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People have different views on death.

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I was talking to a psychiatrist and I

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asked him if he believed in an afterlife,

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if he believed in a heaven or hell.

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He told me matter of factly that when

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a person dies there is nothing.

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It's the termination of existence like when an

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animal dies.

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He said it's just like a black void.

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I was talking to a church member and

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this woman told me she believed that when

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you die Jesus comes to you and gives

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everyone a second chance to go to heaven.

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That even if you die a lost person

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Jesus will meet you and ask you if

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you want to go with him to heaven.

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You can get saved after you're dead.

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That's what she believed.

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Don't laugh friend.

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A lot of Catholics believe you can be

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saved after you die.

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They teach about purgatory and how you can

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be prayed out or bought out of that

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purgatory.

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You can pray for the dead.

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There's still hope for them and a lot

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of Hollywood celebrities think hell is just a

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big party place like a nightclub where they

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can still booze up and do drugs and

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fornicate and do whatever they want to.

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That hell is a fun place they tell

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us.

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I was watching an interview on TV with

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the lead singer of the rock group Queen

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Freddie Mercury.

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The interviewer asked Freddie Mercury if he believed

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he'd go to heaven when he died.

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This rock star sneered and said I don't

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want to go to heaven when I die.

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I'd much rather go to hell.

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Hell will be a much more fun place.

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Well, I bet he's changed his opinion now.

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What does the Bible say about death and

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the hereafter?

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One of the most vivid descriptions of eternity

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is given by Jesus in Luke's gospel in

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chapter 16.

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Let's turn in our Bibles there now friends

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in Luke's gospel in chapter 16 and beginning

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in verse 19.

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Here now is the Word of God and

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may the Spirit of the Lord attend the

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reading of his holy word.

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There was a certain rich man which was

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clothed in purple and fine linen and fared

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sumptuously every day and there was a certain

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beggar named Lazarus which was laid at the

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gate full of sores and desiring to be

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fed with the crumbs which fell from the

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rich man's table.

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Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

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Well let me pause here friends to say

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the rich man dressed in purple that was

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the color for princes or statesmen.

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This man was not only rich he was

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important an important person in his city.

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A day didn't go by that this rich

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old boy didn't chomp on some lobster and

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steak.

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He had it all and he was enjoying

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it all.

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His money and his belly were his gods

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and he is quite unconcerned and even indifferent

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to beggars like Lazarus who sit at his

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gate and beg who who were so sore

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and lame that he had to be carried

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to the rich man's gate hoping for some

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bread crumbs just to survive.

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He was not only a poor unfortunate beggar

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who was lame in his legs he was

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covered in sores that bled oozed and stank

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and the only relief he got from his

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discomfort came from the rich man's dogs that

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licked his sores.

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These dogs were better fed than this poor

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beggar Lazarus.

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I don't know if you know what it's

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like to be poor friend.

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I sure do.

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I know what it's like to be so

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poor that you don't have a dollar to

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your name.

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You don't know where your next meal is

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coming from.

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Well this man Lazarus was like that.

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In the eyes of the world he was

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a nobody but in the eyes of God

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he was a somebody.

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Well let's get back to our text in

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verse 22.

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And it came to pass that the beggar

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died and was carried by the angels into

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Abraham's bosom.

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Let me pause here to say I believe

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that.

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I believe that when a Christian dies angels

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carry their soul to God in heaven.

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There's a story about the British preacher Charles

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Spurgeon that was related by his close friend

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and secretary Joseph Harold who told this story

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to his dying day.

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He said he was with the great Spurgeon

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as he lay dying in a hotel room

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in Menton France.

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And Joseph Harold said that while he looked

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out the window of the hotel to his

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amazement he saw a bevy of angels hovering

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under a clear blue sky as if they

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were waiting on someone.

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Well they didn't have long to wait for

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Spurgeon died shortly thereafter.

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I believe that story friends and I believe

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my Bible when it says Lazarus was carried

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up by angels to Abraham's bosom.

