there, in light of current events in the Middle East surrounding the State of Israel, may give insight into the nearness or season of the rapture. Rapture is a word many people use to describe what is written in 2 Thessalonians, where born again believers will meet the Lord in the air. Scripture tells us as things draw near, more will be understood concerning the end time events. The Lord tells us these things so we can be prepared and not be scared and to give us hope. For he tells us to encourage another with these words, as you see key events unfold, to look up for “your redemption draws near.”