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Saved From Hell
Introduction
John 3:16–21
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. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
“Saved From What?“… its a question that is asked by those who query the question we asked in the first message regarding the Gospel asked by the jailor in Acts 16:30
“What must I do to be saved?”
Some time ago, a man brought forward his strong argument against the Bible, declaring, “I am seventy years of age, and have never seen such a place as hell, after all that has been said about it.” His little grandson, of about seven years of age, who was all the while listening, asked him, “Granddaddy, have you ever been dead yet?”[1]
We have spoken of Jesus Christ and why he came, why he died, how it is that he rose from the dead.
We spoke of spoke of its historical reality and laid down the arguments that are so clear.
We spoke of our state, our sin and how we all have broken the law of God and CANNOT BE REDEEMED by our own efforts, no matter how hard we try. Sin entered into the world, and death by SIN has placed us into the same condemnation as the Devil and His angels for which HELL WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED.
The Law of God is the measurement of the standard that would grant unto us the PRIVILEGE OF HEAVEN. No man is able to meet that standard, no man that is, except the one who came in our place to give his life a sacrifice for our sin.
SAVED FROM WHAT? Is the question?
SAVED FROM HELL….is the answer.
The same HELL created for the devil for HIS SIN AGAINST GOD, is the hell mankind is condemned to for his SIN AGAINST GOD.
Incredibly, no man or woman needs to go to hell.
Jesus told the world that there is a Broad way to hell and “many there be which go in thereat, Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Mat 7:13-14)
YET JESUS MADE A WAY, AND NONE NEED TO GO TO HELL.
Why will “many go in”?
John 3:19 “…men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil”
The topic of hell is not something that most people would not bring up in polite conversation, but it is interesting to consider the contrast of today to any time in history past; for thousands of years man has had a natural concern respecting his existence after death. ‘The Afterlife’ has always been a topic of conversation among men, both pagan and Jews alike have lived their lives with this fundamental question before them.
Paul knew EXACTLY what the jailer was making enquiry of, and the jailor also knew he did not need to explain to Paul what he was referring to when making this enquiry. Both knew that the question was specific to SALVATION FROM THE DAMNATION OF HELL FOR SIN!
In John 3, Jesus makes a number of statements employing words that IDENTIFY THAT END FOR ALL OF MANKIND apart from the gospel;
From verse 16 we see it;
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Here you have to completely opposing propositions, one is that of an individual “perishing“, OR of having “everlasting life“. These are antithetical one to the other. But it continues on in the passage;
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
If the world is not willing to be “saved”, then it shall certainly be “condemned”… ‘condemnation’ therefore, is the opposite of being “saved”. But the passage is still not finished;
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already,
Again, it is as if Jesus is trying so hard to help us understand the two opposing points, one to be “not condemned“, the other is being “condemned already“. The Roman Jailor of Acts 16 clearly KNEW where he stood on those two polarising positions.
Do you?
Jesus explains why there is a condemnation from verse 19 in John 3, and we are still drawn toward giving consideration to the antithesis; you are either on one position OR you are on the others…there is no half way point in the Bible;
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Jesus spoke of hell more than any other single individual in the Bible. Of the 54 occurrences of the word in the entire Bible, Jesus uses the word itself 15 times, in other words, almost 1/3rd of the employments of the word “Hell” in the entire Bible is employed by Christ, the one who would die to save mankind from it.
SOMETHING HAS CHANGED
Something has changed however in our modern days. Though the concern over the afterlife was front and centre in the minds of most people up until but a century ago, today it is a taboo subject.
Perhaps it is considered “taboo” by most people because most people do not want to be reminded of the sin that is sending them there, they have dulled their consciences to the point that they are quite literally sleep walking into hell and are angry when you try to wake them up, UNTIL it is too late and, like the rich man of Luke 16, they are buried and “in hell he life up his eyes, being in torments” (Lk 16:23).
In his book The Vanishing Conscience, Pastor John Macarthur relates a telling example of the people of the world respecting their sin and how it all ends. He writes of an airline disaster in 1984;
He writes;
“In 1984 an Avianca Airlines jet crashed in Spain. Investigators studying the accident made an eerie discovery. The “black box” cockpit recorders revealed that several minutes before impact a shrill, computer-synthesized voice from the plane’s automatic warning system told the crew repeatedly in English, “Pull up! Pull up!”
