Hell--NO!

Hell, hades, sheol, lake of fire, eternal damnation-- all of these are used to describe the place which was created for Satan and the other fallen angels. But it will also be the place for those who refuse or reject Jesus Christ and the free gift of salvation which He has provided for them. 

In older times, you had men who would stand in pulpits across the nation proclaiming that heaven was real and hell was hot. In 1741, American theologian Jonathan Edward's preached a sermon entitled "Sinners in the hands of an angry God", which ushered in the First Great Awakening. This message was so full of illustrations that much of what he taught brought about fear within the congregation.  While he preached about those who were in sin and how God dealt with them severely, he utilized the eternal torment of hell as illustration. One of the analogies he used in this was that of a spider dangling from a web over an open flame. If you were to try that with a spider and web large enough to see (most are scared of spiders including myself), you would see the spider trying to flee the flames before it ultimately succumbs to the heat and flames. Pretty graphic outcome for that poor spider, but what about those who of us that are dangling on their own web over the firey flame?

In one of my last writings, I referenced the prayer that used to be prayed before classes began each day in public schools. Once it was removed, the moral compass of America began to shift from heaven towards hell. So drastic has this shift been that there are those who are preachers today who refuse to preach against what the Bible calls sin. Instead of standing up and speaking "Thus saith the Lord," they present a watered down gospel that makes everyone feel good about themselves. And you can totally forget about telling anyone about hell or that without Jesus in their lives they will spend eternity  there. That doesn't fit the agenda because that is just not "who God is." God is love, surely He would never send anyone to hell. Yes, God is love but He is also jealous according to Exodus 34:14, "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." By refusing to teach Truth and neglecting the teaching on hell, these so-called preachers make it possible for their congregants to put anything and everything above God. This is completely opposite of the type of preaching that Jonathan Edwards did in 1741. 

The ever changing landscape of Hollywood has factored into the appeal of the general population. What once was seen as wholesome family entertainment: Leave it to Beaver, Mr. Ed, the Andy Griffith show, Little house on the Prairie, has been replaced with the "new" wholesome that is meant to reflect the current landscape of America. The "Beav" has become The Modern Family, Mr. Ed has a whole new meaning when the horse is now a human that says he is a horse and the list goes on and on. The saddest part of this all is that what you once had to pay for through cable or satellite subscription is now available for viewing on regular network television for anyone to see. 

Taking it even further, Hollywood has romanticized the thought of hell. With big screen movies to the small screen series, there is no genre that they are not trying to reach. What started out so innocently with a little angel on one shoulde and a little devil on the other shoulder serving as the characters conscience in our favorite cartoon series, paved the way for the introduction of hell into our homes on a regular basis. Weekly series are now set to welcome "Lucifer" into your home while you sit back on your couch and laugh. In 2000, Adam Sandler starred in what was touted as a comedy film called "Little Nicky." This film spent almost $100,000 in  production. Sandler played the youngest son of Satan. The premise of the movie was that he had to save earth from his evil (isn't that ironic, one son of Satan considered evil and the other not) older brother. In the meantime, he falls in love with an angel. After defeating his brother, Nicky chooses to stay with the angel he fell in love with and become an angel himself. At the box office, this movie flopped. But how many are still watching it when it comes on network tv? 

Let me tell you how this is incorrect by using scripture. Luke 16: 19-31 says "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 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; 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. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, 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. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

Yes, it is true that there are demons who torment us here on Earth. However, Satan will never be able to destroy the world. But how Nicky was able to choose to become an angel and stay in heaven just doesn't happen that way. From hell to heaven is separated by a great gulf as it is said in this scripture. When the rich man asked for Lazarus to dip his finger in water for relief, he was told it is impossible for him to come to him. Father Abraham said it was so that the ones who desired to escape the torment could not, but it also says that it prevents those on the other side (heaven) from going in to pull someone out. This also debunks the Catholic teaching of purgatory and being able to pay pennance to move your loved one on to heaven. 

I remember when I was in college and I had to write a descriptive paper for English, it was either 101 or 102, can't remember if it was my first or second quarter. I can't remember all of the topic choices which were available except for the one I chose: describe hell. As I sat to think about how I would even describe hell for this paper, all I could do was think about what I had read about hell in the Bible: what it would look like, smell like, feel like and sound like? I titled the paper "A Human Perspective of Hell" because that's all it could be, a human perspective. I recall that I used the bubbling sound of a witches cauldron for the lake of fire with the smell of rotten Easter eggs as the sulpher burned. I recall the ear piercing screams while people cried out in torment as their flesh burned, the smell of singed hair day in and day out as the individual searches everywhere for even a drop of water. These were just a few of the things I can remember writing to describe this place.  I really got into writing this and was so focused on getting the perfect description that I didn't finish until it was the very last minute of class time. I left no room for proof reading. The day came to receive our grades and before they were given back, the professor started to read a paper aloud for the class to hear, stating it was the best descriptive paper he had read. It was mine! I watched as each of my classmates squirmed in their seats as the very descriptive words of eternal torment and pain were presented to them. I made a D- on that paper because of the spelling or grammatical errors but in my book, it was an A+. 

I told that piece of my history to say this, If the descriptive words that I wrote caused a reaction in my classmates, then why can the descriptions written in the Bible about the very same place not cause the same reaction? Because people have lost the fear of hell. Do I believe we need to go back to the type of preaching that Jonathan Edwards did, describing congregants as spiders dangling from those webs? I can't answer that question because all I have knowledge of is this one sermon which was turned into a book. I do believe that we need to go back to preaching the Truth of the gospel and that is that heaven is real and hell is hot. 

I've referenced before in some of my writings about how I was told by someone that they had their "fire insurance", all because they were brought up in a particular denomination.  

This thought just hit me, you have insurance coverage, whether auto, home, health, or life, as long as you pay your premiums. If you don't pay, your coverage lapses and you are not covered should anything happen. You are then responsible for any out of pocket expenses that are incurred during that lapse.  

Yes, you can have "fire insurance" to keep you from going to hell. But you have to maintain the premiums on that policy. Just as in the natural, if you have a "wreck" and your policy premium hasn't been maintained, you will find yourself paying.  What does it cost? Romans 6:23 can be used here as your statement or invoice for services, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." If you look back at our previous scripture in Luke 17, vs 22 let's us know that the rich man had to pay the price of death, hell and eternal torment. But it also shows us the eternal life when Lazarus was carried to Abraham's bosom. 

It costs daily--repentance and staying in the will of God. It is saying God--yes when He calls. And if the world and temptation come calling---hell--no. I would be remiss here if I didn't tell you how to say yes to God. It is very simple. Acts 2:38 tells you exactly how to say yes for the very first time, "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Repentance is confession of your sin to God in prayer, not to another person. The second is being baptized in Jesus name for the remission of those sins. I'm not going to argue with you the need of baptisim for salvation but will say that Jesus Himself said you have to be born of water and of spirit.  The 3rd step is to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues. If you have followed these steps already, then your daily premium is that of repentance. Paul said that he died daily. That is setting aside himself, his wants, his needs and confessing his faults. Now it's your time to tell hell--no.