Thought for the Month - June 2003

Rags to Riches, Riches to Ruination - By Barry Adair

If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, there would be:

57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 from the Americas/Western Hemisphere
52 would be female
48 would be male
70 would be non-white
30 would be white
70 would be "non-Christian"
30 would be "Christian"
1 would have a college education
1 would own a computer
6 people would possess almost 60% of the world's wealth and all 6 of them would be from the USA.
80 would live in substandard housing
70 would be unable to read
50 would suffer from malnutrition

If you have food in the fridge, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than three quarters of this world.

If you have money in the bank, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

The above certainly makes you think (and hopefully act too!)

It also made me think about Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-26:

"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence"

There are very many ‘rich men’ living in the world today.

They may think of themselves as rich but without saving faith in Jesus Christ, they are in a perilous position.

I'm not saying that it is good to be in poverty, far from it, but there is a spiritual 'poverty' which will lead to an eternity in a literal Hell.

While many people can certainly live without Jesus in this life, being without Jesus in the life to come will be truly awful.

When Jesus described Hell (Mark chapter 9) as a place “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched”, He was comparing Hell with Gehenna.

The Jews at the time would have known about Gehenna. This was the dump on the southern outskirts of Jerusalem where fire was always present, burning the rubbish, and the maggots and worms were fed continually on the corpses of dead animals, criminals and vagrants from the city.

Whether there will be literal fire and worms in Hell, we don’t know, but we are left in no doubt that it will be a horrendous place.

Jesus repeated His description of Hell as a place “where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” three times in Mark 9.

Everything Jesus said, as recorded in God’s Word, is important.

In repeating this description of Hell and then repeating it again, I believe Jesus wants us all to be aware of how awful a place this is.

Please heed these words - how could anyone ignore such a dire warning?

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, That whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16

Are you SURE that you have your place booked in Heaven? Read this if you're not!