Roll Video “Hell” Immediately following announcements. No introduction.
ROTTEN EGGS
Serving Up Omelets—Part 3
If there is one idea or doctrine in the bible that I would like to erase, it would be the subject of my message today. When I get to heaven, if I find out that there is this loophole around this doctrine and it really doesn’t mean what I believe it means, I’ll be one happy man. I want to talk to you today about Hell.
Contemplating the horrible consequences for His unrepentant people, Jesus wept: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing" Matthew 23:37 (NIV). Likewise, the Apostle Paul solemnly cried out, "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race" Romans 9:2-3
Hell is one of the most talked about subjects in the Bible. While it is only mentioned a few times in the Old Testament, it is a major topic of conversation in the New Testament. All four Gospels, the letters of Paul, Peter, James, and John, and the Book of Revelation all talk about eternal judgment. Do you know who talks about hell more than anyone? Jesus. So while we might be tempted to abandon the idea of hell, or to dissociate it from the person and message of Jesus, we simply cannot.
JESUS TAUGHT THE EXISTENCE OF HELL.
Jesus warned, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Mt. 10:28). Later, He declared, "Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels’" (Mt. 25:41). Elsewhere He affirmed: "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" (Mk. 9:43-44). In the very vivid story in Luke 16, which, unlike parables, uses an actual name of a person (Lazarus), Jesus tells in graphic detail about a rich man in hell.
THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT THERE IS A HELL.
In addition to our Lord’s words, the other inspired writings of the New Testament affirm the existence of hell. Perhaps the most vivid of all is found in Revelation. John declared: Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
—Rev. 20:13-15
The Apostle Paul spoke of everlasting separation from God, saying that those "who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus... will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power" (2 Thess. 1:7-9). The writer of Hebrews added a note of finality when he wrote, "Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Heb. 9:27).
Contemplating eternal separation from God——namely, "hell"——is a horrible reality. No wonder many unbelievers deny its existence and even some believers at times doubt it.
Fire is the dominant image used to describe hell in the Bible, and the image most commonly associated with hell: roaring flames, smoldering caves, and inescapable heat. Dante described hell as an eternal Inferno that was nine layers deep.
We have to remember that Jesus and the writers of Scripture are trying to help us understand something beyond our knowledge and experience. Hell belongs to another realm, another reality. Because there are no earthly words or concepts with which to describe it, the writers of Scripture turn to something familiar.
Contemplating the nature of hell has become fascinating for philosophers and pop culture.
Scene Setup: Pintel and Ragetti -- two reanimated pirates from the first film -- sit on the deck of the ship sailing to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones’ Locker.
Pirates of the Caribbean 3 (DVD Chapter: 4 Start Time: 0:23:02 End Time: 0:24:08)
You can call it Davy Jones’ Locker, the Nether Regions, the Pit, but the best description for where Jack Sparrow is located is hell. And despite the plot devices you can see in fantasy films like Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, once you go to hell, there is no coming back. No one can ride, or sail, to the rescue. But the film’s description does get three things right: hell is a place of punishment, it goes on forever, and "it is the worst fate a person can bring upon himself."
Hell, simply put, is the absence of God. Since God is the source of all good things, there will be no good things if God is not there. Whichever of his gifts we have enjoyed in this life—whether a beautiful sunset, the companionship of a friend or lover, satisfying work, intellectual challenge, or laughing out loud at a good story—will no longer be available to us.
WHY WOULD GOD CREATE SUCH A PLACE?
GOD’S LOVE REQUIRES A HELL.
An all-loving God could not possibly send anyone to hell. To be sure, the Bible asserts that "God is love" (1 Jn. 4:16). But love cannot act coercively, only persuasively. A God of love cannot force people to love Him. Paul spoke of things being done freely and not of compulsion (2 Cor. 9:7). A loving being always gives "space" to others. He does not force himself upon them against their will. Therefore, those who do not wish to love God must be allowed not to love Him. Those who do not wish to be with Him must be allowed to be separated from Him. Hell is this eternal separation from God.
God loves us so much and is so eager for us to love him, that he allows us the freedom not to love him back. Every guy who’s ever chased a girl knows that you can’t force someone to love you. You can desire them; you can pursue them; you can do everything in your power to win their heart; but the one thing you cannot do is force them to love you, for to do so would not only be futile, it would no longer be love.
Peter Kreeft puts it this way: "Those who do not wish to love God must be allowed not to love him. Those who do not want to be with God must be allowed to be separated from him." The answer, then, to the question, "Why would a good God send people to hell?" is that he doesn’t; but he will let people go there if they so choose. Hell is not some eternal torture chamber God has constructed to inflict pain on people he doesn’t like. Hell is simply a place where God is not, so that people who don’t want to spend eternity with him don’t have to. Hell is an alternate destination for people who don’t want to go to heaven.
