HELL YOU SAY!

Revelation 14:9-12 (NLT) Then a third angel followed them, shouting, "Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or the hand must drink the wine of God's wrath. It is poured out undiluted into God's cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their torment rises forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name. Let this encourage God's holy people to endure persecution patiently and remain firm to the end, obeying his commands and trusting in Jesus."

        The saddest thing I ever heard was from an atheist who wrote. "I can not believe in what the Christian believes because if they truly believed that everyone who does not accept Jesus as their Savior went to eternal punishment and torment in Hell, they would do everything they could to save everyone they could from such a fate. They would not rest because of the burden for the lost.   I do not see such concern in them therefore they must not truly believe their own beliefs."   I want to take a few minutes of your time this week to talk about some things I see in the Christian church that really worries me.  Now this may make you mad and I might hear from you but, I do not consider those who follow false religions Christians.  And I do not know how anyone can consider themselves a Christian if they attend or support any religious organization that goes against the word of God.  Whether it is accepting outright sinners into their leadership and church membership or denying that Jesus is the Christ and the Way the Truth, the life and the only way to the Father.  So if you are in one of those groups the rest of this has no bearing on you. 
        I have notice a very distinct trend in the Christian church in the last few years.   This trend is to either soften or completely remove Biblical doctrines from the church.  The Episcopal church is an extreme example voting at its general council meeting, this year, to deny John 14:6 and that Jesus is the only way to the Father.  They even went so far as to say that the scriptures were anti-Semitic and needed to find "alternatives" to teach their beliefs.   But the worldwide Christian church is guilty of softening many of the Bible teachings today to make the Gospel more palatable for the sinners. 
        One of the most common doctrines of the Bible that the church is guilty of softening is the doctrine of hell and eternal damnation.  It seems we want to be the sinners friend and try to love them into the church.  I cannot count how many times I have been told we should not condemn the sinner but love them into the church.  Well I am here to tell you that loving someone into the church is not going to get them to heaven.  Convicting them of their sin, leading them to accepting Jesus as their personal Savior and teaching them to live a holy and acceptable live before our Father in heaven will get them there.   As a great pastor once said " I do not care if you believe in Hell or not! God does! And your are going if you do not accept Jesus Christ!"  Oh boy! talk about being politically incorrect. 
        In the Bible hell or some form of reference to it occur approximately 400 times. I find it most fascinating that in the King James Bible the word hell is mentioned 54 times yet by the time we get to the most modern translations hell has completely disappeared.  The translators have made the Bible more friendly by eliminating even the mention of hell.  Here is my point and I want you to really think about it.  Why do we need a Savior to get us into heaven if there is no hell?   If there is no eternal punishment why do we need a Savior to get us into heaven?  I have spent many years in schooling as a scientist.  One of the things you learn is that one of the most fundamental principles is that for every action there is an equal  and opposite reaction.  It does not matter if you are talking about physics, biology or any other scientific study.  Why, because the Father in heaven created all we see in nature.  Therefore, why is it so hard to believe that if there is an eternal place of love, joy, peace etc there would not be an eternal place of the opposite. 
        Today I just want to look at  a few scriptures on heaven and hell.  I want to examine the doctrine of hell and eternal damnation and just how important it is to our salvation.  Yes it is important to our salvation! Reread the comment from the atheist above.  How concerned are you that your unsaved neighbor is going to wake up in hell if they do not accept Jesus.  Does it bother you?  Does it concern you?  Because if it doesn't then you do not really believe in hell yourself.  The biggest argument people put forth is how can an all loving God send people to eternal punishment.   First God did not create hell for you and I.  It was created for the fallen angels as their punishment.
Jude 1:6-7 (NLT)6And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the day of judgment. And don't forget the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with sexual immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and are a warning of the eternal fire that will punish all who are evil.
        Jude brings it home.  But lets just look at what the Bible says hell will be like.  It will not be a place you go to party.

Jonah 2:6 (ASV) 6I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed upon me for ever: Yet hast thou brought up my life from the pit, O Jehovah my God.
        So you won't be free to just wander around hell and party on.  The Bible tells us you will be in a prison or chambers.  Your movements will be restricted. 

Isaiah 14:9-10 (KJV) 9Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.  10All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?
Psalm 88:4 (KJV) I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
        There will be no strong men in hell.  You will be at the mercy, as if there will be any, of the tormenting demons. 

Deuteronomy 32:24-25 (KJV) 24They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. 25The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs.
2 Samuel 22:5 (KJV) 5When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;
        Just these two verses show that in hell you shall have horrible hunger, you shall be devoured by burning heat, you will be ripped apart by the teeth of beasts, you shall be bitten by poisonous snakes and live in constant terror.  Not somewhere I want to spend eternity. 

Isaiah 5:14-15 (KJV)14Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it. And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:
Isaiah 57:15 (NLT)  15The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this: "I live in that high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts.
Ezekiel 32:24 (KJV) … yet have they borne their shame with them that go down to the pit.
        No matter how high and mighty they are in this world the word makes it clear they will be humbled.  If they do not accept Jesus they will spend eternity being humbled.  

Psalm 88:6 (KJV) Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
Revelation 16:10-11 (KJV) 10And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,  And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
Jude 1:13 (KJV) 13Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
        Hell is not going to be a bright inviting place.  The Bible describes it as having a darkness you can feel.  Totally void of any light at all.  When I was young one of the things I used to love to do was explore the old mines around where I lived.   When you get several hundred feet into the middle of a mountain  and you turn off your flashlight you can understand what the Bible means.  The darkness in the tunnel is so encompassing that you can feel it.  Even though you know that you are the only living thing in that place you can feel a presence.  You feel that the darkness almost has a life of it's own.  That my friends is what hell is like.  Isaiah 24:17 talks about the fear you will find in hell.  Isaiah 24:17-18 (KJV) 17Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.  18And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare:
         But worst of all is how it is described in Isaiah 57:21 (KJV) 21There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.  There is no peace in hell eternity with no rest, no joy, no peace just suffering.  Dead but more alive than before.  Reliving every time the gospel was preached to you but unable to change things.   There are no go backs in hell my friends. 
        So I come to my final point.  Do you believe the word of God or not.  If you do believe the word of God then why, oh why are you not using ever ounce of energy and power you have to spread the gospel.  Do you care about your unsaved friend, relative, acquaintance?   Yours is not to convince or convict them of their sin.  Yours is only to teach and preach the simple Gospel of salvation of Jesus Christ.  If nothing else hell should make you more concerned about your fellow man.  You see without hell we Christians do not even have a compelling reason to tell others of Jesus.  If there is no eternal punishment then who needs Salvation?  "I can not believe in what the Christian believes because if they truly believed that everyone who does not accept Jesus as their Savior went to eternal punishment and torment in Hell, they would do everything they could to save everyone they could from such a fate. They would not rest because of the burden for the lost.   I do not see such concern in them therefore they must not truly believe their own beliefs."  
        Hold on to the Bible truths so you can give them back to the world.   Don't let old slue foot rob you of the truth of the word of God. 

God Bless