HELL!!!

Luke 16:19-31

Have you ever wandered about Hell? About what it is like, who will be going there or how long it will last? I have. In fact, that was one of the motivating factors in my deciding to become a Christian. A preacher named E.V. Hill, was gave a sermon called Why I Became A Christian. He gave three reasons, but I can only remember one. He said, "The reason I became a Christian was, I didn't want to go to Hell. I wasn't invited and my mama told me to never go anyplace I wasn't invited. I don't have any business there and it doesn't sound like any place that I would want to spend eternity." Well, if you have ever heard E.V. Hill preach, you will know why when he said that, I was rolling on the floor laughing and so was the crowd. He's a great preacher and can deliver a powerful sermon mixed with a lot of humor. After I heard that sermon, I started thinking about Hell. I've thought about Hell before and I've come up with the same conclusion as Rev. Hill. I don't want to go there and I don't want anyone else to go either. We often joke about it and play it down, but it is a literal place of torment designed for Satan and his demons.

Have you ever thought about Hell? The Bible talks a lot about it. In fact, Jesus spoke more about Hell than He did about Heaven. He gave a graphic description of it in Luke 16:19-31 ¹⁹"There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. ²⁰"But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, ²¹"desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ²²"So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³"And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. ²⁴"Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' ²⁵"But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. ²⁶'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.' ²⁷"Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, ²⁸'for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' ²⁹"Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' ³⁰"And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' ³¹"But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.' " As I read these verses, I came up with three questions that I think need to be answered about Hell.

I. What is Hell Like? Verse three says it is a place of torments. Not torment, but torments. Which leads me to think that there will be more than one kind of torment. So what is it like?

When I was a kid, we use to joke and say that when we got there we would meet all our friends and have a big party and just laugh it up. Well, it is not going to be that way and it is certainly not a place to joke about. This is what I have found to be some of the torments of Hell, there may be more, but this is enough to keep me from wanting to go there.

1. Darkness - In Hell, there is going to be darkness, no light at all. II Peter 2:4 - ⁴For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; Peter continues his discussion about those going to hell in verses 12 - 17. ¹²But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, ¹³and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, ¹⁴having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. ¹⁵They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; ¹⁶but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet. ¹⁷These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Did you catch the word forever? It will never end! The Bible says that there will weeping an gnashing of teeth. Can you imagine the darkness and hearing continual moaning and weeping? You won't be able to see it, but you'll be able to continually hear it.

2. Perfect Memory - You will be able to remember everything about your former life. In verses 27 and 28 of Luke 16, Jesus said that the rich man could remember his brothers and he didn't want them to go where he was at. ²⁷"Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, ²⁸'for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' He didn't want his brothers to go there. In verse 25, Abraham acknowledges that you would retain your memories when he said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things,' Can you imagine an eternity of regrets, an eternity of images of loved ones that are there. You'll never get to meet them or be comforted by them. But you'll know they are there. Can you imagine an eternity of thinking you could have missed this place if you had only repented and accepted Christ? If that were the only thing that you would experience, it would be enough to make it worse than miserable to be there. But that isn't all that will be there.

3. Everlasting Fire - Jesus stressed this point three times when He was talking about your eye being evil or your hand being evil in Mark 9:42-44 - ⁴²"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. ⁴³"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched-- ⁴⁴"where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.' Then He also talks about the eye and the foot also sending you to this everlasting fire. Look also at what Jesus said in Matthew 25:41-46 - ⁴¹"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴²'for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; ⁴³'I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' ⁴⁴"Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' ⁴⁵"Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' ⁴⁶"And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." The pain of the fire will be forever, it will never end.

No Rest - Revelation 14:9-11 says, ⁹Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, ¹⁰"he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹"And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." Can you imagine never being able to sleep? Never being able to find rest, or relief, or comfort for your soul?

II. Who Will Go There? Revelation 21:8 says, ⁸"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Look also at Romans 1:28-2:3 - ²⁸And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; ²⁹being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, ³⁰backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; ³²who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. Chapter 2 - ¹Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. ²But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. ³And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?

I have heard so many times that it is God that sends us to hell. But it is not God that will send someone to hell. If anyone goes there it will be his own fault. God has provided a way, it's up to us to take it. John 3:16-18 - ¹⁶"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

III. Is There An Escape? Unfortunately, once you're there you're there forever. It will never end. That's why it is so terrible and should be avoided at all cost. Revelation 20:10 - ¹⁰The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

But the good news is, you don't have to go there. God did provide a way. Look again at John 3:16-18 - ¹⁶"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. God provided a way of escape, but it has to be accepted now, today. II Corinthians 6:2 - For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. None of us know what tomorrow will bring. In fact, we don't even know what the next few minutes will bring. When our time comes to leave this world we need to be ready.

God is not some cruel God that just sits there waiting to pound someone every time they make a mistake. God loves you. II Peter 3:9 says, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. He understands what you are going through and is there to help you, if you will just trust Him.

Are you ready to meet Him today? If you were to leave this world today, and you were standing there facing Him, what would He say to you? Will He say, (Matthew 25:21) - "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'? Or will he have to say to you what Jesus was saying in Luke 13:23-28, ²³Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?" And He said to them, ²⁴"Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ²⁵"When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' ²⁶"then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' ²⁷"But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.' ²⁸"There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.

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