Luke 16:23-24 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (24) And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.


One of the hardest subjects for any Christian to face is hell.  Yet the Bible is FULL of warnings and descriptions of hell.  All of the modern Bible "versions" try to water down hell by changing the word "hell" to other words, and try to tone down the severity of hell.  But my friend, the Bible makes it very clear that hell is a real, literal place where people are punished for their sins for eternity.  Jesus preached on hell several times during his earthly ministry and told us more about hell than about heaven.  

In the above story, Jesus tells of a rich man who went to hell.  The second he died, he lifted up his eyes and was in torment.  He asked for a drop of water to cool his tongue, but was denied.  Notice, he was dead but still talking, thinking and feeling pain! When a person's body dies, their soul lives on. And if you die without Christ, your soul will go to hell, where you will be punished all day and all night, every day and every night, forever.  It is very humbling to think about this, and I don't get a sadistic thrill from it. Hell is something that is depressing to think about. But I love people, and love the truth, and that's why I am writing this.

2 Thessalonians 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Matthew 13:49-50 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, (50) And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Hell is a place of literal fire.  There is probably no worse pain on earth than being burned. I once had a sunburn all over my back, chest and shoulders.  I was in agony for two days, and laid in bed trying to be as still as possible.  My wife gave me a vinegar bath, and rubbed aloe all over me, but it was only minor relief.  However, I was not wailing and gnashing my teeth in pain.  In hell, there is no vinegar and no aloe.  Jesus said there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  People in hell experience literal, physical pain.  I've heard it said that burning to death is the worst kind of death because it involves pain in every nerve ending of your body.  But in this life, it's only temporary.  No matter how bad the pain is here, it will come to an end. But in hell, the pain never ends. You don't get a break or any kind of relief from the pain, it goes on forever. And once you are there, it is too late.

Mark 9:43-48 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

(44) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

(45) And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

(46) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

(47) And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

(48) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

The fire is not quenched!  Jesus repeated this three times so we would get it.  The Bible says people in hell have no rest day nor night (Rev.14:11).  He said it's better to chop your hand or foot off.  Imagine taking an axe and chopping off your hand or foot.  Jesus said if that is what is offending you (keeping you from getting saved) you'd be better off just chopping it off.  If your eye is offending you, you'd be better off plucking it out.  Jesus is trying to tell us something...

HELL IS REAL.  God's not joking about it, it's not a  myth, it's not a scary movie. We know the earth is filled with fire, we see lava spue out from the depths of the earth, all exactly like the Bible says.  And as much as we don't want to believe it, there are people down there being punished.  We know it's real.  God gave us commandments, and he is not just going to acquit everyone for living their whole life violating all of his laws.  He will punish people for their transgression, and he is very clear what the punishment is. It is a literal, flaming fire where you will feel the burning, tormenting pain forever.

If hell lasted for a billion years and then ended it would be infinitely better than eternity.  Our minds can't even grasp eternity. We live in a tempoarl world where nothing is permanent or lasts forever. But when you arrive in hell, the only break you will ever get from the pain is the judgment day, where you will answer for all of your sins in front of everyone. The shame of that day will not be much of a relief. But once you are cast into the lake of fire, you will never have a moment's rest from being in pain, forever. It's hard for us to graspsuch an awful reality, but unfortuately most people will end up in hell. Most of my family will be there, and many of my friends and co-workers. 

THEIR WORM DIETH NOT

If the fires of hell weren't bad enough, there are also worms there eating you.  Jesus mentioned both the fire and the worms when describing hell. The Old Testament also makes mention of worms in hell.  In Isaiah 14:11 it says the worms are spread under and cover a person in hell. In this life you may have had nice clothes, a nice car, and other nice things. But in hell, your only covering will be worms, to your complete shame. The fire is the worst kind of pain, and the worms are the worst kind of shame. Think of how disgusted you would be if someone came up to you with nothing but worms crawling all over them. They have found actual worms like these coming up out of hydrothermal vents in the ocean floor.  Of course, no one can say for sure if these are the worms of hell, but very interesting that these worms come up from these vents. 

Daniel 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Isaiah 66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

The concept of everlasting punishment goes back to the Old Testament.  Hell is a place of shame and contempt, a place where people look at your carcass and abhor you.  Unlike the euphemistic desciptions of hell being a party where all your friends are, you will not be proud of going to hell, nor will you enjoy having your friends there. It will be shameful and horrific, and you'll wish your friends weren't there.

Just think of how embarrassing it is to fall, hurt yourself, and yell out in pain.  Or how embarrassing it is just to have an open sore on your body.  In hell, you will bear your shame (Ezek. 32:30).  There is no dressing up and looking good in hell, worms will be your only covering. Your charred, worm covered carcass will be on display for all to see, and you will be ashamed. 

