The
"By
examining the scriptures, we can learn a great deal about the place we
call Hell. We see that there is going to be everlasting destruction.
We see in this passage a glimpse of Hell. It is for those "who do not know God, and those who do not obey the gospel." In other words for those people who fit two categories:
(1) those who do not know or believe in God, who voluntarily choose not to, and
(2) those who profess to believe but by their actions and the way they live their lives, do not follow or obey the gospel.
Scripture indicates plainly that
these people are still very capable of feeling pain or pleasure, thinking
thoughts, and even have new bodies. They are just as real as you and me!
They are only in a different place! Jesus told us that most arc in the
abode of the dead (Matthew 7:13-14). We don't hear much preaching about
Hell anymore, but the Bible tells us that it is a place of extreme pain,
of
Some people prefer to believe that Hell is not literal, but Christ suffered agony on the Cross of Calvary for you and me in order to save us from a literal Lake of Fire! Hell is very real ! It is worse than any nightmare you could ever have! It is never ending in its misery and torment The agony of lost souls eternally condemned forever and forever, without reprieve, parole, or pardon. is so horrible it beggars description!
There are millions of people who have heard the gospel message, some I am sure dozens of times. and reject God and His Son. They do not give their lives to Christ, choosing rather to go their own way or perhaps the way of the world. According to this passage, these people will spend eternity in Hell. There is also a large number of people who claim to be Christian and simply go through the motions, never really obeying the gospel or following the teachings of the New Testament. Their lives and hearts were not changed. These too shall spend eternity away from God.
So what is Hell? The above passage again gives us a glimpse into this. "These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord" The fate of those we are speaking of is to be banned eternally from being near God, or to be out of His presence. What is being "destroyed" in the passage is the ability or opportunity to be in the presence of or near God. Death, by spiritual definition, is separation. The first death is when our spirit is separated from our bodies. The second death will be when a person's spirit is eternally separated from God.
I think we can see from the above
passage that Hell is a real place.
In the book of Mark we see another
glimpse of Hell as a terrible place.
The last part of this passage. "their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched, "is quoted from Isaiah 66:24. It simply tells us that though the physical body is dead, the spirit is still in existence and can feel pain. If we "in the flesh" could actually see exactly what H Hell is like we would truly be horrified. It is a terrible place of eternal existence for those who do not know God and those who will not obey the gospel.
Not only is Hell a terrible place,
but it is also a place of eternal existence.
The judgement, once pronounced, will be final, irreversible, and unending. For those of us that are obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ the thought of eternal life with God and Jesus is joyous. However. just the thought of eternal existence in Hell makes me shutter. I cannot imagine-- and I don't want to -- what it would be like to spend eternity in a place separate from God where there is no goodness -- where there is only extreme relentless fiery torment, without hope. without mercy. without rest -- without any kind of goodness. (It is only by God's goodness by which we live on this earth.)
It is difficult for us to conceptualize what eternity will be like. Everything we experience here on earth is limited by time. We tend to think of a lifetime as a very long period. In reality. in the frame-work of eternity, a lifetime is but a twinkle of an eye. It is but a fraction of a second in comparison. While we exist on this earth for a few decades we will exist either in heaven or hell for an eternity.
Specifically. who will be in Hell?
The Bible tells us exactly who will be in this place of eternal torment.
This is a long passage. but it shows clearly that everyone will go through the judgment. Those whose name is found written in the Book of Life will be entering into eternal life with God. Those whose name is not found in the Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire, or Hell. In other words. to put it in simple terms, all who are not saved by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ will spend eternity in Hell.
The Scriptures also show us that
Hell will be a place where those who are there will be in a state of consciousness.
They will be keenly aware of their torment. Jesus in the Story of the Rich
Man and Poor Lazarus illustrates this fact,
Obviously no one who goes to such a place will be in their human body. That is shed at the time of death. No human body could survive such heat or atmosphere, so after death, we all receive different bodies. Both Lazarus and the Rich Man had bodies. In fact, they seemed a lot like human bodies. They had bodily parts, such as eyes, fingers, tongues, voices. But despite the fact that the Rich Man was in the flames of Hell, and in absolute agony (Luke 16:23-24), his body was not consumed by the fire! For while the human bodies of the dead have been buried or cremated, the souls of the dead receive specially designed eternal bodies that cannot be destroyed, but the unsaved can feel the agony of Hell! They will be aware of their existence, condition, and the reason for their torment. This will be especially severe for those who knew Christ, and have fallen away.
I suppose when the average person
hears of Hell being referred to as the lake of fire, they also picture
it as a bright place. After all fire puts off quite a bit of light. But
the scriptures also describe Hell as a place of darkness.
The outer darkness may be a way, to contrast the beautiful picture painted for us in Revelation of what heaven will be like. The outer darkness may be an indication that it will be the opposite of the beauty of heaven. It is no doubt a very ugly place. The "outer darkness" could also be literally that: complete and utter darkness.
