punishment – Auriesville Tubthumper

Hell Yes It’s Real, Conclusion

CONCLUSION

The Whole Counsel of God

The thought that God will punish eternally in Hell the lost sinners that do not repent and turn to Him is certainly not in style these days. All Christians should be teaching the truth about Hell. Hell holds a special place in the Biblical worldview and Hell stands for the opposite of what the contemporary secular worldview stands for. Hell is connected directly to the doctrine of God, and Jesus Christ the Son, the atonement for sin. Hell serves to give humanity a gauge of morality and points to the responsibility we have as God’s creatures to live in His image. Hell is real and Hell is there for the punishment of the sins of mankind. It is understandable that so many people want to avoid the subject of Hell and to soften it. Hell should be offensive to our moral senses. It should literally scare the “Hell” out of us. We should be sorrowful that someone we know will suffer the horror and our hearts should break. Our hearts should be breaking because of the awfulness of sin that sends people to Hell. The very thought of sin should repulse us and help to keep us from that awful place. Christians need to seek and to proclaim the whole counsel of God. The whole counsel of God includes the doctrine of Hell and this doctrine needs to be proclaimed to all people, godly or worldly and both Christian and non-Christian. The truth will set you free.[1]

The lost and unbelievers have a lot to fear and tremble about according to the words of Jesus Christ. They may die now, in this age in great honor and leaving their family with great wealth. What about eternity? It would be good to ponder what God can see because God looks upon the heart. There will be the day when God will raise up the wicked, the lost, and the unbelievers to face Him in judgment. When he completes the judgment and renders the sentence He will banish them out of His presence forever and to a place that Jesus compares to fire and to deep darkness like has never been experienced. Those lost unbelievers will watch as the saved go with God to their eternal reward. Those lost unbelievers will suffer with “weeping and gnashing of teeth” but it is too late then. It is done.[2] The choice was made and the life that was lived was no trial run. It was the real deal. And Hell is for real.

Because death is real we can be sure Hell is real. The only reason death comes to humans is because of sin. If Adam hadn’t fallen and there were no sin in the world there would not be any death. The testimony of the presence of physical death should be a testimony to all of us that the unseen reality of a “second death” as the Bible calls it in revelation 20:14, is a reality. This reality is not going to disappear simply because our culture today wants to ignore it. As Evans states, “Hell is the expression of God’s settled, external, unchanging wrath against sin. (Revelation 21:8; 22; 15)[3]

Thinking of Hell has the reaction of paralyzing some people. I suppose that is why so many deny, ignore or oppose its existence. They don’t want to carry on with life being constantly reminded of fire and brimstone and torment. But, take notice; we really aren’t supposed to carry on as normal and like the rest of the world. The reality of Hell and the urgency to do something so we won’t end up there is supposed to impassion us for the gospel. “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences” (2 Corinthians 5:11) Hell could paralyze us or it can energize us and magnify the beautiful cross of Christ. Believe and live![4]

The Great Gulf between Heaven and Hell

There is a point in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus that should not be missed. It is the vast amount of space (the gulf) between Heaven and Hell. Every person will go to one place or the other and once you are at your destination all the bridges are burned behind you. There is no way then to go back. No road or bridge between Heaven and hell.[5] From the depths of Hell the condemned can see those in heaven and know the separation but not the other way around. The Bible says in Heb. 9:27, “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” As said before, this life is not a trial run and there will be no second chance. An exhortation is appropriate to not procrastinate. Tomorrow may never come for you.

Francis Chan wrote, “We have become dangerously comfortable- believers ooze with wealth and let their addictions to comfort and security numb the radical urgency of the gospel. What is encouraging is that there seems to be a growing number of American believers who recognize this and are making changes. I would love for Jesus to grace me with those words: You are worthy. Wouldn’t you?”[6]

We cannot reject a clear teaching of Hell that Jesus so emphatically repeated in the scriptures. All Christians should be embracing the doctrine of Hell with the place it has in the biblical worldview. The horror of hell should offend our moral senses. It is a tragedy that sin entered into the world and that we humans are continuously rebelling from God and the lost are rejecting the Savior.[7]

Derek Smith wrote, “As for me, I know for a fact that Hell is real. As if the Bible’s depiction of the existence of Hell weren’t enough to convince me (and it is), I also see incontrovertible proof of Hell’s existence all around me every day.”[8]

There is a place being prepared for the righteous called heaven. It is real. God is preparing the place. There is place already made and reserved for the ungodly. It is called Hell. Hell is for real!

