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It Is Written with John Bradshaw | John Bradshaw - To Hell And Back | January 19, 2025
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- [water splashing] ♪[soft music]♪
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- >>john bradshaw: this is it is written.
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- I'm john bradshaw. thanks for joining me.
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- It seems to me that many people have a strange relationship
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- With hell, an odd sort of relationship.
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- I mean, think of the way people talk about hell,
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- The way people refer to it.
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- [bird chirping, water splashing]
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- "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."
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- You can debate the appropriateness
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- Of a statement like that, but think of what it means.
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- It means that as bad as hell might be,
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- It's not as bad as an angry woman.
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- Now, i know we can't afford to take these phrases literally,
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- But it really sounds like people aren't taking hell seriously.
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- "the man was hellbent on doing something."
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- I don't even know what that means, to be honest with you,
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- Although we know it means he was determined.
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- "it isn't going to happen, come hell or high water."
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- Which is five more words
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- That don't logically mean anything at all,
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- But we interpret that to mean that something
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- Just isn't going to happen no matter what.
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- "it was a living hell."
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- Oh, look, it really wasn't, but we get the point.
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- It was bad. it was terrible.
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- And typically that's said in connection with something
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- Really very bad.
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- A country's civil war was "a living hell."
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- Living with the injury as a result of that accident
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- Was "a living hell."
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- Being in a terrible prison... we get the idea.
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- "it will happen when hell freezes over."
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- "it was looking tense, and then all hell broke loose."
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- "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."
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- That's actually a fairly useful one.
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- Good intentions aren't enough.
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- You've got to follow through on your promises and your plans.
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- The saying indicates that there will be people
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- Who don't make it into heaven who had every intention
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- Of getting things sorted out between them and god,
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- But...never happened.
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- When it's said that the road to hell
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- Is paved with good intentions,
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- That's really a bit of a philosophical statement
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- Intended to help people to see the need
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- To take serious things seriously.
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- But there's one saying about hell
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- That we're actually going to see through today.
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- We'll actually do it.
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- Have you ever heard it said that somebody went to hell and back?
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- Well, today on it is written we're actually going to go
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- To hell and back.
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- I don't mean that figuratively, and i'm not trying to be funny.
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- We really are going to go to hell,
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- And we'll really come back.
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- Now, if i were to tell you that today we are going to go
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- To hell, you shouldn't be all that surprised about that.
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- And here's what i mean.
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- There are some people who have claimed
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- That they have visited hell.
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- They've then come back from hell,
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- Written books about it and spoken about it.
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- And the remarkable thing is
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- They've even been taken seriously.
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- [traffic noise]
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- My wife and i were driving across northern idaho
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- A good number of years ago,
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- And because we needed to make a phone call,
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- We stopped at a pay phone.
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- Now, if you're a little younger,
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- And you're not sure what a pay phone is,
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- Ask someone 30 years of age or older,
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- And they'll be able to fill you in.
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- There used to be 2 million of them in the united states,
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- But that number has dropped by about 90 percent.
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- In some states there's only 2 percent or so
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- Of the pay phones there used to be.
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- Then came cell phones, and pay phones started disappearing.
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- And now you don't see them lining the walls
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- Of train stations and airports.
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- That was back in the old days.
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- So we stopped at a pay phone in idaho,
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- And as i approached the phone,
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- I noticed that little phone booth was festooned
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- With small pink pieces of paper.
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- They were everywhere,
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- Tucked into every crack
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- That they could possibly be tucked into.
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- Now, even though curiosity killed the cat,
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- I bravely took one of the pink papers
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- And with some interest looked to see what it said.
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- What i read fascinated me.
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- Whoever had written this had--well, they claimed--
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- Visited hell.
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- That's right. they had been there.
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- These were little homemade tracts that had been stuck
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- All over this little pay phone booth.
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- In fact, i still have some of them.
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- I have no idea who wrote them or who wrote the excerpts.
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- Somebody suggested to me these might be excerpts
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- From a book written by somebody,
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- Written by somebody who claims to have been to hell.
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- Maybe you recognize this.
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- I mean the writer no harm, but it's worth looking at this.
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- Let me read to you.
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- Jesus is acting as a tour guide
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- And is chaperoning this individual around hell.
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- ♪[eerie music]♪
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- Hell is shaped like a body and is "in the center of the earth."
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- This person says that just as there is a body of christ,
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- Hell is shaped liked a body.
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- And then the description goes on,
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- Of brimstone pits and people whose flesh is being melted away
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- By the heat and the flames.
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- There are rats and there are snakes,
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- And there are angels, fallen angels,
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- The size of grizzly bears with wings that are broken down
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- At the back, pushing people back into the pits
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- Who would be trying to escape.
