[align=center][b]A Letter From Hell: (Taken from a sermon written by Steve Irre)[/b] Dear mom, I'm writing to you from a most horrible place that I have ever seen or heard. More horrible than you could ever imagine. It is black here. So dark I cannot see all the people I am constantly bumping into. I only know they're people like myself by the blood curdling screams that I hear. My voice is gone from my own screaming as I arrive in pain and suffering. I cannot even cry for help anymore, and it's no use anyway. There's no one here that has any compassion at all for my plight. The pain and suffering from this place is absolutely unbearable. It so consumes my every thought. I would not know if there was any other sensation to come upon me. The pain is so severe it never stops, day or night. The turning of days does not appear because of the darkness. What may be nothing more than minutes or even seconds seems like many endless years. The thought of this suffering continuing without end is more than I can bear. My mind is spinning more and more with each passing moment, dear Mother. I feel like a madman. I cannot think clearly under this load of confusion. I fear I'm losing my mind. Mom, the fear is just as bad as the pain. Maybe even worse. I cannot see how my predicament could be any worse than it is but I have a constant fear that it might be so at any moment. My mouth is parched, and will only become more so. It is so dry, that my tongue clings to the roof of my mouth. I remember that old preacher in that church saying what Jesus Christ endured on that old rugged cross. There's no relief, Mom. Not so much as a single drop of water to cool my tongue. To add even more misery to this place of torment, I know that I deserve to be here. I'm being punished justly for my deeds. The punishment, the pain and the suffering is no worse than I justly deserve, but admitting that now will never ease the anguish that burns eternally from my wretched soul. I hate myself for committing the sins to earn such a horrible fate! I hate the devil that deceived me so that I would end up in this place! As much as I know it an unspeakable wickedness to think such a thing, I hate the very God that sent His own Son to die for me, that I may not come to this place of torment. I could never blame the Christ of Calvary that suffered, bled, and died for me. I hate Him anyway! I cannot even control my feelings when I know they're wicked, wretched and vile. I am more wicked and vile now than I ever was in my earthly existence. Oh Mother, if only I had listened! any earthly torment would be better than this. To die a slow agonizing death from cancer, to jump out off the 40th floor of a burning building, like those who died on September 11th, but to choose those over my present fate, I have no power. I do not have that choice. I now understand that this torment and suffering is what Jesus bore for me. I believe He died to pay for my sins, but His suffering was not eternal. In three days, He arose in victory over the grave. Oh, I so do believe!, but alas it is too late. As the old invitation song states, I remember hearing so many times. “You came, but you came one day too late." We are all believers in this terrible place, but our faith amounts to nothing. It’s too late. The door is shut. The tree has fallen, and here it shall lay in Hell forever lost. No hope, no comfort, no peace, no joy. There will never be any end to my suffering. I remember that old preacher as he would read from the book of Revelations. "...And the smoke of their torment ascended up forever and ever." They had no rest day or night, those who worshipped the beast in his image.” There is no peace, no peace saith my God to the wicked. For the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest. Whose waters cast mire and dirt... there's no peace to the wicked. The worst thing about this place, Mom, are my memories. I remember the church services, the invitations... I thought they were so corny, so stupid and useless. I used to sit in the back and hide my face while I laughed at that old country preacher. I thought he was a fool. I see things different now Mom. Now that I had a change of heart, it matters nothing at this point. I have lived like a fool. Dear soul, I’m talking to someone tonight. I don’t know who you are, but this boy here says I lived like a fool. I pretended like a fool. I played church like a fool. I died like a fool God, and now I have to suffer the anguish of a fool forever. All by myself. Just to stroll through a green meadow, smell the beautiful flowers, stopping to take in the fragrance of their sweet perfume. There’s no flowers in Hell, mom. I long to see one of those little innocent babies that just used to aggravate me, now I’d love to see their cherub -like faces, but there’s no babies in Hell, Mom. Mom, there’s no Bibles in Hell, there’s no Bibles in Hell, mama. The only scriptures inside these charred walls are those that ring in my ears hour after hour, and moment after miserable moment that I remember being preached, as that old preacher hammered the pulpit, and preached under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Oh, Mom, they offer me those verses no comfort at all. They only serve to remind me of what a fool I have been. Mom, if it wasn’t for the futility of them all, that you might rejoice to know that there is a never ending prayer meeting here in Hell. No matter. There’s no Holy Spirit to intercede on our behalf. The prayers are just empty and dead. They amount to nothing more than cries for mercy that we all know will never be answered. Please warn my brothers, mom! I was the oldest. I thought I had to be tough. Please tell them there’s no tough guys in Hell, mama. Nobody’s cool in Hell. As terrible as this place is, mom, I see it’s my final destination. Satan laughs at us all here, and his multitudes join us continually in his misery. We’re constantly reminded that one day in the future, we’ll all be summoned up one by one to stand face by face by the God that we have offended by our unholiness, by our wickedness, by our thoughts and deeds, and attitude. And as we stand before Him, we’ll be judged by our own wicked works. By those things written in the books, and then thrown into the lake of fire. Saying “Amen” to our own condemnation, just before we’re cast into the lake of fire. We will have to look on the face of Him, who willingly suffered the torments of Hell, that we might be delivered from them. The Lamb of God, that came to take away the sin of the world. As we stand there in His holy presence to hear the pronouncement of our own damnation, You’ll be there mother, to see it all. Please forgive me for hanging my head in shame, as I know that I will not be able to bear to look upon your face. You will already be conformed into the image of the Savior, and I know it will be more than I can stand. I’d love to leave this place, enjoying you and so many others I have known on earth. But I know that will never be possible, since I know I can never escape the punishments of Hell that I rightly deserve. I say this with tears, with a sorrow and deep despair that can never be completely described. I never want to see any of you again. Please don’t ever join me here in eternal anguish." Your son, Condemned and lost forever. Dear soul, This doesn't need to be your fate. The greatest agony of Hell is not the lake of fire, but rather the absence of God's presence, and the vivid memory of every opportunity lost to receive God's gift of eternal life. Like the opportunity you will be given tonight to make that decision. The Lord is not willing that any should perish. He has provided a way for all who will believe and trust Him as their Lord and Savior. The Scriptures says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9) Right now, wherever you are, you can bow your head and commit your life to Christ. You can begin a relationship with Him by praying a prayer such as the following: [b] "Oh God, I am sinner. I am sorry for my sins. Please forgive me. I want to turn from my sin. I receive Jesus Christ as my Savior; I confess Him as my Lord. From now on, I want to follow Him. In Jesus' name, Amen."[/b][/align] [img]http://www.photosforsouls.com/Hell%20is%20a%20real%20place%20it%20does%20exist%20God%20desires%20that%20no%20one%20go%20there%20but%20sadly%20poeple%20make%20the%20choice%20to%20go%20to%20hell%20everyday%20simply%20by%20doing%20nothing.JPG[/img]

Last edited by zzamae (2008-10-27 11:47:55)