March 7, 2001                                                                                                      page# 1  

                                                                  HELL   

          The wicked shall be turned into hell, an all the nations that forget God.--(Ps. 9:17). 

                                                             DEFINITIONS   

       The original word “Sheol” has a double application, sometimes used to designate the grave, sometimes referring to the place of departed spirits. In the Authorized Version the words “grave” and “hell” are each used thirty-one times as derived from the word “sheol.” 
       In several instances in the Authorized Version the word “hell” refers to the grave; as in (Ps. 16:10) and (Acts 2:27). Generally, however, the word designates the place where lost souls are; as in (Deut. 32:22; Ps. 9:17; Luke 16:23), etc. 
       The word “hades” is used frequently in the Revised Version where the word “hell” is used in the Authorized. It is sometimes used to designate the grave, as in (Acts 2:31; 1Cor. 15:55), but more frequently refers to the place of torment, as in (Matt. 11:23; Luke 16:23), etc. The word “gehenna,” used twelve times in the Greek New Testament, means the place of future punishment. 
       It matters not by what name the place may be known, the Scriptures teach that there is a place of endless punishment for the wicked, and this is the theme to which the thoughts found in this part of this Bible Study are directed. 

                                             DESCRIPTION OF THE LAKE OF FIRE  

       Unless otherwise designated, when the word “hell” is found in this part of this Bible Study it refers to the lake of fire, the eternal abode of the devil and all his hosts. But the vital question is not, What do we call the place? but, What is it like? Turning to the Word of God for light on this question, we find the following terms used in describing the place: “Devouring fire” (Is. 33:14); “Everlasting burnings” (Is. 33:14); “Everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:2); “Furnace of fire” (Matt. 13:50); “Unquenchable fire” (Matt. 3:12); “Hell fire” 
(Matt. 5:22); “Damnation of hell” (Matt. 23:33); “Outer darkness” (Matt. 25:30); Everlasting fire” (Matt. 25:41); “Everlasting punishment” (Matt. 25:46); “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44); “Vengeance of eternal fire” (Jude 7); “Smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever” (Rev. 14:11); “Tormented day and night for ever” (Rev. 20:10); “Lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Rev. 19:20). 
       To get the full force of this description it will be necessary to study these descriptive terms in connection with their contexts. We shudder as we try to imagine what an awful place this will be--and we become speechless as we try to explain why men pretending to believe the Bible should ever entertain the idea that possibly there is no such a place! Let every one know assuredly that such a place is a terrible reality. 

March 7, 2001                                                                                                      page# 2  
                                              
                                                           HELL A PLACE    

       One of the important things to remember is that hell is a “place” (Luke 16:28), not a mere condition. Some tell us that “we make our own hell.” That we are personally responsible for our own state and standing before God here, and personally responsible if we will ever be cast into the lake of fire, is beyond question or dispute; but the Scripture teachings as to its being a place are so emphatic that no true believer doubts it. Hell is a place, just as earth is a place. 

                                                     FOR WHOM PREPARED  

       Christ specifically states that it was “prepared for the devil and his angels” 
(Matt. 25:41). God prepared a different place for us, as we shall notice in the next part of this Bible Study; but if any of us will deliberately or carelessly refuse or neglect to conform to God’s plan for our eternal welfare, in the great consummation of all things, when heaven and hell will be the only places left, God will have no other recourse than to send us to the place prepared for the devil and his hosts. The devils understand what is to become of them. When Christ met a number of them they cried out, “Art thou come hither to torment us before the time” (Matt. 8:29)? Though they “believe, and tremble” (Jas. 2:19), they know their doom, and dread the place to which they will eventually be sent. In Christ’s time they preferred to enter swine rather than to go to their long home. Entering the swine, they caused their destruction. They have the same effect upon men whenever they enter their hearts. The demon-possessed swine rushing down over the bank into the waters are typical of the demon-possessed men rushing into the lake of fire. 