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- What strikes me as strange about this
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- Is that hell doesn't seem to destroy snakes and rats.
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- A lot of people would hope that those things
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- Would be among the first things to be destroyed.
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- And something truly bizarre:
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- Tracts like this make the devil out to be in charge of hell.
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- Sinners suffer while the devil is in cahoots with god;
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- He's helping god by causing the lost to suffer.
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- Have we forgotten that jesus said in matthew 25:41,
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- That hell is "prepared for the devil and his angels"?
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- And not in the sense that it's prepared for them
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- To do their business.
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- Prepared for them.
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- So is that what hell is like?
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- No.
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- So what's hell really like?
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- Well, i told you a moment ago
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- That we would go to hell and back, and we're almost there.
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- We'll go there in just a moment.
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- ♪[music]♪
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- >>announcer 1: one of the most serious subjects in the bible
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- Is hell, yet it's one of the least understood.
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- What does the bible really say about hell?
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- Is there a hell?
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- How long will it last?
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- Today's free offer is "understanding hell."
- 00:06:48.664 --> 00:06:51.701
- You don't have to wonder about hell anymore.
- 00:06:51.701 --> 00:06:53.903
- Call 800-253-3000
- 00:06:53.903 --> 00:06:57.273
- Or visit us online at iiwoffer.com.
- 00:06:57.273 --> 00:07:01.577
- Get the "understanding hell" book for free today.
- 00:07:01.577 --> 00:07:06.916
- >>announcer 2: when people think of india,
- 00:07:06.983 --> 00:07:09.151
- They often think of the taj mahal or indian food.
- 00:07:09.151 --> 00:07:12.488
- But what you probably won't think about
- 00:07:12.488 --> 00:07:14.123
- Is the staggering number of blind people that live in india.
- 00:07:14.123 --> 00:07:17.994
- Sadly, more than 15 million blind call india home,
- 00:07:17.994 --> 00:07:21.497
- And it doesn't have to be that way
- 00:07:21.497 --> 00:07:23.966
- Because many of india's blind could see again
- 00:07:23.966 --> 00:07:26.302
- If only they could afford cataract surgery.
- 00:07:26.302 --> 00:07:29.772
- Today we are asking you to donate
- 00:07:29.772 --> 00:07:32.041
- To this life-changing work.
- 00:07:32.041 --> 00:07:33.442
- It takes just $75 to give one person
- 00:07:33.442 --> 00:07:36.312
- The precious gift of sight.
- 00:07:36.312 --> 00:07:38.014
- To donate, please visit our special website:
- 00:07:38.014 --> 00:07:41.017
- Itiswritten.com/eyesforindia.
- 00:07:41.017 --> 00:07:44.086
- Or call us.
- 00:07:44.086 --> 00:07:45.254
- Our number is 1-844-974-8836.
- 00:07:45.254 --> 00:07:49.692
- That's 1-844-974-8836.
- 00:07:49.692 --> 00:07:54.697
- For only $75 you can open the eyes of the blind.
- 00:07:54.697 --> 00:07:58.134
- Call today:
- 00:07:58.134 --> 00:07:59.302
- 1-844-974-8836.
- 00:07:59.302 --> 00:08:07.243
- ♪[soft music]♪ [waves lapping]
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- >>john bradshaw: thanks for joining me today
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- On it is written.
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- We are going to hell and back,
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- Although this place doesn't look a lot like what you'd think
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- Hell would be like.
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- It looks more like what you'd imagine paradise to be.
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- The island of grand cayman in the caribbean
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- Really is beautiful.
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- It's about 200 miles south of cuba
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- And about the same distance west-northwest of jamaica.
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- Mexico is about 400 miles in that direction.
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- Honduras is a little closer,
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- About 320 miles to the southwest.
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- A little over 50,000 people live on grand cayman.
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- About 9,000 others live on other cayman islands.
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- And unless you don't like sand and the ocean and sunshine
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- And breathtaking scenery, this place is beautiful.
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- There's a reason cruise ships stop here.
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- Scuba diving and snorkeling are big,
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- Some of the best in the world.
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- Beautiful beaches.
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- Tourists flock here.
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- The country is home to some of the world's largest banks,
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- Most of the world's largest banks.
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- And caymanians and cayman island companies are not taxed.
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- So that old saying about death and taxes?
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- Only half of that really applies here.
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- And did i say it's beautiful here?
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- ♪[upbeat instrumental music]♪
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- The largest town on grand cayman is george town,
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- The island's capital.
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- Bodden town is in the middle of the island,
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- And there's east end and north side and west bay.
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- And oddly enough, there's a place
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- Up in the northwest of the island called...hell.
