Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

The great preacher, Dwight L. Moody, said, “When we preach on hell, we might at least do it with tears in our eyes.”

I wish I didn’t have to preach this message today. I really do. There have been preachers who have received some sick, twisted joy out of condemning people to hell. I don’t know why. Maybe their moms didn’t hug them enough growing up. Maybe they’ve got some weird superiority complex. I don’t know.

But I do know that I definitely do NOT fall into this camp. To be honest, I hate preaching on hell. But I’m going to do it, because I simply have no choice. If I’m going to claim to preach the Bible, then I have to preach the whole Bible. Not just the parts I like. Not just the parts that make me feel good.

The video you just experienced is a dramatic interpretation of a very real Biblical teaching…and that is that there is a real, eternal place called hell that awaits those who are outside of Christ.

I’m sure the video offended some of you. The sermon will probably offend you even more. But listen to how a preacher named Brian Jones explained it.

Brian said, “Too often we want to appear more moral than God. Too often in outreach-focused churches we feel the need to acquiesce to the avalanche of pluralistic pressure to back off of this key doctrine [of hell]. However, I believe that if you really love people, at some point you’ll compassionately tell them the truth, even if you risk having them walk out your church doors.”

As we planned this service, we went into it knowing the risks. We know that some of you may be offended and you may never darken the doors of the Amelia Church of Christ again. That’s the risk of this kind of controversial topic.

But the risks of not talking about it are far greater. If the church doesn’t talk about it, people will be in very real danger of entering The Other Side with no clue about what awaits them. Today, you’ll know what this section of The Other Side is like. You may still choose to reject the message, but you won’t reject it out of ignorance. You won’t reject it because you don’t know the truth.

And ultimately, our goal and our prayer is that this series will be the catalyst for you to give your life to Christ. People are already coming to Jesus through this series, and I’m convinced we’re not done yet.

I want to pray as we get started. I NEED to pray as we get started. So let’s do that and then we’ll get into God’s Word.

The doctrine of hell has been a source of contention and controversy throughout history. But what we have to remember…what we always have to remember…is that our focus is on what the Bible has to say, not what people have to say.

The consistent message throughout the Bible is that there are two opposite destinies of mankind on the other side. We’re going to take a look at just a few of the passages that illustrate both of the possible destinies that await us.

Daniel 12:2 says, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2, KJV)

See the clear picture of the two opposing destinies? Everlasting life. Everlasting contempt.

In Matthew 7, Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14, NIV)

Jesus paints the dichotomy as life vs. destruction. And his words also contain a very real, sad truth…more people will enter into destruction than life. Some sobering reality from the mouth of Christ.

Even in the most well-known Bible verse in the world, we see the conflicting, opposite eternal destinies of mankind.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)

This verse that is known and loved by millions teaches very clearly that two different realities will be found on the other side. One will be full of eternal life. One will be filled with death, where people will eternally perish.

Next week, we get to talk about the place of life. We’re going to focus everything in the service around heaven, and it’s going to be awesome! We’re going to party from the minute the service opens up!

But this week, we’re talking about the other side of the other side. The Bible consistently teaches that there are two possible destinies in eternity: heaven and hell. The Bible obviously teaches that hell is a real place. It actually exists. But what is it like?

We’re going to look at five different Biblical pictures of hell. There’s no way we could possibly cover every Scripture that talks about hell, but once you understand these five Biblical pictures, you’ll have a good grasp of the truth about this eternal place.

The first picture comes from Jesus himself. It is the Gehenna picture. We’re not talking about the Slipknot song, Gehenna. This is straight Scripture. The Greek word gehenna is found 12 times in the New Testament. 11 of those times are Jesus’ own words.

Gehenna was a place on the south side of Jerusalem. It was originally known as “the valley of Hinnom.” (Joshua 15:8, NIV)

In the Old Testament, this was the place where the Jews, who were supposed to be God’s people, committed some horrible atrocities. This valley was where the Jews offered child sacrifices to the pagan god, Molech. The typical practice was to heat up the furnace built into the base of a statue of Molech and then place the child in the idol’s hot arms to burn to death. The people would beat drums very loudly so parents wouldn’t hear the screams of their dying children.

Because of the absolute evil that happened there, it’s no surprise that by the end of the Old Testament age, this place had become a symbol of shame and divine judgment.

By the beginning of the first century, the valley of Hinnom, or Gehenna, had been abandoned. It was used as a garbage dump for the city of Jerusalem. There was a constant fire burning the garbage at Gehenna.