Those in Hell will be fully aware
of what they have missed. It is hard for us to conceptualize the beauty
of heaven and the ugliness of Hell. But for those who get sent to Hell,
they will know of both. It will also be a place where those who are there
are separated from their Christian loved ones.
What a horrible experience for someone to remember all the opportunities they had to receive God's salvation through receiving Jesus as Lord and Saviour but having refused to do so and then finding themselves east into Hell for eternity suffering and eternally separated from God and His goodness and from their saved loved ones. (If you doubt God's goodness-- you should realize that it is only by God's goodness that you have life on this earth. God is allowing you to live only so that you can have an opportunity to turn away from your sins and to turn to Him. However, whether you believe it or not, God has every right to take your life at any moment. It is not a wise move to put off dedicating your life over to the Lord.
We know that in heaven there will be no pain, no sadness, and no crying. But that will not be true in Hell. The carefree memories of life in this world will turn to painful memories as they realize what they should have done. As those in Hell will be remembering their life on earth, they will also be remembering all the opportunities they had to give their lives to Christ, and didn't. They will remember each excuse that they used. They will remember those things that they did not want to give up to become a Christian, and how little those things eventually meant to them. The memories of all those things will be horrible memories indeed.
And finally we see that Hell will
be a place of no release.
Hell is for eternity, and for those
banished there. it will never stop. Today millions and millions of people.
some of which you may have known, are in Hell, in torment, weeping, wailing
and gnashing their teeth. wanting mercy from God! But there is no mercy
for them. It's too late. God will not forgive a person of his sins after
he dies! The Bible says,
Are you ready for God to judge you? Jesus said not to fear those who could only kill the body. but rather to fear Him who can send your soul to Hell. God judges in a perfectly just way. Nothing escapes His view.
If you do die in your sin, without having turned away from sin in this life on earth, you will find yourself in Hell. You will cry aloud in agony, as you weep and wail and gnash your teeth! An awful hopelessness will overcome you as you realize that not only are you to burn for the present day, but forever! You will surely say, "Why, why didn't I repent of sin, but now, too late! - too late!" In fact, you will clearly remember this message you are now reading and you will forever painfully regret not heeding this warning about the reality of Hell.
Is Hell a real place? Yes, it certainly
is. It is a terrible place, and it is a place of eternal punishment. To
repeat, Hell is worse than any nightmare you could ever have! It is never
ending in its misery and torment. The agony of lost souls eternally condemned
forever and forever, without reprieve, parole, or pardon, is so horrible
it beggars description! It is for all the unsaved who reject the gospel
and turn away from God. It is a place separated from God. of consciousness,
torment, darkness, separation from Christian loved ones. a place without
any hope of release, and a place of horrible memories."
"God loves you, and there is no reason for any human to have to go to such
a terrible place as Hell. But many will because they die depending on their
own righteousness (Isaiah 64:6) instead of humbly clinging to the righteousness
of Christ and His shed blood for us or the Cross! One of the greatest questions
in the entirety of the Word of God is this,
God does not want you to go to Hell! He is not willing that any should perish! John 3:16 says that God does not want you to perish and He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, "that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
It states in Romans 3:23 that "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." What does this mean? This means that all of us are sinners and that we all, strictly speaking, deserve to be condemned to Hell. However, God loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus, to redeem us from Hell. God has done everything, He can, to provide a way for us to be redeemed.
You see there is no human that has been obedient to the Lord. We have all sinned in our lives. As humans we tend to judge based on our own level of righteousness. However our righteousness is severely tarnished - actually severely corrupted by our sinful nature.
If we were to view our sinful state the way God views our sinful state we would realize the corrupt condition of sin in our life. In Romans 6:23 it states that "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
But why should God judge our sins
as worthy of death? Because of His absolutely perfect holiness. no sin
could exist in His presence. In some primitive cultures a native chief
may club his wife to death on the slightest provocation without falling
in the slightest degree in the estimation of his people. The same act in
our land would have to be paid for by the life of the murderer. The act
is the same in both lands, but in one instance no judgement; in the other,
quick retribution. The difference is simply the result of our enlightenment.
If a sin, which in a primitive culture is considered as nothing, would
cause a man to lose his life in our land, think, if you- can, what some
other sin, which appears to us as nothing, must look like to an infinitely
Holy God--
" For God
is light and in Him is no darkness at all " (1 John 1:5)
But the amazing thing is that God has provided a way for you to be forgiven and to be completely purified of all sin -- whether the sins are great or small. That way is to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour by asking Him to forgive you of all sin and commit your life completely to Him. It says in John 3:36 "whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects die Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." What this scripture means is that unless you believe, by repenting of sin rejecting all sin) and asking His forgiveness in this life, you will pay for all your sins yourself, and consequently you will forever exist in Hell when you die. However, as already stated, God does not want to condemn anyone to Hell. He has provided a way for us to escape Hell and to come into His Kingdom.