The pilot, evidently thinking the system was malfunctioning, snapped, “Shut up, Gringo!” and switched the system off. Minutes later the plane plowed into the side of a mountain. Everyone on board died.
When I saw that tragic story on the news shortly after it happened, it struck me as a perfect parable of the way modern people treat the warning messages of their consciences.[2]“
Its not just that people do not want to be told about their sin today, people do not want to be told that there are consequences to sin.
“The wages of sin is death” says the bible in Romans 6:23.
“…sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom 5:12)
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die…” Ezek 18:4
Jesus said, “and these shall go away into everlasting punishment” Matt 25:46
Turn to Mark 9 to obtain the full perspective on sin and its end by the lips of Jesus
Mark 9:43–48
43 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.
What is hell?
Every culture in the world has an innate belief in what is often referred to as “The Afterlife”.
Even in this secular nation of Australia, where almost 40% of people identified themselves as having no religious affiliation in the 2021 Census, I have never yet been to a funeral where the individual is regarded as ceasing to exist.
Every person who I have witnessed officiating over a funeral has given at least some remark as to a present afterlife existence for the person who has died.
Contrary to both scripture, every ancient culture and the living belief of all people who recognise a positive and negative end to life, every funeral I have witnessed consistently proclaimed a “Positive End”.
Jesus said
Matthew 7:13
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
What Jesus spoke of and every culture has long been aware of seems to have become the first historical victim of being “shadow banned”. First in the culture, then in the Bible Cemeteries (Seminaries) and finally in the pulpits of Churches.
Its removed from Old testament completely in almost every modern Bible and included about half of the time in the New testament.
The word “Damned” and “Damnation” is removed completely in almost all modern versions of the Bible….
I have worked in the construction industry for thirty years and we had DANGER SIGNS everywhere and labels on everything warning us of potential injury.
Modern Christianity has taken away the WARNING label of life and death and today people live with little to no fear of death.
Some kill themselves for fears in life thinking that it is SAFER to “Die” than to live.
Beloved, this is frightening! Especially when the Bible presents “death” as the ultimate and final enemy of mankind;
1 Corinthians 15:26
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
The word “Hell” appears in no less than 54 verses of the Bible gives men no excuse to be ignorant as to its meaning and Christians NO EXCUSE as to its warning.
Synonyms of the word and allusions to the place; such as the word “perish” in John 3:16, “Everlasting Destruction” 2 Thess 1:9, sudden destruction 1 Thess 5:3, ‘vessels of wrath fitted to destruction” Rom 9:22, Fiery Indignation Heb 10:27), blackness of darkness Jude 13, eternal fire Jude 7, outer darkness Mat 8:12, 22:13, 25:30, everlasting fire Matt 25:46, Lake of Fire (Rev 19:20, 20:10, 20:14, 20:15), Perdition 1 Tim 6:9, Just to name a few, are found so much more frequently, adding further to the evidence of wilful ignorance to which account will be given in the day of Christ (Phil 1:10).
23 of the 54 occurrences of the word ‘Hell’ is found in the New Testament. All but SEVEN of those appearances of the word ‘Hell’, came from the mouth of Jesus.
The warnings that he gave are the clearest of all the warnings in the scriptures and the descriptions given by Christ are also the most revealing as to its description.
Fire
Hell is descriptive of an extremity of fire that is incomparable to that on the earth.
Matthew 5:22
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
It is a place created for the Devil and his angels, both unaffected by natural fire;
Matthew 25:41
41 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:
Here we see that it is an “everlasting fire”,
It is a place where the body will be committed;
Matthew 5:29
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Not the body that dies, but a different resurrected body; Jesus said
John 5:29
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
How is that “Resurrection Body” described?
Jesus quoted Isaiah in Marks Gospel. Turn to Mark 9
Here and in Isaiah 66:24 are the only places of
Mark 9:43–48
43 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.
