There's no Hell.... right?

You may want to sit down for this one… it’s going to take awhile.

Yup, you read that right, I’m talking Hell today. I have no idea why, but recently I’ve wondered a bit more about the power that satan has on this world and how he works to plot against those that love Christ and really, every human on the face of the planet. The interesting part of all of this is the fact that satan’s main mission, main objective, overall goal is to convince everyone on this earth that there is no God, no Heaven, and especially no hell. He plots and plans everyday how to put another stumbling block in the way of unbelievers and even Christians to set us up for failure, doubt, and inevitably unbelief. He is the master of lies and utilizes every kind of evil out there to gain followers of him and turn people from the one True God.

Over the past few weeks I’ve done a bit of research on this subject, and specifically how satan uses his lies to attack us with doubts and questions. I’ve come to the realization that the scariest, nastiest, most vile, despicable, evil thing I can think of does not even begin to compare to the power and lies that Satan carries around with him everyday. Think of the worst thing you’ve ever experienced, seen, or heard of - that one event or issue does not even compare to the myriad of evils that satan possesses. I think of things like the extreme poverty and AIDS issues of Africa, rape/molestation/human trafficking in Thailand, the Holocaust of the Jews, the abuse of father’s towards their children, the addictions of this world on porn/drugs/alcohol and how devastating the effects of the addictions are, and even the disgustingly perverse incest of father’s to their daughters around the world. All of this is absolutely sick, the idea that people can be so evil & cause such pain and suffering in the lives of others – all out of their own selfishness.

So what exactly is Hell? Well, the Bible tells us that it's a lake of fire (Rev. 20:15), an eteral abyss (Rev. 20:1), eternal darkness (Matt. 25:30), gloomy (II Peter 2:4), and eternal separation from God and everything good, as seen in the passage from Luke below. In essence, Hell is your worst nightmare coming true over and over and over and over forEVER. It's not going to be a fun venture or a time to hang out with all the "bad guys" from the world. It's actually going to be more like an extremely hot desert of darkness - solitary confinement where all you hear day in and day out are the screams of treachery and pain of those around you who you cannot see but can only hear. I can only imagine that Hell would be the worst agonizing pain you have ever expereinced times 10 and never letting up. Bleeding but never dying, agonizing but never relieved, alone and never encouraged, darkness without even a glimpse of hope. Hell is beyond what our finite minds can even comprehend, and like the rich young man depicted below... we only get one chance to make the right choice.

In Luke 16, Jesus describes, rather vividly, the afterlife of two men, and the choices they make while on earth and the consequences of their actions when they die. Take a read:

19 Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury (This guy was OBVIOUSLY a big deal) 20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. 22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham.[e] The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and his soul went to the place of the dead.[f] There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. 24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames (I love how the guy still thinks of Lazarus as a servant, and that he should be served).’ 25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ 27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ 29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’ 30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ 31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”

After reading this particular passage, I find it pretty obvious that we get one chance to get the whole "is there a God?" "is there a Heaven and Hell?" and "how does Jesus fit into all of this?" thing figured out. Looking back at this passage we see that one man who seems to have everything while on earth - the fancy cars, the big house, all the toys - loses everything he deemed important on earth the second he steps into eternity. There's a similar story to this found in Matthew 19 - a rich young man comes to Jesus and asks him what he needs to do in order to enter Heaven, and Jesus responds:

" 21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

You know what I think? I think Matthew 19 has this whole Heaven and Hell debate spot on. In our instant gratification society where we're the top 5% of the entire world's rich, it's no wonder that our society is often so easily swayed by the ways of the world rather than the calling of the Lord. Our hearts have slowly been hardened by the lies of Satan, "just one more look and I'll be satisfied", "just one more shot and I'll finally calm down", "just one more hour of work and I'll be successful". Our lives are run by competing with the Jones' rather than looking to Christ for our utter satisfaction. We, as a society, are so incredibly clouded by the world around us and the attacks of Satan that we don't even realize the lies we're being told until it's too late. We get no second chances when it comes to salvation. We only have one life on this earth, and one opportunity to choose what we'll believe. Will we work ourselves into an early grave so we can have the parties, the cars, the toys, and everything material that doesn't last? Or will we strive for Heavenly perfection, not comparing ourselves to others, but loving God and others along the way?

The choice is....

yours.

Praying for you all tonight blogging community, that the Lord would show Himself to you in incredible ways. God is good, and despite what the world says, He still loves you no matter who you are, no matter what you've done - He loves you no matter what.

"17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all he has made.

18 The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.

19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.

20 The LORD watches over all who love him" - Ps. 145:17-20