                                                     WHO WILL GO THERE   

       1. The devil and his angels (Jude 6; Rev. 20:10). 
       2. The wicked (Matt. 7:13, 14; Rom. 1:18-32; 6:23; Jude 8, 16). Choosing the path of sin in this world, they will reap the fruits of their unrighteousness in the world to come. 
       3. All who forget God. It will be noted that in the same breath in which judgment was pronounced upon the wicked there was also included God’s judgment upon “all the nations that forget God.” In some of the nations were Christianity had once gained a foothold the God of heaven has been all but forgotten and Christ has been entirely repudiated. To say nothing about the wickedness prevailing in such countries, the fact of their apostasy alone is sufficient to merit their eternal damnation. 

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       4. Sinners who refuse to repent (Luke 13:3, 5; 24:47; Ezek. 18:4). Remission of sins can take place only upon condition of repentance. When therefore sinners die without having repented of their sins, the divine edict applies to them: “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” 
       5. All who are disobedient to God. On this point we find our most direct reference in (2Thess. 1:7-9). Here Paul speaks of the vengeance that will be meted out to those who are out of the fold of Christ. Notice, he does not say anything about any of them being notoriously wicked, but he does say emphatically that at His coming Christ will, in flaming fire, take “vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ;” adding that they “shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” Let it be indelibly impressed upon every mind and heart that a person need not be a notorious criminal--such as a murderer, a thief or robber, an assassin, a whoremonger, an inveterate drunkard or liar or extortioner--to be on the road to hell, but all that he or she needs to do is to disobey God, walking disobediently in daily life, and, unless he or she repents and turns to the path of obedience, he or she will go into the same place where the vilest of sinners will go. 
       Here some people stumble. They tell you of the man who is upright in business, provides well for his family, lives a cleaner life than most church members, gives liberally to churches and charitable enterprises, and certainly such a person will not be sent to hell, even if he is only a nominal church member or perhaps no member at all. We do not realize that in our defence of this kind of man we are simply strengthening the case against him. To say nothing of the fact that by our profession we put more faith in the goodness of that man than we do in the truth of God’s Word, a man of that caliber is less excusable for disobeying God than is the man whose mind is enfeebled and judgment warped through ignorance or dissipation. Christ said that in the last day it would be more tolerable for the rank and ignorant heathen, even the men of wicked Tyre and Sidon and Sodom and Gomorrah, than it would for those who knew God’s Word and yet disobeyed (Matt. 11:20-24; Luke 10:10-16). It is not that those people were better than the Pharisees, but the Pharisees knew what God wanted of them and still did not obey Him. Before God, the most inexcusable sin is that of going against better knowledge (Luke 12:47, 48). We can make no excuses for the moralist or the responsible man who in spite of his superior advantages refuses or neglects to obey God; but say to all such, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish!” Many people would like nothing more than to be able to enter the gates of heaven, with the intention of spending all eternity there, by only being a “morally good” person. There is nothing wrong with being a morally good person. But it will take more than that to receive Eternal Salvation from the future punishment that awaits every man and woman who is disobedient to God and His Holy Word. It is very important that you grasp this! 

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       6. The hypocrites. Some people think that only church members can be hypocrites. I think that we all can admit that there are more hypocrites in the churches than there ought to be, I can with all humility honestly say that there were times that I myself was guilty before God for being a hypocrite but thanks to repentance I will escape eternal damnation; but every man or woman who pretends that the reason they are not in the Church is because there are so many hypocrites there are themselves hypocrites; for no sooner is that excuse taken away than they are ready with some other excuse for not being a Christian. But whether hypocrites on earth are in the churches or outside, in the world to come they will all be together--in the lake of fire. Christ tells of the man who has been negligent in the matter of preparing for the coming of the Lord, saying that He will “appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 24:51). 
       QUESTION: Considering who all are going to the lake of fire, do you suppose that you would enjoy being with them in eternity? If not there, why prefer to be in a class with them here? 