But who in their right mind would choose hell over heaven, you ask? People do it all the time. People choose every day to live their lives apart from God—to ignore him, deny him, or even rebel against him. Every day people choose to live their lives apart from God, and God allows them to do so. If they want to live apart from him for all eternity, he will allow them to do that, as well.
HUMAN DIGNITY REQUIRES A HELL.
Since God cannot force people into heaven against their free choice, human free choice demands a hell. As C. S. Lewis said, "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’" Matthew 23:37 indicates that God wants to gather everyone, but they were not willing. Forcing people to do something against their will is an affront to their dignity.
GOD’S JUSTICE DEMANDS A HELL.
Justice demands the existence of hell and God is just (Romans 2). But not all evil is punished in this life. Many observers have noted that the wicked sometimes prosper (Ps. 73:3). Thus, the existence of a place of punishment for the wicked after this life is necessary to maintain the justice of God. Surely, there would be no real justice in the universe unless there were a place of punishment for a demented soul like Hitler, who initiated the merciless slaughter of some six million Jews and others. God’s justice demands that there is a hell.
Interestingly, surveys revealed that after 9/11, the percentage of people who believe in hell jumped significantly, from about 64 percent to 71 percent. The reason for this, according to one survey, was because our moral outrage demanded such wickedness be punished.
The objection, of course, is that most of us are not terrorists. While most people believe there should be a hell, they also believe it should be for other people—bad people. The Bible tells us that we’re all bad people. We’re not bad all the time, and we’re not as bad as we could be, but we consistently sin against God and other people. We fall short of being the people God created us to be. We may not think we deserve eternal separation from God, but if heaven is a perfect place, with no greed or lust or envy or pride or prejudice, then people like you and me would wreck it within 24 hours of our arrival. People don’t go to hell for believing the wrong thing; they go to hell because they have violated God’s good and perfect will for human beings, revealed in the Bible and written on the human heart. Hell is necessary because justice demands it.
GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY DEMANDS A HELL.
Unless there is a hell there is no final victory over evil. For what frustrates good is evil. The wheat and tares cannot grow together forever. There must be an ultimate separation or else good will not triumph over evil. In society, punishment for evil is necessary that good might prevail. Likewise, in eternity good must triumph over evil. If it does not, then God is not in ultimate control. In brief, God’s sovereignty demands a hell, otherwise He would not be the ultimate victor over evil which the Bible declares that He is.
THE CROSS OF CHRIST IMPLIES HELL.
At the center of Christianity is the Cross. Without it there is no salvation. It is the very purpose for which Christ came into the world. Without the Cross there is no salvation. Only through the Cross can we be delivered from our sins. Jesus suffered great agony and even separation from God on the Cross. But why the Cross unless there is a hell? If there is no hell to shun, then the Cross is a sham. Christ’s death is robbed of its eternal significance unless there is an eternal separation from God from which people need to be delivered.
A RESPONSE TO OBJECTIONS ABOUT HELL
Unbelievers have offered many objections to the doctrine of hell. Given its reality, misery, and finality, it is not difficult to understand why unbelievers would wish there is no hell. But, as the brilliant mathematician Pascal argued in his famous "Wager," unbelievers have "everything to lose and nothing to gain" by not believing in hell. Nonetheless, their objections must be addressed.
Why Punish People? Why Not Reform Them? The answer is simple from both a biblical and rational point of view. First, God does try to reform people; the time of reformation is called life. Peter declared that "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). However, after the time of reformation comes the time of reckoning. Hebrews tells us that "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Heb. 9:27).
In addition, God cannot force free creatures to be reformed. Forced reformation is worse than punishment; it is cruel and inhumane. At least punishment respects the freedom and dignity of the person. C. S. Lewis insightfully notes, "To be ‘cured’ against one’s will... is to be put on a level with those who have not yet reached the age of reason or those who never will; to be classed with infants, imbeciles, and domestic animals."
Isn’t Infinite Damnation For Finite Sins Overkill? To punish a person eternally for what he did for a short time on earth seems at first to be extreme. However, on closer examination it turns out to be not only just but necessary. For one thing, only eternal punishment will suffice for sins again the eternal God. The sins may have been committed in time, but they were against the Eternal One. Furthermore, no sin can be tolerated as long as God exists, and He is eternal. Hence, punishment for sin must also be eternal.
What is more, the only alternative to eternal punishment is worse, namely to rob man of his freedom and dignity. This could be done by either forced compliance or total annihilation. Forcing someone into heaven against his free choice would be "hell" for him since he doesn’t fit in a place where everyone is loving and praising the Person he wants most to avoid.
Finally, without an eternal separation, there could be no heaven. Evil is contagious (1 Cor. 5:6) and must be quarantined. Like a deadly plague, if it is not contained it will continue to contaminate and corrupt. If God did not eventually separate the tares from the wheat, the tares would choke out the wheat. The only way to preserve an eternal place of good is for God to eternally separate all evil from it. The only way to have an eternal heaven is to have an eternal hell.