God does not desire that you go to Hell. He made you for His own joy and for everlasting fellowship. You are his creation, and He loves you. Call upon Him while He is near, and He will hear and answer you. He will forgive and bless you.
Pray the sinner's prayer: Lord Jesus, come into my heart and forgive me of my sins. I know that I am a sinner, and I repent of my sins. Wash me in your blood, and make me clean. I have sinned against heaven and before You and am not worthy to be called a son. I receive you by faith as my Lord and Saviour.
If you sincerely pray this prayer then God has promised that you are saved and will forever live with Him in heaven. This we know to be true from the Bible which states in Romans 10:9-10 "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord, 'and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
If you haven't prayed the prayer above I strongly implore you to do so. There is no guarantee that you will live to see tomorrow. It is only in this life on earth where you have the opportunity to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Once you die it is too late. Unless you repent of your sins in this life you will forever exist in extreme torment in Hell. Life on this earth is only for a short season. but existence either in Heaven or Hell is for an eternity. If you have questions ask fervently and persistently of God with all your heart and read the New Testament especially Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Whoever wants to. may come to Jesus, and he that loses his life for Jesus' sake shall find life, and that more abundantly. But sinners must repent while still alive on earth. It is too late to repent when they arrive in Hell. Many sinners want to serve God and Satan. (anyone who persists on sinning is serving Satan and his purposes) or they believe that they have unlimited time to accept the grace God offers. The truly wise will choose this day whom they will serve.
In John 6:37 Jesus says "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will in ever drive away "And in John 6:40 "For My Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." Again if you sincerely pray the sinner's prayer, Jesus promises to bring you into His eternal Kingdom. Even if you think you are all right with God, but are not sure, repent of all sin (decide to reject all sin in your life) and ask Him to forgive you by praying the sinner's prayer. You can be assured that Jesus will keep His word to you.
Lord Jesus, come into my heart and forgive me of my sins. I know that I am a sinner, and I repent of my sins. Wash me with your blood, and make me clean, I have sinned against heaven and before You and am not worthy to be called a son. I receive you by faith as my Lord and Saviour.
It says in the New Testament, in
Hebrews 10:26-27 If we deliberately keep on sinning
after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins
is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire
that will consume the enemies of God.
"The doctrine of hell is one of the most neglected doctrines in all of
Scripture. When hell is mentioned today, it is generally ridiculed, as
if the whole idea of hell were so old-fashioned that only the naive and
ignorant would really believe that such a place actually exists. This is
not hard to understand. Natural men hate the idea of being held accountable
for their lives to a holy God, because they love sin and do not wish to
part with it. The carnal mind throws up objection after objection to the
idea of hell because it does not want to face the reality of it. Men live
their lives thinking that maybe if they ignore a difficulty long enough,
it will go away. Even conservative religious leaders are now attacking
hell. Let men do what they will, the frivolous objections of the foolish
will not do away with hell.
Amid the clamour to annihilate hell,
those who believe the Bible to be true must stand and speak. Your consideration
of the terrors of hell may be one of the most important things you can
do in this life. "Then he who hears the sound of the trumpet, and does
not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will
be on his own head" (Ezekiel 33:4). Please, I implore you, invest the time
it takes to read this chapter and book to the end.
1) Hearing about the terrors of hell may shock your conscience and awaken you out of your false security.
2) Hearing about hell helps to deter men from committing sin. Both the godly and the ungodly are persuaded not to sin as much when they are regularly reminded of the terrors of hell.
3) Hearing about the terrors of hell may help to awaken those among us who may think they are saved because they believe in Christ or the facts of the gospel, but who are not really saved and are on their way to hell, but don't know it.
4) Preaching the doctrine of hell is profitable to both the godly and the ungodly alike, as will be demonstrated.
Why aren't people fearful of hell?
There seems to be a real lack of fear today of the reality of hell. This
applies to both those who are in the church and those who are in the world.
People are not afraid of hell. Why?
You would not be afraid of a lion
when it is only painted in a picture upon a wall. Why is this? Because
it is only a picture. You know that it is not real. But if you were left
alone in a jungle and came face to face with a real lion that growled ferociously
at you, you would be terrified. The consciences of men are much like the
man who only views the painted lion. We hear of hell in the Bible. We know
that the Lord Jesus spoke of hell. In fact, Christ spoke more of hell than
anyone else in the Scriptures. Why do men not believe hell is real? Because
they do not hear enough about it. We don't study what the Scriptures say
about hell. It is not just what we hear which makes up what we believe,
it is what we don't hear as well which helps to form our belief system.
Only the Spirit of God can present the terrors of hell to our hearts in
such a way as to see them alive before us. The doctrine of hell has been
used by God more often to the conversion of sinners than any other doctrine
in the Scriptures. Pray now that as you read this chapter the Holy Spirit
will set hell before you as real indeed.
