My friend died 2 weeks ago (He ended his own life). A well known TV personality & singer.

All Korean news media reported his death. But they all missed one thing: he died on the anniversary date of his and my yet another best friend’s death (1997).

On the last day of June 1997, when a month-long monsoon was approaching Seoul, while I was visiting Korea for the summer, we mourned the death of Lee.

13 Years later, on the night of the anniversary, he committed suicide. And once I heard the news, I checked the date. The same day. No one knows the despair that YH went through after Lee’s death. No one knows kind of friendship they had. And no one in the media will ever know why Yong Ha died on that day. Why he chose that day.

But after few minutes of lightheadedness, the reality dawned on me. He died outside of Christ. And I couldn’t say: R.I.P my friend because he is not resting in peace.

Then, I found out I was resisting the thought, in vain, of the reality of Heaven and Hell.

And I came to conclusion: not many Christians believe in the reality of hell.

The Bible’s message is clear: either one’s united to Christ (Heaven) or he/she is not (Hell).

But what is hell? What do I know about hell? Do you know much about hell? Probably not.

Among many questions, one may ask: What can hell fire do when I don’t have a body (after death)? So, hell fire must be a figurative language to scare people.

So I began my quest for hell.

Now, where do I go to learn more about Hell? The first person came to my mind was: Jonathan Edwards.

There are three sermons you must read.

(i) “Warnings of Future Punishment don’t Seem real to the Wicked” (1727)

(ii) “The torments of hell are exceeding great” (1728-1729)

(iii) and of course, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” (1741)

Once you read through (I doubt who will but..) these, then you will have some big picture about Hell.

But more than anything, where do we go to learn about hell in the Bible? What does the word of God say about hell? That’s more important question.

But for today, try to read Edwards.

Steven Lawson’s 3rd book (<- click) from A Long Line of Godly Men Profile series is both succinct and illuminating. It’s a combination of biographical sketch of Edwards and his famous RESOLUTIONS.

A couple of his resolutions are timely for our current discussions of Stewardship of Time, Treasure, and Talent.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory…

5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

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1. Regarding his first resolution: we often think that we give glory to God “after” something is completed; when I get a job, when I win championship etc. But giving glory to God involves: motivation, process, and goal. Let us not overlook “process”. God is to be glorified in many “insignificant” moments of our lives. It was interesting to see how Edwards saw seeking glory of God benefited himself. Lawson says, “What is more, Edwards affirmed in his first resolution that prioritizing God’s glory would be to ‘my own good, profit, and pleasure.’ In other words, Edwards believed that prizing God above all else would lead to his greatest benefit. These two ends-God’s glory and his good-were not in competition but were complementary.” In result, the more Edwards sought God’s glory, the more he found his deepest happiness.

2. Regarding his 5th resolution: “For Edwards, glorifying God included something as basic as the proper use of his time in light of eternity. He knew that if he was to honor God, he must use the time that has been entrusted to him wisely. Each moment was priceless. He could not waste time and bring honor to God…At the root of all discipline is the disciplined use of time. Without this one, there are no other disciplines.” For us, we need to cut back on our entertainment. Stop watching and start reading.