Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church Lexington, KY. Pastor JOE H. HEAD
Pleasant Ridge Baptist ChurchLexington, KY. Pastor JOE H. HEAD 

THE DOCTRINE OF HELL                                              

 Text:  Psalms 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

We believe that the souls of the wicked, those having never truly received Christ as Saviour, are upon death of their earthly form cast into hell; where they remain in torment, reserved to the judgment of the great day, Luke 16:23-24; Rev. 20:13. We accept these as literal places, not as symbols, and besides these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledges none.

 

   Matthew 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: ....”

  This subject can be disturbing to young children, but hearing things which may be like that are a part of life.  I.e. “your fired”, “you have cancer”, “your house is on fire”, Your car has been stolen”, “Obama has been re-elected to a third term!”

   A poll reported in the Los Angeles Times, October 2003, indicated that 76% of Americans believed in Heaven.  Of those who believe in Heaven 50% believe you can get there WITHOUT accepting Christ as Saviour. THAT is a sobering example of the deception at work in our world, and is exemplified in, Matthew 7:21-23--21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 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? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”   What is the Father’s will? John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: ….”

   Many people claim to know God; to know Jesus; but the real question is, not so much do I know Christ, but does Christ know me?   “Not all who profess, possess.” 

   I told you about the Harris poll last week which found that only 58% believed there is a hell and that Satan is real physical person, not simply an evil influence.

  THE SCRIPTURES DECLARE THERE IS A HELL. But to establish that we must claim some authority for it.

   2 Timothy 3:16-17  All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  (17)  That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Peter 1:20-21  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  (21)  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

   We must begin first with an understanding of who gets credit for producing this Bible. If it is the words of men with fictitious and wild imaginations then it is no better and may not be as good as the books by Alfred Hitchcock or Stephen King.

   If the men who wrote the original parchments were divinely inspired, knew God in a personal relationship, and were guided by God’s Spirit in what they wrote, then we must take it seriously as the word of our almighty Creator who will NOT be pleased if we question what we read.  In this world it is wise to question everything we read, hear and are asked to accept without debate. To read the bible with doubt is to insult its author. But to put a question mark where God places a period is the height of ignorance and it is an affront to God. To say that the Bible is merely the ideology of men is to relegate it to the back of the bookcase shelf on the top level behind something with slightly more credibility.  

   This volume of ancient writings containing 66 books has stood the tests of time, infidels, scoffers, burnings and doubts.  And it will survive the criticisms of any of us who might decide to carelessly ridicule its truth.

   So, when it comes to this subject of Hell are we going to accept what we read as literal, or decide that it must all be figurative language and analogy describing something worse? If it is that, there is something far worse than we can even imagine at the end of life that  becomes the destiny of all who reject the Savior! 

   IF HEAVEN IS REAL, it is, HELL IS REAL TOO. If Jesus reveals there is a fiery place named Hell, we should take him as seriously as we do when he speaks of a place called Heaven.  We like the thought of one but hate the thought of the other.  We can’t pretend that the one we hate doesn’t exist because we want it so.

   The simple way to stay out of hell is to believe, John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

  I do not doubt the existence of a literal, burning hell because the Word of God tells me about it.   It is written "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27). One follows the other but not immediately.

   The fact of a future judgment for sinners is proven by numerous passages. In Ecclesiastes 11:9 we read, “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." Ecclesiastes 12:14, we are told, For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." The New Testament witnesses to the same truth: "He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained" (Acts 17:31).

   The judgment itself is described in Revelation 20:11-15.  Of the certainty of this coming judgment we are left in no doubt—"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished" (2 Pet. 2:9). Resistance, “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished" (Prov. 11:2 1). Nothing can hinder God from judging whom he wills.  There must be a place where this punishment is done. I believe it to be in a literal, burning hell because Jesus spoke of it.

   The first scripture we appeal to in proof of this is John 5:29: "All that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." It will be impossible for the sinner to evade it. Escape there will be none, Jesus asked the Pharisees, "How can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matt. 23.33). "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:43, 44). "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 19:28). There is only one person powerful enough to do that, the God who created us.

