Not A Real Place

Luke 16:19-31

INTRODUCTION

There is a major shift in belief regarding a core Christian doctrine. Research indicates a significant change in belief, with a Gallup poll showing a 22% reduction in Americans believing in this doctrine in the last quarter century. Similarly, the Pew Research Center's Religious Landscape Study notes the declining belief on this subject. This trend is not confined to secular society; some Christian leaders and theologians have tried to soften the doctrine. Until recently, Hell has been a wholly accepted theological tenet of Christianity. Historically, Hell has been a core doctrine. For generations, hell was never questioned or second-guessed. But today, it seems hell is up for debate and even dismissed. Even by some in Christian circles.

So what if Hell is not real? If you eliminate hell, what other options are there? All that is left are the options of Universalism and Annihilationism. Universalism, the belief that all will be saved, is criticized for rendering sin, repentance, and faith meaningless. Universalism strips Christianity of its moral framework. Annihilationism, the teaching that the wicked will cease to exist, is seen as more consistent with a loving God but fails to account for sin's consequences, human free will, and all of the Bible’s teachings.

Many today still say, “How can you possibly reconcile the concept of judgment and hell with the idea of a loving God? Judgment and hell and loving God don’t go together.” Many people today find the idea of judgment and hell offensive. What do we say about that? Well, if we get rid of the offensive, if we get rid of the hard, if we get rid of the idea of judgment and hell, you will find you have gutted the entire foundation of the Bible. You will find you have eviscerated many of the Bible's teachings about Jesus' love for you.

The lie that Hell doesn't exist is a grave misconception, threatening to undermine Christianity's core tenets. It is perpetuated both outside the church, where it's seen as offensive, and inside, where some leaders seek to soften doctrine.  But what if it takes Hell to show us the depth of God's love?

Luke 16:19–31 ESV

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 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.’ 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. 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.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 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.’ ”

SCRIPTURAL ANALYSIS

Verses 19-22

The parable begins by depicting the rich man and his life, contrasting it with Lazarus and his condition. The rich man is dressed “in purple and fine linen.” Roman law codified who had the right to wear purple. Thus, this parable's original hearers and readers would understand that the rich man was successful and respected and that he had achieved this with the approval of Roman authorities. He is important. Then there is Lazarus. Between him and the rich man, there is a gate. The gate is another sign of the man’s wealth and importance, as he lives in what today would be a luxury gated house. Lazarus is not only starving and unclean, but dogs are licking him. In Jewish eyes, dogs were not romanticized as “man’s best friend” but were seen as impure, disgusting scavengers. From the point of view of human prestige, wealth, and even religiosity, the rich man is far above Lazarus.

Then, they both die, and things are completely reversed, even in the way Jesus refers to their deaths. Lazarus dies and is “carried away by the angels to be with Abraham,” while the rich man simply “dies and is buried.” However, the greatest contrast is in the final outcome of each one’s life: the rich man ends up in Hades, while Lazarus is carried to Abraham. There is a complete reversal of fortunes.

Verses 23-26

This story does not see the wicked as being annihilated but continuing in a terrible conscious and irreversible condition after death. Although some people mistakenly believe that, at best, when they die, they will cease to exist, the fact is that not only will they continue to exist, but they will be able to remember the good things they received on earth, the blessings God poured out upon them, and the patience God showed to them giving them time to turn to Him. This story reveals that one of the most horrendous aspects of hell is their memory. Abraham recalls the life of both Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man recalls the name Lazarus. So, he knew Lazarus and the suffering he endured.

“Between you and us … a great chasm has been fixed …” The old King James says, “My son, between you and us, there is a great gulf fixed." There’s a separation of you from the presence of God, from heaven, and that’s what hell is. To borrow the title of a book by C.S. Lewis, hell is the “Great Divorce.” Hell is an eternal separation from God. Hell is a place of painful solitude. Many people think hell will be a reunion with old buddies, one big party. There will be no fellowship of any kind in Hell. Your only companion will be your memory of rejecting God. Hell is a place of seclusion from everyone, including God. The one principle of Hell is "I am on my own!" While we may have had fleeting moments of feeling separated from God, those were false feelings. Here on earth, we have yet to experience what it means to be anywhere God wasn't present. The rich man describes the painful experience of this eternal separation.

