[How do we know hell exists, in the same way we know that oxygen and DNA exists.  We take the word of someone who has actually seen and worked with oxygen, DNA, and hell.  Most of us have never seen any of these but they are all dynamic parts of our lives.  What we know of oxygen and DNA comes from the work of scientists who have worked diligently to discover these unseen realities and have taught us about their discoveries.] 

[What we know of Hell comes for our Lord Jesus Christ through the Word of God that seeks to teach us many unseen mysteries for the sake of our eternal wellbeing and good.  So what does the Word of God teach us about this place called hell?]

Hell Is:

A.     A Terrifying Reality (2 Cor 5.11; Jude 1.21-23) [– How terrifying is hell?  Some in our day might shun a sermon on hell.  I have heard people say, “Well, preaching on hell just strives to scare people into getting saved, and I don’t think fear is a good reason to accept Christ.”  God says:]

[2 Corinthians 5:11 ¹¹ Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; . . . ]

[Jude 1:21-23 ²¹ Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. ²² And of some have compassion, making a difference: ²³ And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. ]

[There are many around us that will not get saved until they understand the peril they are in.  It is next to impossible to convince a person that they need to be saved until they first realize that they are lost and in danger fro their souls.]

[Without a doubt we have been brought up understanding that there is terror associated with hell.  Just the mention of hell conjures up a deep seated sense of fear in most people.  Much of this fear has been marginalized in our day just by the mere frivolous use of the word hell in our culture today.  Yet, even in this desensitization there is still a dread associated with any serious thought about a real place called hell.]

[All that we can know about hell comes from the Bible.  We could know nothing at all about this terrible place unless God reveal it to us.  So, just what does the Bible reveal about hell.]

1.      Hell’s Flames Burn With Fervent Heat (Luke 3.16-17; Matt 13.40-43,49-50; Mark 9.42-48; Rev 20.11-15)[ – There is no pain like the pain of a burn.  Hence, God seeks to reveal the terror of hell by referring to it as a place of fire, flames, and fervent heat.  But God is not just making an allegory about the torment of hell when He reveals that there are flames in hell.  The Bible speaks of the fire and flames of hell in a definite sense.  We find in the Bible:]

a.       [John the Baptist Spoke of the Fire of hell. ]

[Luke 3:16-17 ¹⁶ John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: ¹⁷ Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. ]

b.      [Jesus Spoke of the Fire of hell.]

[Matthew 13:40-43 ⁴⁰ As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. ⁴¹ The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; ⁴² And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.]

[ Matthew 13:49-50 ⁴⁹ So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, ⁵⁰ And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.]

[Mark 9:42-48 ⁴² And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. ⁴³ 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: ⁴⁴ Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. ⁴⁵ And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: ⁴⁶ Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. ⁴⁷ And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: ⁴⁸ Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. ]

[Revelation 20:11-15 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. 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. 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. ¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. ]

[The tormenting flames of hell are no mere scriptural allegory, they are real flames that will torment all who find themselves condemned to that terrible place called hell.]

2.      Hell Is Fueled By The Perfect Wrath of God (Isa 63.1-6; John 3.36; Rom 1.18-19; Heb 10.29-31) [– We love to think about the incredible, perfect grace of God.  It is a comfort to think about the unconditional and perfect love of God.  It relieves us to think about the perfect and unfailing mercy of God.  But we hesitate to think about the perfect justice of God or the equally perfect wrath of God.  All of these and more are the attributes or characteristics of Almighty God.  They are all revealed to us through the unerring Word of God.]

[I suppose it is hard for our mortal minds to attribute perfect love and perfect wrath to the same being at the same time.  Many have argued that a perfectly loving God could not be so cruel as to cast any individual into the eternal torments of hell, they suppose that that somehow makes God less than loving.  The fact that God has both love and wrath, mercy and justice as His characteristics makes him no less than a complete being.]

[To think of wrath is to think of something far more than just anger, it speaks of anger with a furious content.  The Bible expresses this kind of fury when speaking of the wrath of God.  Isaiah wrote,]

[Isaiah 63:1-6 ¹ Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. ² Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? ³ I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. ⁴ For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. ⁵ And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. ⁶ And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.]

[Hence the wrath of God is particularly noxious and ought to be deeply feared and carefully avoided.  Yet, the Bible clearly attributes the wrath of God with hell.  Consider:]

[John 3:36 ³⁶ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him]

[Romans 1:18-19 ¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; ¹⁹ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.]

[Consider for a moment what it means when I say that the flames of hell are fueled by the perfect wrath of Almighty-God.  This would be a fire unlike any fire known to mankind throughout our history.  We have skillfully developed fires that can melt and cure the most stubborn metals.  We have even developed incinerators that can turn bone into powder.  Yet, these fires pale in comparison the fires of hell that are fueled by the wrath of God.]

[Someone might wonder, Why does God seem so angry in these verses?  Why would God fuel the tormenting flames of hell with such wrath?]

