A minister in Florida lamented that he couldn’t get his congregation to take seriously his messages about eternity. “It’s so beautiful here in the winter that heaven doesn’t interest them,” he said, sighing. “And it’s so hot here in the summer that hell doesn’t scare them!”

That minister was no doubt exaggerating, but there are too many people who really don’t take eternity seriously. We need to do whatever we can to get people to think about the next life and where they want to spend it—with God or without him—in heaven or in hell.

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”—Hebrews 9:27-28