The Reality Of Hell

For the last couple of weeks you may have noticed that we have talked about Jesus being the only way to heaven and we considered the question “won't all people ultimately go to heaven?” People often question what it takes to get to heaven. People question and wonder what heaven is really like. But you never really hear anyone ask about what hell is like. It makes me wonder if people even realize how real hell is.

If you have ever watched a magic show, you have probably seen some things that you were not really sure were real. Some of the illusions are on a grand scale. And then you have the simpler tricks which deal with slight of hand. It's easy to figure out if something is real if we can see it.

But we have to realize that there are also things that we know are real, even though we can't see them - the wind, radio waves, emotions, and so on. I think many people don't believe that hell is real. After all, we can't see it. But hell is a real place of eternal separation from God. Although it's not a popular topic, the Bible does talk about hell in detail.

So, since we have spent the last two Sundays talking about heaven and how to get there, today we're going to see what the Bible says about the reality of hell and how to stay away from it. I will be using the book of 2 Thessalonians 1 as our passage today. Prayer

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So, is hell real? That's a question a lot of people have a difficult time answering. Maybe it's because people don't want to believe that such a place exists. Or maybe it's the sense that hell is such a bad place that good people certainly won't be sent there. But the Bible is quite clear that hell does exist, and God has provided specific guidance about how to avoid spending eternity there.

2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 – “We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, since your faith is flourishing and the love each one of you has for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore, we ourselves boast about you among God’s churches—about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and afflictions that you are enduring.”

The church at Thessalonica was full of new believers. They were experiencing a lot of persecution and were concerned that they were suffering because their faith wasn't strong enough. So, Paul writes this encouraging letter. Since he was on the outside and looking in, Paul was able to see things that they couldn't see.

Paul lets them know that he could see their faith was growing. They may not have even noticed that fact because they were new believers. They may not have been aware that their faith would be tested. But their faith was growing even in the midst of the suffering that they were experiencing.

That's because of faith that can't be tested is a faith that can't be trusted. God uses trials and times of persecution to strengthen our faith. It's a lot like our physical muscles need to be stretched and exercised to grow stronger. So does our faith. Paul had prayed earlier that the faith of these new believers would grow stronger, and his prayer had been answered.

But Paul lets these new believers in Thessalonica know that their faith wasn't the only thing growing. Their love was also showing. Their love for one another was growing. The testimony of these Christians in Thessalonica was encouraging others because of their endurance and perseverance through times of persecution.

Much like the Thessalonians, when we're in stressful situations or under attack, we can become selfish and think only about ourselves. When persecution comes, we have the opportunity to not only reach out to God for help but also lean on other believers. That's really good news for us. When we feel that our faith is being tested, we should praise God for what He's doing in our life because God is using that to strengthen our faith and our love for others.

2 Thessalonians 1:5-7a – “ It is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also are suffering, 6 since it is just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us.”

In this letter of encouragement, Paul was telling the Thessalonians as well as us today that are faithfulness will be rewarded. As I said, the trials that Thessalonian believers were experiencing are evidence that God was working in their lives. When the day of judgment came, they would be found worthy of God's kingdom.