   The souls of the wicked having never received Christ as Saviour from their sins, are upon death of their earthly form cast into hell; where they remain in torment, reserved to the judgment of the great day Rev.20. (CHM)_”We accept these as literal places, not as symbols, and besides these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledges none.”

   Heaven and Hell are real, definite, seeable, tangible, locatable, physical places because Jesus said they exist.

   Today we will take a Journey to the Center of the Earth. In 1864, an author by the name of Jules Verne published a book titled, Journey to the Center of the Earth.  It is a fictional story of high adventure, involving German professor, Otto Lidenbrock, his nephew, Alex, and their guide Hans, as they travel down a volcano tube in Iceland into the earth’s interior, and ultimately, the very center of the earth and back.  The book was made into a movie in 1959, and in 2008.

   Today we are going to be taking an biblical journey to the center of the earth.  This journey should cause the unsaved to FEAR at the thought that it is a prophesy of their own future unless they accept Jesus as Savior. Our guide will be the infallible Word of God which I believe teaches that the place called hell resides in the very center of the earth.  We do know with all certainty that the Bible describes it as, in fact “down.”  If down still means down, not up, then I agree that Hell is down.

   Prov 15:24 The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.” Isaiah 14:9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: ...”  Amos 9:2 Though they dig into hell, …”  Matthew 5:30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”

   What do we know about the center of the earth?  It is hot, molten lava, reaching temperatures of 10,000 up to 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit.  But if new findings are correct, then the center of our own planet may actually be hotter – over 1,000 degrees hotter than previously thought. Scientists do not understand why the earth’s core is made up of hot molten lava. Isn’t it remarkable that Rev 20:15 says “and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

    Sermons on the reality of a literal hell and sinners fleeing from the wrath to come is a lot like bell bottom jeans, bouffant hair styles, and polyester suits, in that it is entirely out of fashion and not politically correct.  In fact, it seems many no longer believe in a literal hell the way it used to be understood. Some will say this life is our own hell right here on this earth, there’s nothing more.  This is the position of the cults and of liberalism.    
   Christian Science: "Hell is an error of the mortal mind." Jehovah's Witnesses: "The wicked will be annihilated." Mormonism: All will eventually be saved, and not suffer eternal punishment." " Catholicism: “even atheists will be go to heaven if they have a good conscience and do right.” (that is impossible for an atheist to have or do). Some preachers within formal evangelical circles now are no longer certain about the existence of hell.  But let me say loud and clear…

   MOSES understood its existence for God told him: Deut 32:22 “For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell,” DAVID believed in it - 2 Sam 22:6--The sorrows of hell compassed me about;”   JOB believed - Job 26:6--Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.”  SOLOMON - Pro 9:17-18-- Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.  But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.” ISAIAH believed it - Isaiah 5:14-- Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.”  JAMES believed it - James 3:6--And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” PETER- 2 Peter 2:4--For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;”  JOHN - Rev 20:13--And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death (grave) and hell (place of torment) delivered up the dead which were in them:”

   If all of these verses are nothing more than mythical fantasies, then God, Jesus and the holy prophets, Apostles, and preachers who spoke of hell are all a bunch of deceivers, crooks, cuckoo’s and liars.  If the warnings to flee the wrath to come is an empty threat, then what are we all doing here today? Go out, cut loose, let’er rip, live it up if there is no heaven or hell. 

    More important than any of the words from the lips of those Bible characters is that Jesus Christ taught HELL IS real!  Jesus was the greatest hellfire and brimstone preacher there ever was and of the some 160 references to Hell in the New Testament, 70 come from Jesus Himself. Here’s one account of the death of two men. One is named; one is not.  Why unnamed? Perhaps Jesus was shielding his family members from knowing that their departed loved one was in hell in torment.

   Luke 16:19-31--19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 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; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 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. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”    

   On our journey to the center of the earth, notice Jesus says that a certain rich man, and goes on to describe how he was clothed, and gives us the name of Lazarus for the beggar man, indicating that this is no fictitious “once-upon-a-time” fairy tale, nor is it a parable, but rather two real men who once lived on the earth as we now do, but then died, and now exist in eternities destinations. 

   One day, the beggar was lying at the rich man’s gate hungry, and the next day he was gone. He was probably cast into a pauper’s grave and quickly forgotten by all, except for Jesus.  Notice in v22 that Lazarus soul was gently, compassionately, powerfully carried BY ANGELS to Paradise! 