It is also where the city’s antiquated sewer system drained out. The Old Testament law of animal sacrifice was still in effect at this time. Thousands of animals were sacrificed in the Temple. There was a sewage system for the blood and animal fat to flow out of the city, where it gathered in a huge, disgusting pool. There were constantly worms ingesting what spilled out of the sewer system. The place where the sewers emptied was Gehenna.

Gehenna was also the place where the bodies of dead criminals were left to be consumed by scavengers and maggots.

It was a detestable, disgusting place. And this is the picture that Jesus often used as a metaphor to describe hell.

In Luke 12, Jesus said, “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” (Luke 12:5, NIV)

The word that your Bible translates “hell” is the Greek word gehenna. This was the word Jesus used to describe hell more than any other. He chose to use this ghastly, repulsive place called Gehenna to illustrate what hell will be like. His listeners knew Gehenna very well. And Jesus was saying, “You know that Gehenna place? You know how repulsed and disgusted you are by it? You know how you never want to go there…ever? That place is just a microcosm of what hell is like. You NEVER want to go there.”

That’s the first biblical picture of hell.

The second is the picture of fire. Fire is the most common imagery that the Bible uses to describe hell. Fire is an appropriate symbol for hell since being burned is on of the most painful experiences known to man.

Let’s look at a couple of Scriptures. Hebrews 10:27 tells us that without Christ, there is only, “a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” (Hebrews 10:27, NIV)

Once we die, our chance to give our lives to Christ ends. When we die apart from Jesus, this is what is in store for us on the other side. Judgment and raging fire.

Here’s an even more descriptive picture from Revelation 20. “The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14b-15, NIV)

At God’s final judgment, the book of life will be opened. Everyone who has accepted God’s forgiveness that comes through Jesus’ death will be named in this book. They will go on to eternity in God’s presence forever. But those who are outside of Christ will not be named in this book. Once God announces that their name is not there, they will be thrown into the lake of fire for eternity. If you’ve ever been burned, then you know what kind of terrifying picture this actually is.

Let’s move on to a third Biblical picture of hell: total darkness. The Bible likens hell to a person being cast into a place of absolute darkness that is filled with unknown terrors.

Jesus referred to hell as, “the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 25:30b, NIV)

This is a different side of hell than we saw in the fire imagery. One of my old professors, Dr. Johnny Pressley, points out that, “Being burned by fire is one of the most painful forms of physical suffering. Being locked in darkness, on the other hand, brings to mind the idea of great psychological stress. The human mind is, by nature, terrified of total darkness, because we aren’t well-suited for an extended amount of sensory deprivation. And because our mind readily imagines hidden dangers within the darkness.”

Jesus’ pictured people who were in this darkness weeping and gnashing their teeth. That’s a picture of someone who is out of their mind in grief. Someone who is experiencing fear on an unimaginable scale.

One more passage to finish this picture in our minds. This comes from 2 Peter 2. “They have left the straight way and wandered off…These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.” (2 Peter 2:15a, 17, NIV)

Hell is blackest darkness. The complete absence of light. Which makes perfect sense when you think about the next Biblical picture of hell.

Separation from God. The Bible says that God is light. Hell is eternal separation from God, which explains the infinite darkness of that place.

This picture is the worst one of all. Hell is being separated from the presence of God for all eternity.

Now, people who don’t know God would say, “Big deal. So I’m not with God. Who cares?” What they don’t realize is that, even though they’re rejecting God in this world, he hasn’t completely rejected them. They still experience good things here on earth because God is still present in this world. But when God completely removes himself, as he will in hell, then all hell really does break loose. All these terrifying pictures of hell that we’ve seen today are real for one reason…God isn’t there. These pictures illustrate what it’s like when God is completely and absolutely absent.

In 2 Thessalonians 1, the Bible says, “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power…” (2 Thessalonians 1:7b-9, NIV)

Hell is total, eternal separation from the power, majesty, goodness, and love of God. It’s what makes hell…hell.

J.P. Moreland described it this way. He said, ““God is the most generous, loving, wonderful, attractive being in the cosmos. He has made us with free will and he has made us for a purpose: to relate lovingly to him and to others. We are not accidents, we’re not modified monkeys, we’re not random mistakes. And if we fail over and over again to live for the purpose for which we were made…then God will have absolutely no choice but to give us what we’ve asked for all along in our lives, which is separation from him.” (Strobel, Lee. The Case for Faith. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000, pg. 173).

C.S. Lewis says that believers will be welcomed into heaven because they humbled themselves and said to God, “not my will, but yours be done.”

For those who choose to stay away from God in this life, hell is God’s way of saying to them, “not my will, but yours be done.” Hell is the ultimate fulfillment of the desire of those who don’t want to be bothered by God. They wanted a life separated from God, and that’s what they will have for all eternity.

