A Biblical Revelation of Hell

Old Testament

Jeremiah 7:30–34 ESV

30 “For the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, declares the Lord. They have set their detestable things in the house that is called by my name, to defile it. 31 And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind. 32 Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. 33 And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the beasts of the earth, and none will frighten them away. 34 And I will silence in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the land shall become a waste.

Sermon Text

Luke 16:19–31 ESV

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

INTRODUCTION

When I was in my late teens, I was given a book to read called “A Divine Revelation of Hell”, written by Mary K. Baxter

I was so gripped by this book that I think I finished reading it within a week.

And then I later read her second book as well - “A Divine Revelation of Heaven”

In the book “A Divine Revelation of Hell”, Mary says that on one random day in March 1976, after she had been “praying in the spirit” for a few days, Jesus suddenly appeared in her room

She claims that Jesus told her that He had chosen her for an important task:

That He was going to take her to see Hell, and that she was to write down all that she saw,

… so that she could warn the world that Hell is real so that the world would turn to Jesus before it is too late

She then claims that for the next 30 nights, Jesus took her every night into Hell and showed her various things, and various people all in suffering

And the book then is her record of what she saw.

Now when you see a title like “A Divine Revelation of...”, you should expect that what is to follow will be a revelation based on divine inspiration - in other words, it comes from God Himself, from the divinely inspired Scriptures.

The problem is, apart of course from the fact that Scripture is already complete and no new revelations are required… (in fact they’re forbidden)

… much of what Mary wrote is either not in Scripture, or actually contradicts Scripture.

That is actually the problem with all of the so-called “heavenly tourism” books that came out between the 1980s and early 2000s

Those sort of books became wildly popular and sold millions of copies - obviously making a lot of money for their authors

But all of these books contradicted each other, and more importantly, contradict what the Bible tells us about Heaven and Hell.

So then what does the Bible say about Heaven and Hell?

There is a reason these books sell well - lots of people are interested in knowing about the afterlife

But people are also lazy to read the Bible and study to know what Jesus has already told us about Heaven and Hell

Its crazy, but people will prefer to read books written by people they don’t know, and will blindly trust that they’re telling the truth…

… but are not as excited to read about heaven and hell from Jesus’ own words…

Who can we trust more?

So for these next two Sundays I have decided to do something different, and instead of expositional sermons on a book, I will preach two topical sermons on heaven and hell

And for our source, we are not going to trust anyone’s revelations or dreams, but only those words which we know we can trust…

… and those are the words inspired by the Holy Spirit, and recorded in Scripture

I will quote theological commentators as well, like I will shortly, but these are only to help us in our understanding of what the Bible actually says

A) What is Hell?

B) What is Hell Like?

C) What does Hell Teach Us?

1. WHAT IS HELL?

A) A Place of Punishment

Wayne Grudem wrote probably the most popular Systematic Theology that is used today

And in it he said: “Hell is a place of eternal conscious punishment for the wicked”

Another well known Systematic Theology used and trusted by many is the one written by J.I. Packer.

In it, Mr Packer says that hell is “the final abode of those consigned to eternal punishment at the Last Judgment.”

The original source for these statements are from Jesus Himself, who spoke more about Hell than anyone else in Scripture.

The Last Judgment, which Mr Packer mentions, is of course the day that the books will be opened, as per Revelation 20:11-15.

And Jesus spoke of that day in Matt 25:41-46

Matthew 25:41–46 ESV

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

From Jesus’ teaching, then, we can tell a few things about what Hell was created for:

It is a place of punishment for the cursed and the wicked

It was created for Satan and the demons

Satan, as you know, is the one who first rebeled against God. The demons are the angels who sided with Satan and rebelled with him against the Lord

In punishment for their rebellion, God banished them from His presence, and also condemned them to eternal punishment

Hell is the place prepared by God for their eternal punishment

but according to Jesus, though it was prepared for Satan and his demons, everyone else who likewise rebels against the Lord will suffer the same punishment

There are other places in Scripture too which describe hell as a place of punishment for the wicked

Matthew 13:40–42 “40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Hebrews 10:26–29 “26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?”

Revelation 21:8 “8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.””

