Imagine you just committed the most horrendous crime.  It was something really bad that included violence, a large heist, with property damage, and some people were injured and killed.  But, you got caught and are now facing a long time in jail for your actions.  You know it is going to be bad and you will no longer have any freedom.  And you committed this crime in a third-world country where the jail conditions are extremely miserable.  My friends, what I have just described are better conditions than what eternity in Hell would be like.

There is a dangerous theology circulating that there is no Hell.  The theology states that even if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior that you still will not go to Hell because Hell does not exist.  Or the torment will last a small amount of time in comparison to eternity and you will be allowed into Heaven.  Simply stated I ask where is that in the Bible?

The Bible I read has many scripture verses about Hell.  And the verses are from Jesus himself. And the scriptures support Jesus teaching about Hell – truthfully those are not needed because if it comes from Jesus then that testimony is good enough for me.

Hell was described as a place in the Old Testament in the Book of Job.  Job 31:11a states ‘It is a fire that burns all the way to hell.”  Job is describing Hell as if it is a real place.

Jesus would also warn the Sadducees and the Pharisees of His time of the coming judgment and prison sentence in Hell.  Placed into context below:

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed. Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.’

“But in saying that, you testify against yourselves that you are indeed the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started. ³³ Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?                        -Matthew 23: 29 – 32 (NLT)

In one of Jesus’ Parables recorded in Luke 16, He used an example of a rich man and another man named Lazarus (Not the Lazarus He raised from the dead).  Jesus explained how the Rich young ruler who lived in lavish splendor and Lazarus was covered in sores and would lay at the gates to the Rich Man’s house. 

As the parable continues Lazarus died, was buried, and was escorted to Heaven by Angels.  The Rich Man died, was buried,  and was sent to “the place of the dead.”  To put it plainly the Rich Man went to Hell.   And the fact the Rich Man went to Hell, he was being tormented, which is also described in the parable.  The parable is copied below :

Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus

Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.

“Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet.^[e] The rich man also died and was buried, and he went to the place of the dead.^[f] There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.

“The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’

“But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’                              –  Luke 16: 19 – 26

As the parable continues, the Rich Man calls out and asks to send either Lazarus or a prophet to warn his brothers of the Afterlife – to let them know Heaven and Hell exist.  Take a look at the exchange:

“Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home.  For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’                                                                                                                         – Luke 16: 27 – 28

Once we are finished with this adventure called life, then the judgment comes.  It is at that point that we are judged and sent either to Heaven or Hell. 

“But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’

“The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’

But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”                                                            – Luke 16: 29 – 31

The truth is that we have a lot of warnings from Jesus about Hell.  He uses different terms like Gehenna, Sheol, Hades, and Place of Death. 

The one thing about this parable from all the other parables that Jesus wrote is that this parable may be a true story and not a parable at all.  This is the only parable where Jesus uses the name of a person – Lazarus.  May scholars believe that this may be something Jesus witnessed and used this example as a warning to those who choose not to believe in Him.

In the book of Matthew, there is a warning about fearing man or fearing God.  Jesus tells us to fear God and not worry about man.  The reason is listed below:

 “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
            – Matthew 10:28

It is a grave warning that people are not heeding.  Our life on Earth is short.  But our life in Eternity will last longer.  Based on the two passages above, imagine spending eternity in torment and not in paradise.  The offer of Salvation is Paradise and not eternal judgment.  Those who do not take the offer of salvation will end up in an eternity filled with torment. 

Jesus called the unsaved “all who do evil”.  You see, being a good person is not enough to get you into Heaven.  You need to be saved by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

Jesus explained when the end of the world comes (I believe it is sooner than people think.  I will explain in a later blog), or when death comes, it will be too late.  In this example, Jesus uses the image of collecting wheat from a field and separating the good wheat from the weeds:

 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.  The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.  And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
– Matthew 13:41- 42

This is a warning to those unbelievers who have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Those who have not accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior will be placed into the Lake of Fire where there will be eternal torment. 

Revelations 20:14-15 tells us “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if ^[a]anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”

How do you get your name in the Book of Life?  By accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior and repenting of your sins. 

A small list of people who will not inherit the Kingdom of God, which is Heaven, follows:

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor ^[a]effeminate, nor homosexuals,  nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God”                                                                                                        – 1 Corinthians 6:9 – 10

A further list from the book of Revelation also provides a list of those who won’t inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and will be banished to Hell

But for the cowardly and ^[a]unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
            – Revelation 21:8-9

This is not me saying these things.  This is from God.  God cannot live with sin and things that are not Holy.  Without accepting Jesus as your Savior and repenting of your sins, He cannot allow you into Heaven.  1 Peter 1: 13 – 16 says “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, ^[l]keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not ^]be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,  but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

With all these warnings from the bible, from the words of Jesus, and the descriptions of Hell, how can we not accept the invitation from Jesus?  Let us repent of our ways, accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and turn to Him for our Salvation.  Don’t wait until time runs out.  By that time it will be too late.   Take the time to do it now.

I am reposting the prayer from my previous blog.  I will keep posting it. 

If you want to spend life in Heaven and Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, or you feel you have backslidden and want to repent then please pray this prayer:

DEAR LORD, I KNOW I AM A SINNER.  I KNOW I HAVE HOPE IN JESUS.  I WANT TO REPENT OF MY SINS AND COME TO YOU TO ASK FORGIVENESS.  I WANT TO ASK YOU TO FORGIVE MY SINS, CLEANSE ME OF MY SINS, GIVE ME THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE WITH JESUS, AND I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS IS MY LORD AND SAVIOR AND HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR ME.  I ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO COME INTO ME AS THE GUARANTEE OF MY SALVATION AND WANT TO REPENT OF MY SINS.  ALL THIS I ASK IN JESUS HOLY AND PRECIOUS NAME, AMEN

If you prayed that prayer then I want to say CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF BELIEVERS.  The Angels, The Saints, The Lord Jesus, and all who have gone before us are having a party in Heaven because you chose Jesus.  And I want to welcome you to the family.  Find a good Bible-based church and continue to learn about Jesus.  We are all on this Journey.  And in the end we will hear God say “Well Done my good and faithful servant!”