Which leads to the last Biblical picture of hell. Hell is forever. There is a move today toward a different view of hell. The view is known as annihilationism. People who subscribe to this belief teach that no one actually suffers for eternity in hell. At some point in time, the wicked are simply annihilated out of existence, never to return again.

This is not how the Bible talks about hell. In Matthew 25:46, Jesus said, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46, NIV)

Jesus makes a reference to both heaven and hell in this verse. The key word for both is “eternal.” The beauty and wonder of heaven will last for eternity. The punishment and horror of hell will last for eternity. It’s a forever deal. It will never end…ever.

These are five ways that the Bible describes this place called hell. It is a place of terrible suffering and torment, far beyond what we are able to fathom with our limited imagination.

But all this hell talk will inevitably bring up this objection: A loving God would never torture people in hell.

Bertrand Russell, who was an atheist, said, ““There is one very serious defect to my mind in Christ’s moral character, and that is that he believed in hell. I do not myself feel that any person who is really profoundly humane can believe in everlasting punishment.”

A lot of people believe that, if God is truly loving, then hell can’t possibly exist. But what they fail to realize is that God is loving, but he is also just. Justice and love are both equal parts of God’s character.

Justice says that there must be punishment for sin. Love allows Jesus to take that punishment for us on the cross.

Justice says that hell must be terrible. Love says that hell must be avoidable.

Justice says that sinners will be separated from God in hell. Love says, “After all, that’s what you wanted.”

Justice says that hell must be eternal. Love says, “So does heaven.”

God is loving. God is just. You combine those two, and here’s what you get. Heaven and hell must both exist. And when it comes to hell, you can be assured that it will be fair. Some people have suggested that there are different levels of suffering in hell based on the sinfulness of a person. Actually, there are some Biblical passages that seem to suggest that. But whatever the case, hell will be terrible. Beyond our comprehension. But when God’s judgment is meted out, it will be given in a perfect combination of his love and his justice.

And here is the most important thing I’ve said all day. God’s greatest is desire is that no one would go to hell!

You have to understand that hell was not created for us. It was originally created for Satan and his demons. They were originally angels, but they rebelled against God and were thrown out of heaven. Their punishment is an eternity in hell. We need to erase any notion that the devil will be in charge of hell. We see the cartoons where the devil is this red-skinned dude with a pitchfork and a pointy tail who runs the show in hell. Not even close to the truth. Satan and his minions will spend eternity in hell being punished by God. Satan is not in charge of hell. Who’s in charge of hell? God is.

But hell was never intended for human occupants. It was not designed for us. God’s desire is for every single person on earth to return to him.

The Apostle Peter tells us, “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9b, NIV)

The only reason God hasn’t issued his final judgment against this world is he wants more people to return to him. He is patiently waiting because he can’t stand the thought of sending people to hell.

God says in Ezekiel 33, “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways!’” (Ezekiel 33:11, NIV)

God takes no pleasure when someone dies apart from him. His pleasure is found when a person repents. His pleasure is found when someone turns from wickedness to God. His pleasure is found in forgiving sin and offering eternal life. You know who hates hell more than anybody? God!

And because God hates hell so much, because he loves forgiveness and life so much, he gives us another way. Hell does not have to be our eternal destiny, because God offers salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We often refer to Jesus as our Savior. The very fact that we call him Savior means that he actually saves us from something. When Jesus died on the cross, God punished him for our sin. Jesus took the punishment of our sin so we wouldn’t have to be punished in hell. He is our Savior because he saves us from God’s eternal judgment.

In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian church, he told them what his friends were saying about the Thessalonian believers. Paul said, “They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9b-10, NIV)

Jesus died to rescue you from the coming wrath. Do you understand that you don’t need to fear hell? I know we’ve talked about some seriously scary stuff today. Hell is a terrifying place, but if you give your life to Jesus, you don’t have to fear it anymore.

The Bible says, “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ…” (1 Thessalonians 5:9, ESV)

For some of you, it’s time for a destiny change. Today we’ve talked about the jarring reality of hell. But there is another reality: the cross of Christ. The path to forgiveness. The gateway to grace. The source of hope. Jesus Christ gave his life to change your destiny. Jesus has cast his vote for you. Satan has cast his vote against you. You get to case the deciding vote. Today, we invite you to choose Jesus. To make him the Savior and Lord of your life. To hear the gates of hell slam shut and see the doors of heaven thrown wide open for you. That’s the power of the cross. Come and let Jesus change your life and your eternity.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: The Other Side, afterlife, hell