“HALLELUJAH” OR “HELL-A-LUJAH”?
Revelation 20:11 – 21:8
Big Idea: When we think about hell we think about Retribution; when God thinks about hell God thinks about Redemption.
REV. 20:11-21:8 (ESV)
11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
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1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."
5And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6And 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 from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."
INTRO:
In 2009 the Pew foundation did a survey on America’s sentiments regarding hell. There were 35,000 people surveyed. Pew discovered that over half (59%) of us believe that hell is a real place. Gallup, Barna, and Baylor University have as also done similar polls in recent years with similar findings. Other interesting findings include:
• About 74% Americans believe in heaven
• Of those 74%, 77% believe they are going to heaven while, at the same time, the overwhelming majority do not think their neighbor is going to heaven.
• In 1993 the Southern Baptist Home Mission Board conducted a study and estimated that 70% of all Americans are going to hell.
In a survey conducted in the 1990’s Americans were asked what chance a variety of public figures had of going to heaven. The winner in this “heavenly survey” was Mother Teresa. Of those surveyed, 79% said she was very likely or somewhat likely to go to heaven. Of those surveyed, 87% believed themselves likely to go to heaven. Those polled gave themselves better chances than Mother Teresa. According to the results of this survey, here are the chances that other famous persons will go to heaven.
• Oprah Winfrey - 66%
• Michael Jordan - 65%
• Hillary Rodham Clinton - 55%
• Bill Clinton - 52%
• Newt Gingrich - 40%
I guess my point in all of this is that our understanding and opinions of hell are all over the charts. Even recent surveys conducted by Baylor University and Barna Research group show a wide variance among conservative evangelicals about hell, heaven, and how to get there.
I am not surprised. Let’s face it; most of us hear very few sermons on hell. I assure you it is not a topic I relish speaking about today. I’ll be honest. I don’t like hell and I don’t like talking about hell. However, Hell is a topic in the Scriptures. Jesus, for example, spoke more about Hell than he did about Heaven. Other authors spoke of God’s judgment against sin as well.
In my humble opinion, people who do like (or feel qualified to) talking about hell have a very very shallow understanding of the gravity of the subject.
TRUTHFULLY, I DO NOT WISH HELL ON “MY WORST ENEMY.”
I am also troubled that many Christians have a view of hell that is closer to “Dante’s Inferno” than it is the Bible.
In Dante’s poem he was given a guided tour of hell by the poet Virgil where he discovers that there are 9 spiraling circles of hell that fall into 3 big classes or categories. This hell is characterized by:
• Being “graded” and tailored to fit man’s sin
• It is “hotter” for some than others
• The damned are afflicted for eternity by their chief sinful temptation (i.e. greed, lust, anger, etc.)
Seriously folks, find any of that in Scripture. But, I assure you that even many here today believe some of it similar “pop-culture” concepts of Hell. In case you are curious, there is a test online to see which circle of Dante’s Hell you and your friends will be assigned to. What a chilling and warped exercise to engage in.
It’s also disturbing when believers speak glibly about hell or seem confident that “so and so” is going there. Feeling qualified / justified to assign others a place among the damned is a very serious accusation! The scenes of Revelation (and the words of Jesus) paint a horrific account of hell and I cannot / must not be the ones to surmise who will and will not reside there.
AGAIN, I DO NOT WISH HELL ON “MY WORST ENEMY.”
When the rebellious are cast into the lake of fire God will have to wipe tears from my eyes (Rev. 21:4). There will be no celebration.
What I’d like to do this morning is simply ask you some questions. I hope they are more than thought provoking – I hope they challenge you and even change you. I am speaking to those of you who follow Christ. You see, it is our demeanor towards hell that most disturbs me. It is the “tone” with which we often talk of hell that, I think, offends God too.
I want you to see my heart as it relates to this sobering subject.
I want you to see God’s heart too.
Without further ado …
SERMON
Question #1: Do you think God is happy when the damned go to hell?
I see nothing in Scripture that suggests He is. The only place in Scripture that I find rejoicing close to judgment is in passages like Rev. 14 and 19. If you look closely, no one is praising God for casting people into hell. God is being praised because evil has been addressed, judged, and separated from God and His people.
The judgment of evil’s tyranny is a good thing. But casting those who oppose God into the lake of fire is another story altogether. That is not a party atmosphere.
Sadly, however, some seem glad that others may be in hell or may end up there. BUT I DO NOT WISH HELL ON “MY WORST ENEMY.”
Some rejoice and celebrate saying things like, “Yea!!!! Osama Bin Laden is now in hell!!!!” or “Finally – Christopher Hitchens got his! He knows there a God now! He will have all eternity in hell to ponder that!!!!”
There is nothing good about such a reality. Nothing.
It seems to me that too many Christians turn the “hallelujahs” of Rev. 19 (the only place in the New Testament that the word is used) into “HELL-a-lujahs!” in chapter 20. They find glee in the death of the wicked.
God does not.
• Ezekiel 33:11 says, “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways!”
• 1 Timothy 2:3-4 says, “…God our Savior … wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
• 2 Peter 3:9 says, “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.”
