“THE HORROR OF HELL”
SELECTED PASSAGES
OPEN
There were two churches in a small town whose buildings were located across the street from each other. One congregation was liberal and the other was conservative. The liberal congregation’s sign announced the sermon for Sunday: “There Ain’t No Hell.” The conservative congregation’s sign announced a sermon in response: “The Hell There Ain’t.”
Some preachers relish preaching about hell. I don’t. I find myself identifying with C.S. Lewis who said about the subject of hell, “There is no doctrine which I would willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture and, specially, of our Lord’s own words.”
I believe that the Bible is the literal word of God. If the Bible only mentioned hell one time, I would believe it existed. But the Bible doesn’t just mention hell on one occasion. It talks about it at least fifty four times. I want to be faithful to my commitment to God and to you to declare the whole counsel of God.
Would it surprise you to discover the identity of the person in the Bible that spoke about hell more than anyone else? It’s not one of the Old Testament prophets. It’s not Peter or John or Paul. It’s Jesus Christ. He taught on hell twelve times in the gospels. And he described hell in literal and specific terms.
A Harris poll just a few years ago found that 69% of Americans believe in hell. Now, the opinions concerning what hell will be like were extremely diverse. But the amazing thing is that the poll showed that most people believe they will not go to hell. 98% believed they would go to heaven and only 2% reported that they believe they will go to hell. An even more recent poll by George Barna shows that only 1% of Americans believe they will go to hell.
The thing that bothers me the most is that many churches have quit teaching about hell. Many of their preachers and denominational leaders stopped believing in hell a long time ago.
Why do we need to talk about hell? The Bible talks about hell. Jesus taught about hell. And God’s justice demands that we talk about hell.
We love to hear good news. We love to hear that God is loving, gracious, merciful and forgiving. But what about the bad news?
In 1912, John Henry Jowett addressed the Yale convention. He said, “The very term ‘good news’ implies that there is such a thing as bad news, the very proclamation of salvation presupposes a state of being lost. Hell is the dark background on which the brilliant picture of the gospel is painted. But without the background you have no picture.”
The fact is that God is loving gracious, merciful and forgiving. But God is also just. And our sins demand a method of accountability and consequence through His Son Jesus Christ. The penalty for sin was paid on the cross.
The Bible teaches us in Rom. 3:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Rom. 6:23 also tells us that “the wages of sin is death.” Jesus made the payment for us. When we place our complete confidence in him and what he has done for us, we don’t have to face the penalty for our sin.
However, for those who refuse to place their confidence in Jesus, there is a method of consequence of accountability and consequence. It’s a guilty sentence to a place called hell. Dave Stone: “If there is no hell, then Calvary was a tragic mistake. For if there is no pending punishment, then there is no need for a pardon.”
The Bible tells us that a day of judgment is coming. Heb. 9:27 tells us that we are “destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”
The Bible also tells us that those who have followed Jesus Christ will have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. But those who have refused to follow Christ will have their sins recorded in ledger books that will be opened on the Day of Judgment.
Rev. 20:11-15 – 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
A number of years ago, atheist Madelyn Murray O’Hair spoke on the campus of Drake University. She blasted the Bible and Christ. She railed against the existence of heaven and hell. She said, “Who wants to go to a place where all they do is sing hymns and play harps?” Speaking for myself, I’d rather go to hell!” She died sometime in late September of 1995. I wonder what she thinks now?
So, what will hell really be like? The Bible clearly describes it as a place of suffering.
A PLACE OF EMOTIONAL SUFFERING
One of the terms used in the New Testament to refer to hell is the word Gehenna. Gehenna is a valley located on the south side of the city of Jerusalem. It’s also known as the Valley of Hinnom. (Here’s what it looks like today).
During the reigns of some of Israel’s most wicked kings, an altar to the false Canaanite god, Molech, was built in the valley. The people would bring their sons to throw into the fire there as a horrible sacrifice to Molech. Later, during the reign of the good king Josiah, the altars to Molech were destroyed and the valley was filled in with garbage and refuse and the corpses of the wicked. It became a vast smoldering garbage dump. In Jesus’ day, it burned and smoldered 24/7.