Verses 27-31

In verses 29–31, the parable is connected with the theme that Jesus discussed just before in Luke: the authority and guidance of the Law and the Prophets. The rich man asks for comfort for himself and a warning for his brothers, and he is denied both. Instead, the living must trust the Scriptures. Some will not believe even after a resurrection. Luke’s early readers would immediately realize (as we do) that the one saying this, Jesus, was one who would indeed return from the dead. The main obstacle to faith is not a lack of proof but an excess of self.

If the rich man’s five brothers would give attention to God’s Word, they would need nothing else. But the rich man disagreed: “No, Father Abraham, if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent” (v. 30). The rich man’s insistence that if someone returned from the dead, his brothers would repent was a subtle way of excusing himself. He implicitly argued that he would have repented if a special messenger from the dead had come to him. He said that Moses and the Prophets, God’s Word, were insufficient.

However, Jesus is saying, “Even if someone rises from the dead, including me,” many will still not believe. In other words, there is no miracle capable of leading to faith and obedience when one has focused more on oneself than one's relationship with God. The rich man's words still echo today: "The Bible is not enough. The Resurrection is not enough. We need special signs and wonders. We need a new Word. Then we will believe.” How arrogant we humans are, daring to tell God what he must do if we are to believe. If God had just sent ambassadors from the other side, great multitudes would have believed. Would they, though? Jesus' words and His proven resurrection shout a resounding no!

TODAY’S KEY TRUTH

In a blaze of love and mercy, God offers us a rescue from the reality of Hell.

APPLICATION

The Bible teaches that Hell is an actual place. Hell is not just the grave or a mythical term to depict suffering or a temporary state during the journey of the soul. It is an actual existing place. The existence of hell has been defended by arguments from Scripture and human reason. In fact, Hell is why Jesus left Heaven. If there is no Hell, why did Jesus come? What was He saving us from if there is no eternal consequence of our sins? Jesus came and referred to Hell as a real and literal place. This story points to the reality of hell.

The reality of Hell is not just a theological footnote; it’s the heartbeat of why Jesus stepped into human history. If Hell were a myth, a mere scare tactic conjured by ancient minds, then the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ lose their urgency and meaning. The very fabric of Christianity unravels without Hell because it’s the stark backdrop that makes God’s love—and Jesus’ mission—blaze with purpose and beauty. To dismiss Hell is to dismiss the necessity of the cross, and that’s a gamble with eternal stakes we can’t afford to take.

Picture a world with no Hell. Sin, unchecked, carries no ultimate consequence. Murderers, liars, and the proud strut through life, their deeds fading into oblivion without justice. If there’s no Hell, no final reckoning, then the scales of right and wrong tip into chaos. God’s holiness, which stands against evil, becomes a toothless sentiment. Why would a loving God send His Son to suffer and die if the endgame is the same for everyone? Universalism whispers that all are saved, no matter their choices, but that renders Jesus’ sacrifice a cosmic overreaction. Annihilationism suggests the wicked vanish, but that softens God’s justice into a shrug, not a verdict. Without Hell, the cross is a solution to a nonexistent problem.

Scripture doesn’t mince words about Hell’s reality. Jesus Himself spoke of it more than anyone, warning of “eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41) and a place “where the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48). These aren’t metaphors for a slap on the wrist; they’re vivid depictions of a fate so dire it demanded immediate attention and divine intervention. In today’s scripture, the rich man’s torment in Hades isn’t a parable of temporary discomfort—it’s a glimpse into a chasm fixed forever. Revelation 20:15 seals it: “If anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Deny Hell, and you’re not just tweaking theology—you’re calling Jesus a dramatist spinning delusional tales to manipulate people.

If Hell isn’t real, why did Jesus come? He didn’t arrive to drop moral advice or launch a self-help movement. He came “to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). A ransom implies captivity—sin’s grip dragging us toward a real, eternal abyss. Romans 6:23 nails it: “The wages of sin is death,” not just physical death, but spiritual separation from God, the essence of Hell. Without that peril, the gospel’s good news—that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son” (John 3:16)—loses its punch. Love shines brightest against darkness, and Hell is that darkness, making Christ’s rescue a blazing act of love and mercy.