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- Now, it isn't a town, strictly speaking,
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- But there's a service station and a post office,
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- And you can send a postcard home from hell.
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- So why in the world is there a place called hell
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- On an island like this?
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- Well, i said we'd go to hell today, and i was serious.
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- We're going to hell to find out.
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- ♪[percussion music]♪
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- This isn't the only spot on earth
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- That there's a place called hell.
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- There's one in michigan, northwest of ann arbor.
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- And in the cold winters there, you know what happens.
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- This is hell, cayman islands.
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- And why did it get its name?
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- Well, hell in the cayman islands is an area about half the size
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- Of a football field,
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- And it's covered in short black limestone formations.
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- So you can imagine someone once said something flippant
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- About the geography, someone else was amused,
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- And once it drew tourists, the name stuck.
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- How many places in the world are there where you can go to hell?
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- But you see what's happened?
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- If hell was 10 percent as serious as the bible says it is,
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- 5 percent, 1 percent, no one would be joking about it.
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- It seems you wouldn't be naming a tourist attraction hell
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- If you really thought that hell was a place of final destruction
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- For lost people, people who have no hope
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- Of ever experiencing salvation and eternal life.
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- Serious business when you think about it, isn't it?
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- Hell represents the end of the line,
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- The no-turning-back point,
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- The place of utter hopelessness for people,
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- Where folks are eternally cut off from god.
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- Is that something you joke about?
- 00:11:35.751 --> 00:11:38.320
- So think about this from god's point of view.
- 00:11:38.387 --> 00:11:41.157
- "in the beginning god created the heavens and the earth."
- 00:11:41.157 --> 00:11:44.059
- Well, what for?
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- We were created for god's glory, according to isaiah 43:7.
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- God created you so you could live with him forever,
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- So close that the relationship between god and his children
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- Is described in the bible as a marriage.
- 00:11:57.139 --> 00:12:00.109
- The book of song of solomon is a love story,
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- The story of solomon and a woman he loved.
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- But it's also descriptive of the love of god for his church.
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- God's love for humanity is serious.
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- And if you've ever doubted that, you just look at john 3:16,
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- Which says that "god so loved the world,
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- That he gave his only begotten son,
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- That whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
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- But have everlasting life."
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- Who dies on a cross?
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- Who's crucified for someone else,
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- Especially for people who've almost entirely rejected him?
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- Who does that?
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- You've really only got two choices:
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- Either a mad man
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- Or someone compelled by love to demonstrate that love
- 00:12:38.881 --> 00:12:42.885
- In a desperate effort to save the lost.
- 00:12:42.885 --> 00:12:46.121
- So that's how god feels.
- 00:12:46.121 --> 00:12:48.123
- And then, hell is going to take place,
- 00:12:48.123 --> 00:12:51.327
- Where god's own children will perish.
- 00:12:51.327 --> 00:12:55.497
- And when you consider what the bible has to say
- 00:12:55.564 --> 00:12:57.867
- About the fate of the lost, well, it's pretty descriptive.
- 00:12:57.867 --> 00:13:02.938
- Revelation 14:9-11 says,
- 00:13:03.005 --> 00:13:05.674
- "and the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice,
- 00:13:05.674 --> 00:13:10.012
- 'if any man worship the beast and his image,
- 00:13:10.012 --> 00:13:13.749
- And receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand,
- 00:13:13.749 --> 00:13:16.986
- The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of god,
- 00:13:16.986 --> 00:13:20.456
- Which is poured out without mixture
- 00:13:20.456 --> 00:13:22.091
- Into the cup of his indignation;
- 00:13:22.091 --> 00:13:24.493
- And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone
- 00:13:24.493 --> 00:13:27.129
- In the presence of the holy angels,
- 00:13:27.129 --> 00:13:28.797
- And in the presence of the lamb:
- 00:13:28.797 --> 00:13:31.433
- And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever:
- 00:13:31.433 --> 00:13:34.970
- And they have no rest day nor night,
- 00:13:34.970 --> 00:13:37.439
- Who worship the beast and his image,
- 00:13:37.439 --> 00:13:40.309
- And whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.'"
- 00:13:40.309 --> 00:13:43.846
- Revelation 20:9 and 10,
- 00:13:43.846 --> 00:13:46.916
- "and they went up on the breadth of the earth,
- 00:13:46.916 --> 00:13:49.184
- And compassed the camp of the saints about,
- 00:13:49.184 --> 00:13:51.020
- And the beloved city:
- 00:13:51.020 --> 00:13:53.055
- And fire came down from god out of heaven, and devoured them.
