THE REALITY OF HELL
By W. G. Guy
I find it amazing that there are churches and Christians that do not believe there is a devil or hell. I remember back when I was in the seventh grade I spoke with a female classmate who was one of these. She said she attended a Presbyterian Church and they did not believe in a real devil or in hell. My question to her was, then why did Jesus come to die on the cross for our sins?
Many today do not believe, or understand the reality of hell, so the following is a brief lesson.
When a person dies, their soul, (which is the intellect and personality), and spirit, (which is the life force), leave their body, and their body is either entombed or cremated. The body goes into the grave and returns to the natural elements from which it was made.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 – Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
The body is like an envelope that contains a letter; the soul and spirit within is like the letter. When you open an envelope you want the letter inside and usually dispose of the envelope and keep or preserve the letter. God created mankind to have an eternal soul and spirit, which God feels is worth keeping. At physical death, the soul and spirit depart.
There are two kinds of death: physical death is when the soul and spirit depart from the body. Spiritual death is when the soul and spirit are separated from God; this is called the second death – (Revelation 20:14)
James 2:26 – For as the body without the spirit is dead, …..
So where do the spirit and soul go to when they leave the body; when death comes, which every one of us will experience.
Hebrews 9:27-28 – And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Jesus described hell as a place of torment reserved for the wicked, unrighteous sinner who has not accepted Jesus Christ and repented of their sins. He also described a place for the righteous called paradise or Abraham’s bosom. (This was prior to His resurrection after which He took all in paradise with Him to heaven.)
2 Corinthians 5:8 – we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Jesus made this known in his discourse of Lazarus, the beggar, and the rich man, as recorded in Luke 16:19-31. (Please understand that this is not a story that Jesus made up; He, having all knowledge from the Father, actually knew of this event.)
Luke 16:22-23 – And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
People fail to realize that hell, the place of punishment and torment, was not made for mankind, but for Satan and those angels (and demons) that followed him in his rebellion against God eons ago. People who reject Jesus, God’s son, who paid the penalty for sin, are part of Satan’s rebellion and defiance against God; so they end up being with the one they serve – in hell. (Satan isn’t there yet, but he will be soon).
At death, the body of the sinner is vacated by the soul and spirit and is buried or cremated. What most people do not realize is that the soul, which is your mind, mental function and personality, is still alive but in a different place – heaven, with Jesus, or in hell which is reserved for Satan and his angles.
All of our five physical senses: sight, sound, touch, taste and smell are centered in our soul, or mind. These physical senses send messages to the mind where it is determined on what or how to react – all in a split-second of time. Since the soul/mind is still totally aware after death, it can still sense the environment which it is in – heaven, (the former paradise), or hell. This is revealed by the reactions of the rich man in hell, as Jesus relates.
Luke 16:23-26 – and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 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. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Notice that the rich man’s senses were still active and aware: he could see; he could feel the pain of the flames; he could desire the taste of water on his tongue; he could hear when Abraham replied, (he could also communicate). In addition, he was still fully aware of his family members who were still living.
Luke 16:27-28 – Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father (Abraham), that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Full consciousness and awareness with all sense faculties still exist because the soul and spirit are immortal. It was the conscious souls of both men that went into their respective waiting places. All faculties of physical awareness still work because it is the mind (soul) that interprets and responds to input picked up by the body's senses.
The mind is now functioning with more acuteness than ever before, so all that is perceived in hell is even more real than any earthly physical sensation. The soul's qualities of awareness still function receiving input and responding. Full conscious soul awareness is the reason for torment being felt (perceived) in hell. Likewise, the righteous have the same conscious awareness of their delightful surroundings. The souls of these with Christ await the resurrection when they will be re-united with their renewed immortal bodies.
The rich man’s problem was that he was assigned to hell, where the unrighteous sinners go; while Lazarus was assigned to paradise, where the righteous go. (We are not told the details of their lives that qualified them for their respective destinations.) There was also a gap between the two compartments that could not be crossed. Both compartments were located within the earth until the resurrection of Jesus when he took those who were held captive in paradise with Him to heaven when He ascended.
Ephesians 4:8 – Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Can you imagine the torment that those in hell are experiencing? Yet it is going to get even worse for them because they are not yet assigned to the final eternal Lake of Fire which happens after they appear at the Great White Throne Judgment. This is where all those in hell must answer to God, The Father, why they did not repent and accept Jesus Christ as their atonement for their sins which would have made them righteous.
Consider one of the thieves who was crucified with Jesus, who at the last moments of his life repented, confessed his sinful life and believed on Jesus as the Savior; (this is what is referred to as “the death bed confession”).
Luke 23:39-43 – And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
The one thief made a “death bed confession” and went immediately to paradise upon his death. The other thief, who actually mocked Jesus, went to hell, that place of torment, to wait for the resurrection of the spiritually dead to be judged by God at the Great White Throne Judgment.
Revelation 20:11-15 – 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. 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. 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. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
This judgment is for those in hell, and after that judgment is completed, even death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire to be eternally separated from God and any and all light; into total darkness, which is likely in another dimension.
Do you know what will be your final destination upon your death? Confessing Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who shed His blood as atonement for your sins, is the only way to receive what God has intended for mankind, and that is to forever dwell with Him.
John 3:16-18 – 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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.
John 14:6 – Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Romans 10:9-10 – that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Hell is real, but it was not intended for you, which is why God made provision for you to avoid it by having faith in Christ Jesus atoning work on the cross. You are given a choice! Are going to be like the thief on the cross that mocked Jesus; or are going to be like the one who recognized his sinful and corrupt condition, which he confessed, and accepted Jesus? Nobody else can make that decision for you! It is known as being SAVED from hell the penalty of sin!