Most who scoff at hell today probably do so for several reasons. Primary among them is a desire to pursue their own paths of sin without having their consciences troubled about the consequences of their actions. They do not want to hear that what they are doing is wrong. They do not want to hear that their sin will be punished. I can hear someone say, "But isn't eternal torment in hell inconsistent with a merciful and loving God? How could a good God punish people in hell forever?" A misunderstanding of the character of God and the nature of sin can easily lead to such questions. Why is hell necessary? Let us examine several reasons for the necessity of hell.
1) The Great Evil in Sin and the
Holiness of God. The difficulty most people have in understanding the necessity
of hell is related to an incomplete and inadequate understanding of both
how awful sin is and how glorious God is. We do not see what a great evil
is in the least sin, nor do we understand God's holiness, His justice,
and His wrath. If we saw sin as the greatest evil in the world and realized
that every sin is a rejection of God's rule over us, a sneering at Him,
a shaking of our fist in His face, and a hurling of dung at Him, we would
begin to understand a small bit of what our sin is like to God. Every time
we sin, we either set ourselves, or a pet lust, up in our hearts as a rival
god. Sin rejects the Creator as God and sets up the creature in His place.
If we could comprehend God's holiness
and what it means to be holy, pure, perfect, upright, and untainted by
the least sin, we would have a better idea of why God hates sin so much.
Absolute holiness cannot tolerate the least sin, "Thine
eyes are too pure to approve evil, and Thou canst not look on wickedness
with favor" (Habakkuk 1:13). If we could understand the glorious
holiness and purity of God and also the abominable nature of sin more,
then we would have no problem with the absolute necessity of hell.
"The heart
is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand
it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). The human heart is sick. The human heart is
wicked. The human heart is deceitful. The corruption in the heart causes
us to be deceived about the awfulness of sin as well as many other things.
2) God's Infinite Nature. In understanding what our sin is really like, we must view it through the eyes of God. God is an infinite, eternal being. Every act of sin is committed against an infinite, holy God. In every act of sin we dethrone God and set ourselves above God. In every sin this question is the issue, "Whose will shall be done, God's will or man's? Now, man by sin sets his own will above the Lord's, and so kicks God as filth under his feet." A single act of sin committed against a holy, infinite God deserves infinite punishment. It is an infinite evil to offend an infinite God even once.
3) Divine Justice. Even one sin against
God calls for God to vindicate His name and His justice by punishing it
as fully as it deserves. God can and will vindicate His justice. He promises
to do so in Romans 12:19 where it says, "leave room
for the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengence is mine, I will repay,
says the Lord." One of the greatest preachers that ever lived, Jonathan
Edwards, wrote, "The glory of God is the greatest good; it is that which
is the chief end of creation; it is of greater importance than anything
else. But this is one way wherein God will glorify Himself, as in the eternal
destruction of ungodly men He will glorify His justice. Therein He will
appear as a just governor of the world. The vindictive justice of God will
appear strict, exact, awful, and terrible, and therefore glorious."
Hell is a furnace of unquenchable fire, a place of everlasting punishment,
where its victims are tormented in both their bodies and their minds in
accordance with their sinful natures, their actual sins committed, and
the amount of spiritual light given to them, which they rejected. Hell
is a place from which God's mercy and goodness have been withdrawn, where
God's wrath is revealed as a terrifying, consuming fire, and men live with
unfulfilled lusts and desires in torment forever and ever.
In Matthew 13:47-50 the Lord Jesus
tells a parable relating to the judgement. In verses 49-50, the Lord describes
the fate of the wicked: "So it will be at the end
of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among
the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
In examining these words of the
Lord Jesus we should first notice that hell is described as being a furnace
of fire. Nebuchadnezzar's furnace was heated seven times hotter than normal
and is described as
"a furnace
of blazing fire" (Daniel 3:23). John the Baptist spoke of "unquenchable
fire" and Revelation describes hell as "a lake of
fire burning with brimstone" (Revelation 19:20). Can we really imagine
the horror of which these words speak? Imagine every part of your body
on fire at the same time, so that every fibre of your being felt the intense
torment of being burned. How long could you endure such punishment? Christ
tells us that "there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." The lost
will wail and gnash their teeth from having to endure the most intense
pain and suffering they have ever felt as the flames consume them and constantly
burn every part of their bodies. And there will be no relief.