Question #2: Is Jesus’ tone regarding hell your tone?
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HELL WE THINK ABOUT RETRIBUTION; WHEN GOD THINKS ABOUT HELL GOD THINKS ABOUT REDEMPTION.
Sometimes we forget what saving people from their sin cost the Savior. IT COST HIM HIS LIFE! He was not here to make sure that everyone got what they deserved. Jesus came so we could escape the wrath to come. All of us … ALL OF US. Not just a select few or “the best of the worst” of humanity … ALL OF US!
Jesus spoke of hell and spent his whole life pleading with people to repent and follow Him so they could escape damnation. Jesus is not looking forward to the time when he divides the sheep and the goats. Jesus isn’t longing to “tread the winepress of God’s wrath” (Rev. 19:15). If you read chapter 19 (and other places in the book) you will see that Jesus’ robe was dipped in blood; this is, consistently in Revelation, an image of the “slaughtered Lamb” who was our sacrifice on the cross.
Jesus has done all he can to spare humankind a dreadful end.
Not only did Jesus come to “seek and to save the lost;” to save mankind from judgment, that was His apostles’ mission too. Paul says, “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 9:3)
Question #3: Does Jesus’ eagerness to help “whosoever will” escape damnation reflect your eagerness?
Jesus didn’t begrudge the thief on the cross. Jesus eagerly granted him pardon and paradise. Sometimes we, on the other hand, live as if humanity ought to have to “earn their escape.” We see deathbed conversions as a way to “cheat the system.”
God does not.
In Max Lucado’s book, “In the Grip of Grace” he gives this confession and insight:
You know what disturbs me most about Jeffrey Dahmer? What disturbs me most are not his acts, though they are disgusting. Dahmer was convicted of seventeen murders. Eleven corpses were found in his apartment. He cut off arms. He ate body parts. My thesaurus has 204 synonyms for vile, but each falls short of describing a man who kept skulls in his refrigerator and hoarded a human heart. He redefined the boundary for brutality. The Milwaukee monster dangled from the lowest rung of human conduct and then dropped. But that’s not what troubles me most.
Can I tell you what troubles me most about Jeffrey Dahmer? Not his trial, as disturbing as it was, with all those pictures of him sitting serenely in court, face frozen, motionless. No sign of remorse, no hint of regret. Remember his steely eyes and impassive face? But I don’t speak of him because of his trial. There is another reason.
Can I tell you what really troubles me about Jeffrey Dahmer? Not his punishment, though life without parole is hardly an exchange for his actions. How many years would satisfy justice? A lifetime in jail for every life he took? But that’s another matter, and that’s not what troubles me most about Jeffrey Dahmer. May I tell you what does?
His conversion.
Months before an inmate murdered him, Jeffrey Dahmer became a Christian. Said he repented. Was sorry for what he did. Profoundly sorry. Said he put his faith in Christ. Was baptized. Started life over. Began reading Christian books and attending chapel. Sins washed. Soul cleansed. Past forgiven.
That troubles me. It shouldn’t, but it does.
Grace for a cannibal?
Ever wrestled with the deathbed conversion of a rapist or the eleventh-hour conversion of a child molester? We’ve sentenced them, maybe not in court, but in our hearts. We’ve put them behind bars and locked the door. They are forever imprisoned by our disgust. And then, the impossible happens. They repent.
Our response? We cross our arms and furrow our brows and say, "God won't let you off that easy". Not after what you did. God is kind but he is no wimp. Grace is for average sinners like me, not deviants like you."
And for proof we might turn to Romans 1. "God's anger is being shown against..." And then Paul lists it all...sexual sin, evil, selfishness, hatred, jealousy, murder. We want to shout go get 'em, Paul. It is about time someone spoke out against sin. We'll stand by you Paul! We decent, law abiding folk are with you.
Paul's response? “If you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point fingers at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one.” Romans 2:1
We aren't good enough to judge. Can the hungry accuse the beggar? Can the sick mock the ill? Can the blind judge the deaf? Can the sinner condemn the sinner? No. Only One can judge and that One is neither writing nor reading this book.
My prayer is that we understand that only by His Grace we are saved...not by our works but by His amazing Grace and Love. For we all fall short. We all need a Savior!
(Max Lucado, In the Grip of Grace (Dallas, Tex.: Word Pub., 1996, 34.)
Let me ask you, can you … with a heart of joy … say “brother Dahmer”? There’s rejoicing in heaven. Another life was redeemed. We should be shouting for joy too!
SOME WILL SAY, “I CANNOT IN MY FLESH IMAGINE SUCH PEOPLE GOING TO HEAVEN.” BUT GOD’S FLESH (THE INCARNATION) COULD IMAGINE IT. GOD’S FLESH MADE IT POSSIBLE AND UNTIL WE COME AROUND TO GOD’S WAY OF THINKING WE WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO FULLY PROVIDE THE LOVE AND GRACE TO HUMANKIND THAT GOD WANTS OFFERED.
Is someone else more sinful than you? Yes, maybe. But you are still sinful … condemned. As Pastor Joe said last week, “Some may be thirstier than others but we are all dying of thirst.”
