Probably one of the most, if not the most denied topic about life, or eternal life for that matter, is the subject of Hell.
People just simply do not want to believe that there is a Hell. I am sure there will even be people who will respond here and try to argue with me, but they are entitled to be wrong. Not because I am so right, but Gods Word is true.
Anyhow, we need to let the lost understand that the idea of “Hell” is very real.
I will unequivocally state that if you decide to accept Christ solely on the fact that you are afraid that your skin is about to be singed in Hell, you better think again. I pray that the idea of Hell will sober you into thinking and understanding the enormity of your guilt before Jesus Christ our Lord.
We are all guilty before the Lord:
Rom. 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom. 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
So, we keep hearing about salvation and eternal life in Heaven with Christ, but what about the lost, where do they go after they die?
Your physical body goes to the grave. This grave is nothing more than a place to keep the husk in which you resided here on earth. It has absolutely nothing to do with your soul, or anything to do with you at all after your death if you are lost.
So you say, where does it say that I am going to Hell if I die and I am lost? Let’s continue:
First of all, let’s look at where these spiritual locations were during the old testament:
Luke 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
This of course, is the story of Lazarus the beggar.
What do we see the prince doing in hell(verse 23)? First, we see that he is “in torments”. Obviously, hell is a place of flame. How do we know this? In verse 24 we read:
16:24 And 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.
So, if we were to shorten these verses down to some words, what do we see? We see that hell:
And in hell…
…in this flame
Hell obviously is a place where there is fire, and that fire torments the soul. You see folks, pain receptors do not only reside in the flesh, no matter what doctors tell you.
Moving along….
Next we see something else interesting. We read that the prince actually “sees” Lazarus in Abrahams bosom(Paradise). So if a person in hell can see another person in paradise, then they must be close together, yet cannot reach one another. How is this possible? It is my conviction that the prince is looking across a great void, or abyss. Bottomless pit perhaps?
Anyhow, understanding this, we see paradise on one side of this abyss, and hell on the other. But we will address paradise at a later point here. Going back to hell, we know that this prince is burning in hell desiring that Lazarus should bring him a drop of water to cool his tongue.
So what do we know about hell at this point? One, that it is not just “the grave” as many modern translations want you to believe. Two, that it is a place of torment. And three, that is has fire, burning the souls of the lost.
Now we know what hell and paradise is. We also know that this was before Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. See the book of Luke from where verses were read.
Moving along, and here is an interesting idea also. Where did Jesus go during the three days of His physical death?
Let us read:
Acts 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Matt. 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Ephesians 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Rev. 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Was Jesus actually in Hell? No, He was not. What did Jesus say to the malefactor on the cross?
Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
In paradise? If Jesus died, what about heaven? Why didn’t He take this man to heaven? Because heaven had not opened at that point to the saved. The fulfillment of Christ was not complete at that point. Jesus told him that to day, that very day, not in the far future, not in the past, but that day.
So what was Jesus doing in the lower parts of the earth? (Matt. 12:40; Eph. 4:9) It is my conviction that He was there to remove the people out of paradise and bring them to heaven.
Hell is still there, and the lost are still going there. Is that the final location for the lost? No.
Not only will the lost in eternity be suffering in Hell, they have another place to go after the Great White Throne Judgment.
Rev. 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
We read in verse 13 that death, and hell deliver up the dead. They will stand before the throne and be judged. They will then go to their second death, the lake of fire(verse 14) and join the beast and the false prophet:
19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
In conclusion we know that Hell is real. It is a place of torment and fire. Not only will the lost go to Hell, but they will then be separated from earth and death completely unto the lake of fire.
Remember that death and hell also are thrown into the lake of fire.
Hell is real. The Lake of Fire is real. Heaven is real. There is no purgatory, and there is no limbo, and there is no other place in eternity for the lost but these places.
Where will you go?
I pray that if you are reading this and do not know Christ as your personal Saviour, that you will heed the urgings of the Father, the Holy Spirit, and repent of your sins and recognize that you are lost and on your way to this place called Hell. Jesus deserved the reward of His suffering on the cross for the sins of mankind.
If you need information on how to be saved, please go here:
http://www.fundamentalpreaching.com/foru...ut537.html
If you still have questions, please email or Private Message one of us.
Love in Christ,
Jim
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