Hell is a Real Place
Notes
Transcript
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 seeth 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.
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.
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.
Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
When people die physically they are separated from their bodies, when they die spiritually they are separated from God, who is the source of spiritual life Luke 14:6. All people are spiritually stillborn when they are born physically, meaning that man has been separated from God from his birth because of sin. When one dies physically and has not received spiritual life through Christ they have to be brought to Hell. Hell is a real literal place that men that refuse spiritual life from Christ have to go after they die physically. The rich man called this place a “place of torment”. Many people have believed Satan’s lie that “thou shalt not surely die”. Some deny that Hell is a real place, but we see from the scriptures that Hell is very real. Some believe death is an annihilation of a person. We see from this passage that the rich man was very much conscious and in existence as he was experiencing the torments of Hell.
I. Proof Of This Place Of Torment Is In The Scriptures
I. Proof Of This Place Of Torment Is In The Scriptures
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 seeth 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.
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
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:
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
A. It was created for the devil and his angels.
A. It was created for the devil and his angels.
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:
B. It is God’s wrath against sin.
B. It is God’s wrath against sin.
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
II. People Go To This Place Of Torment.
II. People Go To This Place Of Torment.
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
A. The beast and the false prophet will be in the Lake of Fire one thousand years before the devil will be placed there at God’s final judgment.
A. The beast and the false prophet will be in the Lake of Fire one thousand years before the devil will be placed there at God’s final judgment.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
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.
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
At the end of the Great Tribulation the beast and false prophet will be cast directly into the Lake of Fire. They will be there alone for 1000 years. At the end of that thousand years Satan will join them. Finally, all of those that died in their sins without Christ will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
B. The rich man who was in hell did not want his brothers to come there.
B. The rich man who was in hell did not want his brothers to come there.
Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
The rich man had brothers that he cared about. I am sure he enjoyed visiting with them while he was physically alive. Now he wanted Abraham to tell them to stay away from this place of torment. His voice was begging them to get saved, but they would never hear his cry. If they would not hear the witness of the scriptures, they too would meet their brother in this place of torment.
III. Provision Has Been Made To Escape This Place Of Torment.
III. Provision Has Been Made To Escape This Place Of Torment.
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
A. The provision of God’s Son Is The greatest proof of a literal hell.
A. The provision of God’s Son Is The greatest proof of a literal hell.
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.
If Jesus would not come we would have perished in our sin. That Jesus would pay such an awful price for our sin is a great proof of a literal hell. That he would leave heaven, that he would become a servant to man, that he would be mocked and ridiculed. The fact that he would allow himself to be beaten, bruised, and bloodied, shows the urgency of his cause. The price was great for Christ because the consequence was great for mankind. Hell was our destiny, until Jesus came to die for us.
B. The preaching of the gospel is our responsibility to keep people out of Hell.
B. The preaching of the gospel is our responsibility to keep people out of Hell.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
All people get saved from hell though a human witness of Jesus Christ. They cannot read it in the stars, they cannot see It in creation, they cannot feel it in their heart, they have to hear it with their spiritual ears. To make the gospel heard is the churches responsibility. We have to be busy preaching the gospel to those around us, and have to be busy reaching people around the world. That person you know at work will not be saved until they hear you tell them the gospel. The escape from hell is dependent upon those that have been saved from Hell already. Your family member, friends and coworkers will not receive Christ until the knowledge of what has done for them is delivered to their hearts by your faithful witness.
Assignment 1
1. Find as many scriptures as you can that reveal who the person of Jesus Christ is. Start with these descriptions:
as creator, God, man, Saviour, a servant, a friend, a judge, eternal, one resurrected, an interceder, etc… See if you can find any other descriptions of Jesus Christ.
2. Memorize two scriptures that prove that Jesus Christ is God.
Assignment 2
1. Evaluate how much time you spend with Christ.
2. What priorities need to be changed to increase my desire for the Lord?
3. What is evidence in my life that I am truly following the Lord?
4. What are some ways I can become more faithful in following the Lord?
Assignment 3
1. How do we know that someone will be conscious immediately after death?
2. What provided the greatest proof that there is a literal Hell?
3. What is our responsibility to help people escape Hell?
4. Who are some people you know that would go to Hell if they would die today?
5. Explain what you would need to tell them so they could escape Hell? Use Scripture to back up your message.