- 00:13:53.055 --> 00:13:58.394
- And the devil that deceived them
- 00:13:58.394 --> 00:13:59.662
- Was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone,
- 00:13:59.662 --> 00:14:02.364
- Where the beast and the false prophet are,
- 00:14:02.364 --> 00:14:04.833
- And shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
- 00:14:04.833 --> 00:14:09.972
- So, does the story of the rich man and lazarus
- 00:14:09.972 --> 00:14:13.275
- Fit in with this?
- 00:14:13.275 --> 00:14:14.710
- Well, not if you're being theologically consistent.
- 00:14:14.710 --> 00:14:18.847
- If you're being theologically responsible,
- 00:14:18.847 --> 00:14:21.016
- You'll realize the story of the rich man and lazarus
- 00:14:21.016 --> 00:14:24.320
- Is a parable.
- 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:25.854
- God isn't teaching us that the saved and the lost
- 00:14:25.854 --> 00:14:28.991
- Can speak to each other from their various abodes.
- 00:14:28.991 --> 00:14:32.594
- No suffering soul is going to ask for a drop of water
- 00:14:32.594 --> 00:14:35.531
- To relieve its stress.
- 00:14:35.531 --> 00:14:37.633
- The point of the rich man and lazarus story
- 00:14:37.633 --> 00:14:39.535
- Isn't a commentary on the fate of the lost or the saved,
- 00:14:39.535 --> 00:14:43.806
- But to teach us various things.
- 00:14:43.806 --> 00:14:45.140
- Number one, being rich doesn't necessarily mean you're blessed,
- 00:14:45.140 --> 00:14:49.311
- And being a beggar, for example,
- 00:14:49.311 --> 00:14:51.080
- Certainly doesn't mean that you've been cursed by god.
- 00:14:51.080 --> 00:14:54.149
- But that's what the pharisees believed.
- 00:14:54.149 --> 00:14:56.051
- This teaching was for them.
- 00:14:56.051 --> 00:14:58.053
- Second thing, the story teaches that you cannot be saved
- 00:14:58.053 --> 00:15:01.590
- By your family tree, by heredity.
- 00:15:01.590 --> 00:15:04.460
- You certainly cannot be saved
- 00:15:04.460 --> 00:15:05.995
- Simply because you belong to a certain church.
- 00:15:05.995 --> 00:15:09.298
- Who does the rich man call out to
- 00:15:09.298 --> 00:15:11.000
- In the story of the rich man and lazarus?
- 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:12.968
- He calls out to father abraham.
- 00:15:12.968 --> 00:15:16.605
- The religious leaders in jesus' day proudly said,
- 00:15:16.605 --> 00:15:19.408
- "our father is abraham,"
- 00:15:19.408 --> 00:15:20.642
- And yet these children of abraham had the messiah
- 00:15:20.642 --> 00:15:24.013
- In their midst and rejected him.
- 00:15:24.013 --> 00:15:27.516
- The prophecies that they were studying told them
- 00:15:27.516 --> 00:15:30.019
- When the messiah would come, which is why jesus,
- 00:15:30.019 --> 00:15:33.655
- When he was baptized, said, "the time is fulfilled,
- 00:15:33.655 --> 00:15:37.760
- And the kingdom of god is at hand."
- 00:15:37.760 --> 00:15:39.328
- That's mark chapter 1, verse 15.
- 00:15:39.328 --> 00:15:41.397
- He was telling them that the prophecies in the book of daniel
- 00:15:41.397 --> 00:15:44.666
- That pointed out the timing of the coming of the messiah
- 00:15:44.666 --> 00:15:48.303
- Had been fulfilled.
- 00:15:48.303 --> 00:15:49.772
- The messiah was in their midst,
- 00:15:49.772 --> 00:15:52.141
- And yet they're all about "we are the children of abraham."
- 00:15:52.141 --> 00:15:55.577
- Their hope was in the wrong place,
- 00:15:55.577 --> 00:15:58.313
- And this story was given to show them that.
- 00:15:58.313 --> 00:16:00.849
- And further, point number three, the rich man said this:
- 00:16:00.849 --> 00:16:04.319
- "i have five brothers.
- 00:16:04.319 --> 00:16:05.254
- Send lazarus to them so that they'll know
- 00:16:05.254 --> 00:16:07.956
- That they should make sure they don't come to this place."
- 00:16:07.956 --> 00:16:10.759
- And in the story he is told,
- 00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:12.961
- "they have moses and the prophets."
- 00:16:12.961 --> 00:16:15.164
- If they won't believe that, they won't be convinced,
- 00:16:15.164 --> 00:16:18.700
- Even if someone went to them from the dead,
- 00:16:18.700 --> 00:16:20.803
- Which is interesting because an actual lazarus did come back
- 00:16:20.803 --> 00:16:24.873
- From the dead, and still they rejected christ.
