TEXT: Luke 16:19-31, The Rich Man & Lazarus
In other stories Jesus says they are parables, but in this one He does not call it a parable. This is reality.
Mt. 25:41, "...depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil & his angels..."
Hell is God's last act of kindness for unrepentant men. Do we really believe there really is a hell, & that our unsaved relatives & neighbors will some day sink into the everlasting fires of eternal hell? We may accept it in our minds but do we really believe it with our hearts?
1. WHAT IS HELL? It is not death or the grave. Jesus spoke twice as much on hell as heaven. Mt. 10:28 Jesus said, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul & body in hell."
2 Peter 2:4, "...God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, & delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;" If hell is the death & the grave, then how could God have cast angels into hell, for angels do not have physical bodies that die or that can be buried in the grave. And if God cast angels that sinned down into hell He could not cast them into the grave, & they could not die a physical death. Angels are spirits; thus, hell is a place where the spiritual part of a being goes, for a conscious existence for angels are spirits that are cast down into hell. And hell is a place prepared for the devil & his angels.
Hell is torment, vs. 24
What are the flames of hell? Our fire consumes; it is earthly. But O the flames of hell that can burn the spirit of a man but not his body!
The physical body has eyes but so does the soul, vs. 23, for he lift up his eyes, being in torments in hell. And he cried out to Abraham for relief, & Abraham said, "Son, REMEMBER..." (vs 25). People today in counselling tell of the torments of their memory. One of the flames of hell for all eternity will be their own MEMORY. In hell he will have a perfect memory, not hindered by the physical imperfections of his brain. They will remember every sin they have committed, every evil word, thought, deed they have ever done that has tormented their soul & there will be no relief from a physical body. Many people today are living in torment in their soul, & many mental institutions are full of them, & there are those who get drunk, or high on drugs, commit suicide, have sex--all to try to forget. Inner torment of that memory & mind will be eternal burning, eternal flame. Some people say, I can't believe a loving God will put them in a fire & torture them! But that's not what we are talking about. Who's fire is it that will torture them? The fire of their own sin. Not what God put on them but something that God wanted to take away from them, deliver them from, something God paid a great price on Calvary & poured out His life's blood to deliver them because He loves them & wants to deliver them from hell & all its torments. He doesn't want men to suffer, but they reject His love.
He cried out in hell for mercy, but there are no prayers answered in hell, vs. 24. What a terrible thing for a man to end up in hell & then some day realize that he brought his wife & his family, that he loved, with him. He thought of his 5 brothers, but now it was too late. He loved them but he could do nothing about it for ever & ever.
Marlowe in his play, The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus: a man in this play seems to come back from hell & was asked, How can it be that you are out of hell? He said: "Hell has no limits, nor circumscribed in one certain place, for where we are is hell, & where hell is there must we ever be." It is the condition of a man without God that is hell. If a man without God could ever get into heaven, it would be a worst hell for him than if he were in hell. It is God's last act of kindness for unrepentant men because God would never be so unkind as to take a person who didn't want Him, who was proud, rebellious & rejected Him, determined to live without God, & then make him live with God & His people.
2. WHO IS GOING TO HELL? Ps. 9:17 says, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, & all the nations that forget God."
To forget God means to live as though God were not there, live your life without God, live life the way you want to live it, & ignore God.
Rev. 21:8, "second death." First death is when a man dies physically; the second death is worse in that he is separated from God eternally in the lake of fire.
THOSE WHO ARE GOING TO HELL: (Rev. 21:8)
Fearful--because of fear they don't come to Christ.
Unbelieving--those who refuse to put their faith in Christ.
Abominable--those who are full of hate; marriages are breaking up, politicians
hate each other, relatives, brothers & sisters hate each other today.
Murderers--
Whoremongers--those who live immoral lives, living in sexual lust & immorality of every kind; common law living.
Sorcerers--those who fool around with the occult, witchcraft.
Idolaters--money & materialism ahead of God.
Liars--cheat, steal & lie.
Only by putting your trust in Christ will your name be in the Book of Life. And if not, God will have to say, Depart from me into everlasting fire prepared for the devil & his angels.
A man who was a friend of an outstanding judge, respected in the city for his righteousness & justice, said: "Sir, I understand that you & your wife are going to be separated shortly." The judge's face flushed red with anger & he said: "Sir, what do you mean, insinuating such a thing? My wife & I love each other very deeply." Oh," said the man, "I have just been talking to your wife's doctor & he tells me that your wife only has a short time to live. And she is a Christian, is she not? And when she dies she is going to heaven to live with Christ. Which way are you going?" And he stood there for a few minutes letting that sink in; seriousness spread over his face, he began to turn pale, & suddenly he cried out: "My God, my God, I have never thought of that. I've been resisting You all these years. My God, I need to be saved." He realized that she was going to heaven & he was going to hell, & be separated from the wife he loved for all eternity.
3. WHEN ARE PEOPLE GOING TO HELL? Immediately upon death. Ps. 55:15 "...death...& quick into hell."
Illus: Someone who was a member of a church & professed to be a Christian, but she was mean, caused much trouble in the church, talking about people. Then she took ill, & her daughter asked the pastor to come because her mother was screaming, saying with her eyes turned up in horror & screaming: "I'm dying, I'm dying, & it's getting hot, & I know I am sinking into the fires of hell."
Illus: A man came to see a mine, & as he went down into the mine it got hotter & hotter. And then to make a joke he laughed & said: "I wonder how far it is to hell?" And he let out an oath. And a Christian miner who was operating the elevator looked at him solemnly & said: "I do not know, sir, but if this cable breaks you will find out immediately!"
(NOTE: The beginning of SIDE 2 of this cassette tape is on page 2, indicated above by the bold words, Illus: A man came to see a mine...)
4. HOW LONG WILL THEY REMAIN IN HELL?
Mark 9:43-48, "...fire that shall never be quenched."
Rev. 14:10, "tormented...for ever...no rest day or night." (Rev. 20:10)
What a terrible person I would be if I didn't tell you this tonight!
HOW CAN WE ESCAPE HELL? Rom. 6:23; Acts 4:12; l7:30-31; 16:30-31 - "What must I do to be saved? ...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, & thou shalt be saved." Nothing you can do to earn salvation. Jesus has done everything that you need to be saved, & all you have to do is repent of your sin & turn your life over to Him. God took all the sins of man on the cross. No one can save you but Jesus.
Illus: During the last World War a large German city was surrounded by the American army. Hitler's orders to that city was not to surrender but to die in defense of that city. The Americans sent a message to the city of 165,000 people by dropping leaflets which said: "Aachen is surrounded; the German army cannot relieve you; the time for honorable surrender has come. If not, we have no recourse but to destroy your city. There is no time to lose; bombers are waiting for orders; artillery is waiting to fire; the troops are prepared. People of Aachen, act quickly--tomorrow may be too late; you have only one choice: immediate surrender or complete & permanent destruction." But the Germans did not surrender & that city was destroyed.
Illus: A poem, Divine Comedy (by Dante) was written, & it paints a picture of hell; there are gates to the city of the damned. Over the gate to that city there is a sign: Through me you go into the city of grief;
Through me you go into the pain that is eternal;
Through me you go among people lost.
Justice moved my exalted Creator;
The divine power made me;
The Supreme Wisdom, the...
Before me all things were eternal,
And eternal I will last.
Listen--abandon every hope you who enter here.
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