Historical voices echo this truth. Augustine saw Hell as the just end of unrepentant sin, a necessary counterpart to God’s glory. Jonathan Edwards preached that saints rejoice in Hell’s justice, not out of cruelty but because it magnifies God’s righteousness. C.S. Lewis, in “The Great Divorce”, painted Hell as the inevitable outcome of rejecting God—a self-imposed exile. These giants didn’t invent Hell to scare people; they saw it woven into the biblical narrative, a thread that, if pulled, unravels the whole beautiful tapestry of redemption.

Today, some inside and outside the church peddle the lie that Hell isn't real, too harsh for a loving God. But strip Hell away, and you gut the stakes of human freedom. If there’s no consequence to rejecting God, why choose Him? Jesus’ death becomes a pointless gesture, not a necessity. Yet, Scripture and reason align: Hell’s reality underscores our need for a Savior. God’s love didn’t dodge the problem—it faced it head-on, sending Jesus to snatch us from the blazing flames. Without Hell, there’s no rescue, no cross, no hope—just a hollow faith drifting toward nothing. Hell’s real, and that’s why Jesus came. Anything less cheapens His love and the act of the cross.

In a blaze of love and mercy, God offers us a rescue from the reality of Hell.

Conclusion

The human heart cries out, “I don’t want to depend on you, God. I don’t want to have to rely on you every second. I don’t want to have to cling to your mercy and grace all the time. Look at me. Look at how good I am. I'm good enough, and I can take care of myself.” Jesus condemned the Pharisees because they were saying to Jesus, “Leave me alone. I don’t want to have to feel that I have to depend on you completely, and I don’t want you to say you can do anything in my life. I don’t want to have to be unconditionally obedient to you and unconditionally dependent on you.” And today, people are still saying, “Leave me alone.” That’s what sin is. Sin is saying, “My identity is built on me. God, leave me alone.” If sin is saying, “Leave me alone,” Hell is saying, “Okay.” That’s what God is doing. Separation, you see, this chasm is something we’ve been trying to jump over all of our lives. We’ve been trying to get away from God. Hell is nothing more but God saying to the deepest recess of your heart, “Thy will be done. Do you want me out of your life? You want me to leave you alone and for you to be on your own? Then okay.”

C.S. Lewis has this fantastic line in his book The Problem of Pain. In his chapter on hell, he says, “Hell is the greatest monument in the history of the world to human freedom.” Lewis goes on to say, “What do you want God to do? Forgive them? But they don’t want to be forgiven. What do you want him to do? Leave them alone? Alas,” says Lewis, “that’s exactly what he’s going to do.”

In a blaze of love and mercy, God offers us a rescue from the reality of Hell.

Why did Jesus Christ speak more about hell than anybody else in the Bible? Because on the cross, he took hell for us as He said some of his final words, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” If I want to be transformed, if I want to sense God's love, if I want to love and to praise, if I want to be able to sing, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all,” I have to believe in hell.

God doesn't send anyone to hell. We are on our way because we embrace self and reject God. Hell is the justifiable conclusion to our self-centered, self-absorbed, selfish declaration that I don't need God and I'm good enough on my own. Yet in his infinite, undeserved, grace-filled love, God sent a rescuer. His name is Jesus.

In a blaze of love and mercy, God offers us a rescue from the reality of Hell.

How do people end up in Hell? Simply put, by choosing to reject Jesus and the forgiveness He freely gives. Hell is a choice we make when we say, "I am enough. My identity is built on me. I want to be on my own." We can only grasp the immensity of God's love by understanding the logic and reality of hell. God’s love took his son to the cross for our sake. Jesus died to offer everyone an option other than Hell. The option is Heaven. This is a costly love, a bloody love that has no parallel in any of the world’s religions. Although some other religions threaten hell, none offer the sure deliverance from it that Christianity offers through the sacrificial love of Jesus. Although Hell is real, you don’t have to go! God loved you enough to send help. His name is Jesus.

In a blaze of love and mercy, God offers us a rescue from the reality of Hell.