Last week we learnt that there is a literal Heaven, and a literal hell. Today we will look at – “THE REALITY OF HELL!” “And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments…” (Lk. 16:23).
The big question is:
1. Is there really a place called Hell or is it just an illusion? Yes! Hell is not the figment of anyone’s imagination but it is a real place and it is terrible and horrible.
Hell is a real place as physical as Abuja. Hell is a real place burning with the wrath of God. Hell is a typical expression of the wrath of God.
2. Has hell always been in existence? No! Prior to the rebellion of Archangel Lucifer and his one third of all angelic beings, long before the creation of humanity, there was no hell in existence because there was no need for such a place.
But at the time of their rebellion and expulsion from Heaven, hell (Hades in Greek and Sheol in Hebrew), hell was then created as part of the cataclysmic curse which an offended God poured out upon His created – the earth in particular, since it had been the domain of Lucifer and his angels.
Hell was not prepared for man but for the devil and his angels. “Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41).
Hell is the final bus stop for the wicked. Hell is the final destiny or the eternal home of those who rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour while they were on the earth. Hell is also the eternal home of the children of God that refused to keep their garment of righteousness unspotted and unwrinkled while on earth. Now is the time to make urgent preparations.
If people were to understand the horrendous fury of that fiery dungeon called hell, they would surely make urgent preparations and adjustments to avoid going there.
The truth about hell is unpleasant especially to those who make no spiritual preparations to meet a holy God in peace with “clean hands and a pure heart.” (Ps. 24:3-4).
The Scriptures speak of hell in such definite terms as: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Ps. 9:17).
“…Ye generation of vipers, how shall ye escape the damnation of hell?” (Matt. 23:33).
Look at this true story: A devout atheist, Dr. Rawlings, who is a specialist in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular diseases, resuscitated many people who were declared clinically dead. Dr. Rawlings considered all religions “hocus-pocus” and death nothing more than a painless extinction. But something happened in 1977 that brought a dramatic change in the life of Dr. Rawlings! He was resuscitating a man terrified and screaming. The man in question was screaming because he was descending down into the flames of hell: “Each time he regained heartbeat and respiration, the patient screamed, “I am in hell!” He was terrified and pleaded with Dr. Rawlings to help him. At this point, Dr. Rawlings was scared to death. Then he noticed a genuinely alarmed look on the patient’s face.
The look on his face was worse than the usual expression seen in death. This patient had a distorted look on his face expressing sheer horror! His pupils were much dilated, and he was perspiring and trembling. He looked as if his hair was standing “on end.” Then still another strange thing happened. He said to Dr. Rawlings, “Don’t you understand? I am in hell… Please don’t let me go to hell! This patient was so serious, and it finally occurred to Dr. Rawlings that he was indeed in trouble.
This patient was in such a panic that Dr. Rawlings had never seen before” (Maurice Rawlings, Beyond Death’s Door – Thomas Nelson Inc., 1979, pp. 3). Dr. Rawlings said, “No one who could have heard his screams and seen the looks of terror on his face would doubt for a single second that this man was actually in a place called hell!”
The bible warns man about hell! There are over 162 references in the New Testament alone which warns of hell.
And over 70 of these references were uttered by Jesus Christ! In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus paints a frightening picture of hell.
From the above Scripture, the Lord tells us about two places: Heaven and hell, (1) the salvation or (2) the condemnation.
3. There is no intermediate place after death. Purgatory, the supposed place where men exist for a little while after they have departed from the earth before they go to Heaven, does not exist (Lk. 16:26).
Limbo, the supposed intermediate place for children, does not exist.
4. people in hell have their memories intact. All the people in hell have all their senses intact.
5. The smell of hell is terrible. In hell, the smell of dead and decaying flesh hangs very thick in the air.
6. In hell, the cries of the living dead, mixed with moans and terrifying screams come from every direction.
7. The worms in hell are not harmed by the fire of hell.
8. People in hell have the same feelings and thoughts as when they were on earth. People in hell fire remember their families and friends. Their memory is always with them. Why?
This is because it is the spirit-man of a person that is in hell, and inside the spirit-man is the soul of that person. And your emotion is an integral part of your soul.
9. In hell, people are tormented with memories of what they did on Earth. Those who have known the Lord will be tormented much more. When a soul arrives hell, there is no more hope, no life, no love.
10. What is hell like? Nothing on earth can adequately describe hell! Hell is infinitely worse than anyone could think or imagine. No nightmare could produce a terror to match that of hell, and no horror movie could describe its fright. No crime scene with all its blood and gore could begin to match the horrors of hell. Hell is forever. All who enter hell abandon all hope forever. The horror of hell for even one second is unbearable.
In Matthew 25:41, Jesus said, “…Depart from Me, ye cursed, into EVERLASTING fire,…”
Revelation 14:11 says, "The smoke of their TORMENT ascendeth up for EVER AND EVER: and they have NO REST DAY NOR NIGHT."
The Bible warns of the permanence of hell. It is a place:
- 1. Of conscious torments (Lk. 16:23),
- 2. Of eternal memory (Lk. 16:33),
- 3. Of everlasting fire (Matt. 18:8, 25:41),
- 4. Of unquenchable fire (Matt. 3:12)
- 5. Of blackness of darkness forever (Jude 1:13).
- 6. Of everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46)
- 7. Of everlasting chains (Jude 1:6)
- 8. Of eternal damnation (Mk. 3:29)
- 9. Of eternal judgment (Heb. 6:2)
- 10. Of eternal fire (Jude 1:7)
- 11. Of eternal regrets (Lk. 16:27-28),
- 12. Where people cry out (Lk. 16:24a),
- 13. Of flames (Lk. 16:24),
- 14. Of no escape (Lk. 16:26),
- 15. Of anxiety for loved ones that are still on earth (Lk. 16:27-28)
- 16. Of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 8:12),
- 17. Of weeping and wailing (Matt. 22:13),
- 18. Where the worms dieth not and the fire is never quenched (Mk. 9:44),
- 19. Where there is no rest day and night (Rev. 14:11),
- 20. Of eternal death; that is to say that it is a place where you are eternally separated from God (Rev. 12:10, KJV),
- 21. Of smoking torment (Rev. 14:11).
There is no hope in hell. The rich man in hell in Luke 16 never even asked to get out - He knew that there was no hope in hell! He knew there was no way out! He knew that that was his final bus stop. There is only one way to escape hell: be Born Again.
I therefore, challenge you to rise up, if you have not accepted God’s unspeakable Gift, Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Saviour, quickly repent of your sins now and receive Him into your life without any further delay. If you are already a Christian, but you have been living in sin, stop so far! Quickly repent of your sins and receive God’s forgiveness (1 Jn. 1:9).
Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!
Your friend, I. I. Madubunyi
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