TEXT: REVELATION 20:11-15

This is the last message in a three-part series: Beyond Death’s Door. Today we’re going to be asking, Is There Really A Hell?

Hell is a topic no one wants to really discuss. I’ve personally never heard someone preach on Hell. I’ve heard lots of messages on Heaven, but never one on Hell. In the seeker friendly environment of the Western church it seems to be politically incorrect to speak about Hell.

But if we don’t speak about Hell, we’re not doing what Jesus did. In fact, to not speak about Hell is arrogance. For Jesus spoke about Hell three times more often than He spoke about Heaven. If Jesus spoke about Hell, it’s obviously something He wants us to know about. Yet most people know very little about Hell and only 0.5 percent of North Americans think they’ll go to it. That’s because most people think that Hell is the place where bad people like Adolf Hitler, Idi Amin, and Charles Manson go. They don’t think of it as a place where regular respectable people go.

Is there really a Hell? Let’s turn to God’s Word for some answers . . .

Revelation 20:11-15 (NLT)

Is there really a Hell? Is there a place of future punishment for unrepentant sinners who have died? According to God’s Word the answer is categorically, unequivocally, and soberly - Yes. Here are three things the Bible tells us about Hell:

1. Hell is a horrendous place.

Hell is horrible - a place of terrible torment (cf. Luke 16:23). The Bible uses three key words to describe it:

Fire. In Matthew 5:22 Jesus says, "If you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell" (NLT). Underline the phrase "the fires of hell." Fire is one of the terrible scourges of Hell. Revelation 20:15 says, "Anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire" (NLT). Now I don’t know if the fires of Hell are physical fires or spiritual fires. Maybe they’re both. If they’re physical fires, I think of Hell as a pit glowing with red-hot coals and flames sweeping up to clothe the tormented person. There’s perpetual agony but the person is never destroyed. If they’re spiritual fires, I picture them consuming and searing the soul in a way that’s far more terrifying or excruciating than physical burning. Either way, the fires of Hell never go out. They burn forever and ever. They’re an unquenchable fire that no one can douse (cf. Mark 9:43).

In the book, A Divine Revelation of Hell, the author, Mary K. Baxter, describes a visionary journey through Hell. At one point in her narration she says, "In the next pit was a very small framed woman . . . The skin was removed from her bones by the continual flame, and only the bones remained with a dirty-mist soul inside. I watched as the fire burned her. Soon there were only the bones and the worms crawling inside, which the fire could not burn."

Darkness. People who have revelled in pleasure, been adulterous, seduced the unstable, been greedy, and never stopped sinning while here on earth (cf. 2 Peter 2:13-14) "are doomed to blackest darkness" (2 Peter 2:17) in eternity. Underline the phrase "doomed to blackest darkness." If you’ve been down a deep mine shaft or into the furthest recesses of a cave and had the lights turned off, you’ll know what blackest darkness is like. You can’t see your hand in front of your face. You have no idea of what’s beside you or behind you. You feel vulnerable, isolated, and nervous. In fact Matthew 22:13 (NLT) says, " . . . there is weeping and gnashing of teeth" in the darkness of Hell.

Don’t be deceived. There are no generators, no candles, no light bulbs, and no flashlights in Hell. Hell is "everlasting gloom and darkness" Jude 1:13 (NLT).

Worms. Mark 9:48 says that in Hell "The worm never dies and the fire never goes out" (NLT). Underline the phrase "the worm never dies." Taken literally or figuratively it’s obvious that something eats away at the vitals of those in Hell. We recently had a terrible smell in our basement. Karen eventually found the source of the stench on a cluttered desk near the deep freezer in the laundry. It was a plastic bag filled with rotten chicken. It had been inadvertently left out of the freezer. When Karen opened the bag, a cloud of flies swarmed out of the maggot infested remains. It was disgusting! I wonder whether Hell will smell like maggot infested rotten flesh? Or will it smell like a garbage dump? In Bible times the valley of Hinnom, just south of Jerusalem, was used as the city dump. It is from the valley of Hinnom that we get the word Gehenna - another name for Hell. The refuse of Jerusalem and the bodies of criminals were burned in the valley of Hinnom. In reference to this valley, and with Hell in mind, the prophet Isaiah says, "And as they go out, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me. For the worms that devour them will never die, and the fire that burns them will never go out. All who pass by will view them with utter horror" Isaiah 66:24 (NLT).

Hell is inhabited by four distinct groups of beings:

The Devil. The Devil, Satan, the Dragon, he goes by many names, is a high angelic creature that rebelled against the Creator and became the chief antagonist of God. He is the leader of all wicked creatures and the highest authority in the forces that oppose God. He continues to deceive and destroy but the Day will come when he will be locked away in Hell for eternity. Revelation 20:10 says, "Then the Devil, who betrayed them, was thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (NLT).

