Hell, or Hades?

There will be a day when heaven will be real to a few and hell will be real to many more. Then, we will all be judged and know the glory of heaven or the agony of hell.

Source: What Christians Want To Know

Hell - Who wants to think about that?  Hell can be ignored as though it does not exist, but it does.  It is absolute and eternal, but why is it so important to be aware of and know about hell?  Well, Jesus thought it was so important that He referred to the topic of hell, or the subject of hell, more than any other subject or topic after ‘salvation’. Jesus referred to saving lost souls more than anything else and second to that, was the consequences of sin and separation in hell.  Hell is a real, physical place. It is not a state of mind, as some would say.  I have heard some say they do not believe in hell however the fact is, it does not matter if they believe it or not, hell is real – opinions do not matter!

My first introduction to the subject of hell happened in college.  As a reading requirement for ‘World literature’, I read Dante’s Inferno, in which Dante believed that he walked through the nine levels of hell with Satan. As he walked through hell, he kept hearing loud screaming of agony and torture and in one of the levels of Hell, he stood with Satan, looking down on people running in an eternal circle, screaming with unbelievable pain. It was so hot and the people were being stung by bees and hornets.  As they pulled off the bees and hornets from their bodies, there were other bees and hornets to take their place.  They threw the bees and hornets to the floor and they were eaten up by the maggots on the floor. I read this to my room-mate and I remember saying to him; ‘What if hell really is that bad?’, and he said something that I have never forgotten – ‘What if it is worse?’

Source:  SlideShare

So, what is hell?  One reference defines it as ‘the eternal hell-fire and damnation promised to the unrighteous sinner’.  That seems to be a good definition as hell-fire and eternal damnation provide us with a number of Bible references for consideration:

Isaiah 47:14 – ‘Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. These are not coals for warmth; this is not a fire to sit by’.

Revelation 21:6-8 – ‘He said to me, ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all of this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.  But, the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death’.

Matthew 13:40-42 – ‘As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’.
         
Luke 16:22-24 – ‘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 Hades, 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’.

Matthew 5:29-30 – ‘If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell’.

Luke 12:4-5 – ‘I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.  But I will show you whom you should fear. Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him’.

The Problem:  The subject of hell is almost a taboo subject that is not to be thought about or discussed. For the most part, it is not talked about or preached about by preachers on the pulpit.  Why not?  Jesus talked about it.  Most Sunday school teachers never broach the subject of hell.  Why not? Jesus talked about it. However, it hasn’t always been that way. The old-time preachers preached about hell and the consequences of unrighteousness, and it had a positive effect. People had a healthy fear of hell, so they tried to avoid sin. These days, most people do what they want, and when they want to do it, with no fear of the consequences of sin/hell. The heathen, and even most ‘Christians’ are consumed with self and pursue the world fearlessly without a sense of the consequences of sin/hell. There will be a day when heaven will be real to a few and hell will be real to many more. Then, we will all be judged and know the glory of heaven or the agony of hell.

If it were possible to get a five-second peek of the reality of hell, a person would undoubtedly do anything to avoid an eternity of hell-fire and damnation. The good news is that it isn’t too late.  God is always calling you to be with Him. Hell is not what God called you to, He called you to be with Him. You need to be 100% sure of your salvation. Remember, God loves you even though you are a sinner. Come to him; just as you are.

Author: David Leatherman

May God bless and enrich your life

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