Hell, then, is the place of Judgment, the place of punishment for those who reject God, reject His authority, and ignore, reject and break His commandments

The writer of Hebrews mentions the law of Moses, and says if you lay these aside - if you ignore them, treat them lightly, and break them, then you don’t deserve mercy, and should expect a fearful judgment

Especially so - much more so - if you know the law of God, understand the law of God, and deliberately break the law of God.

What law are we talking about here?

The Ten Commandments - Love the Lord your God, don’t worship idols, don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t murder…

… these are good commandments

Jesus says if you deliberately break these commandments and do what is evil, you deserve your place in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur.

It is the place where sinners, law-breakers and evil doers are punished…

… the place where the justice of God and the wrath of God is poured out

… where good punishes evil

… where evil gets what it deserves.

2. What is Hell Like?

Here we will talk about what hell is like, firstly in its nature, and then in the experience of it

A) The Nature

FIRE

Jesus describes this place of punishment in Rev 21 as a Lake of fire and sulphur.

That’s also how Hell is described in Revelation 14:10 , where the 3rd angel says that whoever worships the beast will “… drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.”

And according to Revelation 19:20 , the beast is “… captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.”

And then we see the Judgment before the Great White Throne in Rev 20:11-15, and that "… Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

And of course that’s also how Jesus describes it in Matthew 25:41 “41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Further, in Matthew 13:42 and Matt 13:50, Jesus describes it as a “fiery furnace”, and in Matt 3:12 as an “unquenchable fire”

In the Old Testament, prophet Isaiah describes it in Isaiah 33:14 as a “consuming fire” with “everlasting burnings”

UTTER DARKNESS

In other places, Hell is also described as a place of utter darkness

In Jude 13 , Jude describes blasphemers as “wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.”

And in 2 Peter 2:17 , Peter agrees says “… the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.” for them.

Jesus also describes it that way.

In Matthew 8:12 Jesus says that “...the sons of (Satan’s) kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

He also calls it a place of outer darkness in Matt 22:13 and Matt 25:30.

INDESCRIBABLE

If you’re thinking there seems to be a confusing contrast, you’re right.

I mean, how can hell be a lake and a furnace of unquenchable, eternally burning and consuming fire, and at the same time be utterly dark?

Well, there’s a perfectly reasonable and biblical explanation for that

THE VALLEY OF HINNOM

Here comes a history lesson

The English word Hell is an Anglo-Saxon word, with Norse and Germanic origins, and is basically associated in those cultures with the underworld

The New Testament though, is written in Greek. And the Greek word that is used is Gehenna (Ge-Henna).

Gehenna comes from the Hebrew “The Valley of Hinnom (Hin-Ahm)

What was the Valley of Hinnom? It was mentioned in our Old Testament text this morning

The Valley of Hinnom is a real place. It is a valley or ravine that runs along the southern slope of Jerusalem.

In the time when Israel was split into the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah, that valley was basically along the boundary between the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

During that time, the Valley Of Hinnom was the site for the idolatrous worship of the false gods Baal and Molech.

And by worship, I don’t mean they gathered every Sunday to sing songs, listen to a sermon and have tea afterwards.

Their worship of Molech and Baal involved sacrificing their children to these false gods, which included sacrificing them in fire

That is why, through the prophet Jeremiah, as we read earlier, God told Israel and Judah that on the Day of Judgment, that valley of Hinnom would become the Valley of Slaughter

… where God would get justice against the wicked for their evil atrocities

In the days of Jesus, that valley still existed on the Southern slope of the city of Jerusalem.

and it was the site that was used effectively as Jerusalem’s waste disposal - I’m talking rubbish, human waste, dead bodies…

… and that valley of Hinnom was always burning - all the waste constantly burning and on fire…

… in what was called the Valley of Hinnom, the Valley of Slaughter

And so when Jesus speaks of Hell in these New Testament passages, He is referring to Gehenna, to this Valley of Hinnom outside the city which is always burning,…

… but He’s not just talking about a literal valley just outside the city gates of Jerusalem…

… The disciples who were with Him knew exactly what He was referencing -

… He was referring to Jeremiah’s prophecy… He was talking about the Valley of Slaughter.