- 00:16:24.873 --> 00:16:28.343
- So the story is told to convince them--and us--
- 00:16:28.343 --> 00:16:32.414
- That we should take moses and the prophets,
- 00:16:32.414 --> 00:16:35.284
- The word of god, seriously.
- 00:16:35.284 --> 00:16:38.954
- So should we be scared of hell?
- 00:16:39.021 --> 00:16:41.757
- And do many people even believe that there is a hell anymore?
- 00:16:41.757 --> 00:16:45.461
- I'll have that next.
- 00:16:45.461 --> 00:16:46.728
- ♪[music]♪
- 00:16:46.728 --> 00:16:56.305
- ♪[upbeat music]♪
- 00:16:56.371 --> 00:16:58.607
- >>announcer 3: planning for your financial future
- 00:16:58.607 --> 00:17:00.242
- Is a vital aspect of christian stewardship.
- 00:17:00.242 --> 00:17:04.146
- For this reason, it is written is pleased to offer
- 00:17:04.146 --> 00:17:06.915
- Free planned giving and estate services.
- 00:17:06.915 --> 00:17:09.785
- For information on how we can help you,
- 00:17:09.785 --> 00:17:11.954
- Please call 800-992-2219.
- 00:17:11.954 --> 00:17:16.925
- Call today
- 00:17:16.925 --> 00:17:17.793
- Or visit our website, hislegacy.com.
- 00:17:17.793 --> 00:17:20.929
- Call 800-992-2219.
- 00:17:20.929 --> 00:17:27.302
- >>john bradshaw: thanks for joining me today
- 00:17:27.369 --> 00:17:29.004
- On it is written.
- 00:17:29.004 --> 00:17:30.272
- We've come to hell,
- 00:17:30.272 --> 00:17:32.007
- Hell on grand cayman in the cayman islands.
- 00:17:32.007 --> 00:17:35.344
- Years ago someone took a look at the geography
- 00:17:35.344 --> 00:17:37.880
- And made a remark, and the name hell stuck,
- 00:17:37.880 --> 00:17:40.382
- And so today tourists can come here from all over the world
- 00:17:40.382 --> 00:17:44.052
- And say that they have been to hell.
- 00:17:44.052 --> 00:17:46.822
- You can even send a postcard or a letter home from hell,
- 00:17:46.822 --> 00:17:50.592
- With the hell postmark right on it.
- 00:17:50.592 --> 00:17:53.795
- Now, jesus certainly believed in hell.
- 00:17:53.795 --> 00:17:56.765
- Matthew 10:28, jesus says,
- 00:17:56.765 --> 00:17:59.201
- "fear not them [that are able to] kill the body,
- 00:17:59.201 --> 00:18:01.670
- But [cannot] kill the soul:
- 00:18:01.670 --> 00:18:03.672
- But rather fear him [who] is able to destroy
- 00:18:03.672 --> 00:18:06.041
- Both soul and body in hell."
- 00:18:06.041 --> 00:18:08.810
- The bible speaks plainly about the subject,
- 00:18:08.810 --> 00:18:11.813
- But it's fair to say that often people wildly misconstrue
- 00:18:11.813 --> 00:18:16.919
- What the bible says about hell.
- 00:18:16.919 --> 00:18:20.255
- Take the story of the rich man and lazarus.
- 00:18:20.322 --> 00:18:24.826
- That's helped a lot of preachers over the years
- 00:18:24.826 --> 00:18:27.229
- Because it sounds as though you can point to the rich man
- 00:18:27.229 --> 00:18:29.965
- And make the case that lost people are condemned to suffer
- 00:18:29.965 --> 00:18:33.869
- In a place of fiery torment for all eternity.
- 00:18:33.869 --> 00:18:38.674
- But you don't need to misinterpret the parable
- 00:18:38.674 --> 00:18:41.109
- Of the rich man and lazarus to make the point very clearly
- 00:18:41.109 --> 00:18:44.913
- That hell is no laughing matter.
- 00:18:44.913 --> 00:18:47.015
- Every time someone refers to hell in a casual sense
- 00:18:47.015 --> 00:18:49.685
- They're trivializing something that's phenomenally important.
- 00:18:49.685 --> 00:18:53.655
- It's like those cartoons depicting the devil
- 00:18:53.655 --> 00:18:55.824
- Wearing a red suit and brandishing a pitchfork.
- 00:18:55.824 --> 00:18:59.228
- It diminishes the solemnity of the subject,
- 00:18:59.228 --> 00:19:02.130
- Makes something that should be taken seriously
- 00:19:02.130 --> 00:19:04.933
- Nothing more than a laughing matter.