Jonathan Edwards describes in graphic
language what the fires of hell will be like: "Some of you have seen buildings
on fire; imagine therefore with yourselves, what a poor hand you would
make at fighting with the flames, if you were in the midst of so great
and fierce a fire. You have often seen a spider or some other noisome insect,
when thrown into the midst of a fierce fire, and have observed how immediately
it yields to the force of the flames. There is no long struggle, no fighting
against the fire, no strength exerted to oppose the heat, or to fly from
it; but it immediately stretches forth and yields; and the fire takes possession
of it, and at once it becomes full of fire. Here is a little image of what
you will be in hell, except you repent and fly to Christ. To encourage
yourselves that you will set yourselves to bear hell-torments as well as
you can, is just as if a worm, that is about to be thrown into a glowing
furnace, should swell and fortify itself, and prepare itself to fight the
flames.
Hell is also described as a place
of darkness. The Lord tells us of the guest without wedding clothes who
was cast "into outer darkness" (Matthew 22:13).
Jude writes of those in hell "for whom the black
darkness has been reserved forever" (Jude 13). Christopher Love
says in his work Hell's Terrors: "darkness is terrible, and men are more
apt to fear in the dark then light: hell is therefore set forth in so terrible
an expression, to make the hearts of men tremble; not only darkness, but
the blackness of darkness".
Hell is compared to Tophet in Isaiah
30:33. Tophet was the place where the idolatrous Jews sacrificed their
children to the heathen god Molech by casting them into the fire. Day and
night shrieks and howls were heard in that place, as day and night shrieks,
howls, and wailing are heard in hell.
Isaiah speaks of "the
breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone" setting hell ablaze.
There is good evidence from the Scriptures that God Himself will be the
fire in hell. Hebrews 12:29 says, "Our God is a consuming
fire." The ungodly on earth ignorantly dance for joy when they hear
pastors speak about the love and mercy of God, but they will be the beneficiaries
of neither, unless they repent. To them God will be an all consuming fire.
Hebrews 10:30-31 warns: "For we know him who said,
"Vengence is Mine, I will repay," And again, "The Lord will judge His people."
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
It is a fearful thing, it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of
the living God! You shall not escape hell, sinner. God will be your hell
and His wrath will consume you and be poured upon you as long as He exists.
"Who understands the power of Thine anger?"
(Psalm 90:11). It is because God Himself will be the fire in hell that
words cannot possibly express the terrors of the damned in hell. "There
is no reason to suspect that possibly ministers set forth this matter beyond
what it really is, that possibly it is not so dreadful and terrible as
it is pretended, and that ministers strain the description of it beyond
just bounds... We have rather reason to suppose that after we have said
our utmost, all that we have said or thought is but a faint shadow of reality."
In Luke 16:19-26 Christ tells us
of two men. One of them was rich (he has traditionally been called Dives);
the other man was poor (his name was Lazarus). Both men died. The poor
man was carried by angels to heaven and the rich man went to hell. The
rich man did not go to hell because he was rich, nor did the poor man go
to heaven simply because he was poor. The Lord shows us through this contrast
that our circumstances may change drastically when we pass from time into
eternity. We are not to be fooled that just because God may not have dealt
harshly with us here, that he will not do so after death. The eternal abiding
place of both men resulted from the condition of their hearts before God,
while they were on earth. Lazarus was a true follower of God. Dives was
not. We want to carefully note what the Scriptures tell us about Dives
and his condition, for from that we may learn much about hell. Verses 23-24
indicate to us that Dives is
"in torment."
What does it mean to be "in torment?"
This torment refers to both torment
in body and torment in soul as well. As we have seen, men's bodies will
be tormented in a furnace of fire. Every part of the body will feel the
pain of that fire. Men with severe stomach pains can be in great agony
from that alone, but this pain will be far greater. Death from cancer is
sometimes said to cause extreme pain in the body, but the pain of hell
will be far worse. If your body were afflicted with many different and
painful diseases all at the same time, you still would not begin to approach
the pain of the damned in hell.
Men's consciences shall be in torment
in hell as well. Conscience is the worm that will not die which the Scriptures
speak of (Mark 9:48; Isaiah 66:24). Dives is told to "remember
that during your life." Men will be tormented with extreme pain,
but they will also be tormented by their own memories. They will remember
hearing of hell and scoffing at it. They will remember being warned and
told to repent or told that accepting the blessings of heaven without submitting
to Christ as Lord falls short of salvation, but they took no heed to those
warnings. They will be tormented by seeing at a distance the glories of
heaven (as Dives was able to do), and knowing that for all eternity they
will be damned. They will be tormented by unfulfilled desires and unfulfilled
lusts (Dives is not able to receive even a drop of water to cool his tongue).
They will be tormented by the knowledge that they will never escape from
hell (Dives is told that "neither can you pass to
us"). They will be tormented by the cries, shrieks, and curses of
the damned around them. The most extreme torments a man can experience
on earth will be like flea bites compared to the torments of hell.
Jonathan Edwards speaks of men unable
to find even a moment of relief in hell in his sermon on The Future Punishment
of the Wicked: "Nor will they ever be able to find anything to relieve
them in hell. They will never find any resting place there; any secret
corner, which will be cooler than the rest, where they may have a little
respite, a small abatement of the extremity of their torment. They never
will be able to find any cooling stream or fountain, in any part of that
world of torment; no, nor so much as a drop of water to cool their tongues.
