November 29, 2024

Hello and Happy Day! This is Dr. MaryAnn Diorio, Bible Teacher, Novelist, and Life Coach, welcoming you to another episode of Winning with the Word. Today is Friday, November 29, 2024, and this is episode #24 in Series 2024. This episode is titled, “HELL Is a Real Place.”

Thousands of people today think that Hell is only a figment of one’s imagination. An imaginary place that doesn’t really exist. After all, why would a good and loving God send people to Hell?

While the question is valid, if one thinks this way, one does not understand the nature of God and the depravity of man. You see, my friend, God is both merciful and just. Mercy and justice are two sides of the same coin of the Being Who is called God.

When God created man and woman—and yes, He created only two genders, male and female—God gave them free will and dominion over the earth. He placed two trees in the Garden of Eden–the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God warned Adam and Eve not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil but to eat only of the Tree of Life. If they ate of the Tree of Life, they would be blessed. But if they disobeyed God and ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would be cursed.

Why? Because God did not want them to experience evil, only good. If they rebelled against Him to obtain knowledge of evil, however, they would be cursed. Notice that God forbade them to eat of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God wanted to protect Adam and Eve—and all of us—from knowing evil and, as a result, from experiencing the curse of death.

Let me ask you a question: Has it been of any benefit to you to learn about evil? Has knowing evil done you any good? If we’re honest, none of us wants evil in our lives. Yet, we experience evil because Adam and Eve, the original parents of the entire human race, disobeyed God.

So, how does all of this relate to Hell?

Interestingly, all of this is closely related to Hell. When God warned Adam and Eve against rebelling and disobeying Him, He also warned them that disobedience would bring a curse. That curse was eternal separation from God. In other words, God said that if Adam and Eve disobeyed Him, they would open themselves up to His justice.

What is God’s justice? God’s justice is His perspective on sin and His punishment for sin. God hates sin. He is holy, and sin cannot stand in His Presence. Moreover, God punishes sin because it violates His holiness and goodness. All who participate in sin place themselves under the verdict of God’s judgment. And God’s judgment for sin is eternal separation from Him in a place of everlasting torment. In other words, HELL.

Hell is a real place, and you don’t want to go there. When He was on earth, Jesus spoke more about Hell than He did about Heaven.

Let’s look at some verses on Hell:

Romans 6: 23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Matthew 25: 41 – “Then he [God] will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

You see, my friend, Hell was not prepared for man, only for the devil and his angels. But the man who rejects God will go to Hell.

Revelation 20: 15 – “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

One of Satan’s craftiest lies in our age has been to convince people there is no hell. After all, as the argument goes, why would a good God send people to Hell?

To be clear, my friend, God does not send anyone to Hell. People send themselves to Hell. How? By rejecting Jesus Christ as the One Who died and rose from the dead to save them so that they could escape Hell and go to Heaven. If one rejects the very Savior Who could save him the only one who could save him, there i sno other way to save him.

Don’t make this same mistake. Choose life now by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. He is the only one who can save you from Hell. Pray this simple prayer with me now.

LORD Jesus, I come to You just as I am. I acknowledge that I am a sinner in need of Your mercy and grace. I choose to turn away from my sin, and I invite You into my life to be my Savior and Lord. Thank You for saving me. Thank You for being my Savior. pray this prayer in Your good and merciful Name. Amen.

If you sincerely prayed this prayer from your heart, you are now a born-again child of God. Write to me at drmaryannn@maryanndiorio.com, and I will send you a free PDF e-booklet titled After You’re Born Again.

In case you are not aware, I write heart-mending fiction that deals with the deepest issues of life. In my stories you will find characters just like you who struggle with what look like impossible problems. Check out my books at my online bookstore at maryanndiorio.com. That’s maryanndiorio.com.

As 2024 comes to a close, so will this podcast come to a close. I want to thank all of you for being such faithful listeners over the years. I pray God’s blessings upon you.

Normally, I end my podcasts with the words, “Until next time . . . .” But since this is my last podcast, I will close out simply with the words, remember that God loves you just as you are and just where you are, and that He will help you to keep on winning with the Word.

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Copyright 2024 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD. All Rights Reserved.