- 00:19:04.933 --> 00:19:07.169
- [waves fizzing and splashing]
- 00:19:07.169 --> 00:19:13.709
- So hell is serious.
- 00:19:13.709 --> 00:19:16.645
- Now, it seems that not that many people believe in hell anymore.
- 00:19:16.645 --> 00:19:22.584
- A survey by pew research
- 00:19:22.584 --> 00:19:24.253
- Indicates that a little more than half of all americans
- 00:19:24.253 --> 00:19:27.756
- Believe in the existence of hell.
- 00:19:27.756 --> 00:19:31.026
- One would think that back in the days when jonathan edwards
- 00:19:31.026 --> 00:19:34.396
- Was preaching about "sinners in the hands of an angry god,"
- 00:19:34.396 --> 00:19:38.433
- Those numbers might have been a little bit higher.
- 00:19:38.433 --> 00:19:41.436
- "the wrath of god burns against them,
- 00:19:41.503 --> 00:19:44.573
- Their damnation does not slumber;
- 00:19:44.573 --> 00:19:47.409
- The pit is prepared, the fire is made ready,
- 00:19:47.409 --> 00:19:51.380
- The furnace is now hot, ready to receive them;
- 00:19:51.380 --> 00:19:56.218
- The flames do now rage and glow.
- 00:19:56.218 --> 00:19:59.588
- The glittering sword is whet, and held over them,
- 00:19:59.588 --> 00:20:03.625
- And the pit hath opened its mouth under them."
- 00:20:03.625 --> 00:20:07.796
- It might even be that sermons like that
- 00:20:07.863 --> 00:20:10.399
- Have got something to do with those numbers dropping.
- 00:20:10.399 --> 00:20:13.769
- You see, when you present god as cruel,
- 00:20:13.769 --> 00:20:16.338
- When you portray god as, as rubbing his hands together
- 00:20:16.338 --> 00:20:19.474
- With glee at the prospect of another suffering soul,
- 00:20:19.474 --> 00:20:23.412
- Thinking people reject that.
- 00:20:23.412 --> 00:20:25.814
- You cannot on the one hand say that god is love
- 00:20:25.814 --> 00:20:29.318
- And then depict god as though he's loving the process
- 00:20:29.318 --> 00:20:33.221
- Of tormenting suffering sinners.
- 00:20:33.221 --> 00:20:37.359
- In ezekiel 33:11, god says,
- 00:20:37.426 --> 00:20:41.063
- "as i live...i have no pleasure in the death of the wicked;
- 00:20:41.063 --> 00:20:45.801
- But that the wicked turn from his way and live:
- 00:20:45.801 --> 00:20:48.570
- Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways;
- 00:20:48.570 --> 00:20:53.141
- For why will ye die, o house of israel?"
- 00:20:53.141 --> 00:20:58.013
- But again, while jesus believed in hell,
- 00:20:58.080 --> 00:21:01.316
- And he made clear that sinners will ultimately be destroyed,
- 00:21:01.316 --> 00:21:04.753
- There's no reason to become theologically inaccurate
- 00:21:04.753 --> 00:21:07.589
- When you talk about this.
- 00:21:07.589 --> 00:21:09.191
- I believe you'll find a lot of people have rejected god
- 00:21:09.191 --> 00:21:12.027
- Because of what people say about hell.
- 00:21:12.027 --> 00:21:14.830
- The thing is this: hell is ultimately going to destroy sin.
- 00:21:14.830 --> 00:21:19.801
- The very sad fact is that there will be many people
- 00:21:19.801 --> 00:21:22.871
- Who are attached to sin.
- 00:21:22.871 --> 00:21:25.140
- When god destroys sin, the unrepentant who've chosen sin
- 00:21:25.140 --> 00:21:29.778
- Will be destroyed along with it.
- 00:21:29.778 --> 00:21:33.148
- So should a person live in fear of hell?
- 00:21:33.148 --> 00:21:36.051
- Well, anybody ought to have a healthy respect
- 00:21:36.051 --> 00:21:38.353
- For what the future holds for them,
- 00:21:38.353 --> 00:21:39.788
- Should they choose to live in opposition to god.
- 00:21:39.788 --> 00:21:42.424
- But live in fear of hell?
- 00:21:42.424 --> 00:21:44.726
- No, your focus is in the wrong place when you do that.
- 00:21:44.726 --> 00:21:48.230
- In the old days, the preachers used to do everything they could
- 00:21:48.230 --> 00:21:50.365
- To make hell sound absolutely horrifyingly bad,
- 00:21:50.365 --> 00:21:53.301
- But when you focus on that, and when you talk about a god
- 00:21:53.301 --> 00:21:56.738
- Who just can't wait to fry people,
- 00:21:56.738 --> 00:21:59.174
- There's no wonder people give up on god altogether.
