The Everlasting Gospel
The Lord keeps impressing upon me the urgency and necessity of preaching the glorious Gospel. Why? Because Heaven is real and eternal punishment in the lake of fire and brimstone is real. Every single one of us will spend eternity in the presence of God, worshiping Him forever or we will suffer His righteous wrath over our sins for all eternity. It’s one or the other. Which will it be for you?
Some people say that they don’t believe in Heaven. Others say that they don’t believe Hell is eternal suffering. They wrongly believe that God sends people to Hell, but they are just burned to a crisp immediately and suffer no longer. But this isn’t true. There are many verses in the Bible that show the torments of Hell (and/or the lake of fire and brimstone) last forever.
Everlasting Destruction
Here are just a few verses on eternal punishment for unrepentant sinners. In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). In Matthew 25:46 Jesus says: And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:1-2).
In Mark 9:42-44 Jesus states: And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 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.
God’s Righteous Punishment
Unrepentant sinners will suffer God’s righteous indignation, His punishment forever. Those who do not know God, those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ will suffer everlasting destruction. Paul says it is everlasting destruction, not immediate annihilation. This is serious. There’s nothing more important than your eternal soul. Your soul is more valuable than all the money in the world. Your soul (with a new body) will spend eternity praising and worshiping God or your soul will suffer God’s righteous, eternal judgment.
What really struck me recently is how the Bible calls the Gospel the everlasting Gospel. Again, why would it be everlasting if there wasn’t eternity with God or eternity suffering God’s wrath? The fact that the Gospel is the everlasting Gospel also shows that there is an eternal punishment too.
Mark Of The Beast
Revelation 14:6-12 says: And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
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: 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. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Again, these verses talk about God’s wrath and eternal punishment. These specific verses deal with those who take the mark of the beast, that they will suffer God’s righteous anger and they will be tormented where the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. Folks, it’s not just those who take the mark of the beast that will suffer for all eternity. No, every single God hating, God mocking, Christ rejecting person will suffer the same fate. All who die in their sins will suffer in the lake of fire and brimstone forever. This applies to everyone who does not repent and surrender their lives to Jesus.
Everlasting Gospel
But the main thing I want to talk about tonight is the first part of these verses: And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach… The everlasting Gospel. Just like God’s wrath will be poured out on unrepentant sinners for all of eternity; His love will be shown to those who love and obey Him forever. Those of us who are saved, who have repented and put our faith in Jesus, we are saved for all of eternity. We have received the everlasting Gospel.
Are you comprehending this tonight? The Gospel of Jesus Christ lasts for eternity. We aren’t saved for a moment in time or for a few thousand years. No, we are saved forever and ever. There is no end to our salvation. We will praise Jesus from the day we were saved through all of eternity. This is something to get excited about. I have received the everlasting Gospel. I have eternal life because I have repented from my sins and put my trust in Jesus.
No Better Gift
There is no better gift in this world. You can have all the money, all the gold, all the fame and prestige that you want. Guess what? It won’t last. What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? Some day you will die. Upon your death, you will be just as poor as the next person. You can’t take it with you. When you die, you will be another poor soul tossed into Hell where you will suffer unimaginable pain if you die without Christ.
Or, if Jesus is your Lord and Savior, you will die as rich as any other person who dies rich – truly rich – rich with what won’t perish. You will die rich if you die with the everlasting Gospel, because that can’t be taken away from you. There is no better way to die, because: Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this (John 11:25:26)? Jesus says if we believeth in Him, we shall never die.
You need the everlasting Gospel because you have sinned against our Holy and righteous God. Each and every person needs the everlasting Gospel because none of us are righteous. None of us are good. For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not (Ecclesiastes 7:20). We have all rebelled against God. We’ve gone our own way. Our rebellion, our sins, separate us from God. If you die in your sins, you will be separated from God’s love and God’s grace forever.
Your Sins Can Be Forgiven
But you don’t have to die in your sins as an unrepentant, rebellious person. Your sins can be forgiven. 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 (John 3:16). God so loved the world, that He sent His only begotten Son to suffer God’s wrath over our sins. You don’t have to perish, die and go to Hell. You can receive everlasting life if you repent and believe in Jesus.
Actually, the verse says believeth in Him. Believeth is a continual believing. It is more than a little one-time prayer. It is a complete and total surrender to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. It is godly sorrow over your sins that works repentance to salvation. We are pleading with you to get right with God and the only way to do that is through Jesus Christ alone. He is the only Mediator between God and man.
Jesus is the Mediator because He walked this earth 2,000 years ago; fully God and fully man. He was tempted by the devil in every way we are tempted, yet He never sinned. Not one time. He lived a perfect life, always obeying the will of God the Father. Yet, He laid down His life as a ransom for many. He took the punishment on the cruel cross that you and I deserve. We committed the crime, our sins against God, yet Jesus took our punishment for us. He suffered God’s righteous anger over our sins. He died on the cross, was buried, and rose victoriously three days later. And this is the good news; God offers everlasting life to everyone who repents and surrenders their life to Jesus.
We Want You To Receive The Everlasting Gospel
Oh, we want you to receive the everlasting Gospel tonight because it is an everlasting gift. It can never be taken away from you. We are speaking to you the wonderful words of life – eternal life. You can be saved. Your sins can be forgiven. Your slate can be wiped clean, no matter how wicked or vile you have been. You can receive eternal life through receiving the everlasting Gospel.
Come to God on His terms. God commands all men everywhere to repent because He has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:30-31). Repent and trust Jesus. Trust Him, not yourself. You will let yourself down just like you’ve done your whole life. But Jesus won’t let you down. He will never leave you nor forsake you; if you turn from your sins and turn to Him.
Will you do this? Will you do this tonight? You are not guaranteed tomorrow. This may be your last day on this earth. Don’t die in your sins. Don’t die mocking God and rejecting Jesus Christ. Come to Jesus. Repent and put your faith in Him. Acts 20:21 says we are to have repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus must be your Lord as well as your Savior, or you will die in your sins and spend eternity suffering God’s righteous wrath. Don’t do it. Don’t die and go to Hell.
Admit that you are a sinner. Confess and forsake your sins. Cry out to Jesus to save you. Repent and put your trust in Him. Submit to His Lordship. Surrender your life to Jesus Christ. Oh, if God is convicting you over your sins and revealing His Holiness to you, don’t resist the Spirit. Come to Jesus and be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Be saved tonight. Believe the everlasting Gospel. Receive the everlasting Gospel. Receive salvation that only comes from the Lord and take hold of eternal life.
(This message was lifted up in downtown Springfield, MO on March 31, 2017)