Acts 16:30-31 – Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
By W. G. Guy
I find it amazing that there are churches and Christians that do not believe there is a devil or hell. I remember back when I was in the seventh grade I spoke with a female classmate who was one of these. She said she attended a Presbyterian Church and they did not believe in a real devil or in hell. My question to her was, then why did Jesus come to die on the cross for our sins?
Many today do not believe, or understand the reality of hell, so the following is a brief lesson.
When a person dies, their soul, (which is the intellect and personality), and spirit, (which is the life force), leave their body, and their body is either entombed or cremated. The body goes into the grave and returns to the natural elements from which it was made.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 – Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
The body is like an envelope that contains a letter; the soul and spirit within is like the letter. When you open an envelope you want the letter inside and usually dispose of the envelope and keep or preserve the letter. God created mankind to have an eternal soul and spirit, which God feels is worth keeping. At physical death, the soul and spirit depart.
There are two kinds of death: physical death is when the soul and spirit depart from the body. Spiritual death is when the soul and spirit are separated from God; this is called the second death – (Revelation 20:14)
James 2:26 – For as the body without the spirit is dead, …..
So where do the spirit and soul go to when they leave the body; when death comes, which every one of us will experience.
Hebrews 9:27-28 – And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Jesus described hell as a place of torment reserved for the wicked, unrighteous sinner who has not accepted Jesus Christ and repented of their sins. He also described a place for the righteous called paradise or Abraham’s bosom. (This was prior to His resurrection after which He took all in paradise with Him to heaven.)
2 Corinthians 5:8 – we are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Jesus made this known in his discourse of Lazarus, the beggar, and the rich man, as recorded in Luke 16:19-31. (Please understand that this is not a story that Jesus made up; He, having all knowledge from the Father, actually knew of this event.)
Luke 16:22-23 – And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
People fail to realize that hell, the place of punishment and torment, was not made for mankind, but for Satan and those angels (and demons) that followed him in his rebellion against God eons ago. People who reject Jesus, God’s son, who paid the penalty for sin, are part of Satan’s rebellion and defiance against God; so they end up being with the one they serve – in hell. (Satan isn’t there yet, but he will be soon).
At death, the body of the sinner is vacated by the soul and spirit and is buried or cremated. What most people do not realize is that the soul, which is your mind, mental function and personality, is still alive but in a different place – heaven, with Jesus, or in hell which is reserved for Satan and his angles.
All of our five physical senses: sight, sound, touch, taste and smell are centered in our soul, or mind. These physical senses send messages to the mind where it is determined on what or how to react – all in a split-second of time. Since the soul/mind is still totally aware after death, it can still sense the environment which it is in – heaven, (the former paradise), or hell. This is revealed by the reactions of the rich man in hell, as Jesus relates.
Luke 16:23-26 – and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 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. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Notice that the rich man’s senses were still active and aware: he could see; he could feel the pain of the flames; he could desire the taste of water on his tongue; he could hear when Abraham replied, (he could also communicate). In addition, he was still fully aware of his family members who were still living.
Luke 16:27-28 – Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father (Abraham), that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Full consciousness and awareness with all sense faculties still exist because the soul and spirit are immortal. It was the conscious souls of both men that went into their respective waiting places. All faculties of physical awareness still work because it is the mind (soul) that interprets and responds to input picked up by the body's senses.
The mind is now functioning with more acuteness than ever before, so all that is perceived in hell is even more real than any earthly physical sensation. The soul's qualities of awareness still function receiving input and responding. Full conscious soul awareness is the reason for torment being felt (perceived) in hell. Likewise, the righteous have the same conscious awareness of their delightful surroundings. The souls of these with Christ await the resurrection when they will be re-united with their renewed immortal bodies.
The rich man’s problem was that he was assigned to hell, where the unrighteous sinners go; while Lazarus was assigned to paradise, where the righteous go. (We are not told the details of their lives that qualified them for their respective destinations.) There was also a gap between the two compartments that could not be crossed. Both compartments were located within the earth until the resurrection of Jesus when he took those who were held captive in paradise with Him to heaven when He ascended.
Ephesians 4:8 – Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Can you imagine the torment that those in hell are experiencing? Yet it is going to get even worse for them because they are not yet assigned to the final eternal Lake of Fire which happens after they appear at the Great White Throne Judgment. This is where all those in hell must answer to God, The Father, why they did not repent and accept Jesus Christ as their atonement for their sins which would have made them righteous.
Consider one of the thieves who was crucified with Jesus, who at the last moments of his life repented, confessed his sinful life and believed on Jesus as the Savior; (this is what is referred to as “the death bed confession”).
Luke 23:39-43 – And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
The one thief made a “death bed confession” and went immediately to paradise upon his death. The other thief, who actually mocked Jesus, went to hell, that place of torment, to wait for the resurrection of the spiritually dead to be judged by God at the Great White Throne Judgment.
Revelation 20:11-15 – 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. 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. 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. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
This judgment is for those in hell, and after that judgment is completed, even death and hell will be cast into the lake of fire to be eternally separated from God and any and all light; into total darkness, which is likely in another dimension.
Do you know what will be your final destination upon your death? Confessing Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who shed His blood as atonement for your sins, is the only way to receive what God has intended for mankind, and that is to forever dwell with Him.
John 3:16-18 – 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 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.
John 14:6 – Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Romans 10:9-10 – that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Hell is real, but it was not intended for you, which is why God made provision for you to avoid it by having faith in Christ Jesus atoning work on the cross. You are given a choice! Are going to be like the thief on the cross that mocked Jesus; or are going to be like the one who recognized his sinful and corrupt condition, which he confessed, and accepted Jesus? Nobody else can make that decision for you! It is known as being SAVED from hell the penalty of sin!
Acts 16:30-31 – Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
