What the Hell!

WHY HELL?  SOME EVEN SAY, “What the hell!”  or “Hell no.”  IS HELL DRACONIAN?  There’s a little town on Grande Cayman Island named Hell.  They have a Post Office there so that you can mail a card to friends and family from HELL.  Is there a real hell?

Will that teenager who lied about the scratch he made on the family car be in the same Hell-cell as the serial killer or crooked politician? How about the bookkeeper who pilfered $50 from her employer’s petty cash fund?  What if you could not wrap your mind around the idea of faith?

Hell is thrown around in daily conversation as in, “What the hell …?”  Or “That’s a hella-of-a  …  blah, blah.”  If you use hell as a cuss word will you go to Hell?

It is rather shocking that Pope Francis recently declared (although the Vatican scrambled all over themselves to explain), “those who do not repent and cannot therefore be forgiven disappear. There is no hell, there is the disappearance of sinful souls.” (CNS News, March 29,2018)  I’m confused.  Is it is or is it ain’t?  Although the Pope was not speaking ex cathedra, he has a lot of influence around the world.  What are we to believe?

In the Bible there are many different words or phrases for Hell, – the place of the damned.  They are the grave, Gehenna, Hades, Sheol, Lake of Fire, the Second Death and Eternal Damnation.  All of these contravene what the Pope seemed to be preaching.  Everything Jesus said had meaning – nothing casually said, or off the wall. Jesus said,

“Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”

Matthew 3:10 (nlt)

Unbelief and violating the law of God are clearly two transgressions that will cause one to exist in hell forever and ever.  Is God through Christ violating his own basic tenant of love by assigning someone to hell forever and ever for getting mad at the preacher, or for hiding the cookie (so to speak), or stealing a shirt in the store or adultery?  What about the woman at the well or the woman caught in adultery?  Jesus uses the word hell in conjunction with adultery in Matthew 5:28, but widens the scope to anything that causes separation from God in vv. 29-30.  But it is interesting that he didn’t specifically use the word hell when listing some other behaviors such as divorce, violating an oath, eye for eye, etc.

What is the best way for the demons of hell to get us into hell?

ENOUGH! ENOUGH!  Is Hell real or not?  Will you go to Hell where you will burn in punishment forever and ever?  Some people will say that their life is a living Hell.  No way!  From Paul and Silas to the Apostle Peter who was crucified upside-down, to the Apostle Paul who was killed by Ceasar to the multiplied millions of Christians killed for their faith, Hell seemed like their experience on earth was like Hell.  But the Hell referred to in Scripture seems to be a place beyond human comprehension.

The place to clarify this is THE WORD of God, the Bible.

“‘But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.’”

Revelation 21:8 (niv)

II Peter 2:4 – “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment.”

Matthew 5:29 – It’s better for you to gouge out your own eye “than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”  Plus Matthew 5:30, 10:28, 18:9, 23:15, Mark 9:43, 47, 45 and Luke 12:5

James 3:6 – The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil …, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”

Matthew 5: 22 – “And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ Will be in danger of the fire of hell.”

Over and over, more times than space is written here, it is mentioned about going down to the realm of the dead, etc.

“Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”       Revelation 20:15

THE REST OF THE STORY IS:

“And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.”

Romans 5:9 (nlt)

MY YEARNING IS FOR THAT ETERNAL PLACE WHERE GOD IS!  How about you?

“Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling

Calling for you and for me

See on the portals He’s waiting and watching

Watching for you and for me

“Come home, come home

Ye who are weary come home

Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling

Calling, “O sinner come home”

“O for the wonderful love He has promised

Promised for you and for me

Though we have sinned He has mercy and pardon

Pardon for you and for me. “

(Will L. Thompson)..