Blackness of Darkeness
There is NO LIGHT in Hell
Jude wrote of False Christians, godless individuals of the last days in his single chapter book;
Jude 12–13
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
A good guide line of hell is to consider it as the complete opposite of Heaven, where heaven is filled with light, Hell is absolute darkness, and possibly even a darkness so dark it can be felt.
In Gods judgement against Egypt, when he separated his promised people from the wicked, he commanded Moses;
Exodus 10:21
21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.
So many think to themselves that Hell will be a party with all the wicked, they are sourly deceived. John Bunyan wrote of one man so wicked that he was warned of his end and he replied ignorantly “what would the devil do for company if it were not for men such as I?“.
There will be no company in hell beloved!
Where heaven is filled with fellowship and company, hell is absolute solitude for all eternity. While there certainly seems to be an awareness of those in hell (Isa 14:10), unlike heaven, there is no indication anywhere that there is fellowship or companionship in hell.
Solitary confinements are employed in the prison system to inflict a greater punishment on inmates. The Devil will not have company, he will not “rule in hell” as Milton portrays in his epic poem Paradise Lost, he and all those in hell will not even see one another in that place.
Where is Hell?
Ok, we enter into a part of this conversation that is not perfectly certain, but derived ONLY from how the Bible presents it.
The ancient world has ALWAYS believed Hell is in the midst of the Earth, and the Bible does nothing to discourage this view, but may indeed affirm it.
The Bible indicates that Hell has a geographic location. Yes, it is a physical place!
When reading the scriptures, unlike heaven, we do not get the impression that hell is a mystical “otherworldy” realm. The passages of the Bible indicate that Hell is actually GEOCENTRIC.
In other words, it is in the belly of the Earth.
“Bottomless Pit”: appears 7 times referring to hell and only in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 9:1-2
1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
Psalm 55:23 refers to the place as “the pit of Destruction”
Luke writes of the devils plea to Jesus that they would not be cast into “the deep” (Luke 8:31)
The assembly of wicked men who rebelled against the authority of Moses and Aaron were spoken of by Moses as he said;
Numbers 16:30–33
30 But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. 31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: 32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. 33 They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.
The ONLy place you can have a “Bottomless Pit” is in the belly of the Earth.
Scientists argue a little over whether the centre of the Earth is Liquid or Solid, but both agree that it is a metallic structure with a heat intensity of between 6,000c and 7,000c.
The “outer core” they all agree is liquid fire and evidently seen spewing out of Volcanoes.
Opposed to Heaven, the Bible indicates Hell as in the Earth.
Revelation tells us that “death and hell” will be “cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” Rev 20:14
Eternal Fire
Probably the single most difficult aspect of Hell to conceive of is its eternality. That is, that it is forever.
You can feel free to invent a PURGATORY no matter how horrific you can create it, and no matter how long it is that you will endure it, IF THERE IS HOPE YOU WILL EVENTUALLY ESCAPE.
A “purgatory” is ALMOST WORTH the risk of living a sinful life to its fullest degree INSPITE OF ENDURING the most evil horror that an imagination can conceive of, IF there is hope that you will one day come out of it.
Jonathan Edwards, in his famous sermon: Sinners in the Hand of a Angry God” writes that;
“If all the sands of all the beaches on the world were placed into an hourglass, and each grain of sand represented an entire year, you would yet have hope of being delivered”
But this is not HELL.
Arthur W Pink recognises that even the protestants of his day were considering a form of Protestant Purgatory, vainly trusting that “the punishment of hell is ‘corrective’ rather than ‘retributive’, that the fires of HELL are “purifying” rather than “penal“.
He goes on to write;
Some who hold this view make a great pretense of honoring Christ, yet in reality they greatly dishonor Him. If men who died rejecting the Saviour are yet to be saved, if the fires of hell are to do for men what the blood of the Cross failed to effect, then why was the Divine Sacrifice needed at all—all might have been saved by the disciplinary sufferings of hell, and so God could have spared His Son.[3]
It is that HELL is ETERNAL, Forever, never to be availed from, never to stop, never to be delivered from, that makes a hell out of HELL.