They will find no company to give them any comfort, or do them the least
good. They will find no place, where they can remain, and rest, and take
breath for one minute: for they will be tormented with fire and brimstone;
and they will have no rest day nor night forever and ever." 6
The most terrifying
aspect of all about hell is its length or duration. Hell is eternal. Hell
will last forever. Can you comprehend eternity? No mathematical equation
or formula can explain it. Your mind cannot conceive of eternity, but it
is none the less real. This aspect of hell alone should cause men to cry
out in repentance. It is not surprising that sceptics of all ages have
attacked the eternal nature of hell, substituting doctrines like the annihilation
of the wicked in its place. Let us look at the Scriptures to verify the
eternal nature of hell and to try and understand eternity better. Then
we will explore why hell must be eternal.
This verse clearly gives us the duration of hell. Hell is forever and ever. How could a stronger, more certain expression be used? If the Spirit of God wanted to communicate the eternal nature of hell to men what could communicate it better than the expression "forever and ever?" The Scripture has no higher expression which is used to denote eternity than "forever and ever" for it is the very phrase used to tell us of the eternal existence of God Himself, as in Revelation 4:9: "to him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever."
Does anyone doubt that God will live to all eternity? How then can you doubt that hell will not last to all eternity when the same expression is used for both?
"We can conceive but little of the matter; but to help your conception, imagine yourself to be cast into a fiery oven, or a great furnace, where your pain would be as much greater than that occasioned by accidentally touching a coal of fire, as the heat is greater. Imagine also that your body were to lie there for a quarter of an hour, full of fire, and all the while full of quick sense; what horror would you feel at the entrance of such a furnace! and how long would that quarter of an hour seem to you! And after you had endured it for one minute, how overbearing would it be to you to think that you had to endure the other fourteen! But what would be the effect on your soul, if you knew you must lie there enduring that torment to the full for twenty-four hours... for a whole year... for a thousand years! Oh, then, how would your hearts sink, if you knew, that you must bear it forever and ever! that there would be no end! that after millions of millions of ages, your torment would be no nearer to an end, and that you never, never should be delivered! But your torment in hell will be immensely greater than this illustration represents."
Christ, describing the great day
of judgement, tells of the separation of the wicked and the righteous using
these words: "And these will go away into eternal
punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:46).
Is there anyone who would deny that heaven exists eternally? Will the lives
of the blessed in heaven be brought to an end one day? Of course not. But
the same Greek word is used here in this verse to speak of the eternal
life of the righteous and the everlasting punishment of the wicked. Hell
will last as long as heaven does.
In hell there will be different
degrees of torment appointed to men as indicated by a number of Scriptures.
Luke 12:47-48 says: "And that slave who knew his
master's will and die not get ready or act in accord with his will, shall
receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds
worthy of a flogging, will receive but few." Christ says in Matthew
11:24: "Nevertheless I say to you that it shall be
more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgement, than for
you." The verses in Matthew indicate that the people in Capernaum
will receive a greater punishment on judgement day than those who had lived
in Sodom. The verses in Luke speak of a differentiation in judgement based
on the amount of light received: some will receive many stripes and others
will receive few.
Those who commit greater sins than
others or more sins than others will receive greater punishment in hell
(John 19:11). Religious hypocrites, those who profess Christianity but
are not real Christians, will be punished more severely than others (Matthew
23:14-15). The Lord said of Judas Iscariot, "It would
have been good for that man if he had not been born" (Matthew 26:24).
How could any of these things be said to be true if annihilation were what
awaited men after death? The presence of different degrees of punishment
only makes sense in light of the ability to sensibly feel the torment.
Could it be said that it would have been better for Judas if he had never been born if annihilation was all that awaited him? Annihilation is like no punishment at all.
Each time the unbeliever sins he
is adding to his torment in hell. The person who sins twice as much as
another with similar light will receive twice as much punishment. Every
day that sinners continue to live and breathe here on earth without repenting,
they are adding to their torments in hell. Romans 2:5 tells us: "But
because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath
for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement
of God." The Lord Jesus encouraged the righteous to lay up treasures
in heaven rather than on earth. The wicked are increasing their future
wrath and torment in hell every day by their continued sinning. They add
to their punishment daily. In hell men will wish that they had never been
born.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon said: "In
hell there is no hope. They have not even the hope of dying--the hope of
being annihilated. They are forever--forever--forever lost! On every chain
in hell, there is written "forever". In the fires there, blaze out the
words, "forever". Above their heads, they
read, "forever". Their eyes are galled and
their hearts are pained with the thought that it is "forever".
Oh, if I could tell you tonight that hell would one day be burned out,
and that those who were lost might be saved, there would be a jubilee in
hell at the very thought of it. But it cannot be -- it is "forever"
they are cast into the outer darkness."