Using this word picture of hell, Bill Hybels commented: “The stuff you bring to a dump is useless, irredeemable, irreparable, completely disposable. The Bible teaches that unbelievers will be assigned a place in hell. It uses the word gehenna, which illustrates that people in hell will be consciously aware that they have been worthless, irredeemable, fit for no good purpose.” He adds, “The person who wakes up and finds himself in Gehenna must realize that the God of the universe who gave him so much value in life has trashed him for eternity.”
God has gone to great expense to provide our redemption. 1 Pet. 1:18-19 – For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
God has done everything he can do to let you know how valuable you are to him. But when you refuse God’s great gift, you have to pay the penalty for your own sin. Part of the emotional suffering comes with the realization that because of your refusal, God has determined that your place is in the trash pile of eternity.
In Mt. 13:50, Jesus gives a vivid description of hell saying that it is a fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. That term, “gnashing of teeth”, might be a little confusing to you. But I know that you have gnashed your teeth as surely as I have gnashed mine.
Have you ever made this sound: Aargh? I know I’ve made it many times. Sometimes I do it after I’ve preached a sermon or taught a lesson and on the way home I’m still thinking about what I said. Then I’ll think: Man! I forgot part of what I was going to say. It was an important clarification for what I was trying to convey! And then I’ll go, “Aargh!” and gnash my teeth.
Several Thanksgivings ago, we were so enjoying having our family at our house that we forgot the pies in the oven. When Anna went to the kitchen, you could hear, “Aargh!” The pies at that point were a “burnt sacrifice.”
There are plenty of times when we mess up. We get frustrated and wish we hadn’t made those mistakes. And at least internally, we say, “Aargh!” But at least there is always next time. There are other pies, other opportunities to teach and preach, other times to throw a pass or hit a golf ball or repaint the wall. At these times, we don’t usually gnash our teeth for very long because we decide that next time we’ll do it differently.
The bad news is that when we wake up in hell, it will be a continual, eternal gnashing of teeth. People will forever say, “I blew it! I messed up!” And it never stops. “I knew that I should follow Jesus. I had the opportunity many times. I rejected him.” And the horror is that there is no next time. Hell is a place of emotional suffering.
A PLACE OF PHYSICAL SUFFERING
A man was sitting at home on his front porch. He should have been chopping wood for his fireplace but he’d injured his wrist and couldn’t do it.
To his good fortune, the doorbell rang. When he opened the door, there two young men standing on his front porch. He asked, “Can I help you?” One of the young men said, We’re college students and we’re going through the neighborhood looking for any odd jobs that might make us some extra money.”
The man asked, “Would you like to make some money by chopping wood for me? I’ll pay you each $15 an hour.” The college guys looked at each other knowing that neither had ever chopped wood before but also knowing that for 15 bucks an hour, they could learn.
The man took them out back and got them started then went into the house. Just then the phone rang. It was a friend from work who was calling to tell him the entertainment for the company party that night had cancelled. The friend said, “You’re the entertainment chairman. Where are we going to get something decent at such short notice?” The man said, “I have no idea.”
As he pondered the situation, he looked out his back window. One of the college guys who’d been chopping wood went running across the backyard, did a triple cartwheel, raced up the side of the garage, did a double back flip off the roof and landed on his feet. The man told his friend, “Let me call you back. I think I’ve got something.”
He walked out to the backyard and saw the other college student. He asked, “Would your friend do that for a party at my work tonight? We’ll pay $200.” The college student said, “I’ll ask him.” He called out, “Hey, Matt! Are you willing to chop off another toe for 200 bucks?”
It may sound strange but Jesus utilized an illustration somewhat similar when talking about hell. He said that it’s better to lose a body part than to wind up in hell and face its torment and suffering.
Mk. 9:43-48 – “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’”
In Luke Chapter 16, Jesus tells about two men. The first man had everything the world had to offer. The second man had nothing. They both die on the same day, are judged and the rich man sent to hell and the poor man sent to heaven. Let’s listen to what Jesus says.
Lk. 16:19-24 – “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’”
Multiple passages in the Bible describes hell as being a place of relentless, suffocating, tormenting fire and heat. Remember the term gehenna we talked about a few minutes ago? Notice here in Lk. 16:24 that the rich man is described as being in hell and was also “in torment”.
It was so bad that in vs. 24, the rich man asks Abraham if Lazarus could possibly bring him just a tiny bit of water. He didn’t ask for a jug or a cup or even a gulp. He just asked for what would amount to drips off the fingers of Lazarus; just enough to cool his tongue. The rich man said, “I am in agony in this fire.”