The Valley of Hinnom where the waste burned was just a picture, a metaphor for the Jewish disciples…

The Lake of Fire is just a picture…

Burning sulphur & brimstone is just a picture…

The furnace is just a picture…

The utter darkness is just a picture…

They are all just pictures and metaphors for the real Valley of Slaughter - the place where God will get His vengeance against the wicked.

These metaphors of fire, sulphur, brimstone and utter darkness are used because these are things we know about…

… things we can see and things we have experience of…things we understand… things we all greatly fear

… but the true, real reality of Hell, I believe, is something beyond what we have seen or can understand…

… it is far too horrific a place for us to picture or imagine…

… and far, far worse than even a lake or furnace of burning fire, or a place of utter and complete darkness.

It is the Valley of Slaughter, the place where the fullness of God’s wrath is unleashed in unrestrained purity and power on Satan, his demons, and every wicked person who likewise rejects and rebels against God and all that is good.

B) The Experience

Well, now that we know that Hell is a real place far more terrifying than anything we can imagine, we can start to discuss the experience of Hell for the wicked.

and just as with the nature of Hell, the experience of hell is something we won’t be able to even picture or imagine

What we are given are pictures and metaphors based on what we can understand and have experienced…

Like fire, which we have all felt and know that the pain of being burned is a 12 on the scale of 1-10

But we’ve only (most of us) felt it on a tiny scale, like burning your finger

But imagine feeling that pain over every part of your exposed body…

… and not only for a minute, or only until you die…

Part of the horror and torment of Hell is that you will experience and feel that pain forever, without end

And yet, the incredible pain you’re now imagining is just a picture - the reality will be far worse than that.

The picture of darkness too is just a picture

The thought of utter darkness is associated with being alone, being unable to see, being unaware of what dangers lurk in the darkness

But the experience of Hell will be all that we fear about darkness but to a degree we can’t imagine

But there are some things we can know about the experience of Hell that are made clear in the Scriptures.

Conscious Suffering

Irreversible and Eternal

CONSCIOUS SUFFERING

The belief that Hell is a place of conscious, eternal suffering is something that has been questioned or denied by some in recent years

There are people who believe in Annihilationism, which means they believe that Hell is simply the place where God destroys or annihilates the wicked so that they cease to exist.

Well if that were true, it would be good news for people like Adolf Hitler, or Joseph Stalin… or any rapists, murderers and child abusers

If the penalty for sin is just that you cease to exist, well for many that would just be a welcome relief from the hardships of life

Hardly a satisfaction of justice for all the pain and suffering they caused

But what we see in Scripture makes it plain that our exprience of Hell will be a conscious suffering, not simply a state of unconsciousness or a total end to our existence

Take into account, for example, when Jesus says in Matthew 8:12, 13:42, 13:50 and 22:13 that “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

That there will be weeping and crying, and gritting of teeth indicates it will be painful, and consciously painful

But probably the clearest picture we are given in Scripture of what the experience of Hell will be like, is seen in the parable Jesus told of the Rich Man and Lazarus

There, in Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells a story of a rich man who lived “his best life now” but didn’t walk with God, and a poor man (Lazarus) who had nothing in this world but walked with God

Both died, and the rich man went to Hell, and Lazarus went to Heaven.

Now if annihilationism were true, that would be the end of the story.

But what do we see?

Jesus says: Luke 16:23–24 “… in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’”

Firstly, this man in Hell is certainly still conscious.

He is conscious and aware of where he is

He is capable of thought and reason

Secondly, he is obviously in pain and suffering

He is begging for mercy and for relief, because he is in anguish in the flames

in verse 28 we also see that he begs for the chance to warn his family, so that they don’t end up in “this place of torment”.

And that echoes what John sees in Revelation 14:11 “11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.””

So there, then, is enough Biblical evidence to show that Hell is a place of conscious suffering, of conscious torment

Not only are those in hell conscious of the pain that they can feel all over their bodies

But they are also very conscious of their families…

… and can feel not just the physical pain of their punishment but also the mental anguish of knowing that they could have and should have obeyed Christ to avoid that place…

… but also that their families who are still alive might also end up there.

