Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 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;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 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. 25 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. 26 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. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
It’s amazing how frequently the world uses the word hell in its everyday language and how much the church tries to avoid it. I suppose that as Christians we’re afraid that if we talk to our friends about hell, it will come across as being mean or harsh. Yet suppose you and I knew that there was great danger in a room and we stood by and watch a friend or loved one enter into that room without ever trying to warn them. What kind of friend would we be?
Some have said that there are over 170 warnings in the New Testament alone regarding hell and its destruction. Of those numerous warnings, almost one-half were given by Jesus Himself. Four times in this one passage, Jesus used the word ‘torment.’ Apparently Jesus believed very much in a literal hell.
But the thought of hell seems so harsh and cruel. Many feel that there is no way that a loving God could send men to hell. Consider what the Bible says about the love of God and hell –
John 3:16 ‘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 love of God did not sweep sin under the rug. The love of God paid our penalty by crucifying His sinless Son in our place and thus made a way for us to be forgiven.
I. Why is There a Hell?
A. The Rebellion of the Devil and His Angels
Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Hell is a place that was prepared for the devil and his fallen angels. The Bible teaches us that the Devil was once an angel who chose to rebel against God. When he did, at least 1/3 of the angels fell with him. Since that time Satan and his demons have been in constant rebellion against God and His holiness. Yet the Bible teaches that there is a day coming when Satan and his fallen angels will have to suffer the consequences of their rebellion.
Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
B. The Rebellion of Man
Not only did Satan and his fallen angels choose to rebel against God, they have enticed mankind to do so as well. Man’s rebellion against God began in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve and has continued on up until this very day.
Romans 3:23 ‘All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is none righteous, no not one.’
All have sinned. All have rebelled against the will of God. Because we have sinned, we also, like Satan, will have to one day give an account for our actions and suffer the consequences. In the passage we read from Matthew 25, we see that Jesus will one day say to many – ‘Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.’ Men will suffer in the flames of hell, right beside the Devil and his demons.
The book of Revelation gives an even greater description of what will happen on the Day of Judgment –
Revelation 20:11 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. 12 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. 13 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. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire
Please notice that the Bible speaks of ‘the books’ and ‘the book of life.’ First of all, what are ‘the books?’ The books are records that God has kept recording every sinful deed man has ever done. God has a record of our actions, but also our words and even our thoughts. The Bible says that one day, men will stand before God to be judged according to their works.
Yet the Bible speaks of another book – ‘The Book of Life.’ In Rev 21:27, this book is called the Lamb’s Book of Life. In the Old Testament, lambs were sacrificed daily for men’s sins. Yet all the blood of all those lamb’s could never take away one sin. It was only a symbol. A symbol for what? John the Baptist said of Jesus, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross in order to die as a sacrificial lamb for our sins.
According to the Bible, the only ones who will go to heaven are those whose names are in His (the Lamb’s) Book of Life. All else will be cast into a lake of fire that burns with brimstone.
II. What is Hell Like?
Many mock at the thought of hell. They believe that hell will be one big party. Yet the Bible teaches us that hell will be anything other than a party. Notice again what Jesus said about this man and his experience in hell.
Luke 16: 22 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; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 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. 25 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. 26 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.
What was it like for this man and he opened his eyes and realized that he was now in hell?
1. Fire
Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments …
There are many other passages of scripture that reveal to us the torment of hell.
- Mt 13:42: “And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
- Mt 25:41: “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”
- Mk 9:43-48: “…the fire that never shall be quenched.”
- Rev 20:13-15 “…the lake of fire.”
- Rev 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving … shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.”
‘Brimstone’ is an ancient name for sulfur. It takes a temperature of nearly 250 degrees to melt sulfur. Imagine a lake of hot molten sulfur.
2. Extreme Thirst
Luke 16:24 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.
The man in Jesus’ parable begged for one drop of water. It’s hard to believe that one drop of water could help, yet the man’s plea indicated the intensity of his torment. One single drop of water would have been a great blessing.
3. Extreme Anguish
The account that Jesus gives indicates that this man was fully aware and conscious of his condition. The result was extreme anguish. On at least four occasions Jesus referred to – ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ The thought is of anguish so severe that it causes men to grind their teeth as if they were biting.
4. Outer Darkness
Jesus often used the term ‘outer darkness’ to describe hell. No doubt a feeling of total abandonment and helplessness is the thought here. Sometimes hell is described as an ‘abyss.’ An abyss is a bottomless pit. I’m not sure that men will drop in bottomless pit forever and ever, but apparently a part of hell’s torment is an intense feeling of abandonment, helplessness and isolation.
5. Worms
Another extreme and bizarre description of hell is the mentioning of worms.
Mark 9:43 ‘…the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched .’
Many Bible scholars believe that the phrase – ‘their worm’ is a reference the agony of their guilty conscious.
Luke 16:25 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.
Those in hell will be able to remember their life here on earth. They will remember how they refused God’s offer of salvation so that they might live as they please. There is something else that they will remember. They will remember their part in keeping others from coming to Christ.
Luke 16:27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
6. Forever
Luke 16:26 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.
The torments of hell would be bad enough if only they lasted for a few moments or even a few hours or days. Yet it will be a permanent condition that will never end. There will never come a day when those in hell will be released from their torment. A million, billion years into their suffering and still there will be no end. Forever!
III. How Can I Escape Hell?
Many believe that the story of the rich man and Lazarus is a parable or in other words, a story Jesus used to illustrate an important spiritual truth. What is the spiritual truth that Jesus is trying to teach? It’s this –
Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? 37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
The rich man had everything this world could offer and yet, lost his own soul. Lazarus on the other hand, had nothing of this world. He was poor, crippled, covered with sours, his only companions were the wild dogs that roamed the street searching for food. Yet when he died, he went to paradise. The name Lazarus means – ‘Whom God has helped’ and indeed that was a fitting name for this man in this story.
The Bible says in Romans 10:13 ‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ To call upon the name of the Lord means to recognize that you are in need of help. It’s coming to God like the beggar Lazarus and humbly asking for God’s mercy and forgiveness. The Bible says that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord – SHALL BE SAVED! Saved from what? Hell!
Are you willing today to admit that you need God’s mercy? Are you willing to call out to Him and ask for forgiveness? Are you willing to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? If so, pray this prayer –
Dear Jesus,
I confess that I am a sinner in need of salvation. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins. I believe that You are the only way to heaven and that I cannot earn my way there by my good works. I am convinced in my heart that You died for me and I am asking you to forgive me of my sins and to save me. You are my Lord and my Savior. In Your name I pray Lord Jesus. Amen
If you prayed that prayer, please contact me at: pastorterry@twinoaksbapt.org Or call: 1-540-493-4527
"Seeds of Faith" 