The Second Death Series

- We read about some of the torments of Hades in Luke 16; and:

IN HELL, THE TORMENT OF HADES WILL BE INTENSIFIED

- That Revelation calls Hell a lake of fire shows us that the fire in Hades will be present in Hell. Unbelievers will be punished in a fire that never consumes them but always burns.

- The Bible is not shy when it describes the final state of Hell. In Matthew 13 Jesus is explaining a parable and says: Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

- In Mark 9:48 Jesus describes Hell as the place ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ And in 2 Thessalonians 1 Paul calls it “the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” You get the picture.

- This final state of Hell will be the most unimaginable place of torment. And it is precisely this truth that raises many questions in our minds. And I would like to address what I see as the three most common questions about Hell. They are: #1 - Does Hell purify a person in order to make them ready for Heaven? #2 – Since Hell is described as eternal death and destruction, do people who are sent there eventually go out of existence? #3 – How can a loving God send someone to Hell forever?

- Let’s consider that first question. Does Hell purify a person in order to make them fit or ready for Heaven? The answer to that is that:

HELL’S TORMENT IS RETRIBUTIVE, NOT RESTORATIVE

- In other words, the purpose of Hell is to torment sinners, not to purify them.

- Ken Boa and Robert Bowman Jr. have written a good book entitled “Sense and Nonsense About Heaven and Hell”. I don’t agree with everything they write, but in one of their chapters on Hell they wrote this: “The purpose of Hell is not to make those who go there better people or to help them see the error of their ways and come to repentance. Hell is not like the Betty Ford Clinic. It is not even like a modern prison, where most prisoners are encouraged to become rehabilitated so that they may reenter society as useful citizens. The purpose of Hell is to punish sinners. It is about retribution, not restoration.”

- Some of you may know that in Roman Catholic theology there is what is called the doctrine of purgatory. Purgatory is a place where people who aren’t bad enough to go to Hell but aren’t ready for Heaven are sent in order that they might be purged; or made fit for Heaven. Hell is not purgatory. In fact, purgatory does not exist. It is not found in Scripture.

- We’ve got to come to grips with the fact that God is not only a God of love but also a God of wrath. He not only shows mercy, he punishes. He not only gives eternal life, he judges with eternal death.

- Society has gotten so used to this cotton candy Christianity where Jesus is seen as this sappy self help instructor that when the biblical Jesus shows up they gasp in disbelief. It is such a far fetched thing to some people that Jesus would punish anyone. Those people haven’t met the real Jesus, the judge of the living and the dead. The one who will judge the world in holiness and righteousness.