- 00:21:59.174 --> 00:22:03.011
- Now, you can use the subject to portray god as hateful
- 00:22:03.011 --> 00:22:06.214
- And cruel and vindictive,
- 00:22:06.214 --> 00:22:08.183
- But he isn't.
- 00:22:08.183 --> 00:22:10.085
- He is just, and he is going to get rid of sin.
- 00:22:10.085 --> 00:22:14.322
- But he's not a tyrant.
- 00:22:14.322 --> 00:22:16.425
- Too often people get told that god's going to send
- 00:22:16.425 --> 00:22:19.027
- Bad people to hell.
- 00:22:19.027 --> 00:22:20.429
- While you can make a case for that, it's a pretty lazy case.
- 00:22:20.429 --> 00:22:25.000
- The people who will be lost are those who've chosen
- 00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:28.203
- Not to accept god's gift of eternal life through jesus.
- 00:22:28.203 --> 00:22:32.374
- Once you start saying,
- 00:22:32.374 --> 00:22:33.442
- "you'll be lost because of your drunkenness";
- 00:22:33.442 --> 00:22:35.977
- "you'll be lost because of your, your dishonesty"--
- 00:22:35.977 --> 00:22:38.547
- That sort of thing--
- 00:22:38.547 --> 00:22:39.614
- Essentially, all you're doing is being a legalist,
- 00:22:39.614 --> 00:22:42.451
- Telling somebody that they will be lost because of this deed
- 00:22:42.451 --> 00:22:45.554
- Or that deed.
- 00:22:45.554 --> 00:22:46.655
- Oh, now, of course i agree sin is bad;
- 00:22:46.655 --> 00:22:49.024
- I wouldn't say otherwise.
- 00:22:49.024 --> 00:22:50.525
- Romans 6, verse 23: "the wages of sin is death."
- 00:22:50.525 --> 00:22:54.763
- But people are lost because they don't have christ.
- 00:22:54.763 --> 00:22:58.934
- The drunkenness and the lying and whatever else,
- 00:22:58.934 --> 00:23:02.337
- They're just a symptom of that.
- 00:23:02.337 --> 00:23:05.640
- Jesus said in 1 john 5:12, "he that hath the son hath life;
- 00:23:05.707 --> 00:23:11.546
- And he that hath not the son of god hath not life."
- 00:23:11.546 --> 00:23:15.617
- And i want you to notice what jesus said in john 5, verse 40:
- 00:23:15.617 --> 00:23:19.855
- "and ye will not come to me, that ye might have life."
- 00:23:19.855 --> 00:23:25.293
- So how are things with you?
- 00:23:25.360 --> 00:23:27.596
- When the subject of hell comes up,
- 00:23:27.596 --> 00:23:29.998
- It's usually presented one of two ways:
- 00:23:29.998 --> 00:23:31.833
- The hottest, the worstest, the roastingest,
- 00:23:31.833 --> 00:23:35.470
- God is the cruelest and the most unhappiest,
- 00:23:35.470 --> 00:23:39.608
- Or the subject just presented as though it's of no concern.
- 00:23:39.608 --> 00:23:43.378
- Well, it's of great concern.
- 00:23:43.378 --> 00:23:45.514
- And god is love; he's not cruel.
- 00:23:45.514 --> 00:23:47.749
- It doesn't mean this is not serious. it is.
- 00:23:47.749 --> 00:23:50.085
- But if we focus on the flames,
- 00:23:50.085 --> 00:23:52.654
- We're really not focusing on the most important thing.
- 00:23:52.654 --> 00:23:55.023
- And the most important thing is your heart
- 00:23:55.023 --> 00:23:56.558
- And whether god has it.
- 00:23:56.558 --> 00:23:57.759
- If jesus has your heart, you have his life as your own.
- 00:23:57.759 --> 00:24:01.963
- The word of god says, "he that hath the son hath life."
- 00:24:01.963 --> 00:24:04.399
- First john 5, verse 12.
- 00:24:04.399 --> 00:24:06.167
- So the question really is, do you have the son?
- 00:24:06.167 --> 00:24:10.739
- And you can have him now by simply opening up your heart
- 00:24:10.739 --> 00:24:13.708
- To jesus and saying, "i choose you; i accept you.
- 00:24:13.708 --> 00:24:17.612
- Come into my life. be my lord and savior."
- 00:24:17.612 --> 00:24:21.216
- Would you do that?
- 00:24:21.216 --> 00:24:22.751
- I encourage you to do that now.
- 00:24:22.751 --> 00:24:24.986
- And make certain that you have secured
- 00:24:24.986 --> 00:24:27.489
- A bright, a joy-filled eternal future with a god of love.