How Can We Be Happy In Heaven Knowing A Loved One Is In Hell? No concerned believer has not struggled with this problem. However, once the emotional fog lifts, the mind can see that the very presupposition of this question is seriously flawed. It supposes that we are more merciful than God! God is perfectly happy in heaven, and He knows that not everyone will be there. Yet He is infinitely more merciful than we are. We can be happy in heaven the same way we can still enjoy eating knowing others are starving. And remember, just as bad memories can be healed here on earth, God will "wipe away all tears" in heaven (Rev. 21:4).
Why Did God Create People He Knew Would Go To Hell? Some critics of hell argue that if God knew that His creatures would reject Him and end up in such a horrible place as hell, then why did He create them in the first place. Wouldn’t it have been better never to have existed than to exist and go to hell?
True, Jesus said of Judas that it would have been better if he had never been born (Mk. 14:21). But this is simply a strong expression indicating the severity of his sin, not a statement about the superiority of non-being over being. Nothing cannot be better than something, since the two have nothing in common to compare them.
Life is like a game—a very serious one. As in every game, there are rules and there are results. Lewis put it, "If a game is played, it must be possible to lose it." And simply because some will lose in the game of life does not mean it should not be played. Before we take to the road each day we know that many people will be killed in traffic accidents. Yet we continue to drive. When we have children, we know great tragedy could befall our offspring or ourselves. Yet in all these cases our foreknowledge of evil does not negate our will to permit the possibility of good. Why? Because when the game of life is played, some must win and some must lose.
But we deem it worthwhile because it is better to have played with the opportunity to win than not to have played at all. From God’s standpoint, it is better to have loved the whole world (Jn. 3:16) and lost some than not to have loved them at all. Life is a serious moral game, and morality is not possible without free choice. It was good for God to create free creatures, and it is good to be free. But there are consequences to free choice—sometimes final and irrevocable consequences. Jesus passionately desired all His people to be in the fold, but mournfully added of some, "but you were not willing" (Mt. 23:37).
Is It Just To Send People To Hell When They Can’t Help Being Sinners? The Bible says we are born sinners (Ps. 51:5) and are "by nature the children of wrath" (Eph. 2:3, NKJV). But if sinners cannot avoid sinning, is it fair to send them to hell for what they could not stop doing?
First of all, according to the Bible, people go to hell for two reasons: (1) They are born with a bent to sin, and (2) they chose to sin. They are born on a road that leads to hell, but they also fail to heed the warning signs along the way to turn from destruction. Furthermore, while human beings sin because they are sinners (by nature), nonetheless, their sin nature does not force them to sin; they choose to sin. As St. Augustine correctly said, "We are born with the propensity to sin and the necessity to die." Notice, he did not say we are born with the necessity to sin. While sin is inevitable since we are born with a bent in that direction, nonetheless, sin is not unavoidable. Likewise, the ultimate place to which sinners are destined is also avoidable. All one needs to do is to repent. All men are held responsible for their decision to accept or reject God’s offer of salvation. And responsibility always implies the ability to respond.
HOW CAN I BE SURE I’M NOT GOING TO HELL? If you want to be sure you’re going to heaven, all you need to do is turn to God in repentance and faith. Turning to God means telling God that you want a relationship with him. Repentance means admitting to God that you’re a sinner who needs to be forgiven and changed. Faith means believing that Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and rose again, is the only one who can forgive you and make you God’s child forever. That’s it. God has made it as easy as possible. You don’t have to do any good deeds, you don’t have to join anything; there’s no ceremony you need to go through, no secret knowledge you have to obtain. You simply turn to God in repentance and faith.
What about people who haven’t heard of Jesus? Is there some other way they can be saved? That’s another question for another day, but the simple answer is this: it’s the only way we know of—the only way God has revealed in the Bible. Is it possible that if a person somewhere is sincerely seeking God, that God will reveal himself to them and give them enough light that they can be saved? Is it possible that someone who has never heard of Jesus could turn to God in genuine repentance and faith and be saved? These kinds of things may be possible, but God hasn’t told us so specifically. What he has told is this: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).
Think of it this way. If you were working in a hospital and a fire broke out, and you knew a safe and secure fire exit, what would you do? You could say to yourself, "There must be another way out of this hospital. I can’t believe the architect wouldn’t have provided a back stairwell somewhere that no one has told us about." You could even go looking for that other way out as the smoke thickened and the flames grew. But to do so would be putting yourself and all the patients at great risk. The only sensible thing to do would be to head toward the exit you know about as quickly as possible and urge everybody around you to head for it as well. If there are other ways to get to heaven aside from turning to Christ in repentance and faith, we haven’t been told about them. The only sensible thing for each of us to do in the face of eternity is to call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and urge others to do the same. Ultimately, only God knows who will go to heaven and why, and we can trust his love, mercy, and justice to do what’s right.