You can try to decide which of these agonies will be worse

Before you decide, remember as well the other aspect of the experience of Hell is that it is irreversible and eternal

IRREVERSIBLE AND ETERNAL

Hell is a terrifying place, obviously

Far worse than anything we can imagine

As I said earlier, it is the outpouring of the unrestrained, pure anger of God against evil

But could it be that the Annihilationists are half right?

could it be that those who suffer in hell only suffer for a period of time, until they have received sufficient punishment, and then cease to exist?

That is not the case.

Part and parcel of the horror of Hell is that it is eternal and neverending.

Revelation 14:11 says “… the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night...”

And we have already read other verses this morning that I won’t repeat again, that call Hell a place of eternal torment, or eternal fire, such as Matthew 25:41, 46, and Jude 7 just to name a few.

I don’t think anyone can refer to Hell as in any way “endurable”…

… but for lack of better words, it may have been “less horrific” if those in that place had en end to it in sight

Even if it were a thousand years, or even a million years, one could somewhat console oneself with the thought that an end was coming

that one day there would be relief… a release from the pain and torment… even if it was a complete end to your existence

But added to the conscious sorrows and horrors of Hell is the knowledge that the pain and torment will never end…

… that there is no end date

… no expiry date

… it’s just forever, and ever, and ever.

Not even for a moment will those in hell receive the smallest mercy or respite - as the rich man in the parable was told

… when he asked for mercy, he was told he had had his chance…

… and in Luke 16:26 that there is “… a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’”

There are no do-overs and no second chances

… not even for a moment could he be released from Hell even to warn his family

as when he asks just for the chance to warn them - even if he doesn’t escape hell, at least he can warn others…

… he is told that they have the Scriptures already, and if they don’t believe the Scriptures, then they won’t believe even if he appears to them from the dead.

Absolutely frightening.

And this is just one of the reasons Mary K. Baxter’s attempt at writing a convincing book about having been given a tour of Hell falls utterly short.

You see, her whole book is based on her claim that Jesus took her to see hell so that she could warn others about it, and convince the world that Hell is real.

But not only did her descriptions of what she saw fall well short of the truly horrific nature of Hell…

… but her book puts the Jesus she saw in direct contradiction with Scripture

Because Scripture says we don’t get other revelations about hell… we don’t need other revelations about hell…

… we have the revelation of Hell in Scripture

And if you don’t believe the Scriptures that say that Hell is real… and that you need to repent and believe the gospel to be saved from it…

… then you will never believe, even if someone claims to have been there and seen it.

And that was said about the rich man appearing to his family who knew him, let alone in the case of Mary Baxter who none of us know at all.

3. What Does Hell Teach Us?

What should all of this lead us to conclude?

What does hell teach us about God, and the Gospel?

To some, the concept of Hell is too horrific, too severe.

What kind of loving God would punish people with such terrible torture forever in a place like this?

J. I. Packer said “The revelation of hell in Scripture assumes a depth of insight into divine holiness and human and demonic sinfulness that most of us do not have.”

What he means is that if we properly understood the holiness and goodness of God, and the depth of the wickedness of demons and humans, we would never think of Hell as too severe.

If you think Hell is too severe, then you don’t yet know how good God is, and how bad we are.

If I could just put it into perspective in the shortest and simplest way I can think of,

God is good.

And since we are not, we don’t understand or appreciate how good God is

Put it to you this way…

Why do you look down on people like Adolf Hitler?

Why do you look down on people who rape babies and murder innocent people?

Is it not because you see yourself as being a better, more good person than they are?

But the gulf between your goodness and their evil is not nearly as big as the gulf between God’s goodness and your evil

Only God alone is good.

We are sinners

Only Jesus lived without sin and in perfect goodness

We do what is evil in the eyes of God every single day.

I’m going to choose my words very carefully now because there are little ones present

Most of you have had children, and those of you who haven’t will God-willing have them one day

Could you even for a moment imagine someone breaking into your home, ties you up, and then to put it mildly (doing that which should never be done to a baby) to your baby in front of you, and then does the same to all of your children, and then to your wife, and then slowly and painfully ends their lives in front of your eyes.

What kind of vengeance would you seek?

Would a bullet to the head and a quick and painless death by sufficient to satisfy your anger or your sense of justice?

And yet these kinds of atrocities happen every day all around the world.

