Monday; July 22

Much of the country has been dealing with warm temperatures this week.  While this is not, necessarily, cause for shock (after all, it is mid-to-late July) the expectation of hot weather doesn’t always make us feel good.  In fact, this heat wave has caused many people to lament the weather – and some may have described it in not so kind words.  One way that people tend to describe hot weather is by comparing it to hell.  In fact, in frustration, some might even proclaim that the temperatures of last week exceeded the temperatures in hell.  While that might be an attempt at a hyperbole, it isn’t accurate – and I believe it can be misleading!  You see hell isn’t unpleasant, it is unbearable!  Hell isn’t something that lasts for a few days or weeks, it is eternal.  Hell cannot be mitigated by finding indoor air conditioning or an outdoor water park, it cannot be escaped.
There are some things that tend to get a bad reputation because of how society views them, however hell is not one of them.  In fact, if anything, using hell to describe a hot summer or using the word “hellish” to define an unpleasant situation seems to undersell the horrid nature of the place.  Hell should not be used as a standard for anything on this earth – it is a place of torment all its own!  When Jesus described the place of eternal punishment, He mentioned a pronouncement of judgment that states, “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels ...’” (Matthew 25:41). Folks, that really is hell! 
I hope that the temperatures moderate a bit this week, but if they don’t let’s use them as a caution of just how bad hell will be.  No, not even the worst heat wave can compare to the devastation of hell, but it can serve as a warning for what awaits those who disobey God.
Think About It!

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