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Hell, or the lake of fire, was not originally made for man.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.
Hell is a place of no rest. Here, even the most weary can find some rest. If the body cannot provide it, the mind will become unconscious and rest will come. Not so in eternal hell. In hell there will never be rest from physical, mental or spiritual turmoil. Exhaustion is eternal.
Hell is a place of profanity. It will be like the condition described in Revelation 16:11,
"They blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores" (Revelation 16:11).
No song will ever be sung in hell. The music of hell will be the moaning and screaming of the lost. No kind words will ever be spoken.
Hell Is a place of ever-present evil. These terrible demons described in the New Testament and countless thousands more like them will be the neighbors of those who go to hell. Time will never remove the sinister, chilling fear of the devil’s presence.
He will be the next door neighbor of the person in hell, forever.
HELL IS A PLACE WITHOUT THE PRESENCE OF GOD
Since the earth was formed, God’s presence has been known (Genesis 1:2). It is almost inconceivable that there is a place not touched by the refreshing presence of God. Yet hell is such a place.
Because God’s presence Is absent from hell, there is no love in hell (1 John 4:8). In times of hurt, pain, or suffering, what a source of strength just to know someone loves. It will never be so in hell.
Hell Is a place of darkness, a place of weakness, a place of lies, of utter confusion. Hell Is a place of corruption, of turmoil, of eternal death, of unbridled passions. The desires and passions which literally drove and possessed men in this life will continue to do so with never any relief from their rages.
In hell the greedy will want more and more and have nothing. Jealousy and envy will drive men to madness, but it will never abate. Hatred and anger will be rampant. Fear will reign thick as darkness.
HELL IS A PLACE OF ETERNAL SEPARATION
Hell destroys all hope of togetherness. There will not be any looking forward to a friend’s visit or a child’s returning home. There will be no time for being alone with one’s companion. Neither will there be any more tears of joy, hugs and kisses, hearts leaping with excitement. Hell separates, not for a day, not for a short while, but forever. Lovers will be separated. Brothers and sisters will be parted. Dad will never again look upon his son. Friends will never again know the joy of good times.
Hell will never know the greenness of spring, the brightness of summer sun, the colors of autumn, the whiteness of newly fallen snow. Hell will never know the smile on a friendly face or the dancing eyes of hopeful expectancy.
Hell will never know joy. but residents can see the joyful reunion of the redeemed and know that one step not taken, one confession never uttered, has forever separated them from God.
The roll call of hell’s residents will be long and Infamous. Some of them are listed In Revelation 21:8. The cowardly will be there, the faithless and unbelieving, the corrupt. vile and polluted; the dredges of earth’s society; murderers; the pornographer and smut peddlers; those who traffic in sex; those who worshiped idols; all liars; gamblers; and all whose names are not found in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:15).
The church attender who never got serious with God, the church member who once was saved but turned back to the things of the world, the good moral person, the one who was a good neighbor but never accepted Christ as Lord, the one who felt that too many good times would be missed if he served God, the person who was planning to get saved next weekend, the person whose intentions were good-they will all be there. The roll call goes on.
CONCLUSION
But not for the saints, those who believed and through faith accepted Christ as Lord of their lives.
"I heard a loud voice from the throne saying. ’Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning. or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away"’ (Revelation 21:3-4, New International Version).
This sermon is not a mythical story, but factual truth based on God’s Eternal Word. All of it will soon be a reality. Every one of us will answer to a roll call.
Which one will you answer?
God does not send nor does He want anyone to go to Hell. The choice is yours.
