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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Why do people easily believe in Heaven but not Hell? Does it really change anything? -- H.H.

A: Most people accept that Heaven is real, according to a Fox News poll. Many religious and non-religious believe they will go there because God is a God of love.

Many of these same people, however, reject that Hell is real. Yet they reserve Hell as a very real place for people who have perpetrated some of the most hideous crimes in history and have absolutely no remorse in wanting some of the most infamous criminals to "go to Hell." What does it reveal about people's hearts when they want someone condemned to Hell? They are obviously judging that person's actions against their own merit. They believe they're good enough to pass judgment on another person, but they accuse God who is holy of condemning people to this foreboding place because they reject His Word.

"Please... write on anything but Hell!" This comes from bloggers in cyberspace who claim to be Christians. Responding to those who are sounding the warning about Hell, they write, "This makes Christians look like they serve a God filled with anger and wrath."

No matter how hard we try, we cannot escape the righteous judgment of God. But God, in His mercy and grace, wants to impart His righteousness through salvation to all people. Yet there are those who refuse such a gift and want to make light of Hell, the place that intrigues and inflames such passion.

Herein lies the problem -- we see ourselves as good and refuse to see that we, too, harbor wickedness within. The Bible says that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Don't let Satan deceive you with his lies. Turn to God and live for Him.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

(c)2019 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.