Jude wrote of the deceivers in churches in the last days, comparing them to the fallen angels who are
Jude 7
“… set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
Revelation warns of those who take the Mark of the Beast that is coming on the near horizon, for which the “Digital I.D.” Being debated at the moment is PREPATORY;
Revelation 14:9–11
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Daniel wrote some 500 years before Christ of this end, saying;
Daniel 12:2
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.
There is ALSO a body that they will rise with that seems fit for purpose; Jesus spoke of each being “raised” from the dead;
John 5:29
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
The resurrected bodies of the saints are likened to Jesus glorified body, but the only description related to the body of the damned is seen in Isaiah and Jesus words in Marks Gospel, identified by the phrase;
“Where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched” Mark 9:44, 9:46, 9:48, the repetition of which is deleted in almost every modern version of the Bible today. (V 44 & 46 deleted)
Those raised to the “resurrection of damnation” are written of to suffer the “second death”.
Revelation 21:8
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
The passage of the rich man in hell testifies to the torments as Conscious, so much so that he does not desire the company of any family or freind to attend to him.
He has no question of being removed from this state, but desires relief from its torment;
“send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame[4]“
The FORGOTTEN CONSCIENCE IN LIFE seems to be FULLY INFORMED in death.
None in hell shall be remembered, no name given and celebrated between the wicked today will endure;
Proverbs 10:7
7 The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.
Job 18:17
17 His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.
Psalm 9:5
5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.
Psalm 9:6
6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.
This is contrasted with those who have believed the Gospel, who will be given a NEW NAME;
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. [5] (Rev 2:17)
But Have Everlasting Life
John 3:16–21
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.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
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.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
[1]. Tan, P.L. (1996) Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., p. 554.
[2]. MacArthur, J., F…Jr. (1994) The vanishing conscience. Electronic ed. Dallas: Word Pub., p. 36.
[3]. Pink, A. W. (2005). Eternal Punishment (10). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
{$NOTE_LABEL}. The Holy Bible: King James Version. electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. (1995). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., p. Lk 16:24.
{$NOTE_LABEL}. The Holy Bible: King James Version. electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. (1995). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., p. Re 2:17.
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Introduction
John 3:16–21
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. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
“Saved From What?“… its a question that is asked by those who query the question we asked in the first message regarding the Gospel asked by the jailor in Acts 16:30
“What must I do to be saved?”
Some time ago, a man brought forward his strong argument against the Bible, declaring, “I am seventy years of age, and have never seen such a place as hell, after all that has been said about it.” His little grandson, of about seven years of age, who was all the while listening, asked him, “Granddaddy, have you ever been dead yet?”[1]
We have spoken of Jesus Christ and why he came, why he died, how it is that he rose from the dead.
We spoke of spoke of its historical reality and laid down the arguments that are so clear.
We spoke of our state, our sin and how we all have broken the law of God and CANNOT BE REDEEMED by our own efforts, no matter how hard we try. Sin entered into the world, and death by SIN has placed us into the same condemnation as the Devil and His angels for which HELL WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED.
The Law of God is the measurement of the standard that would grant unto us the PRIVILEGE OF HEAVEN. No man is able to meet that standard, no man that is, except the one who came in our place to give his life a sacrifice for our sin.
SAVED FROM WHAT? Is the question?
SAVED FROM HELL….is the answer.
The same HELL created for the devil for HIS SIN AGAINST GOD, is the hell mankind is condemned to for his SIN AGAINST GOD.
Incredibly, no man or woman needs to go to hell.
Jesus told the world that there is a Broad way to hell and “many there be which go in thereat, Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Mat 7:13-14)
YET JESUS MADE A WAY, AND NONE NEED TO GO TO HELL.
Why will “many go in”?
John 3:19 “…men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil”
The topic of hell is not something that most people would not bring up in polite conversation, but it is interesting to consider the contrast of today to any time in history past; for thousands of years man has had a natural concern respecting his existence after death. ‘The Afterlife’ has always been a topic of conversation among men, both pagan and Jews alike have lived their lives with this fundamental question before them.
Paul knew EXACTLY what the jailer was making enquiry of, and the jailor also knew he did not need to explain to Paul what he was referring to when making this enquiry. Both knew that the question was specific to SALVATION FROM THE DAMNATION OF HELL FOR SIN!
