If There Were No Fire In Hell

IF THERE WERE NO FIRE IN HELL

SCRIPTURE: Revelation 20:15

INTRODUCTION

Four Bible words are translated hell: the Old Testament Hebrew word sheol, also meaning "grave" and three New Testament Greek words-hades, meaning "grave" (Revelation 1:18); tartarus, meaning "place of punishment" (2 Peter 2:4); and gehenna, also meaning "place of punishment" (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14,15; and 21:8).

In the Book of Revelation, hell Is called the lake of fire.

Gehenna comes from a term meaning "Valley of Hinnom," which lies just outside the City of Jerusalem. During the time of Christ, Gehenna was used as a trash dump and It was here that the bodies of criminals were thrown and burned. It was a place of terrible odor, continually smoldering and burning. When Christ described the place of punishment, chosen by those who refuse to accept Him as Lord, He likened It unto the fiery Valley of Hinnom.

The word hell has become an overused byword by many people of our world. Its frequent use may cause one to lose sight of the terrible place Implicated by the Word.

Jesus said hell was a place so terrible it would be better to be deformed and blind than to go there (Matthew 18:8-9).

Hell, or the lake of fire, was not originally made for man. It was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Some have said, "How can a just, loving God send anyone to hell?" The answer is simple. God gave man a choice to do right or wrong, live good or bad, go to heaven or hell. The choice and decision is man’s. God gets no pleasure from people being lost eternally and He sends no one to hell.

In fact, people who go to hell must make a desperate effort to get there. They must walk over the caring death of the Lord Jesus Christ, push aside the love of Almighty God, and be insensitive to the constant call of the Holy Spirit. They must push past the prayers of the righteous, count as nothing the preaching of God’s ministers, and shut their eyes to the open doors of churches everywhere. All good must be bypassed, and all creation which loudly shouts of a great, loving God must be ignored.

No, God does not want any person to go to hell.

The Bible is plain in its declaration that hell is eternal and a place of punishment by fire (Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:43-44). Yet, there are some who declare there is no hell. For these there remains a rude awakening at death or the day of judgment.

Still others declare that, even though there is a hell, it is not a place of fire. This is contrary to the Scriptures. I want it perfectly understood that I personally believe in a literal, everlasting, burning hell; but it is not the fire alone which makes hell a reality of judgment.

HELL IS A PLACE BEYOND DESCRIPTION

If there were no fire in hell, it would still be beyond description. Hell is a place of putrefying flesh. Sin In the beginning brought about disease. Nowhere In the Bible does it say that disease will be done away with In hell. Those who choose hell will live with the diseases of this life. There will be the terrible stench of the decaying flesh of the lepers, the open running cancerous sores, and the bloody spittle of those with diseased lungs. Every disease with which sin has plagued men will be present there. All fever, pain, torture, and suffering will be present forever-no death to eliminate, no hospitals for treatment, no doctors to cure. Screams of the anguished will be a permanent part of hell’s society.

Hell is a place of weeping. How sad to see someone cry! Here we are able to get away from the sorrowful and see bright faces, but not in hell. Everyone there will be weeping. night and day. Sorrow will prevail. There will be no one to comfort or give a kind word or brush away the tears.

When you remember the greatest time of sorrow in your life-the death of a loved one, news of global disaster, sickness of one dear to you, the mistreatment of an innocent child, the dissolvement of a marriage-you have not yet experienced. even in the smallest degree. the sorrow of hell.

Hell is a place of memories. The mind of man will still function in hell (Luke 16). The people in hell will forever remember. They will hear the prayers of the saintly mother, the counsel of a caring father. They will hear the pleas of a Christian husband or wife. They will remember times of conviction when the Holy Spirit dealt with their heart, times when they almost decided to accept Christ. Forever and forever, they will remember.