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ONE HEARTBEAT FROM HELL

by Alan Yusko

Many lost people today live their lives unaware of the extreme danger that surrounds their daily activities. If such a person suddenly dies then they will die without the Lord Jesus and perish in their sins. Suddenly their life will end and they will be facing an eternity in hell the lake of fire. Lost people refuse the Lord Jesus and salvation. Therefore by doing so they have chosen to pay for their own sins themselves.

While a lost person lives he is consumed with daily life, daily routines, job activities, gaining worldly wealth, and many other activities. A lost person busies themselves with these activities as if that is all there is to life. They reject the Gospel and salvation in the Lord Jesus as foolishness as they are not interested. They are blind people who are walking toward the fires of hell who refuse to listen to any warnings. They are like a person driving his car and ignoring all the signs that the bridge ahead of them is out and they will plunge to their death if they continue forward.

As lost people go through this life they do not realize that the very flames of hell lick at their footsteps. While their minds are focused on earthly things such as pleasures and wealth, underneath them is the lake of fire. Just because it cannot be seen while living does not mean it doesn't exist. Just one short heartbeat and a lost person will suddenly leave this world with all its toys, wealth, and pleasures. They will fall into the fire that during life they refused to acknowledge even exists. Here is a good description from the Word of God:

Proverbs 6
12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.

Suddenly the lost person will be broken without remedy. The above verses also bring out a major point. Why do many lost people refuse the Lord Jesus who is the only Saviour of lost men? The reason is pride! Lost people become proud and arrogant as they live their lives. In their shallow brains they must think they will live forever and death happens to others but not to them!

But death can be a surprise and suddenly come upon a person! Others, through a terminal sickness can see death coming from afar. Even at funerals lost people are confronted with the shortness of life as they view the death of someone else. Yet they somehow put all that out of their minds as they resume their earthly activities while rejecting of the Lord Jesus.

REFUSING TO BELIEVE

Does refusing to believe in hell mean that hell does not exist? Many people are confronted with perishing in hell only to say that they don't believe in hell. Such a person does not want to be bothered or warned about hell because it is all foolishness to believe in such a thing. They say only weak people on a crutch or silly Bible thumpers believe in heaven or hell. Sadly for them, hell exists no matter if a person believes in it or not. A lost person is just one small heartbeat away from finding out about the reality of hell!

A lost person is like a person learning to ice skate. The ice is very slippery and it is very easy to fall. The lost person is also in a slippery place during his life. If death comes suddenly, they die and are lost forever as they perish in their sins.

Psalm 73
18 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.
19 How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.
20 As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

Notice verse 19. A lost person is alive and doing his worldly activities. Suddenly death comes as they are in a slippery place while living. Immediately they are lost in their sins and consumed with terrors as they begin their eternal torment in the fires of hell. Think about this... One minute happy and living a Christ rejecting live and doing earthly activities. The next minute dead, filled with terrors as they have perished and begin their eternity of torment in the fires of hell with no more hope of salvation!

MADE UP TESTIMONIES

I'm going to make up some fictional testimonies of people who die in their sins to drive this point home. These people are living on earth but they are on a slippery place which is one small heartbeat from hell.

JOAN is a housewife. She is busy with her day to day activities. She has 4 children in the pre-teen age bracket. She is very busy with school activities and homework. She is also very busy driving the children from school, sports, lessons, and birthday parties. Joan is not a Christian and is not interested in accepting the Lord Jesus. Even though she has heard the Gospel it is just not for her. One day after she is driving home from dropping the kids off at school she is hit by a truck that ran a red light. Her death was instant as the fully loaded 18 wheeler crashed into her car on the drivers side. Immediately upon her death she was dragged to a place of torment as Joan had died in her sins.

GLEN made it very big in the business world. He owns his own multi-million dollar company and employees thousands of workers. People look up to Glen while other fear him. Glen has so much money that there is no way he could spend it all. He has several houses in different parts of the world. Glen collects vintage cars and currently has about 20 of them in his stable. All was going well for Glen until the day of his death. It was a simple death for Glen. He went to sleep one night and his house caught on fire around 3:30am. Glen died from the smoke. He went to sleep that night and work up screaming. You see after his death he was dragged screaming to a place of torment. Glen died in his sins and perished without the Lord Jesus as his Saviour.

CHARLIE is a bus driver. He is a middle aged man who faithfully brings children to and from school. Charlie is one of those well liked individuals. However Charlie came down with a fast moving type of cancer. After one year's fight with the disease, Charlie died. Even though Charlie could see his death coming, he never accepted the Lord Jesus as his Saviour. Charlie died in his sins and perished. Immediately upon death Charlie was dragged screaming to a place of torment to await his final judgment at the Great White Throne judgment.

We could go on with more fictional people who represent those in real life. But there is no need as the pattern is always the same. When a lost person dies and his heart stops beating, he is forever lost and will spend his eternity in hell, the lake of fire.

Remember the fact that a lost person is only one heartbeat from hell. If that person dies without the Lord Jesus then they will perish forever in hell, the lake of fire!

The good news of the Gospel is this does not need to happen as God does not want a person to die in their sins and perish. God wants people to accept salvation and eternal life in the Lord Jesus and His finished work on the cross. However, how many will accept the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Saviour?

Isa 1
18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

God became a man and died on the cross so that lost men and women could be saved. He offers salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life in the Lord Jesus to all who will receive.

ARE YOU BORN AGAIN?

John 3
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John 3
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

1 Peter 1
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

2 Corinthians 5
17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

WHAT IF I DIE AND I AM NOT BORN AGAIN?

John 8
24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am [he], ye shall die in your sins.

John 3
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

1 John 5
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT HELL?

Revelation 20
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Revelation 14
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

WHAT DID THE LORD JESUS DO FOR ME ON THE CROSS?

Isaiah 53
5 But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

1 John 1
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Romans 5
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE BORN AGAIN?

Revelation 3
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

John 1
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

COME TO THE LORD JESUS AND RECEIVE THE GIFT OF FORGIVENESS AND ETERNAL LIFE

Acts 16
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

John 3
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

SINNERS PRAYER

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner and I ask You to come into my life to forgive and save me. I now receive You as my Saviour (trusting in You ALONE to save me) and my Lord (making You my Master and committing my life to You).

ASSURANCE

John 20
31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.




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