The deceivers. The second group of beings are the deceivers. This is the False Prophet and the Beast. Revelation 20:10 says, "Then the Devil, who betrayed them, was thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (NLT). The False Prophet is the end-time person who uses supernatural power to bring honour to the Antichrist, and the Beast, also known as the Antichrist, is the violent and aggressive end-time person who deceives the nations and tries to lead them away from God.

The demons. The third group of beings are the demons. Demons are fallen angels. They are the evil angels who rebelled against God along with Satan. Some are already bound in Hell because of their heinous wickedness (cf. 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:4) and others are roaming the heavenlies until they too will be forever quarantined in Hell (cf. Matthew 25:41).

The Scriptures do not describe the demons’ appearance but in Mary K. Baxter’s visionary journey through Hell, she says, "I will try to describe the looks of the evil beings. One was very large, about the size of a full-grown grizzly bear, brown in colour, with a head like a bat and eyes that were set very far back in a hairy face. Hairy arms fell to his sides, and fangs came out of the hair on his face. Another was small like a monkey with very long arms and with hair all over his body. His face was tiny, and he had a pointed nose. I could see no eyes on him anywhere. Still another had a large head, large ears and a long tail, while yet one more was as large as a horse and had smooth skin. The sight of these demons and evil spirits, and the terrible odour that came from them, made me sick to my stomach . . ."

The damned. The fourth group of beings are the damned. These are the people who have been sentenced to an eternal separation from God. When this world ends the unsaved dead will be judged before the great white throne of God (cf. Revelation 20:11). They will be judged according to what they have done on earth (cf. Revelation 20:12). If anyone’s name is not found written in the Lamb’s book of life, they will be thrown into Hell (cf. Revelation 20:15; 21:27).

It’s a place of absolute despair. There is no remedy or cure for the things ailing the inhabitants of Hell and there is no prospect of change or improvement in Hell.

No second chance. There is no court of appeal in Hell. If a person doesn’t make their peace with God in this life, they can’t make their peace in the afterlife. In the parable of The Sheep and the Goats (cf. Matthew 25:31-46) everyone goes to one of two places. Matthew 25:46 says, "And they (those who didn’t care about God) will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life" (NLT). Underline the word "eternal." Once a person is sent to Hell, they’re there forever and ever. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 says, "He (God) will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power" (NLT). Underline the phrase "everlasting destruction" and the phrase "forever separated from the Lord." Hell is irreversible. There is no parole and no annihilation.

No meaning. There will be no intent and no purpose for the inhabitants of Hell. There are no goals and nothing to aspire to in Hell. God is the reason for our existence. Without God, everything is meaningless. Some people think there’s nothing worth living for on earth. There will be nothing worth dying for in Hell.

No love. There will be no companionship and no comradery in Hell. There are no friendships in Hell. There is no one to comfort or care for you in Hell. God is love and He inhabits Heaven - not Hell. Without God there is no love. Psalm 6:5 asks, "For in death, who remembers you? Who can praise you from the grave?" (NLT).

No rest. Revelation 14:11 says, "The smoke of their torment rises forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night . . ." (NLT). Underline the phrase "no relief day or night." There will be no R&R in Hell. There will be no cat naps and no comfy couch in Hell. There will be no Cancun, no cottage, and no cruises in Hell. There will be no candle-lit dinner, no cinemas, and no chitchat in Hell.

No faith. There will be nothing to believe in and no one that can be trusted in Hell. Faith comes from God and without God there is no faith. Isaiah 38:18b says, "Those who go down to destruction can no longer hope in your faithfulness" (NLT).

No happiness. There will be no laughter in Hell. The things that give us happiness on earth - a good book, listening to music, playing a game, or eating a bar of chocolate, will probably not exist in Hell. Sadness pervades every nook and cranny of Hell. Matthew 13:42 says, "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (NLT).

Listen. Hell is a horrendous, haunted, and hopeless place. But God doesn’t tell us about it to depress us. And He isn’t vindictive. If God concealed Hell from us, He would be unloving. He tells us about Hell because He loves us. He wants us to know what the long term outcome is going to be for those who reject His love. And He wants us to know that no-one need go there. Yes, everyone of us can avoid Hell. God has provided a way of escape. He is patiently waiting for sinners to repent. Make sure you’re moved to action before you leave here today. If you’re a Christian you should be motivated to do all you can to reach people with the gospel. And if you’re not yet a Christian you should be motivated to do all you can to get right with God.

Are you a Christian? If you’re not sure about your salvation you can trust Jesus Christ to save you right now. You can know peace in your heart and avoid the judgment to come. And how do you do that? You confess your sin and receive Him by faith. Jesus says, "I assure you, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life" John 5:24 (NLT). Amen.

(L Murray 2006)