- 00:24:27.489 --> 00:24:37.632
- >>announcer 1: one of the most serious subjects in the bible
- 00:24:37.699 --> 00:24:40.235
- Is hell, yet it's one of the least understood.
- 00:24:40.235 --> 00:24:44.072
- What does the bible really say about hell?
- 00:24:44.072 --> 00:24:47.442
- Is there a hell?
- 00:24:47.442 --> 00:24:48.577
- How long will it last?
- 00:24:48.577 --> 00:24:50.378
- Today's free offer is "understanding hell."
- 00:24:50.378 --> 00:24:53.415
- You don't have to wonder about hell anymore.
- 00:24:53.415 --> 00:24:55.617
- Call 800-253-3000
- 00:24:55.617 --> 00:24:58.853
- Or visit us online at iiwoffer.com.
- 00:24:58.853 --> 00:25:03.291
- Get the "understanding hell" book for free today.
- 00:25:03.291 --> 00:25:07.629
- >>john bradshaw: thank you for remembering that it is written
- 00:25:07.696 --> 00:25:09.731
- Exists because of the kindness of people just like you.
- 00:25:09.731 --> 00:25:13.168
- To support this international life-changing ministry,
- 00:25:13.168 --> 00:25:16.404
- Please call us now at 800-253-3000.
- 00:25:16.404 --> 00:25:20.675
- You can send your tax-deductible gift
- 00:25:20.675 --> 00:25:22.143
- To the address on your screen,
- 00:25:22.143 --> 00:25:23.612
- Or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com.
- 00:25:23.612 --> 00:25:27.449
- Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support.
- 00:25:27.449 --> 00:25:30.285
- Our number again is 800-253-3000,
- 00:25:30.285 --> 00:25:34.456
- Or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com.
- 00:25:34.456 --> 00:25:38.460
- >>john bradshaw: let's pray together now.
- 00:25:38.526 --> 00:25:40.862
- Our father in heaven,
- 00:25:40.862 --> 00:25:41.763
- ♪[soft music]♪
- 00:25:41.763 --> 00:25:42.797
- We thank you today that you are good and holy
- 00:25:42.797 --> 00:25:45.266
- And righteous and pure.
- 00:25:45.266 --> 00:25:47.636
- Yes, we know that you are just,
- 00:25:47.702 --> 00:25:49.237
- And we know that sin causes you great pain.
- 00:25:49.237 --> 00:25:51.539
- We're thankful that one day it will be gone,
- 00:25:51.539 --> 00:25:55.076
- That you'll rid this universe of sin.
- 00:25:55.076 --> 00:25:58.647
- Heavenly father, right now there's someone
- 00:25:58.713 --> 00:26:00.148
- Who has been thinking, if sin goes, i go.
- 00:26:00.148 --> 00:26:04.119
- Friend, if that's your thought,
- 00:26:04.119 --> 00:26:05.920
- Then let go of sin and take hold of jesus the savior.
- 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:12.027
- If you're not certain you can let go of your sin,
- 00:26:12.093 --> 00:26:13.962
- Then just take hold of jesus anyway.
- 00:26:13.962 --> 00:26:15.430
- He'll do the work that needs to be done.
- 00:26:15.430 --> 00:26:18.099
- The bible says it is god who works in you
- 00:26:18.099 --> 00:26:20.702
- "to will and to do of his good pleasure."
- 00:26:20.702 --> 00:26:22.570
- Our father, would you do that?
- 00:26:22.570 --> 00:26:24.906
- And we will look forward with confidence;
- 00:26:24.906 --> 00:26:26.608
- We will look forward with hope;
- 00:26:26.608 --> 00:26:28.109
- We will look forward with jesus living and abiding in us.
- 00:26:28.109 --> 00:26:32.681
- Today we thank you.
- 00:26:32.681 --> 00:26:33.682
- We thank you for the gift of eternal life,
- 00:26:33.682 --> 00:26:35.483
- And we claim it, and we praise you for it, in jesus' name.
- 00:26:35.483 --> 00:26:40.021
- Amen.
- 00:26:40.021 --> 00:26:41.489
- Thank you so much for joining me.
- 00:26:41.489 --> 00:26:42.757
- I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time.
- 00:26:42.757 --> 00:26:44.993
- Until then, remember:
- 00:26:44.993 --> 00:26:46.628
- "it is written, 'man shall not live by bread alone,
- 00:26:46.628 --> 00:26:50.832
- But by every word that proceeds from the mouth of god.'"
- 00:26:50.832 --> 00:26:54.869
- ♪[theme music]♪
- 00:26:54.869 --> 00:26:54.869