We hope you enjoy this re-post from January 29, 2015. Be blessed! The Today’s Quote From God Team

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. – Mark 9:43-44, KJV

Evangelist Barry Webb recently spoke at our church for a week of meetings. During his visit, he relayed two experiences that stuck with me.

The first experience regarded the death of his father. After several days of sweet fellowship with family and friends in the hospital, Barry’s father passed away. A Christian evangelist himself, Mr. Webb the elder had great peace about slipping into eternity, and during his last days he spoke often with the family about what Heaven would be like. Not long before he died, Mr. Webb the elder sat up in his hospital bed, looked up and pointed to the ceiling of his hospital room, turned to his wife, and proclaimed, “I see them! I see the angels of Heaven getting ready for me!” He then laid back down, and shortly thereafter peaceably exited this world for the next.

The second experience Barry shared with us starkly contrasted his father’s experience. One day Barry was sharing the Gospel with people in the town where he was, and someone he tried to witness to said, “I don’t believe in Hell,” and walked away. The man that Barry was witnessing with turned to Barry, and with sadness in his eyes encouraged Barry to “never let anyone tell you that Hell isn’t real.” The man then told Barry of an experience he had during the Vietnam War.

While in Vietnam, Barry’s cohort, whom I’ll name John, witnessed regularly to the men in his platoon. One fellow consistently resisted John’s efforts to lead him to Christ, but during one of his last protests, the fellow proclaimed, “I know Heaven is real, and I know Hell is real, and I know the Bible is true. One day I will get saved, just not today, so leave me alone, John.” Shortly thereafter, the platoon went on patrol, and during the patrol a Vietnamese sniper attacked. The fellow John had witnessed to was hit almost immediately. His comrades tried to attend to him, but it took six men to hold him down as he writhed in immense pain. Even after receiving large amounts of morphine, the man continued to writhe in excruciating pain. Just before he passed away, he yelled out, “Oh, the flames are so hot! The demons – they are coming for me! Save me! Save me!” But, alas, it was too late.

Heaven is for real. So is Hell. Never let people in their intellectual smugness tell you differently. Much learning hath made them mad, and maybe if you relay these stories alongside the Word of God, you can penetrate the barrier that Satan has erected around their minds and their hearts.