Christopher Love uses an illustration to try and help us understand what eternity means: "Suppose all the mountains of the earth were mountains of sand, and many more mountains still added there to, till they reached up to heaven, and a little bird should once in every thousand years take one (grain of) sand of this mountain, there would be an innumerable company of years pass over before that mass of sand would be consumed and taken away, and yet this time would have an end; and it would be happy for man, if hell were no longer than this time; but this is man's misery in hell, he shall be in no more hope of coming out after he hath been there millions of years, then he was when he was first cast in there; for his torments shall be to eternity, without end, because the God that damns him is eternal."
Earlier we looked at the necessity of hell or why there must be a place like hell. Now we will look at why hell must not only exist, but why it must exist eternally. Why is it necessary that hell be eternal?
There are several answers to this
which we shall explore briefly.
The first reason we will look at
is the one mentioned by Christopher Love in the passage just quoted. The
God who damns men is an eternal God. "Ultimately the eternality of hell
is based upon the nature of God."
Is God's Word eternal? Is God's nature eternal? The Scripture tells us: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). "His righteousness endures forever" (Psalm 111:3). "The Word of the Lord abides forever" (I Peter 1:24).
If God's Word is eternal, if God's righteousness is eternal, if God Himself is eternal, then why shouldn't His wrath be eternal as well?
As eternally existent, all of God's
attributes are eternal and immutable; therefore, hell, as an expression
of God's wrath, must be eternal.
Hell must be eternal because God's
justice could never be satisfied by the punishment of sinners no matter
how long it lasts. Christ makes this clear when He speaks about settling
with your accuser before you get to court, otherwise you shall be cast
into prison and "I tell thee, thou shalt not depart
thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite" (Luke 12:59). Man
can do nothing to pay for his sins. No amount of punishment in hell, no
matter how long, can ever atone for sins. It is impossible; therefore,
hell must be eternal.
Thirdly, hell must be eternal because the Scriptures tell us that the worm which gnaws the conscience of men in hell never dies. "For their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched" (Isaiah 66:24). If the worm never dies, then those being tormented by the worm shall never die.
Lastly, hell will be eternal because
men continue to sin in hell. They increase and compound their guilt there.
Hell is a place where tormented men curse God, curse themselves, and scream
and wail with blasphemous language at their fellow men around them. Wicked
men will increase each other's torments as they accuse, blame, and condemn
one another. Men will not repent in hell because the character of sinners
does not change. They remain sinners. Men will sin to eternity, therefore,
God will punish them eternally.
The Old Testament
prophets warn us repeatedly of the dangers of hell: "Who
among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?" (Isaiah 33:14,).
"Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the burning of
His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire" (Nahum 1:6). Sinner, are
you so arrogant as to think you can bear the wrath of God poured out in
full measure upon you? You may think that hell is not so hot and that you
will be able to bear it quite well. If you believe that you are more than
a fool. The terrors of hell cause the devils to tremble and are you so
foolish as to be unmoved by them or make light of them?
Do not think that simply because
you go to church, or believe in God, or believe intellectually in the truths
of Christianity that you will escape hell. The majority of those who regularly
attend churches every week, all over the world, will go to hell. Thomas
Shepard, pastor and founder of Harvard University, wrote: "Formal professors
and carnal gospelers have a thing like faith, and like sorrow, and like
true repentance, and like good desires, but yet they be but pictures; they
deceive others and themselves too... most of them that live in the church
shall perish." 11
You who profess to be Christians,
but do not read your Bible much and pray little: how shall you escape the
damnation of hell? You who are not especially bothered by little sins or
troubled by the vain and filthy thoughts which you have: are you ready
to go to hell? You who think the kingdom of God consists in a verbal profession
of Christ or intellectually believing that Jesus died for your sins, but
who are not concerned with living a holy, godly life and give little or
no thought to God during the week: are you prepared to endure the torments
of hell, day and night, forever and ever? You had better be, because if
these things are true of you, you are headed straight for hell, unless
you repent. Do not delude yourself! Christianity does not consist in words,
or pious statements, or mere intellectual belief, but in a new heart and
a new life dedicated to not sinning and living for the glory of God. If
your heart and life have not been changed by God, you are still in your
sins. If you are living in known disobedience to the word of God and are
unconcerned about it, you have no right to assume you are going to heaven:
you are on your way to hell! Repent of all your sins and turn to Jesus
Christ and surrender to Him as Lord. Listen to the words of Christ: "If
your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and throw it from you. It
is better for you to enter life with one eye, than having two eyes, to
be cast into the fiery hell" (Matthew 18:9). "Nothing short of the
complete denying of self, the abandoning of the dearest idol, the forsaking
of the most cherished sinful course figuratively represented under the
cutting off of a right hand and the plucking out of a right eye--is what
He claims from every one who would have true communion with Him."12 But
remember, the difficulty involved in forsaking all for Christ is nothing
compared to spending eternity in hell.