   Lazarus was so poor he couldn't even afford to pay attention.  He was a cripple.  He had nothing to eat and it seemed like sores and ulcers were eating him.  He had no food, medicine, doctors.  But that was not the greatest difference between the two men.

   The major difference between these two men was not their financial position.  Don't get the idea that one man went to hell because he was rich and the other man went to heaven because he was poor.  God does not put a premium on poverty nor does He put a penalty on plenty.  It is no vice to be rich and it is no virtue to be poor.

   God does not condone poverty nor does he condemn plenty.  Some of the greatest and godliest men in the Bible were rich. Abraham and Job had great wealth. Joseph was the Prime Minister of Egypt.  David and Solomon were two of the richest rulers who ever lived; but they all had a deep love for God.

   The difference between these two men was not what they owned but what owned themGod does not want anything we have.  God wants everything we are.  The rich man had everything except God and he was satisfied.  The poor man had nothing but God and he was saved.  

   The name Lazarus literally means "God is my helper".  The Lord Jesus leaves no doubt that Lazarus was indeed a saved man. 

   But also notice how JESUS described the death of the rich man?  It is also obvious that the rich man was lost and he knew why he was lost.  He asked Abraham later in this story to let Lazarus go and preach to his brothers so that "they would repent" (verse 30).  He had never repented and placed his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and he knew it.  The rich man was in hell not because he did not give bread to Lazarus, but rather because he had never accepted the Bread of Life.  These two men were divided by a belief.  One believed on the Lord Jesus and one believed not on him.  And it is that belief that made all the difference, both in this life and the life to come.

   This passage teaches plainly that those who will not repent of sin go to hell. Jesus said, “Except ye repent ye shall all likewise perish,” (Luke 13:3, 5).

   Jesus uttered these MOST terrifying words… and in hell he lifted up his eyes being in torment.”

 

I.We learn that Death is NOT the End (vs22-23)

Never buy into the lie, so much as for even an instant that death is the end of everything; the terminus, the finish, the final curtain.  While death is the end of this life, it is but the beginning of eternity and the life that is to come. We have been given an eternal soul in a mortal body, and as such, that soul will live on forever, in Heaven or in Hell. 

   The Bible speaks clearly that at the end of time there will be a resurrection of the bodies first of the righteous dead who are raptured to be with the Lord; then later of the evil dead to be reunited with their souls which have been tormented in hell since their physical death, to stand before God for judgment and final sentencing to the lake of fire.  All those who have never been saved will experience death twice, both a physical one and a spiritual death, called the second death.

   Rev 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.”  

   For most people the two most feared ways of dying physically are 1) by drowning, or2) by fire.  In hell, in that second death, the unredeemed will experience both… in the lake of fire, drowning forever in the fiery lake, not annihilation, but suffering body and soul in it FOREVER.

So, death is not the end, and secondly…

II.Hell is Real (v23) 

Hell is not figurative and make no mistake about it, hell is real. “ 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments,”

   Take note that in Hell, the Rich Man has all his senses.  He could SEE, HEAR, SPEAK, FEEL, and he could still think.  Even though his body was in the grave, this man’s soul lived on in the place called Hell.  Hell is a real PLACE with real FIRE, real PAIN, real TORMENT .    

   In scripture, hell is described as: A furnace of fire; A lake of fire –one that is not quenched; does not burn out. A place of torment, everlasting punishments;   A place where people pray but are not heard; A place where they cry/wail for mercy, but find none;   A place where they can never repent; A place of blackness and darkness; A place where people have no rest day or night; A place from which the smoke of their torments ascends up forever and ever and ever.   

   After these men died, one went to be eternally glorified, one went to be eternally horrified.  One entered into the joy of the Lord while the other entered into the judgment of the Lord.  One went to enjoy the happiness of Heaven.  One went to endure the horror of Hell.  One man went from rags to riches while the other man went from riches to rags.  We're told specifically in verse 25 that Lazarus was "comforted".  Can you see Lazarus five minutes after he died?  He was hungry no more, for he was dining at the table of the Lord.  Sick no more, permanently healed by the Great Physician.  He was poor no more, walking streets of gold surrounded by pearly gates. He was homeless no more, living in a mansion custom built by the Master Carpenter.  Alone no more, now standing with a friend who would stick closer than a brother.

