In this profound episode, explore the significant questions surrounding eternity and what the Bible reveals about life after death. Charles Stanley dives deep into the realities of eternal destinations with a focus on the choices we make today that define our forever. Listen as he unpacks Matthew 25, presenting the stark contrast between eternal life and eternal separation from God, illuminating the importance of alignment with a divine path.
Welcome to this weekend’s In Touch Podcast with Charles Stanley. What happens when unbelievers die? Today’s podcast explores what the Bible says about eternity. Our series, How to Choose Your Destiny, continues.
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Where will you spend eternity? You’re going to spend it somewhere. And the question is, where are you going to spend it? So I want you to turn, if you will, to Matthew chapter 25. And in this 25th chapter of Matthew, the Lord Jesus Christ is beginning the judgment. And in beginning in verse 31, I want us to read verses 31 through 34. Skip to 41 and then to 46 because the passage is between… are familiar to you, and I want you to get the import of these passages. Verse 31, But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will put the sheep And then in verse 41, he says, Depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. And he concludes this message in verse 46 by saying, And these will go away into eternal punishment on the left, but the righteous on the right into eternal life. And the question is, when you die, not if, but when you die, where will you spend eternity? Now, It’s interesting to me, and I don’t blame them. My friend, if I had not trusted Jesus Christ as my Savior, I would not want to hear any sermons about sin, about judgment, and the last thing I want to hear about is hell. That’s the last thing I’d want to hear about if I were unsaved. So I’m going to tell you, my friend, don’t turn it off. You could be making an eternal mistake. You say, well, I never have believed in that hell business. Well, I want you to think for just a moment. And let’s see how God describes the only other place people spend eternity. It’s interesting how He describes it. I want you to listen to what God says and how He describes the place where men spend eternity without God. Chapter 25 of Matthew, our original passage here. Look, if you will, in the 41st verse. Then He will also say to those on His left, those who refuse Him, Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. I want to say two things here. Hell was never created for people like you and me. It was created originally for the devil and his fallen angels. prepared for the devil and his angels. The Bible calls it a place of fire, a lake of fire. If you will turn to Mark chapter 9, 48, you will find that it is described as a place of unquenchable fire, where the fire dieth not, where it burns but never consumes. Somebody may ask, well, how in the world could you have a fire and something not be consumed? The Bible says that the eternal lake of fire where unbelievers will be assigned is a place where men and women burn and burn and burn and burn. Now, are we talking about physical fiery flames that scorch the cloth, burn your toast, consume a house, burn down a whole village? Are we talking about these kind of fiery flames? Are we talking about flames that burn in darkness but do not light up the darkness, cast them into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth? Are we talking about the kind of flame that burns the human spirit, that burns in the human mind, that burns in the human heart forever and ever and ever? Those too busy for God, who’ve rejected His Son, who’ve refused grace, refused forgiveness, refused the blood, refused salvation, refused eternal life. a flame that burns even in darkness and shows no light, a flame that burns but does not consume, a flame that burns forever and ever and ever, a flame that you and I really cannot truly describe because it is beyond human comprehension. But it is interesting that over and over and over again, all through the New Testament, He keeps talking about the lake of fire, the lake of fire, the lake of fire. I want you to notice something that Jesus said all the way back in the Sermon on the Mount. Those folks who say, oh, I just live by the Sermon on the Mount. Wonderful. Let’s turn to Matthew chapter 7. Because, my friend, you’ve only read a part of it if you’re satisfied with the Sermon on the Mount and having rejected Jesus Christ. Here’s what he says. He says, beginning in Matthew chapter 7, verse 20. So then, you will know them by their fruits. That is, we’ll know each other by the life that we live. Look at verse 21. These are solemn, thought-provoking verses. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, everyone who prays. Not everyone who prays will enter the kingdom of heaven. But he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven and the will of the Father is to accept, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as full payment for our sin and receive him into our life as our Savior. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord. Lots of folks are saying, Lord, Lord. They’re praying all kinds of prayers. Not everyone who prays is going to heaven. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven. But he says, he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven and the will of the Father is to receive his son as forgiveness for sin. Verse 22, he says, this is where it’s going to be. Many will say to me on that day, on the day of judgment, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? We did some religious things in your name. And in your name, we even had the power to cast out demons. We did miraculous things. And in your name, we performed many miracles. My friend, listen to me carefully. You can’t believe everything you see, even though it may appear to be miraculous, right? You can’t follow everybody you hear who appears to be doing the unusual and the miraculous because he says, in that day, many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not done many wonderful works, casting out demons, performing all kinds of miracles and doing these things in your name? Listen to what he said in verse 23. And then will I declare to them, I never knew you. And that means I never knew you at any time. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. Listen to that. It is one thing for somebody to say, get out. Would you leave? But when the Lord Jesus Christ himself… In all of his omniscience, sitting as the judge at the great white throne, says, Depart from me, I never knew you. So that today, you and I, if we die, absent from the body, present with the Lord. A lost person passes away today, they go to torment. They will stay in torment and suffer until the great white throne judgment when they stand before the great white throne judgment and then are consigned to the lake of fire where they will be consigned forever and ever and ever and suffer according to the deeds which they’ve done according to their works. Now, what is the most important thing about eternity? The most important thing for those of us who go into heaven is the fact that the Lord God is going to be there. The worst thing… about hell about the lake of fire is the eternal separation fixed forever from the God who created you when he says depart from me I never knew you his word to the lost as always depart from me eternal separation listen where there is no hope and no help no mercy It is forever and ever and ever. Now, I know exactly what somebody’s saying. I’m here to tell you there is no way for me to believe that a loving God would ever do that to anybody. And my friend, I knew that’s what you were thinking. Because you see, that is the rationale of Satan, not of God. Now, let me tell you why. I want you to think about two verses of Scripture. Let’s look at them. 2 Peter 3, 9, number 1. 2 Peter 3, 9, listen to what Peter says. The Lord is not slow. Watch this. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you. Did you hear that? God is so patient toward us. Not wishing, listen, God does not wish for any person to perish, but His wish is for all of us to come to repentance. It’s not God’s desire that any person should perish. Go back over to 1 Timothy chapter 2. Look at this passage. 1 Timothy chapter 2. Listen to what he says. Speaking of prayer in this first verse, he entreats all of us to be praying for those who are in authority over us. And then he says, this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. Verse 3. Look at verse 4, 1 Timothy chapter 2. Verse 4 says, God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth. My friend, listen to me carefully. Following the judgment, God is going to assign those who have made choices in life, choices to reject Him, choices to refuse Him, choices to give Him no place in their life, those choices to sin against God. to violate God’s principles, violate God’s laws. God is giving what they ask for. They have chosen to live separated from. Listen, when you choose to live separated from God down here, you make a choice to live separated from God for eternity. The worst thing about eternity and the lake of fire is that God will not be present. eternally separated from the one who has loved you. And I’m going to ask you again, what more could God do in your life to bring you into a saving knowledge of himself than he’s done? You’ve heard the gospel again and again and again and again. And I want to tell you, my friend, the more you’ve heard it and the more you rejected it, the worse it’s going to be on you in eternity, because this is exactly what you’ve said. Listen to me carefully. Here is what you’ve been saying all of these years of your life. God, leave me alone. You say, well, I would never say that to God. Leave me alone. When you live your life… And you refuse Him. You shut Him out except in emergency when you need to call on Him for something special. You shut Him out of your will. You do not allow Him to glorify Himself in you. You refuse to have His will in your life. What you’re saying is, leave me alone. Now, my dear friend, listen to me carefully. When you stand in the judgment, the great white throne judgment, and you’ve spent your life telling God to leave you alone, The final word to you in the great white throne judgment is, you may have your wish. I’m going to leave you alone. Depart from me, you who have refused the truth. I consign you because of your choice not to want to be with me. I consign you to a place of eternal separation from me, which is called the