The Reality of Hell

Tomorrow at Oakland as we continue our expository journey through the gospel of Luke, I'll be preaching from Luke 16:19-31. Here we have what some call a parable, and others a true account of a certain rich man and a poor beggar named Lazarus. Regardless of whether Jesus gives us a parable or a factual account here, few can argue that this scripture details one of the most terrifying views of hell in the bible. Hell is indeed a real place. Jesus mentions hell 3 times for every 1 time He mentions heaven. So what can we discern about hell from this scripture in Luke?

1) Luke 16:19-22-Our status here on earth has no bearing on our eternal destination: The rich man here was clearly well thought of, respected in town and a prominent person. Lazarus was an overlooked and disregarded beggar. On earth the rich man enjoyed status and prominence, while Lazarus was an outcast left for the dogs. But in eternity it is Lazarus who was carried by angels to Abraham's bosom(paradise), while the rich man was simply buried. The bible teaches us in 2 Samuel 16:7 that God does not regard the outward appearance as man does, but rather, the heart. This scripture verifies that.

2) Luke 16:23-Hell is indeed a place of torment. In the English language 3 Greek words are translated as the word hell, but each has a distinct meaning. The Greek word Sheol, simply means grave. The word hades speaks of a place of torment. The Greek word Gehenna, speaks of the true hell, the "lake of fire" spoken of in Revelation 20, that is the eternal dwelling of all of those who died without faith in God covered by the blood of Christ. As this scripture was spoken by Christ, the word for hell would be hades. Here, life after death, was one of 2 places. "Abraham's bosom" spoke of the place where Old Testament saints saved by grace, through faith dwelt. It was a place of comfort and peace, that is now empty. Christ took the Old Testament saints with Him to what we now call paradise(Ephesians 4:8-10), which is where we also go as saved believers now. When we teach that to be "absent from the body is to be present with the Lord," this is what is defined as paradise. It is not yet the eternal heaven(The New Jerusalem) for the church. The place of torment, where we find this rich man, is still present. This rich man is still there. He will spend eternity in Gehenna, the "lake of fire," but that will not come until the "Great White Throne Judgment" of Revelation 20.

3) Luke 16:24-26-Their is no escape or comfort available for those who die apart from God. It is an eternal place of torment. The rich man looks toward paradise, and asks for just a drop of water. Why does he ask for just a drop? Because, if he can get one drop, he can get more. But even one drop is unavailable. If we die apart from God, their is no escape from a life of eternal torment. A gulf is fixed that cannot be crossed from either side. Hebrews 9:27 tells us, "that man is appointed to die once, and then the judgment." We are judged for this single life on earth. Here, we either accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, inheriting paradise and eventually eternity in heaven with God; or we are sentenced to a life of eternal torment with no hope of parole, no change of address, no relief, no comfort.

4) Luke 16:27-31-In hades, and probably Gehenna, eternal hell, we will be keenly aware of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It may not have mattered to us here on earth, but it will in hell. We will live for eternity knowing all we had to do to be in heaven, the place of love, peace, comfort, joy; the place of God. All we had to do was accept Christ, and our eternity would be glorious instead of, well, hell. While we had no concern for our loved ones souls on earth, we will be in anguish over them in hell, but powerless to affect any truth or wisdom to them. This is part of our eternal torment. Basically we realize for eternity, we blew it.

Today, hell is still a much discussed place. Many, even some professing Christians, question the reality of hell. They ask why would a God who claims to be a God of love, banish people to such an awful place. Many simply refuse to accept the clear teachings of Jesus and the bible. They want the good, heaven, but ignore the horrific, hell. Hell is not a popular message to be preached. It's offensive to many, and as thus is ignored in many pulpits more interested in pleasing people instead of pleasing God.

Friends, their is an eternal heaven and an eternal hell. You will wind up in one place or the other. To assure yourself of an eternity with God in heaven, you need to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You need to confess to Him you are a sinner in need of forgiveness and that only He, as God, can forgive your sins. You need to believe that on the cross, through His blood and death, your sins are forgiven. You need to believe He was buried and rose again from death to eternal life on the third day. You need to confess Jesus with your mouth and believe in Him in your heart. If you do this, you will be filled by the Holy Spirit. You will repent of your sins, and begin a walk of following God and conforming to the image of Christ. You will stumble and you will fall, but you will continue to move forward toward God, denying yourself, and following Him.

Sadly. many here on earth are just like the rich man in Luke 16. They look at things from the outside, instead of examining their hearts. They trust that somehow their accomplishments here on earth will be enough to please God. These people need to hear of hell. For those who disregard the message of hell, all they need do is listen to Jesus. While Jesus clearly taught of the "good news," the gospel. He also regularly warned of the consequences of rejecting His message. The consequence, is hell. For those who have an ear, let them hear.