    Now the rich man was another story.  Verse 23 describes his immediate fate after death. He was in Hell. Here the word ‘torment’ is used 4 times in this story, (v.23, 24, 25, 28). We are repeatedly told of the torture that this man was in. Notice the plural usage in v.23, ‘torments’. There are many pains, miseries, and sorrows in hell.

   We can conceive very little of the misery of hell; but imagine yourself to be cast into a fiery furnace, where your pain would be unbearable and your body must  be there for all eternity. That after millions of millions of ages, your torment would be no nearer to an end; and that you never will ever will be delivered!

   Unending Misery (v23)--23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments,….  The Rich Man is TODAY in a place of extreme pain and torture. The soul does not simply burn up as some of the cults teach, but it endures the pain and torment of Hell until the bodily resurrection and judgment before God.  Matt 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:  There is no parole from punishment, no relief from remorse, no deliverance from doom. No ESCAPE ….No END!

    I want to tell you in love and compassion what people are facing who go to hell. When we search the Scripture we learn that the rich man’s torments…

  Were Physical torments. Every word he utters is a word of agony.  In verse 24, we read  "then he cried and said...".  The word cried literally means "to scream in agony".  This man was in such agony that we're told, in verse 24, "Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me…" 

   Now there are always those who ask if the flame is real.  Is Hell a place of literal fire?  Well I personally believe that it is. But regardless of whether it is or not, one thing we know is real and that is the torment, the torture, the pain, the agony, the misery, without question, is real.  Hell is a place where there is no water for the fire, no medicine for the pain, no comfort for the suffering.

    The final event of the wicked is spoken of as "suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude 7). Many say this is merely a figurative statement but when God says "fire" He means "fire." I refuse to dull the sharp edge of His Word. Was the Noah’s flood figurative? Was the "fire and brimstone" which descended from heaven and destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah figurative? Were the plagues upon Egypt figurative? Is it figurative fire which shall yet burn this earth, and cause the very elements to "melt with fervent heat?"

    No, in each of these cases we are obliged to take the words of Scripture in their literal signification. Literal fire in Hell presents no difficulty to me.  The lost will have literal resurrected bodies when they are cast into the lake of fire.

   But the question is often asked, how can the bodies of the lost be tormented eternally by literal fire? Would not the fire utterly consume them? I don’t know, but we should still believe that Scripture means what it says.

   In Exodus 3 we read of the bush in the wilderness burning with fire, and yet was not consumed! In Daniel 3 we read of the three Hebrews being cast into the fiery furnace of Babylon, yet they were not consumed. Why was this? Because some way unknown to us, God preserved the bush, and the bodies of the three Hebrews.  So God is also able to preserve the bodies of the sinners from being consumed. How can this be?  Because that fire is "prepared" by God (Matt. 25:41).”

  Unquenchable Fire – The fires of Hell will never end or be put out.  Mark 9:43 … the fire that never shall be quenched “      

   Unfulfilled Thirst (v24)--24 …send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”  In that place, in the center of the earth, one of the ways that sinners will be tormented is by an insatiable THIRST, which for all eternity will go unquenched.  Interestingly, one of the last statements of Jesus Christ was this, “I thirst”.  He suffered our hell that day on the cross, the death penalty for our sin on the cross of Calvary that day, and he thirsted so that all who believe would never have to.

  Undiluted Wrath-In hell, the wrath against sin by an offended God will be fully unleashed. It could not get any worse, nor will it ever become any less.

  Undying Memory and Remorse (vs 25)  25 But Abraham said, Son, remember…”   In hell the rich man possessed the ability to remember. He remembered all the good he had; all the comfort; all the friends; all the luxuries; all the pleasures; all the lost opportunities to haunt his memory!

   The lost will think of the sermons on how to be saved, heard and rejected; the urgings of friends to trust Jesus and be saved; the doubting and unbelief of the truth of Scriptures; or preconceived notions that the Almighty, being a God of love, could not send anyone to such a place of torment; the invitations at church when they were invited to turn to Christ, but would not.