                                             SOME LIES AND ERRONEOUS IDEAS   

       It is natural for people, especially disobedient people, to try to escape disagreeable facts. Fortunes have been spent trying to find some magical elixir of life. Vain philosophy has been invoked in the cause of somehow getting around the awful reality of hell, notwithstanding God has made it possible for all to escape it who will. Some seek to argue it away entirely, others to make it easier. Let us look at a few lies from satan and errors of men: 
       1. That there is no hell. Only those who deny the infallibility of the Scriptures can and will take this position. Yet there are, inconceivably, those professing to believe the Bible who try to make it appear that hell simply means the grave. I, having complete trust and total faith in the infallibility of the Bible, can’t comprehend this manner of thinking. 
       There is no possible way of adjusting your views to the idea of no place of eternal torment for the wicked without repudiating all that the Bible has to say about such a place. 
       Some want to believe that there is no consciousness after death. But from Christ’s words, it’s evident that a person in Hell is just as aware of himself and his surroundings as when he was on earth! The Bible, God’s Word, says Hell is an everlasting burning for the punishment of sinners and hypocrites, a bottomless pit where men have no rest, day or night. It’s a place where people pray, but their prayers are not heard, where they gnaw their tongues and at the same time curse God. Please, accept Jesus Christ, repent, then live a life of complete obedience and total faith. Please, I beg of you! Please! 

March 7, 2001                                                                                                      page# 5  
                                                
       2. That the wicked will have a second chance after death. There is nothing in the Bible that lends encouragement to such a delusion. When the rich man begged that Lazarus might be sent to bring him some comfort, Abraham informed him that between them there was a great gulf which no man could cross. While death does not end all, it does end all, and any possible, chance for the sinner finding his way back to God. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” 
       3. That the wicked will not be in torment forever. There is absolutely no such teaching in the Bible. The same arguments which men use to prove that the punishment of the wicked will not last forever, would, if honestly applied, prove as conclusively that heaven also will be but of temporary duration. 
       The idea of a “purgatory,” even when stripped of the gruesome stories of priests getting the victims through quickly for a money consideration, is mischievous in that it holds out false hopes and encourages wicked men to take chances, even if they will have to suffer for a while instead of being brought to their senses and truly repenting of their sins while they have opportunity. 
       Some have gotten the idea of a “purgatory” confused with the scripturally supported idea of an “intermediate state” for both saved and unsaved. A reading of such scriptures as (Eccl. 12:7; Matt. 25:30; Luke 16:19-31; 1Cor. 15; and 1Thess. 3:13; 4:14), gives us the idea that during the intervening time between death and the resurrection the disembodied spirits will be in what has been called “an intermediate place”--the righteous in conscious bliss and thhe unrighteous in conscious torment, the righteous in the presence of God and the unrighteous in the presence of the tormentors--until the time when Christ returns with His saints, when there will be a reuniting of spirit and body. After the consummation of all things earthly, the righteous, with glorified bodies, will be forever with the Lord, while the unrighteous, doomed and damned in hell, will be with the devil and his angels forever. But there is nothing in the Bible that gives any one the idea that any one will enter the intermediate state an unsaved soul and come out of there saved, neither does any scripture justify the idea that souls once in hell will pass from that place on to glory. 
       4. That the wicked will be instantly consumed upon being cast into the lake of fire. The theory of instant annihilation does not harmonize with such expressions as “everlasting fire,” “worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched,” etc., etc. The saddest part of all these palliatives is not only that they are without scriptural foundation but that they are deceptive, holding out a delusive hope to sin-benighted souls that even if they do live in sinful indulgence and ungodliness here that there will be some means of escape from the awful punishment which the Bible emphatically teaches is in store for the wicked who die in their sins.  Dear Christian friends, who know and believe the truth, be diligent in sounding the alarm so that those who are lost and living in ignorance will have a chance to be saved. This is your obligation as a child of God. 

March 7, 2001                                                                                                      page# 6  
                                                