Follow Christ, Believe and live, Hell is for real…

Click to go to back to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Have a Godly day,

“The Tubthumper”

[1] Morgan and Peterson, Hell under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment, 239-40.

[2] Edward William Fudge, and Peterson, Two Views of Hell, 80.

[3] Evans, Tony Evans Speaks Out on Heaven and Hell, 16.

[4] Chan and Sprinkle, Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up, 148.

[5] Sproul, Unseen Realities, 84.

[6] Chan and Sprinkle, Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up, 124.

[7] Velarde, Is Hell Real?

[8] Smith, Hell Is Not as Hot as You Think: Why Everything You’ve Been Taught about Hell Is Likely Wrong, 538.

Hell Yes It’s Real, Part 5

JESUS SAID HELL IS FOR REAL

Christ is the Authority on the Subject

Based on the authority of Jesus Christ we have no choice but to believe that Hell is for real. He descended there for three hours which were the darkest hours known to mankind to date. The place reserved for the lost is prepared. Jesus tells us more about Hell being for real than any other author or speaker.[1] Matthew 25: 31 -43 provides a representative example of how Christ spoke of Hell.

Jesus knew about Hell first hand and spoke about it the most. Jonathan Edwards didn’t invent the concept of Hell. John Wesley or Charles Spurgeon didn’t come up with it either. How about Thomas Aquinas or Augustine, did they invent it? Maybe the reformers of the sixteenth century dreamed it up. No, it was not dreamed up by anyone at all. It is a Biblical doctrine and pretty close to all that is learned about it comes from the lips of Jesus Christ. The early church took the concept of Hell very seriously and we should as well. The church today should take the concept of Hell much more serious than they do because of the frequency that Jesus spoke about it.[2]

Jesus often used the images of fire and darkness to describe Hell. The parable of “The wheat and the tares” holds a very terrifying group of words by the Lord. “As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 13:40-43). We see the “weeping” while they are “cast into the fiery furnace”. A few verses later it comes again, “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” Matthew 13:49-50).And again Jesus gives it to us, “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire” (Matthew 18:8-9). Again we see Jesus using the images of darkness for a description of Hell, “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:11-12). Just before He died the words were told in another parable, “Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 22:13) and He did it again in another parable when he said, “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30). It is clear that Jesus is describing to us a Hell that is for real and a Hell that includes darkness, weeping, and gnashing of teeth which are all common Jewish ways to describe Hell. We need to remember this is real to our fellow humans, this is the real deal, and this stuff has real implications for real people that will have real destinies. This is very important material to consider. Now, the most alarming statement about the duration of Hell comes in Matthew 25 where He delivered the parable of the Sheep and the Goats. It was about the rapture and the final judgment. The sheep represented the believers in Christ and the Goats represented the unbelievers. Jesus divided them up in the two different groups according to how they have lived their lives. If you have clothed the naked, fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty you went in the sheep group. If you did none of these things you went with the goats cast into the everlasting fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels.[3]

Jesus told another parable in Matthew 13:48-50. In a very large fishing net were caught all kinds of fish. The fishermen emptied the nets and separated the good fish from the bad fish. They discarded the bad fish for they had no value. “That is another great image of the end of the age. The angels will be separating the righteous from the wicked and the wicked will discarded into the fiery furnace, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt 13;29-50).[4]

In the book of Mark Jesus was talking about sinners getting thrown into hell (Mark 9:43-48) Mark quoted Isaiah’s picture of Hell. The place where worm does not die and fire is not quenched. That devouring worm is eating what is already dead and then helped by the unquenchable fire until nothing remains. Whatever is left lasts for all of eternity. (Mt. 25:46)[5] The choice is yours, do you want life or do you want the fiery punishment?