In John 3, Jesus makes a number of statements employing words that IDENTIFY THAT END FOR ALL OF MANKIND apart from the gospel;
From verse 16 we see it;
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Here you have to completely opposing propositions, one is that of an individual “perishing“, OR of having “everlasting life“. These are antithetical one to the other. But it continues on in the passage;
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
If the world is not willing to be “saved”, then it shall certainly be “condemned”… ‘condemnation’ therefore, is the opposite of being “saved”. But the passage is still not finished;
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already,
Again, it is as if Jesus is trying so hard to help us understand the two opposing points, one to be “not condemned“, the other is being “condemned already“. The Roman Jailor of Acts 16 clearly KNEW where he stood on those two polarising positions.
Do you?
Jesus explains why there is a condemnation from verse 19 in John 3, and we are still drawn toward giving consideration to the antithesis; you are either on one position OR you are on the others…there is no half way point in the Bible;
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Jesus spoke of hell more than any other single individual in the Bible. Of the 54 occurrences of the word in the entire Bible, Jesus uses the word itself 15 times, in other words, almost 1/3rd of the employments of the word “Hell” in the entire Bible is employed by Christ, the one who would die to save mankind from it.
SOMETHING HAS CHANGED
Something has changed however in our modern days. Though the concern over the afterlife was front and centre in the minds of most people up until but a century ago, today it is a taboo subject.
Perhaps it is considered “taboo” by most people because most people do not want to be reminded of the sin that is sending them there, they have dulled their consciences to the point that they are quite literally sleep walking into hell and are angry when you try to wake them up, UNTIL it is too late and, like the rich man of Luke 16, they are buried and “in hell he life up his eyes, being in torments” (Lk 16:23).
In his book The Vanishing Conscience, Pastor John Macarthur relates a telling example of the people of the world respecting their sin and how it all ends. He writes of an airline disaster in 1984;
He writes;
“In 1984 an Avianca Airlines jet crashed in Spain. Investigators studying the accident made an eerie discovery. The “black box” cockpit recorders revealed that several minutes before impact a shrill, computer-synthesized voice from the plane’s automatic warning system told the crew repeatedly in English, “Pull up! Pull up!”
The pilot, evidently thinking the system was malfunctioning, snapped, “Shut up, Gringo!” and switched the system off. Minutes later the plane plowed into the side of a mountain. Everyone on board died.
When I saw that tragic story on the news shortly after it happened, it struck me as a perfect parable of the way modern people treat the warning messages of their consciences.[2]“
Its not just that people do not want to be told about their sin today, people do not want to be told that there are consequences to sin.
“The wages of sin is death” says the bible in Romans 6:23.
“…sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Rom 5:12)
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die…” Ezek 18:4
Jesus said, “and these shall go away into everlasting punishment” Matt 25:46
Turn to Mark 9 to obtain the full perspective on sin and its end by the lips of Jesus
Mark 9:43–48
43 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.
What is hell?
Every culture in the world has an innate belief in what is often referred to as “The Afterlife”.
Even in this secular nation of Australia, where almost 40% of people identified themselves as having no religious affiliation in the 2021 Census, I have never yet been to a funeral where the individual is regarded as ceasing to exist.
Every person who I have witnessed officiating over a funeral has given at least some remark as to a present afterlife existence for the person who has died.
Contrary to both scripture, every ancient culture and the living belief of all people who recognise a positive and negative end to life, every funeral I have witnessed consistently proclaimed a “Positive End”.
Jesus said
Matthew 7:13
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
What Jesus spoke of and every culture has long been aware of seems to have become the first historical victim of being “shadow banned”. First in the culture, then in the Bible Cemeteries (Seminaries) and finally in the pulpits of Churches.
Its removed from Old testament completely in almost every modern Bible and included about half of the time in the New testament.
The word “Damned” and “Damnation” is removed completely in almost all modern versions of the Bible….
I have worked in the construction industry for thirty years and we had DANGER SIGNS everywhere and labels on everything warning us of potential injury.
Modern Christianity has taken away the WARNING label of life and death and today people live with little to no fear of death.
