Is There Really a Hell?

The message was brought by Rev. Eddie Foster on 3/10/24.

Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

Do you believe in a literal hell where people who reject Jesus Christ will go after this life? I believe it because the Word of God teaches it. I could preach on the problems of life or a positive theme but I feel confident this is what God wants this morning.  Hell is old fashioned, out-of-style preaching. Many don’t preach it anymore. No one but Noah believed it was going to rain, but it did. There are many other examples in the Bible where only a few believed something, but it still happened.  People can say there is no hell all they want, but the Bible teaches there is one.  You cannot disbelieve it out of existence. Thoughts otherwise are apart from the Word of God.

Horns blow to warn people of a tornado. Is that cruel?  Is it cruel to warn coastal people of a coming hurricane? Would it be cruel to stop and warn someone in the middle of the night if you drove by and their house was on fire?  No!  All these warn of coming danger.  Jesus preached with love and compassion, and statistics show that he preached more on hell than he did heaven.  Why?  He warned of the destruction and agony in hell and wanted to keep people out.  I also preach about hell to keep people from going there.

Jesus said the fire of hell will never go out. It was prepared for the devil and his angels, but all who reject Jesus as Savior will go there. It’s an awful place of agonizing punishment.  People make fun of hell talking of all the parties they’ll attend. That’s not how it will be. People will be in torments.

Certainty of hell:  the Bible says the road to hell is broad and many are traveling it, a majority of people. Some believe there is in fact a hell but only the devil and his angels will go there. Others believe people will burn up and/or aren’t’ there forever. The Bible uses the phrase “where the worm dieth not” meaning the soul of man lives there forever. Some teach hell won’t go on forever, but it’s real and it’s forever. Others believe in purgatory. This is taught nowhere in the Bible. People have a lot of ideas in their minds about hell that just are not true. You don’t go to some intermediary place to be prayed out or bought out. 

Characteristics of hell: It’s literal. Luke 16 tells the story of the rich man who ended up in hell.  He didn’t have a party. He didn’t want his brothers to come there. It wasn’t a state of mind; it was real!  It’s a place of fire. You won’t be annihilated. Think back to the burning bush that Moses saw. It burned and was not consumed. The souls there will not be consumed either. Hell is for eternity. As the saved will live forever in heaven, the unsaved will live forever in hell. The fact that we were born means we’ll be somewhere forever. That’s a staggering thought without Jesus.  For a little while we’re here on earth–our short home.  Eternity is our long home.  The options are heaven or hell. The better home is heaven.  Hell will be worse than anything bad you’ve ever experienced in this life. It will be a place of constant pain. That’s a shuddering thought. No one likes pain. The rich man in hell had eyes to see and a tongue. This lets us know that people in hell will have some sort of body and it will be in torments.  Hell is a place of memory. The rich man didn’t take his money to hell with him, but he did take his memory.  People will remember all their opportunities to be saved if they go to this awful place.  It’s a place of thirst. Water to a thirsty person is wonderful. In hell, none will come. This church has several exits. There is no exit from hell. It’s a place of separation from loved ones who died and were saved.  It’s eternal.  While it is hard for our limited minds to think of anything unlimited, hell is eternal.  Say what you want; nothing will change that. 

Citizenship of hell:  Nobody goes to hell who doesn’t belong there. Throughout history many people have been wrongly accused and gone to prison; some have mistakenly been killed for crimes they didn’t commit.  BUT no one goes to hell mistakenly.  Look at Revelation 21:8:  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. What a horrible population! Hell is as necessary to eternity as prisons are to society. In this life people go to prisons as punishment for crimes. For heaven to be heaven, there must also be hell.  A just God must punish sin. The devil blinds people’s eyes and minds to all this. Many believe everybody goes to heaven. Not true!  We can’t believe hell away. Listen:  good people will go to hell.  Good works won’t get anyone into heaven.  It’s only through believing what Jesus did on the cross.  Look at Matthew 7:22-23: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. There are some people who think they are going to heaven but they will end up in hell.  Just religious? It won’t work. Everybody has some kind of religion. Religion is something you put on when Sunday comes and take off during the week.  I’m thankful I have salvation. People go to hell because they fail to trust Jesus Christ. The sins listed above are byproducts of that lack of trusting God.

One day we all will stand before God.  Are you ready? Have you prepared to meet God?