lake of fire. Now, my friend, let’s get deadly honest for just a moment. You don’t mean to tell me that you think, honestly and truly, that you’re going to live your life down here, separated from God, don’t want any meddling in your business. You want to live your life freely, doing what you please, as you please, as long as you please. And you don’t want God anywhere around. You don’t want His will, His way. You don’t want to live by His principles. You don’t want to live by His laws. You don’t want to be a part of His church. You don’t want to receive His Son. You don’t want to live in submission to Him but rebellious toward Him. Do you mean to tell me, do you think, that you want to live your life separated from God all of these years of your life and then all of a sudden you’re going to be in love with Him and want to spend eternity with Him? No way. Do you know what happens when a person goes to the lake of fire? Here’s what happens. You get what you ask for. Leave me alone. You know what’s going to be the worst thing about the lake of fire? God’s not going to be there. No father, no son, no spirit. Leave me alone. There are only two places to spend eternity. One of them is in heaven, and one of them is the lake of fire. If I receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior by confessing my sins and acknowledging His death on the cross paid the full penalty, and I receive Him as my Savior and my Lord and my life, the Bible says I am sealed forever by the Holy Spirit. I become a child of the living God, and forever I shall be a part of the kingdom of God. And when I stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and am judged, then I will be assigned to my task and my responsibility and my blessing forever in heaven with all of God’s people. But if you reject the Lord Jesus Christ, you will stand before God and you will be judged for your works. But what will, listen, what will will determine if you’re assigned to the lake of fire will not be how many sins you committed or the nature of those sins or how bad you were. There is only one decision that you’ll ever make. They will determine that you’ll be consigned by God to the lake of fire because it is your choice to live eternally separated from Him. And that is if you choose to reject His Son and his death on the cross as your personal savior and you choose to take your chances to stand before an eternal God who is all holy and all truth and plead your own case which will be in shambles before holiness and righteousness, if you choose to reject His Son and plead your own case before Him, you are making your own choice. You cannot blame it on God. You are making your choice To live eternally just the way you’re living here, separated from Almighty God the Father, Almighty God the Son, and Almighty God the Spirit. That’s your choice. You can’t blame it on God. Because you see, the moment you’re willing to receive His Son as your Savior, you’re saved and eternally secure in the kingdom of God. But as long as you live in rebellion, stay out of my life. I don’t want you in my life. No time for you now. As long as you live a life of rebellion, as long as you live separated from Him here and you die in that state, you will have made your own decision. You will have consigned your own self to the eternal lake of fire by a decision. Now listen to me carefully. There are only two choices. Did you know, my friend, this may be the most important 60 seconds in your life? Because you’re about to make a decision. The most important 60 seconds in your life. In fact, your whole eternity may hinge on what you do in these next few seconds. And I want to ask you, will you bow your head? or wherever you are, would you pray this prayer to God the Father, trusting His Son, believing that God’s going to hear what you say. Heavenly Father, I have sinned against you. I’m asking you to forgive me of my sins. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I’m accepting His death as payment for my sin. By faith, I receive you, Lord Jesus, here and now as my Savior, my Lord, and my life. And from this moment on, my life belongs to you. If you prayed that prayer, in the last 60 seconds, your eternal destiny was changed. If you did not, and you’re not saved, it could be the worst 60 seconds you’ll ever live on the face of this earth. Your eternal destiny is at stake. You’re either going to spend it in the lake of fire or in heaven. God won’t force it. It’s your decision. And I pray in Jesus’ name that you either pray that prayer, and if for some reason you did not, would you pray it soon, my friend, before you die? And prayer is too late. Remember this. If you live your life, all of your life, telling God to leave you alone, echoing For eternity in your ears will be, you may have your wish. All alone, all alone, all alone, all alone. No wise man or wise woman will take the chance of rejecting Jesus Christ.
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Thank you for listening to part two of Where Will You Spend Eternity? For more inspirational messages like this one, visit our online 24-7 station. And if you’d like to know more about Charles Stanley or InTouch Ministries, stop by InTouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of InTouch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