Jesus is Consistent with the Early Jews

The first-century Jews believed in Hell and had a clear view they described. Jesus was a Jew. If Jesus disagreed with the view of Hell provided by his fellow Jews He would have very clearly outlined his differences and place an argument against them. Jesus was never afraid of going against a commonly held Jewish idea. The views of Jesus stand in line with the first-century Jewish pictures of Hell.[6]

Hell is described consistently throughout the New Testament by Jesus and also by nearly all the writers God used to pen His words. Judgment and punishment are consistent pictures drawn by all the writers. Destruction, death, exclusion, banishment, and separation are all words used to describe that awful place. The issue of fire and suffering are included in many of the descriptions, however the predominate and overriding theme is always destruction and punishment. There are three main pictures of Hell that emerge out of the New Testament writings. The nature of Hell is described clearly as punishment, destruction and banishment.[7] Hell shown as punishment affirms that sin is recognized by God as a crime. The destruction picture of Hell indicates that sin is a spiritual death and the banishment shows sin as alienating us from God.[8] The sin is real, evil and wickedness are real, the crime is real, the punishment is real and Hell is for real.

The word gehenna, (translation “Hell”) was used in the Gospels twelve times. The images of fire and darkness are there along with punishment and judgment. Jesus believed just like the early Jews that hell was real and the wicked are headed to that a place of punishment.[9]

Join me next time as I bring this to a conclusion… Click here to go to the next post.

Yes, Hell is for real!

Have a Godly day,

The “Tubthumper”

Click here to go to: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.

[1] Edward William Fudge, and Peterson, Two Views of Hell, 37.

[2] Sproul, Unseen Realities, 52.

[3] Chan and Sprinkle, Erasing Hell, 76-81.

[4] Edward William Fudge, and Peterson, Two Views of Hell, 40.

[5] Ibid., 44.

[6] Ibid., 73.

[7] Morgan and Peterson, Hell under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment, 142.

[8] Keller et al., IS HELL for Real or Does Everyone Go to Heaven, 605.

[9] Chan and Sprinkle, Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up, 74.

A Storm Is Coming

Warning: A severe storm is on the horizon and it is headed your way!

Have you experienced a really bad storm in the past? The warnings come from the weather center showing a cold front coming in that will produce high winds, damaging hail, torrential rain and possible tornado. Along with it we generally see a posting for flash floods. For those of us in the Northeast we last experienced a major storm when Hurricane Irene released her fury such as we have not seen in this area before. Many within 2 miles of me lost their homes, entire farms, businesses and some lost their lives. The power of nature is awesome and the power of God is awesome.

There are two kinds of storms we must often endure. There are storms of the weather (nature) and there are storms of life. I have experienced both many times. I am a survivor of many storms of life and have come out the other side of the storm with not only victory but as an improved individual. Some of those storms lasted years and others quickly passed. Each one has an indelible stamp on my mind.

There are three kinds of people in the world when we are relating to storms. If you are reading this you fall into one of the three categories. If you are in the first category you “recently endured a storm”. Those in category two are “currently in the midst of a storm”. Lastly the third category holds those who will find themselves “going through a storm in the future”.

Let’s look at a time when the disciples were out on the Sea of Galilee and a storm came up that they thought would sink the boat. Jesus was with them and He had fallen asleep. In fear they cried out, “Lord, save us from drowning”. We can see what Jesus did in this account by Mark, “And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still, and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39) Many bible scholars believe this vicious storm was caused by satanic activity in an attempt to drown Jesus. The account can be found in Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-37 and Luke 8:22-25.

Is there a storm in your life right now? If you are a Christian and you are trying to weather a storm you may want to ask yourself three questions:

Is the storm you are going through a punishment or is it purification? Could it be that you are being chastened for sin? (Remember the story of Jonah and the whale.) In another violent storm Jonah found himself swallowed and in his case he was being chastened. Could this storm you are enduring be a trial that God has allowed to purify you as it was in this case with the disciples?
Have you made room for God? Are you totally aware of His presence always? Or did you forget Him? God wants you to recognize Him in your life.
What does God want you to do in this time of weathering a storm?

First, God wants your thanks. You should thank Him for the storm. I know that may sound crazy to you, however, it is true. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Second, He wants you to be fellowshipping with Him and reading His word during the storm. “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Third, He wants us all to trust Him in our storms. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Please understand that Christ knows about the storm and if Christ allows you to experience the storm He has good reason. Jesus Christ is watching over you throughout the storm and is interceding with the Father. He will come to you at the proper time in the storm. No one knows His time and it will be sooner or later. During the storm He will help your faith grow. He will see you safely through the storm and will enable you to help others. ” Blessed [be] God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

Don’t face the storm alone. Be sure Christ is your shipmate.

God bless you as you man the oars.

“The Tubthumper”