TODAY’S VERSES:  

Mark 16:15-16 “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.’”

As we wrapped up our study on Salvation in prep school, we took some time to review what we learned: Salvation is being saved or delivered from sin and its penalty- physical and spiritual death (separation from God). In eternity past, God came up with a plan for the salvation of His children. Jesus Christ, God the son, was born and then lived a sinless life. He willingly bore the judgement for sin on the cross, died, and then was raised from the dead, so His children could live forever with Him!

So, what happens to those who are not saved and do not spend eternity with Him- those who remain spiritually dead, separated from God? These people will spend all of eternity in Hell or the Lake of Fire, as the Bible calls it. What is Hell like? Well, we know it is a place that is without the presence of God. We asked the kids to describe God’s presence, here are their answers: love, good, patience, mercy, nature, the sun, peace, joy, Christmas, Easter, gratitude, self-control, and laughter. So, Hell will have none of these things. Think about that for a moment. Here are some verses in the Bible that describe it.

Matthew 13:41-42 “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might”

Those in Hell will be banished from God’s presence. They will be crying and gnashing their teeth because of both their physical and emotional pain. Sounds awful, huh?

Why does the Bible share this with us? God wants us to get a glimpse of what eternity will be like for unbelievers to give us additional motivation for obeying His command to share the Gospel with others (see today’s verses). Just like you would share the cure to a deadly disease if you knew it, so we are to share the Gospel. Being an unbeliever and spending eternity in Hell is far worse than getting a disease, though, because it is forever that we are talking about. Going to hell is not for a limited time, it is for ALL of time.

It is our job to learn the Gospel accurately so we may obey the command to share it. We do this by reading our Bible and praying every day, as well as faithfully learning from our Pastor, prep school teachers, and parents.

Proverbs 4:7 “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.”

Only when we obey His commands to get wisdom will we be blessed with the ability to understand and accurately share His Good News with others. Obey! Learn! Share!