You may have heard people use the word “hell” in cursing. Perhaps you have even used it yourself without the slightest understanding of its meaning.
Maybe you have even heard that hell is a place burning with fire and brimstone; however, since someone has laughed at the possibility and has told you there is no such place, you have chosen to reject its existence.
Another possibility is that you have been told that nobody will go to hell because God is love. He would certainly not send anyone to hell.
Each of these are deceptions of Satan. Hell is a real place. God does not send people to hell, however. People go there by their own choice or by making the wrong choice.
What is Hell Like & Why Does it Exist?
Jesus told of a man who went to hell. “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 seethe 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” (Luke 16:19-24).
Mark 9:44, 46, 48 speaks of a place “Where their worm diet not, and the fire is not quenched.” The “worm” is the remorseful conscience which forever torments the lost soul for the neglect of God’s salvation in this life. The fire of hell will never go out, and the lost soul will not be annihilated. The torment of both the conscience and the flame will be everlasting!
This awful place was never intended for man’s abode; rather, it was “…prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).
What Must I Do to Go to Hell?
Sin is the only thing that will take you to hell, and it comes in many disguises. The following is a list of some of the disguises which sin may take.
Refuse to Believe: “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch” (Matthew 15:14). “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).
Neglect the Invitation to Salvation: “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;” (Hebrews 2:3). “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4:17).
Make Excuses: “Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:… And they all with one consent began to make excuse…For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper” (Luke 14:16, 18a, 24). “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man…” (Romans 2:1).
Wait: “When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:” (Luke 13:25). “For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears” (Hebrews 12:17). “And he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient seasons, I will call for thee” (Acts 24:25).
Make the Pleasures, Cares, & Pride of Life Your Priority: “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell not he face of the whole earth” (Luke 21:34, 35). “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that hearth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:16, 17). “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).
Go to Sleep Spiritually: “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:5, 6). “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping” (Mark 13:35, 36).
Are Ungodly: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:” (2 Peter 2:9). “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7).
Seek Worldly Gain: “For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” (Luke 9:25). “Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself” (1 Timothy 6:5).
Are a Hypocrite: “And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24:51). “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in” (Matthew 23:13).
The above named sins will certain take you to hell, but there are others which may not be so obvious. They can be found in one or more of the following classes of people who will make hell their eternal abode: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).
How Can I Escape Hell?
Hell is an awful place. No mortal on earth can adequately describe the horribleness of its terrible torments. Hell was created as a place of punishment for the devil and his angels and was never intended for humanity. While sin has separated humanity from God, He has made a way of escape from the awful place of hell.
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Jesus said in the New Testament “…except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).
You can avoid this awful place by coming to Jesus and Him alone. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). In order to escape hell, you must do so by believing on Jesus Christ and accepting Him as your personal Saviour. John 3:16 reminds us “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.” The writer of Acts further states, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). In the letter to the Romans, the writer adds “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).
If you spurn the love of God’s full and free salvation, you will find yourself in hell due to your own neglect and rejection of the truth. “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Today is the day of salvation. Turn to Jesus today in order to escape the eternal torments of hell.
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