God’s flesh says, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment."
Do you remember Jesus’ sermon on “The Prodigal son”? It was not only the prodigal who needed grace. THE OLDER BROTHER NEEDED GRACE TOO.
May I suggest to you that Rev. 21 is a warning for the “older brother?” Listen closely to verses 6 – 8.
To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."
The “vice list” of hell’s residents that makes its way into this description about heaven is VERY interesting. You can draw a straight line from almost all (maybe all) of those vices and the warnings that John gives the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3.
John is not talking to the unrepentant and the rebellious. John is not talking to thoe who openly align themselves with the beast – he is talking to those who claim to follow the lamb. He is talking to Christ’s church. This is a warning to us!
Another writer, a contemporary of John, wrote to another church in Rome (that was about to see persecution break loose against it too) and in that letter he says, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12, ESV) and “Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.” (Hebrews 4:1, ESV).
Question #1: Do you think God is happy when the damned go to hell?
Question #2: Is Jesus’ tone regarding hell your tone?
Question #3: Does Jesus’ eagerness to help “whosoever will” escape damnation reflect your eagerness?
WRAP-UP
A few years back there was a very well known Bible college that had a tee-shirt in their bookstore that showed humans on a BBQ grill and God with a skewer giving them what they deserved. I assure you God is not pleased with such glib vile rejoicing over even one sinner who receives judgment. God is doing everything in His divine power to spare man from wrath!
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HELL WE THINK ABOUT RETRIBUTION; WHEN GOD THINKS ABOUT HELL GOD THINKS ABOUT REDEMPTION.
God has no joy in judgment. There are no “HELL-a-lujahs” in heaven; only hallelujahs that His reign has come and He now dwells among men (see Rev. 21:3-4).
At the risk of being too controversial (that’s not my objective this morning) let me just say:
1. I know some who believe in universalism (referred to as “ultimate reconciliation”). Universalism believes that eventually everyone will go to Heaven – no human will experience the lake of fire. This is not always a “liberal” view like it is sometimes caricatured. For some it is a high view of the atonement. They would declare that the work of Jesus is so all-encompassing that all will be saved. I’d probably say “The work of Jesus is so encompassing that all can be saved.” I must confess, without apology, that I really really really hope my understanding of atonement is too limited and that the universalist’s understanding is correct.
2. I know some who believed in annhiliation; the belief that all who reject Christ will cease to exist after judgment. This, also, is not always a “liberal” view like is sometimes caricatured. In fact, there are some “big name conservatives” that have given a nod in this direction including men like John R.W. Stott and Clark Pinnock. Sometimes this is a high view of mercy and a more literal understanding of “the second death” in Rev. 20. I will confess, without apology, that I really really really hope my understanding is too limited and that the eternal judgment via annhiliation understanding is correct.
3. I know some who believe that un-evangelized humanity will receive a chance to repent after death. Some see no conflict with this and Hebrews 9:27 (“it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”, KJV). This, too, is not always a “liberal” view like it is sometimes caricatured. It is sometimes a high view of God’s mercy and grace. I will confess, without apology, that I really really really hope my understanding is too limited and that this understanding of repentance is correct.
I DO NOT WISH HELL ON “MY WORST ENEMY.”
I do believe the Scriptures teach eternal judgment.
I do believe it is essential to repent and turn to Christ to escape the wrath to come.
BUT I DO NOT WISH HELL ON “MY WORST ENEMY.”
I also agree with the apostle Paul: “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Cor. 5:11, KJV).
I SAID I WANT YOU TO HEAR MY HEART TODAY. BOTTOM LINE: THIS SERMON IS NOT ABOUT HELL IT’S ABOUT US. HELL IS WHAT HELL IS. THAT IS A SETTLED QUESTION WITH GOD BUT UNTIL I START THINKING ABOUT HELL NOT AS A PLACE OF PUNISHMENT BUT AS A REASON TO REDEEM I WILL NOT HAVE THE HEART FILLED WITH LOVE THAT GOD WISHES TO GIVE ME.
I have mentioned to you before that, in my assessment, the key verses of the whole book of Revelation are 21:3-4. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."
We must never forget this book’s emphasis is that God has conquered evil. Sin has been judged, defeated, and put down in Jesus Christ.
When we live and preach this we lift Jesus up and “all men” will be drawn to Him. The Gospel is, after all, “GOOD NEWS.”
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT HELL WE THINK ABOUT RETRIBUTION; WHEN GOD THINKS ABOUT HELL GOD THINKS ABOUT REDEMPTION.
And the more like Jesus we become the more we will see all humankind’s redemption too.
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This sermon is provided by Dr. Kenneth Pell
Potsdam Church of the Nazarene, Potsdam, New York
www.potsdam-naz.org
THE VICTORY OF GOD
Romans 8 (portions)
Leader: What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
People: He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Leader: Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?
People: It is God who justifies.
Leader: Who is he that condemns?
People: Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
Leader: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
People: No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Leader: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
People: Nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Collective Reading
THE VICTORY OF GOD
Rev. 21:3-5
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."