                                             EXPERIENCES IN THE LAKE OF FIRE  

       The world must be awakened to what it means to be lost in an endless hell, and then the millions will be awakened to their awful condition and seek the pardoning grace of God while there is opportunity. If you have not accepted Christ, and if you have not repented of your sins look the stern realities of the future squarely in the face and know that the following conditions are just ahead: 
       1. They will be “tormented day and night for ever” (Rev. 20:10). We have chosen this wording of what will constitute endless punishment, not because the doctrine depends upon this scripture alone but because it is an impressive way of stating what is repeatedly and emphatically taught in other scriptures. Here we suffer, hoping for relief sooner or later; there the suffering will continue forever, without hope of ever getting through. The severest and most prolonged case of suffering on earth is but a mere foretaste of what is in store for doomed souls in hell!
       2. There “their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44). As literal fire is to the body, so the fire of hell will be to the soul. And the fire will be like the burning bush which Moses saw--will continue, but the soul will not be consumed. Our physical bodies may be burned or destroyed in some other way, but the soul having eternal existence can never be annihilated, though it suffers “the vengeance of eternal fire” forever. 
       3. “There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 13:42). Notice the two words, “wailing” and “gnashing”--sorrow and rage, weeping and cursing, llamentations and defiance, remorse and desperation, pitiful moaning and fierce and blasphemous raving--but we draw the curtain, the scene can not be described. Only those whose doom it is to spend eternity in hell will know the depth of the agony of this awful suffering. 
       4. They will have “no rest day nor night” (Rev. 14:11). People suffering here are usually relieved in resting spells; or, failing to get relief the Lord graciously relieves their suffering here by removing them from time to eternity. No such relief is ever in store for the doomed in hell. 
       5. They will be in “outer darkness” (Matt. 22:13). What! outer darkness where there is so much fire? Yes, if God could create light without first creating the sun, He can also create fire without light. But this is not the kind of light and darkness we are talking about. We think of light as truth, righteousness, holiness, a knowledge of God, the presence of the Lamb (Rev. 21:23; 22:5) who furnished light without the aid of any sun. Out of this light the sinner is forever banished--away from God, away from the truth, away from holiness, away from glory--banished, forever banished from the presence of the Lord--in the darkness of sin, of gloom, of wretchedness, of woe, without a ray of light from heaven--here the doomed souls must spend eternity, “punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power”, this is outer dark. 

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                                                    FURTHER OBSERVATIONS    

       1. Withhold not the facts from a sinful and deluded world. A noted infidel was lecturing before a large audience, drawing upon the powers of language to make the Bible doctrine of an endless hell as repulsive as it was possible for the human tongue and imagination to make it. “Suppose,” said he, “that this world would be composed of sand, and a little bird would come at the end of each thousand years and carry away a grain. Even by this inconceivably slow process the world would be finally removed, but still there would be an eternity ahead for the doomed souls in hell to suffer the pangs and torments of indescribable misery and woe!” A thoughtful young man was in the audience, greatly stirred by the recital, but it had an opposite effect from what the lecturer intended. “If this is true--and it is,” he said, “I will spend my whole life in warning sinners to flee from the wrath to come.” That young man was William Booth, afterwards organizer and commander-in-chief of the Salvation Army. And why should we not be moved with a similar resolution? Tell the world the truth. It has been lulled to sleep in a sense of false security, and it will take many thunderings from Sinai to awaken the sleeping millions to a realization of their actual condition and danger. 
       2. Whoever is lost, is lost in spite of God’s will and mercy. It is not God’s will “that any should perish” (2Pet. 3:9), for He has “not appointed us to wrath” (1Thes. 5:9). With a greater sacrifice (John 3:16, 17; Rom. 5:8) than any human being has ever been willing to make to rescue his fellow man, God has done everything that can be done to make it possible for all men to be saved. Notwithstanding the fact that men have cried out against God as cruel and unmerciful, His is one continuous record of love and sacrifice and benevolence, while sinful men have deliberately defied His Word and made it impossible for Him to do anything but to send them where they belong. 
       3. Eternal punishment is simple justice. The present wave of lawlessness and crime is due to the fact that men have turned a deaf ear heavenward and a listening ear to sin and iniquity. People are reaping what they have sown; and the only thing that will keep them from reaping the full crop in eternity is the grace of God in giving every penitent believer an opportunity for “repentance and remission of sins.” Here mistakes are often made in that guilty people are often allowed to go on in their crimes unpunished while innocent people are unjustly imprisoned, while over yonder there will be perfect justice, and no one will be cast into the lake unjustly. 
       4. Tell the people of their opportunity. Thank God, there is a way of escape. Let all the world know that through the grace of God there is opportunity given for “repentance and remission of sins,” for “the blood of Jesus Christ---cleanseth us from all sin.” “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”