    Always too BUSY; Always too DISINTERESTED; Always too PROUD and self centered to humble themselves before God. Those in hell will remember every GOSPEL TRACT that was given them; every time someone WITNESSED to them; everyone who pleaded and prayed for them to BE SAVED.  Lost sinners may not give a hoot about what is being preached here today, but be assured, if any one dies unsaved their destiny is hell where they will be tormented by this SERMON forever . They will have no one to blame for the torments of hell but their own unbelief. 

    Emotional torment. Consider these facts that contributed to his emotional torment. 1) In Abraham’s bosom the rich man could see the joys and blessings of the saved dead. 2) He knew his brothers were coming but he couldn’t do anything about it. 3) He knew there was no way of escape. And believe me, there are no "satisfied customers" in Hell. It is a place where the adulterer will never be able to satisfy his lust; where the drunkard will never be able to quench his thirst; here the junkie will never be able to satisfy his habit; where the glutton will never be able to satisfy his hunger.

   Verse 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." 

   There is literally a road that leads into Hell, but there is no road that leads out of Hell.  The road that leads to Hell is a one way, dead-end street. You see, there is a highway which runs from Earth to Heaven. It's the way of the Cross that leads home.  There is a highway which leads from Earth to Hell.  Jesus called it the broad way, the way of destruction.  But there is no highway which runs from Hell to Heaven.  There is no such thing as Purgatory.  There is no such thing as a "second chance".

    Above anything else, Hell is a place of hopelessness.

We don't know, in this world, what it is like not to have hope.  If you're sick, there's always the hope you might get better.  In business, there's always the hope that the economy will turn around.  But in Hell there is no hope.  As Dante inscribed on the door of his Inferno "Ye who enter here leave all hope behind".

   Eternal torment. We Baptists talk about the eternal security of the believer that once a person is saved he's always saved.  We could also say the Bible also teaches the eternal insecurity of the sinner.  Once a person dies lost, he will stay lost forever.  

  The scriptures speaks of being "punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord" (2 Thess. 1:9). None but one who really knows God can begin to estimate what it will mean to be eternally banished from the Lord. This is the most awful of all, "Destruction from the presence of the Lord" is paralleled with "depart from Me ye cursed" forever, and ever.

   Unrelenting Isolation—One of the worst punishments a prisoner can have is to be in solitary confinement. No contact, touching, talking; no TV, books, light, or water.    Argument from so many is that, "All my friends are gonna be there too".  All of their friends may very well be there, but they’ll never know it except for perhaps the sound of their voices as they scream in pain.

   Jesus said hell would be a place of darkness. Matt 25:30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  Hell is the place of eternal solitary confinement.

   Unanswered Requests (v27)—It is the one and only place where sinners literally DO NOT have a prayer.  Realization sinks in… this rich man is going to remain in torment, forever. No comfort, no enjoyment, no relief from the unending torment.  And then at long last, he finally gets his eyes off himself and thinks of others…his family!  He has a consuming burden for them, that they might avoid his end.  And for perhaps the first time in all of his life, he prays but in hell no requests will be answered.  One literally does not have a prayer there. 

   But today, it is not the case.  Today people do have a prayer.  Today, one can cry out to God in repentance for salvation and Jesus will save from the uttermost to the uppermost. 

   Isaiah 45:22--Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”

   Isaiah 1:18-- Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

   Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved...”

   Teaching and preaching against hell will not do away with it.  Unbelief about hell will not do away with it, or keep folks out of it.  Hell is fixed. God fixed it. There will be no change. It’s God’s way of separation.
   (optional) The image of the worm is taken from Isa 66:24, and refers to those worms which feed upon dead flesh. The fire and worm can be taken literally there in context, but the two figures depict hell as a state of decay which is never completed and of burning which does not consume. The worm means the memory and its remorse over sins committed and opportunity lost, and the fire as  the actual punishment.  The fires of hell will not be quenched. Because it’s God’s fire, you can’t put it out.  In Hell there are no seared consciences which cannot be tormented.  In Hell man will not find any rest day or night. In Hell people will not find any hope, peace, or freedom from pain. In Hell they will find only the fearful, the unbelievers, murderers, whoremongers, murderers and liars at the end of their Christ-less life.

   

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Revelation 11:17 "Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned." 

 

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