Hell is a place of emotional suffering. It’s a place of physical suffering.
A PLACE OF SPIRITUAL SUFFERING
In 2 Thess. Chapt. 1, Paul is talking about when Jesus returns and judgment comes. He tells what Jesus will do to those who failed to acknowledge what God has done for them and refused to follow Christ. 2 Thess. 1:8-9 – He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.
As bad as the other suffering sounds, the most horrific thing about hell is that we would be shut off from the presence of God. I know that this concept is the most difficult for you to understand and for me to explain. I certainly acknowledge having used the work of others in preparing this message – but it’s especially true at this point. I hope I can make it clear.
The most ungodly, the most insensitive people to the things of God and Jesus Christ still receive the benefits of his presence. They are living in a time where God’s grace flows to the just and the unjust. Even the worst of all criminals look out, even if it’s through prison bars, at a blue sky and green grass.
Whether we see it or not, God is still restraining evil and he still works miracles in our lives. God still holds back what Satan would love to inflict. As bad as things seem at some times, it would be worse if God totally removed his presence from our world.
Here’s what you have to understand. In hell, God doesn’t intervene at all. Bill Hybels says, “[In hell] God chooses to be conspicuous by his absence.” When God’s presence is removed, there will be a complete void of anything good.
Another term the Bible uses about hell is “utter darkness.” It’s a reference to where there is absolute chaos and confusion. It’s a place where there is eternal hopelessness and futility.
One more term the Bible uses when referring to hell is the bottomless pit or the Abyss. The word in the original language means “unending; boundless; unfathomable.” Have you ever had a dream where you are falling, falling, falling? When you woke up, your heart was pounding, wasn’t it?
Imagine that that you are hanging out over a ledge. There is a huge chasm below you. God is hanging on to you and you’re hanging on to him. You decide that you don’t need God anymore so you let go. You tell God to let go.
There comes a time during the fall when you realize you made a big mistake. You can’t go back up and you keep falling further into the chasm. Now you would give anything to go back but you can’t. You fall and you fall and you fall. How long do you fall? Forever. As you fall, you realize that you are further and further away from the only source of hope, truth, and love.
Dave Stone puts it this way: “The welcome sign to hell should read, ‘The Point of No Return.’ There is no end and there is no exit in hell.” Hell is a place of emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual suffering with no end in sight. Ever.
CLOSE
When Calvin Coolidge was vice-president, he was presiding over the Senate one day. The debate on the floor was quite heated and one senator told another to go “straight to hell.” The offended senator appealed to the vice president about what the man had said. Coolidge was leafing through a book while listening to the debate. He looked up at the man and said, “I’ve looked through the rule book. You don’t have to go.”
That’s what God is saying to us: “You don’t have to go! My Son has paid the price that’s owed for your sin. If you’ll just humble yourself and follow Him, you don’t have to go to hell.”
Hell is basically a choice that we make. You decide where you spend eternity. Jesus said in Mk. 16:16 – “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
Back in the old West, there was a young man who’d been raised in a Christian family. As he got older, he left behind what he’d been taught. He decided to go into business for himself and bought a saloon.
He advertised the grand opening. When the time came to open the doors, no one showed up. He wiped the bar down a few times. He paced the floor. His frustration built to the point where he couldn’t stand it any longer. He looked out front and saw his father talking people out of going in.
He stormed outside and confronted his dad. “You’re ruining my grand opening!” The father said, “Son, I can’t let anyone go in there. Alcohol will ruin their lives, steal their money and destroy their families.”
Another man came up and the father dissuaded him from entering. The son was so furious that he drew back his fist and punched his father in the face. His father fell to the ground.
After a minute or so, the father got up and said, “Son, you can hit me, spit on me, you can even kill me. But the only way anyone is going in there is over my dead body.”
People ask the question, “Why would a loving God send anyone to hell?” The answer is, he doesn’t. God doesn’t send anyone to hell. They choose to go there. Basically, you send yourself.
You see, at different junctions in your life, you are introduced to Jesus. You’re given the opportunity to understand that he died on a cross so that you could be saved from your sins. Jesus says, “The only way you’re going to hell is over my body.”
Jn. 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.”
You can accept his gracious gift of eternal life or you can reject it. It’s your choice.
