What about Hell?
The Scriptures confirm that there is also a place called Hell, a place that people try to ignore and really do not want to talk about, think of or comprehend. In fact, the world system has done everything possible to ignore the reality of a place called Hell. The word "Hell" itself has become so commonplace that most often when it is used, the actual terrible reality associated with that word is not even considered. I am going to express some thoughts in accordance with the way I feel the Lord has led me, in order to give you some descriptive phrases and words to help you understand just what the reality of Hell is. In choosing where you will spend eternity¾Heaven or Hell¾it is important to give strong consideration to the possibility of Hell and exactly what that really means!
In the Gospel of Matthew alone, the Lord warms six times of a place called Gehenna, the final doom of the lost. Actually, Gehenna was a deep ravine outside the wall of Jerusalem. It was a valley where the city's refuse was dumped and burned, as also were the carcasses of criminals and others. The Lord used it as a symbol of final punishment for the lost so people could clearly understand what His warnings meant.
In Hell, there will be terrible sounds of screaming, pitiful cries and groaning that will fill the air! Noxious odors abound in Hell. There will be great sorrow, pathetic sadness, and horror beyond description.
Let me warn you that there is a place called Hell, and we can be so thankful that God has provided a way so that we do not have to go to that place! It is a horrid place of torment, excruciating pain and eternal sorrow. A person's soul will always be alive in Hell. There will be no joy in Hell, no love, no compassion, no rest¾it is a place of sorrow beyond belief.
Fear permeates everything in Hell, with people screaming and trembling with fright. There, the cries of the "living dead" mix with moans and hideous screams, making it impossible for any quiet or peaceful times.
Just as it is in Heaven, in Hell we will still have all of our senses. Sadly, the conditions of Hell are far worse than anyone can contemplate or imagine. And, there is no way out of this torturous place. There is no escape; there is no hope!
It is something like a horror movie where souls are in torment, constant agony and despair. Jesus gave His life so that no one would have to go there. But Satan and all his demons want every person who has ever lived to spend their eternity in Hell. That is why they fight so hard for possession of our soul. That is why they try to deceive us concerning the reality of what the gospel represents and what the love of God has done to save mankind from this place of being lost forever in suffering and pain.
In Hell, the moans, wails, sighs and groans never cease as the souls there are in constant and great torment. The smell of death is constant. Hell is a frightening place of awful sadness and eternal cries of regret.
There will be total darkness in Hell. A tremendous fear grips the soul as it realizes it is lost without hope for eternity. There is no way out so there is a feeling of intense loneliness, utter despair and sorrow enhanced by the ever-present thought of coexistence with demons and evil spirits who torment and constantly bring pain to everyone who dwells there.
Since we are all sinners, and if we have not been saved by the grace of God, pardoned by the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the one who has saved us from Hell, then according to the Bible we are bound to go immediately to a burning Hell¾hotter than a lake of fire¾when we die. Though the flesh dies, the soul never dies.
The word "Hell" occurs fifty-four times in the Bible; thirty-one times in the Old Testament and twenty-three in the New Testament. According to Luke 16:19-31, Hell is a place of consciousness. Here the Lord tells us about the "rich man" who died and then awoke in Hell. "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...send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them'" (Luke 16:22-24, 27-29).
In these verses the Lord gives
us ten different points of evidence that,
not only does human consciousness continue in Hell, but it intensifies.
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1. "In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw..."¾so he could see. 2. "...was in torment..."¾so be could feel. 3. "...saw Abraham...with Lazarus..."¾so he could recognize. 4. "...he called to him..."¾so he could speak. 5. "...Abraham, have pity..."¾so he could plead. 6. "...I am in agony in this fire..."¾so he could suffer. 7. "Abraham replied... (to him)"¾so he could hear. 8. "Son, remember..." (verse 25)¾so he had memory. 9. "...send Lazarus to my...brothers"¾so he could reflect. 10. "...that they will not also come to this place of torment."¾so he could think ahead. |
Hell is terrible! In the New Testament, Jesus gives us grave warnings about this awful place so that we may be stirred to investigate and learn how we may escape the damnation of an existence where "the flame is never quenched."
In Scripture, Jesus comments that there will be gnashing of teeth for those who choose to go to Hell. His life was a message to a lost world that says this: "I do not desire that you go to Hell." God made us for His own joy and for everlasting fellowship. We are His creation and He loves us. We can either choose to call upon Jesus and accept Him as our Savior, whereupon He will forgive us and bless us with eternity in Heaven, or we can deny Him.