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I believe that when a believer dies that

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their soul is taken up by angels to

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heaven.

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I also believe that when a non-believer

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dies that demons drag that soul down to

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hell.

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We read in our text the rich man

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also died and was buried and in hell.

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He lift up his eyes being in torments.

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I will stop there.

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Beyond death's door is an eternity where one

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is separated from their body which is put

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in the ground in a grave.

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But their soul lives on and on with

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all its senses.

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With all its reasoning.

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With all its memory.

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And that soul upon death immediately either goes

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to heaven or it goes to hell.

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We hear the rich man's cry in hell's

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torments in verse 24.

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And he cried and said Father Abraham have

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mercy on me and send Lazarus that he

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may dip the tip of his finger in

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water and cool my tongue for I am

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tormented in this flame.

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We see from his remarks he is conscious

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of his surroundings that there's no such thing

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as soul sleep in death.

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He is not only aware of his surroundings.

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He can experience suffering in them.

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I am tormented in this flame he cries.

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But this rich old boy is far past

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any day of mercy.

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He's gone out beyond the help of God.

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He cannot only get any help from God.

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He can't even get a drip of water

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from him.

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If you continue to read the text friend

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you learn that he wants to warn his

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five brothers not to come to this region

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of misery and suffering.

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But to no avail.

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A soul is separated from the body of

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death and it retains its memory.

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The memory is the haunting thing in hell

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that gnaws at a lost soul.

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If you recall in the gospels Jesus describes

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the lost in hell as those who are

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wailing and gnashing of teeth.

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Wailing speaks of great loss and grief.

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Gnashing of teeth signifies great anger and regret.

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You'll be as mad as hell in hell

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friend for rejecting Christ Jesus.

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And hell is not only hot it's pitch

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black darkness.

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Jesus referred to it as outer darkness like

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the deep darkness of outer space.

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Have you ever been in a room with

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no light and it's so dark in there

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you couldn't even see your hand in front

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of your face?

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That's how dark hell is.

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In fact we read about the fate of

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the wicked in the book of Job.

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He shall be driven from light into darkness

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and chased out of the world.

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Imagine one minute you're standing in sunshine then

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the next you're chased out of that light

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into a region of darkness.

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Mordecai Ham the great evangelist in his famous

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sermon sudden death would tell the story of

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Lulu.

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Let me read it to you friend from

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Mordecai Ham's biography.

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Here are his words.

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My lord caused me to witness the horrible

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death of one eternally lost.

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Two sisters were living in a log hut

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near the church.

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Both were just young girls and were dying

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with tuberculosis.

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I was to visit them on a certain

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day.

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The mother of those two girls met me

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at the door of the little log cabin

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and begged me to hasten in and to

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do something.

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Lulu is dying.

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The mother sobbed.

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I hurried to the girl's bedside and tried

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to talk to her about her need of

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salvation.

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I plead with her for a long time

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but to no avail.

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She refused to hearken but then she closed

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her eyes in death.

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I called to her.

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Lulu how is it?

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A voice came back.

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Not the voice of one living but that

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of one who was in another world.

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It was a voice that came up from

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the depths without any sign of movement of

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the dead girl's lips or throat muscles.

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A voice that I have heard only once

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in my life and that I have never

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been able to forget.

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Lost.

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Lost.

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Oh.

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Oh.

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So dark.

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So dark.

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So dark.

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That story always sends chills down my spine

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friends.

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Beyond death's door is an eternity that goes

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on forever where one soul will exist forever

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either in a place of peace and joy

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called heaven where you will enjoy Jesus forever

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or you will exist in torments and misery

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in a dark burning region called hell which

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was prepared for the devil and his angels.

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Death is described in the bible as the

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king of terrors.

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Listen friend if you aren't born from above

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and washed in the blood then when you

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die in your sins you'll surely bust hell

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wide open even if you're the chairman of

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the deacons.

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Repent and believe on Jesus before it's too

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late.