Should the God who is good not hate such things? Will He not punish with right justice people who do such things?

Was it not because of such things that God said the Valley of Hinnom would become the Valley of Slaughter on the Day of Judgment?

Ok but you say you agree such people should be punished, but I would never do such evil things

Have you not failed to love the Lord your God with all your heart?

Have you not been guilty in one way or another of idolatry?

Have you not failed to keep the Sabbath Day holy?

Have you never failed to honour your father and mother?

Have you not committed murder, at least in your heart by hating another?

Have you not committed adultery, at least in your heart, desiring someone who is not your husband or wife?

Have you never stolen anything, or told a lie, or been jealous of something someone else has?

But my friends, the problem isn’t only that we are all law breakers guilty of breaking every single law that God has given us, and done all these things which are evil…

… the problem is actually more about who we have committed these evil acts against

We have not sinned merely against another man or woman,

… against someone who has no authority or significance, someone our equal…

We have sinned against the one and only true and Holy God.

How severe then will the punishment be for those who dare to look into the face of the God who says “Don’t do these evil things” and we say “Watch me!”

Let me give you an illustration. It falls faaaar short of what I am trying to teach, but it should at least give some idea.

Suppose while I am preaching, a fly or a mosquito was bugging me, and I swat it and kill it.

Would you care? No, it would be a non-event.

Now suppose I continue preaching and the neighbour’s dog is barking and annoying me, so I pull out a 9mm and shoot it.

Would you care? Absolutely. I’d be in all sorts of trouble - lose my firearm license probably, get a fine from the SPCA, maybe even jail time.

Suppose one of you were annoying me. Falling asleep while I preach. Not on my watch. Boom! Now I am looking at definite jail time. A few years at least.

Now suppose the cops get here to arrest me. I appear in front of the judge. I lose my temper, get free of my handcuffs, tackle the judge to the ground, and stamp on his face until he’s dead.

Now I am looking surely at life behind bars. In some places in the world, death sentence.

What was the difference between the fly and the judge?

Same action - killing.

But different level of authority, and certainly the fly does not bear the image of God - but the church member does, and the judge does

Hebrews 10:29 “29 How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?”

How much more the punishment for those who know that Jesus Christ went to the cross and suffered for your sake, so that you should not suffer the agonies of Hell…

… and yet still you choose to forsake, to ignore, to mock, to reject His sacrifice?

And that, my friends, brings me to the conclusion.

In his Systematic Theology, J.I. Packer says that “The purpose of Bible teaching about hell is to make us appreciate, thankfully embrace, and rationally prefer the grace of Christ that saves us from it (Matt. 5:29–30; 13:48–50).”

In as much as the Bible’s teaching of Hell is meant to show us the magnitude and severity of God’s righteous judgment of the wicked…

… Much more so is it meant to show us the magnitude and wonder of His grace and mercy.

Psalm 145:17 “17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.”

He is righteous in all His ways

Everything He does is good and right

Including the judgment of the wicked in Hell

It is good and right and what they deserve

He is also kind in all His works

Though our sin deserves justice…

He satisfied His justice in His own Son…

… and made a way for sinners to be saved

We should not marvel at the fact that God is just, and judges and punishes the wicked, for that is what a righteous and holy Judge ought to do

But we should marvel at the fact that God is kind, and has made a way for the wicked to be saved - because none of us deserve that

We should marvel even more that He offered His own Son to die as our substitute, and that Jesus Christ took upon Himself our wicked guilt, and suffered and died in our place

We should marvel at the fact that He rose again, and reigns now forevermore…

… and in kindness is patiently holding back the Day of Judgement and giving the world time to repent

… He is patiently waiting for sinners to turn to Him, to confess their wickedness, to accept that Hell is what they deserve, and to believe that Jesus died to save them from it

We should marvel at the kindness, mercy and grace of God through Jesus Christ....

that He says that John 3:16 “16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

If you have not yet done that, take His offer today. It is offered freely to all who believe in Him

And the promise of God is that you will stand clothed in Christ’s righteousness, washed clean of all guilt by His blood.

And you will then be one of the many voices singing His praises in Heaven, as is seen in Revelation 19.

Revelation 19:1–5 ESV

1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” 3 Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!” 5 And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”