Some kill themselves for fears in life thinking that it is SAFER to “Die” than to live.
Beloved, this is frightening! Especially when the Bible presents “death” as the ultimate and final enemy of mankind;
1 Corinthians 15:26
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
The word “Hell” appears in no less than 54 verses of the Bible gives men no excuse to be ignorant as to its meaning and Christians NO EXCUSE as to its warning.
Synonyms of the word and allusions to the place; such as the word “perish” in John 3:16, “Everlasting Destruction” 2 Thess 1:9, sudden destruction 1 Thess 5:3, ‘vessels of wrath fitted to destruction” Rom 9:22, Fiery Indignation Heb 10:27), blackness of darkness Jude 13, eternal fire Jude 7, outer darkness Mat 8:12, 22:13, 25:30, everlasting fire Matt 25:46, Lake of Fire (Rev 19:20, 20:10, 20:14, 20:15), Perdition 1 Tim 6:9, Just to name a few, are found so much more frequently, adding further to the evidence of wilful ignorance to which account will be given in the day of Christ (Phil 1:10).
23 of the 54 occurrences of the word ‘Hell’ is found in the New Testament. All but SEVEN of those appearances of the word ‘Hell’, came from the mouth of Jesus.
The warnings that he gave are the clearest of all the warnings in the scriptures and the descriptions given by Christ are also the most revealing as to its description.
Fire
Hell is descriptive of an extremity of fire that is incomparable to that on the earth.
Matthew 5:22
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
It is a place created for the Devil and his angels, both unaffected by natural fire;
Matthew 25:41
41 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:
Here we see that it is an “everlasting fire”,
It is a place where the body will be committed;
Matthew 5:29
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Not the body that dies, but a different resurrected body; Jesus said
John 5:29
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
How is that “Resurrection Body” described?
Jesus quoted Isaiah in Marks Gospel. Turn to Mark 9
Here and in Isaiah 66:24 are the only places of
Mark 9:43–48
43 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.
Blackness of Darkeness
There is NO LIGHT in Hell
Jude wrote of False Christians, godless individuals of the last days in his single chapter book;
Jude 12–13
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
A good guide line of hell is to consider it as the complete opposite of Heaven, where heaven is filled with light, Hell is absolute darkness, and possibly even a darkness so dark it can be felt.
In Gods judgement against Egypt, when he separated his promised people from the wicked, he commanded Moses;
Exodus 10:21
21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.
So many think to themselves that Hell will be a party with all the wicked, they are sourly deceived. John Bunyan wrote of one man so wicked that he was warned of his end and he replied ignorantly “what would the devil do for company if it were not for men such as I?“.
There will be no company in hell beloved!
Where heaven is filled with fellowship and company, hell is absolute solitude for all eternity. While there certainly seems to be an awareness of those in hell (Isa 14:10), unlike heaven, there is no indication anywhere that there is fellowship or companionship in hell.
Solitary confinements are employed in the prison system to inflict a greater punishment on inmates. The Devil will not have company, he will not “rule in hell” as Milton portrays in his epic poem Paradise Lost, he and all those in hell will not even see one another in that place.
Where is Hell?
Ok, we enter into a part of this conversation that is not perfectly certain, but derived ONLY from how the Bible presents it.
The ancient world has ALWAYS believed Hell is in the midst of the Earth, and the Bible does nothing to discourage this view, but may indeed affirm it.
The Bible indicates that Hell has a geographic location. Yes, it is a physical place!
When reading the scriptures, unlike heaven, we do not get the impression that hell is a mystical “otherworldy” realm. The passages of the Bible indicate that Hell is actually GEOCENTRIC.
In other words, it is in the belly of the Earth.
“Bottomless Pit”: appears 7 times referring to hell and only in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 9:1-2
1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
Psalm 55:23 refers to the place as “the pit of Destruction”
Luke writes of the devils plea to Jesus that they would not be cast into “the deep” (Luke 8:31)
The assembly of wicked men who rebelled against the authority of Moses and Aaron were spoken of by Moses as he said;
Numbers 16:30–33
30 But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. 31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: 32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. 33 They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.
The ONLy place you can have a “Bottomless Pit” is in the belly of the Earth.
