The mattress was on fire, smoke was pouring from the room, and a policeman was shaking him but he still slept on!
Finally the policeman succeeded in awakening the man and saved him from suffocating in his sleep. The officer then put out the fire which, he said, was apparently caused by a burning cigarette.
Do you think the endangered man scolded the policeman for shaking and waking him, and possibly even frightening him with cries of "Fire! Fire!"? Of course not! But there are those who are soundly sleeping on the bed of indifference to their eternal welfare who severely criticize faithful workers who warn them of hellfire.
If you are inclined to resent the warnings given regarding judgment and a lost eternity, stop and think that it is sincere consideration of your well-being that causes anyone to urge you to "flee from the wrath to come."
It is not pleasant to speak to anyone about hell, but faithfulness to God's Word and love to the perishing demand it.
It was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who asked the solemn question: "How can ye escape the damnation of hell?" Matt. 23:3333Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Matthew 23:33). Surely, if hell were not a reality and if people were not in danger of going there, He would never have taken those words upon His lips, for He is the personification of grace and truth.
It is a joy to tell out the good news that none need perish since Christ died for our sins and rose again for our justification. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16).