BBD 04.21.17 Hell's Gate (Classic)

#1 · April 21, 2017, 12:54 am

Quote from Forum Archives on April 21, 2017, 12:54 am
Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2010

Burning Bush Devotional

21 April 2017

Hell’s
Gate

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that
leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the
gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find
it. - Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV.

Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to
enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and
shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord,
Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you,
where you are from.’” - Luke 13:23-25 NKJV.

There is a huge flaming crater in Turkmenistan's Karakum Desert, which is about
60 yards wide that is called “Hell's Gate” or “Hell's Door” by
people in the area. The crater is the result of a blow-out caused by a drilling
accident back in 1971. Soviet petroleum engineers decided to burn off the gas,
and it has been burning ever since. Hell's Gate is a tourist attraction for the
foreign tourists that actually make it to the country, and it is said to be a
beautiful sight to see (You can see photos of it on the web.). However,
Turkmenistan's president would like to put out the fire so that development of
natural gas reserves in the area will not be hindered.

It would be great if the actual gate to enter hell was located in the Karakum
Desert then we could just avoid the place, and never go to hell. Hell's Gate,
however, is much closer and much more personal than that. We enter Hell's Gate
in more subtle, unsuspecting ways. Life has a way of keeping us busy with
things other than the vital spiritual ones. Our attention is placed on
work, family, our home, and we seldom think about God and eternity.

The path to hell is more of a slide than a walk. The busier we are with our
worldly affairs the closer we slide to the gaping mouth of the Gate of Hell. We
ignore our spiritual condition, we push aside any thoughts about God, or
church, or Jesus, and we slide closer and closer to that Gate of no return.
When we do think about spiritual things, we think of how we are not any worse
than many religious people that we know. We think that a good God would never
send anyone to hell. We think of all the religions in the world, and think they
probably all lead to the same place. We slide closer to the gaping mouth of
hell as we focus in on more pleasant thoughts. It becomes a habit to avoid
thinking of spiritual things, and only of worldly things. It becomes a habit
never considering, and to avoid considering, what will happen after you die.

The spiritual truth is that there is only One way to avoid the Gate of Hell,
and that way is a very narrow way, because that way is only through Jesus
Christ. Jesus says this in John 14:6, “I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
Me.” We can only enter the narrow gate by
believing upon Jesus as our Savior, as Jesus explains to Nicodemus in John
3:14-17, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness (Numbers 21:9), even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Are you sliding closer and closer to the gaping mouth of the Gate of Hell? Or,
have you already entered into eternal life through the “narrow gate” of believing upon Jesus Christ?

Copyright © 2010 - 2017. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of those
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating
18 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000
subscribers across the world.

The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now
available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat
your addiction that actually work.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM

The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

Books now available at the Burning Bush website:

New Pastor's
Training Manual

Biblical Help for
Overcoming Substance Abuse

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Sexual Addictions In Times of
Trouble - Devotionals to Encourage and Strengthen You (Also available for
download on Amazon.)

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the
Devotionals at the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of
the home page. Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for
healing for Pastor Shane Hall, Michelle Abetz, Wesley Lewis, Brad, Damon D.
& wife, Beverly (Jeanie’s sister), Lexi McCalip, Gary Kirk, and Jeanie.

Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My
prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the
apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

If you enjoy the devotional
please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

You can help support this
ministry by using this link: www.paypal.me/EdWrather

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

--

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: theburningbushdevotional <theburningbushdevotional@...>

Classic from 2010

Burning Bush Devotional

21 April 2017

Hell’s
Gate

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that
leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the
gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find
it. - Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV.

Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to
enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and
shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord,
Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you,
where you are from.’” - Luke 13:23-25 NKJV.

There is a huge flaming crater in Turkmenistan's Karakum Desert, which is about
60 yards wide that is called “Hell's Gate” or “Hell's Door” by
people in the area. The crater is the result of a blow-out caused by a drilling
accident back in 1971. Soviet petroleum engineers decided to burn off the gas,
and it has been burning ever since. Hell's Gate is a tourist attraction for the
foreign tourists that actually make it to the country, and it is said to be a
beautiful sight to see (You can see photos of it on the web.). However,
Turkmenistan's president would like to put out the fire so that development of
natural gas reserves in the area will not be hindered.

It would be great if the actual gate to enter hell was located in the Karakum
Desert then we could just avoid the place, and never go to hell. Hell's Gate,
however, is much closer and much more personal than that. We enter Hell's Gate
in more subtle, unsuspecting ways. Life has a way of keeping us busy with
things other than the vital spiritual ones. Our attention is placed on
work, family, our home, and we seldom think about God and eternity.

The path to hell is more of a slide than a walk. The busier we are with our
worldly affairs the closer we slide to the gaping mouth of the Gate of Hell. We
ignore our spiritual condition, we push aside any thoughts about God, or
church, or Jesus, and we slide closer and closer to that Gate of no return.
When we do think about spiritual things, we think of how we are not any worse
than many religious people that we know. We think that a good God would never
send anyone to hell. We think of all the religions in the world, and think they
probably all lead to the same place. We slide closer to the gaping mouth of
hell as we focus in on more pleasant thoughts. It becomes a habit to avoid
thinking of spiritual things, and only of worldly things. It becomes a habit
never considering, and to avoid considering, what will happen after you die.

The spiritual truth is that there is only One way to avoid the Gate of Hell,
and that way is a very narrow way, because that way is only through Jesus
Christ. Jesus says this in John 14:6, “I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
Me.” We can only enter the narrow gate by
believing upon Jesus as our Savior, as Jesus explains to Nicodemus in John
3:14-17, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness (Numbers 21:9), even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Are you sliding closer and closer to the gaping mouth of the Gate of Hell? Or,
have you already entered into eternal life through the “narrow gate” of believing upon Jesus Christ?

Copyright © 2010 - 2017. Ed
Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On
June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.
Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of those
first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to
prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the
Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating
18 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush
Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 14,000
subscribers across the world.

The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now
available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat
your addiction that actually work.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM

The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from
the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

Books now available at the Burning Bush website:

New Pastor's
Training Manual

Biblical Help for
Overcoming Substance Abuse

Biblical Help
for Overcoming Sexual Addictions In Times of
Trouble - Devotionals to Encourage and Strengthen You (Also available for
download on Amazon.)

You can leave comments/feedback
about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on
theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the
Devotionals at the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of
the home page. Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for
healing for Pastor Shane Hall, Michelle Abetz, Wesley Lewis, Brad, Damon D.
& wife, Beverly (Jeanie’s sister), Lexi McCalip, Gary Kirk, and Jeanie.

Please pray for an end to the
racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many
prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page.
You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My
prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the
apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at
theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with
endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

If you enjoy the devotional
please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank
email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional
archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

You can help support this
ministry by using this link: http://www.paypal.me/EdWrather

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our
devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by
sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time
constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by
sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond
to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org