Scientists argue a little over whether the centre of the Earth is Liquid or Solid, but both agree that it is a metallic structure with a heat intensity of between 6,000c and 7,000c.
The “outer core” they all agree is liquid fire and evidently seen spewing out of Volcanoes.
Opposed to Heaven, the Bible indicates Hell as in the Earth.
Revelation tells us that “death and hell” will be “cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” Rev 20:14
Eternal Fire
Probably the single most difficult aspect of Hell to conceive of is its eternality. That is, that it is forever.
You can feel free to invent a PURGATORY no matter how horrific you can create it, and no matter how long it is that you will endure it, IF THERE IS HOPE YOU WILL EVENTUALLY ESCAPE.
A “purgatory” is ALMOST WORTH the risk of living a sinful life to its fullest degree INSPITE OF ENDURING the most evil horror that an imagination can conceive of, IF there is hope that you will one day come out of it.
Jonathan Edwards, in his famous sermon: Sinners in the Hand of a Angry God” writes that;
“If all the sands of all the beaches on the world were placed into an hourglass, and each grain of sand represented an entire year, you would yet have hope of being delivered”
But this is not HELL.
Arthur W Pink recognises that even the protestants of his day were considering a form of Protestant Purgatory, vainly trusting that “the punishment of hell is ‘corrective’ rather than ‘retributive’, that the fires of HELL are “purifying” rather than “penal“.
He goes on to write;
Some who hold this view make a great pretense of honoring Christ, yet in reality they greatly dishonor Him. If men who died rejecting the Saviour are yet to be saved, if the fires of hell are to do for men what the blood of the Cross failed to effect, then why was the Divine Sacrifice needed at all—all might have been saved by the disciplinary sufferings of hell, and so God could have spared His Son.[3]
It is that HELL is ETERNAL, Forever, never to be availed from, never to stop, never to be delivered from, that makes a hell out of HELL.
Jude wrote of the deceivers in churches in the last days, comparing them to the fallen angels who are
Jude 7
“… set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”
Revelation warns of those who take the Mark of the Beast that is coming on the near horizon, for which the “Digital I.D.” Being debated at the moment is PREPATORY;
Revelation 14:9–11
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Daniel wrote some 500 years before Christ of this end, saying;
Daniel 12:2
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.
There is ALSO a body that they will rise with that seems fit for purpose; Jesus spoke of each being “raised” from the dead;
John 5:29
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
The resurrected bodies of the saints are likened to Jesus glorified body, but the only description related to the body of the damned is seen in Isaiah and Jesus words in Marks Gospel, identified by the phrase;
“Where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched” Mark 9:44, 9:46, 9:48, the repetition of which is deleted in almost every modern version of the Bible today. (V 44 & 46 deleted)
Those raised to the “resurrection of damnation” are written of to suffer the “second death”.
Revelation 21:8
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
The passage of the rich man in hell testifies to the torments as Conscious, so much so that he does not desire the company of any family or freind to attend to him.
He has no question of being removed from this state, but desires relief from its torment;
“send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame[4]“
The FORGOTTEN CONSCIENCE IN LIFE seems to be FULLY INFORMED in death.
None in hell shall be remembered, no name given and celebrated between the wicked today will endure;
Proverbs 10:7
7 The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.
Job 18:17
17 His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.
Psalm 9:5
5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.
Psalm 9:6
6 O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end: and thou hast destroyed cities; their memorial is perished with them.
This is contrasted with those who have believed the Gospel, who will be given a NEW NAME;
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. [5] (Rev 2:17)
But Have Everlasting Life
John 3:16–21
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.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
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.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
[1]. Tan, P.L. (1996) Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., p. 554.
[2]. MacArthur, J., F…Jr. (1994) The vanishing conscience. Electronic ed. Dallas: Word Pub., p. 36.
[3]. Pink, A. W. (2005). Eternal Punishment (10). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
{$NOTE_LABEL}. The Holy Bible: King James Version. electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. (1995). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., p. Lk 16:24.
{$NOTE_LABEL}. The Holy Bible: King James Version. electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. (1995). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., p. Re 2:17.
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