I do not believe anyone can be scared
into heaven, but I do believe they can be scared away from hell, so that
they might begin to seek God with all their hearts, and to beg Christ to
have mercy on them. Men stand on the brink of the pit of hell and are ready
to fall headlong into it and yet they are completely unaware they are in
any danger. If hearing about hell can cause otherwise senseless men to
consider eternal truths, then preaching about hell is valuable indeed.
It is better to view hell now, while you are living, and be terrified by
it, than to have to endure hell forever when you die.
I would not have you to be more
afraid of hell than of sin. Sin is your real enemy. Sin is worse than hell
because sin gave birth to hell. Would you be willing to go to hell for
all eternity for the enjoyment of a little pleasure and lust here on earth?
Flee from sin! Flee from living for self and self-pleasing to Jesus Christ.
When you die it will be to late. All opportunity to repent ends at death.
This doctrine is useful to the godly
as well as the ungodly. The doctrine of hell should stir up within the
righteous a fear of God. A godly fear is useful in many ways. The one who
has a fear of God in his heart has a greater respect for the commandments
of God. He who truly fears God will not fear men and would rather displease
men than God (Isaiah 8:12-13). This doctrine should increase your faithfulness
and joy in Christ that you have been delivered from the torments of hell
and should likewise increase your love for Christ who endured the wrath
of God upon the cross for you.
The doctrine of hell should stir
up within you a fear of sin. It should cause us to fear even little sins
and be careful to confess and forsake sins of the heart and thought life
also. Let the doctrine of hell keep you from the practice of sin.
The doctrine of hell should help
the godly to be patient under all outward, temporary afflictions which
come to them. No matter how great your afflictions are in this world, they
are far less than the torments of hell from which the Lord has freed the
godly. You may have to undergo lessor torments while on earth, but remember
they are only temporary and you have been freed from the greatest of all
torments so you may rejoice even in a time of affliction.
This doctrine is useful to motivate
you to tell others of the message of Christ. Eryl Davies wrote in his book
The Wrath of God: "The eternity of hell's sufferings should make us the
more zealous and eager to tell people of the only One who is able to rescue
them. Do we shrink from declaring these solemn truths? Does the thought
of hell displease us? Remember that God will be glorified even through
the eternal sufferings of unbelievers in hell. His injured majesty will
be vindicated... What is supreme in the purpose of God in the election
and reprobation of men is His own glory, and hell also will glorify the
justice, power, and wrath of God throughout eternity. In the meantime it
is our responsibility to pray and work for the salvation of sinners before
such awful punishment overtakes them."13
I cannot leave without one final
word to those who think they are converted, but are not; and also, to those
who know themselves to be unconverted. Can you conceive of eternity? Stop
now and try to imagine being tormented unceasingly, forever, without end.
Does this not terrify you? Never a chance for a moment's rest. Never a
drop of water to cool your parched throat. Think again of how long eternity
is. Try to imagine it: day and night, forever and ever, burned with fire
like a spider in a furnace of flames. Shrieking, howling, wailing, cursing
the day you were born, and being cursed by the devils and damned souls
around you eternally. Remembering, forever remembering, how you were warned
on earth and how you ignored those warnings: self-satisfied and self-deceived
that all was well with your soul. Job's wife told him to curse God and
die. Unless you repent and flee to Jesus Christ, who is your only hope,
you shall curse God eternally and be tormented by Him in His presence in
the awful fullness of His wrath, and you shall never die. You shall never
die. You shall never die! Eternity is forever!"
1 Thomas Shepard, The Works
of Thomas Shepard, Volume 1,
(New York: AMS Press, 1967),
p. 94.
2 Jonathan Edwards, The
Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume 2,
(Edinburgh: Banner of Truth,
1974) p. 87.
3 Ibid, p. 82.
4 Christopher Love, Hell's
Terrors, (London: T. M., 1653), p. 19.
5 Jonathan Edwards, The
Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume 2, (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1974)
p. 884.
6 Ibid, p.80.
7 Ibid, p. 81.
8 Charles Haddon Spurgeon,
The New Park Street Pulpit, Volume 1, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House,
1990), p. 308.
9 Christopher Love, Hell's
Terrors, (London: T. M., 1653), pp. 54-55.
10 John Gerstner, Heaven
and Hell,
(Grand Rapids: Baker Book
House, 1991), p. 77.
11 Thomas Shepard, The Works
of Thomas Shepard, Volume 1, (New York: AMS Press, 1967), p. 58.
12 A. W. Pink, Studies in
the Scriptures, January 1932, p. 18.
13 Eyrl Davies, The Wrath
of God, (Mid Glamorgan, Wales: Evangelical Press of Wales, 1984), p. 59.
|
|
 |
 |