When Satan finally arrives in hell, the people there ask if he has become weak as they are. You have no power to do anything in hell, and what strength you do have will be spent on wailing in pain. It is an awful place, and I wish it wasn't there, but I'm not God. 

In this life, some people look at hell and condemn God for creating such an awful place.  As a child, I condemned adults for spanking children, and thought it was an awful punishment. But then I grew up, and I realized it was necessary and right, and was grateful for it.  Likewise, some day we will see hell as righteous, and condemn the people that went there, instead of God.  

Revelation 20:11-14 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

(12) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

(13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

(14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

The Bible says a person who believes on Jesus Christ will never die.  Their body will die, but their soul will live in heaven.  But a person who does not accept Christ is dead already, according to Eph 2:1.  Once a person dies without Christ, they will instantly go to hell to join the dead that are there.  Dead does not mean you cease to exist, however, because hell delivers up the dead to be judged in the above verses. In the text verses in Luke 16, Lazarus is dead, but he is experiencing torment, and speaking with Abraham while in hell. We also see that souls have a body just like our physical bodies. Lazarus mentions his tongue when asking for the water. The dead people are conscious, capable of thinking, speaking, and feeling pain. The hell under our feet is the holding cell, like jail, where the dead are waiting to be judged. But God already knows the outcome, so the punishment will still be just.

The judgment is set for a certain date in the distant future, and everyone will be there. Heaven and earth will be gone, the only place left is the great white throne.  And the books will be opened, and everyone in hell will have their day in court.  You will stand before God and every creature of God and be judged by your works.  You will have to give an account for every idle word you have ever spoken  (Matt. 12:36).   You will have to explain everything you did in your life before a holy, righteous God, and the whole universe. Everyone will know every sin you have ever committed, and will stand there and witness your judgment.

No one will have any doubt that you deserve to be punished.  The Bible says every mouth will be stopped. The ripple effect of all the sins you have committed in this life are unknown to us...but God knows!  I am constantly shocked and amazed at the words people remember that I spoke to them.  Our words and actions have far reaching consequences, moreso than we can comprehend. And you will have no answer when you are judged for all of your sins. You may think you will have a clever response to God, but after every sin you've ever committed has been laid out before you, and you realize Jesus already paid for all of them, but you refused his payment for your sins, you will be stunned into silence.

And then, you will be cast into the lake of fire.  This is like prison, and it is permanent.  The Bible says all sinners have a "part" in the lake of fire.  Your punishment will exactly suit your crimes.  Jesus talked of people receiving "greater damnation" (Mark 12:40).  You will receive exactly what you deserve, though it seems extreme and severe, you will get whatever level punishment your sins deserve. But the least punishment in hell is infinitely worse than the least rewarded person in heaven.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God loves people, and does not want to send them to hell.  However, there has to be a punishment for sin, otherwise God's laws are meaningless.  God gave us commandments, and is not going to just pardon people.  If he just pardoned one person without Christ, he would have to pardon everyone, and there would be no justice.  Think of how horrible it would be to live in a society with no punishment.  People could rob, rape, murder and do whatever they wanted, and no one would ever recompense them. It's sickening to see people get away with crime. 

God is not like that!  And if you think about it, you wouldn't want him to be.  There has to be a hell.  But, if you accept Jesus Christ, who died on your behalf, you are not condemned.  

John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Jesus took our condemnation by becoming sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21), bearing all of our sins in his body (1 Pet. 2:24), then going to hell to pay for them (Acts 2:31). The Bible says he was in hell for 3 days and 3 nights (Matt. 12:40). He did all of this so you would never have to suffer hell.  I think because Jesus was perfect and sinless, the 3 days and 3 nights totally purged all of our sins from him, but since we are sinful by nature, we are never totally free from sin which is why hell is eternal.  

The only way we can escape hell is to receive the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, which accepts his payment on our behalf.  Once a person does that, they never have to fear hell again!  But a person who has not accepted Christ should be very afraid of the God who is able to not only kill the body, but also cast the soul into hell.  

Jesus paid a debt he did not owe,
because we owed a debt we could not pay!

1 Timothy 2:4-6 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (6) Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

AUDIO SERMONS ON HELL

THE DAMNATION OF HELL

Pastor Steven Anderson

THE GREAT WHITE THRONE

Pastor Roger Jimenez

SIX SURPRISES IN HELL

Pastor Danny Castle

THE FIRES OF HELL

Pastor Steven Anderson

THE EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT OF HELL

Pastor Steven Anderson

THE HORRORS OF HELL

Pastor Steven Anderson

THE AFTERLIFE: HELL

Pastor Roger Jimenez

THE HALLS OF HELL

Pastor Glenn Shunk

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