[Hebrews 10:29-31 ²⁹ Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. ]

[God is not just angry because he’s just fed up.  No, if you reject the Lord Jesus Christ and what He gave for you, the precious blood of God, then you will dwell eternally in those flames fueled by the wrath of God because you have tread under foot the precious blood of God’s only begotten Son.  You see God loved you so much that he sent the very best that heaven had to offer, the Lord Jesus Christ to offer you the gift of eternal life, through His propitiatory work on Calvary’s Cross, and you have rejected that precious sacrifice.  God watched His only begotten Son die a humiliating and hideous death so that you might be saved and you turned your nose up to God and said, “So what!”]

3.      Hell is Focused by everlasting torment (Rev 14.9-11) [– Now you understand that God has warned you about the burning fires of hell and its torment.  You also understand that those flames are fueled by the wrath of God because those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ have trampled under foot the very blood of God, as though it were worthless.  But you also need to understand that once this life is over and you step into eternity your eternal habitation is everlasting.  The concept of purgatory, or a temporary place of purging and purifying is a hideous lie of our worldly religious systems.  Purgatory is not found anywhere within the context of the Bible.  Therefore, do not be deceived.  The Bible declares:]

[Revelation 14:9-11 ⁹ And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, ¹⁰ The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and 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 ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.]

[Reject the Lord Jesus Christ in this life and you seal you fate in eternity to come. You eternally separate yourself from the goodness of God, or that place we call Heaven.  Now, some can accept the loss of God’s goodness.  What they fail to realize is that when you separate yourself form God’s goodness you relinquish yourself into God’s wrath or hell.  There is no in between, you will live forever, the question is where will you choose to live for all eternity.  Hence, you need to choose Jesus and you need to accept Him right now, today.]

B.     A Testifying Reality

1.      The Testimony of your Senses (John 3.16-18) [- You sense the danger of hell already.  Many a Christian, saved latter in life, has testified about how they sensed an emptiness, a gloominess, or a great despair when they were lost without Christ.  They may not have been able to put their finger on what this despair was but they knew that something ominous was looming over them.  Then they found Jesus and they experienced an immediate relief and great joy.  What happened?]

[The impending condemnation of hell and the consuming wrath of God was removed from their existence and the were place into the very grace and goodness of God.]

[John 3.16-18 reads,]

[John 3:16-18 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. ¹⁷ For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. ¹⁸ He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.]

[A lost person is condemned already.  Spiritually speaking the wrath of God is pressing in upon them on all sides.  So that all they have to do is close their mortal eyes in death and they will open their spiritual eyes in the eternal torments of hell.  But once they accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior that condemnation is removed and it is replaced by the goodness and grace of their Heavenly Father.]

[Your senses tell you, right now, whether you are saved or lost.  Do you sense that ominous dread of some impending terror, or do you sense the joy of the goodness and grace of God?]  

2.      The Testimony of your Savior (Luke 16.19-31) [– The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who dwelt in eternity, stepped out of an eternal and glorious heaven and was incarnate in our world.  He is the only one who lived in heaven and then lived in earth.  Jesus Christ is the only one who can actually and factually tell us what will be and what we can expect in eternity to come.  Jesus shared the account of Lazarus and the rich man (Dives) in Luke 16.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking of this account as a parable.  Jesus gives this account more as a headline news story rather than a parable.  How do we know this was an actual event rather than a fictional story, because of the proper name given and the very personal and real context of the account.  In this account we note:]

a.      [The Two Men in the account (vs 19-21)- 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.]

b.      [The Death and eternal state of both men (vs 22-23) -  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.]

c.       [The Consciousness of both men (vs 24) -  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.]

d.      [The Conscientiousness of the Rich Man (vs 27-28) -   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. – The Rich Man has a memory and he is thinking about his family and the terror that will await them unless someone warns them.]

e.       [The Caution given to condemned men (vs 29) - 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. –Mosses refers to the first five books of the Bible, the prophets refers to the rest of the Old Testament.  Hence, Jesus says they have the Word of God and they need to hear it.  Jesus also states that if they won’t hear the written word of God, then they won’t hear even if they see great miracles.]

C.     A Turning Reality [– So just why does God reveal anything about the wrath of God and the terror of hell in the Bible?  Go could have just remained silent on the subject and presented Himself as a much kinder and more benevolent kind of being.  To fail to tell us about God’s justice and ensuing judgment would have been less than loving.  God gives us a full understanding of His just nature and the judgment it requires, and the propitiation provided through the Lord Jesus Christ because,]

[2 Peter 3:9 ⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ]

[Unless we understand what is really at stake we human beings will have little motivation to receive the Lord Jesus Christ.  The truth is many never will get saved until they realize the gravity of their need.  Hence, we need to understand that there really is a terrible place called hell.]

1.      Who will be in Hell? (Psalm 9.17; 2 Thess 1.7-10; 2 Pet 3.7-12)

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

[2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 ⁷ And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, ⁸ In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: ⁹ Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; ¹⁰ When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.]

[2 Peter 3:7-12 ⁷ But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. ⁸ But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. ¹¹ Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, ¹² Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?]

2.      Who will be in Heaven? (Rom 10.13)

[Romans 10:13 ¹³ For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. ]

CrossRoads Baptist, Aug 24, 2008