Hell Is Real!
Today’s message is taken from Luke 16:19-31: it is a parable, an allegory; to wit, a religious story. A parable is a spiritual teaching taken from life’s examples or situations. They may be short sayings or they may be allegories. Jesus used parables to teach about a third of His messages. Jesus used parables to bring Truth…Light… to those whose heart was receptive and darkness to those whose heart was set on self.
In this parable two men of different hearts are presented: Lazarus…a beggar, unable to care for himself, yet he loved Jesus, and a certain rich man who fared well, wanted for nothing, yet he did not love Jesus. This parable, allegory is about real people, a real situation. Our Lord Jesus used real situations to bring His Truth to us and as we survey these scriptures we are to see Reality…Hell is Real!
This message is relevant to the lost and to the saved: For the lost to have a glimpse of the reality of hell and to cry for mercy, to cry for salvation: For the saved to tremble…to be horrified at the prospect of lost loves perishing in a burning hell. Hell Is Real! As this message is presented open your hearts, let God’s Word show you Truth, show you the pains of hell. Do not doubt the reality of hell. Hell Is Real!
God gave us this allegory to open our eyes, to fear the wrath of God. Hell was not created for man; it was created for the devil and his fallen angels.
Matthew 25:41 “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:”
Nevertheless, hell is where the lost will go and burn forever in the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:14,15 “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Hell Is Real! It is a place of burning torment, of misery, of agony unspeakable. Know this Hell Is Real and it is a place where those who reject the shed Blood of Jesus will burn in torment forever. Don’t die and go to hell, be saved: Ask Jesus to come inside you and cleanse you. Christian, never stop praying for the lost to be saved, cry tears of love for the lost, ask God to touch the lost, to draw them to salvation: Do whatever God will have you to do that they may be spared the burning torment of hell.
Now consider Luke 16:19-31:
Luke 16:19 - 31 “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22And 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; 23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24And 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.
25But 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. 26And 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, thatwould come from thence. 27Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: 28For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
In His Torment The Rich Man Saw Lazarus Being Comforted!
“23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.”
Verse 23 tells us that in hell the rich man lifted up his eyes in torment and saw Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom. In his torment he can see Lazarus in Paradise in comfort. The rich man is in agony. He is burning, he is in pain, yet he can see Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom.
From this scripture we clearly see that those in hell, during their suffering, will observe the saved in comfort, in God’s care. The pains of hell are hard to imagine, nevertheless they are real. The agony of suffering but yet, just past the horizon is peace, this adds to the torment of hell.
No earthly account of suffering can compare to this misery, but ponder this illustration:
The small country of Haiti shares an island with the Dominican Republic situated in the Caribbean Sea. Both are third world countries but Haiti brings with it a new definition to poverty. Food is scarce, clean water is scarce. In Haiti the only thing that is in abundance is poverty and grief; it is indeed a country in despair. Why is this country in such dismal shape while yet over the mountain range separating the two countries is the Dominican Republic a country in poverty but nothing like Haiti?
An old store keeper of Haiti told this account to some missionaries: Before the start of World War II a ship loaded with Jewish refugees came to Haiti seeking asylum. Terror was coming to the Jews and they were desperately seeking a safe haven. The then ruler of Haiti fearing the wrath of the Third Reich denied them sanctuary and since then, says the old man, Haiti had been cursed. To curse God’s people is to be cursed.
Genesis 12:1 - 3 “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
Those in Haiti know of the better life just over the mountains yet they are not allowed to leave. They know paradise is just over the mountains. A place where they can work, have food, and clean water. Some do manage to leave Haiti and come to Dominican Republic; sadly they are treated as second class citizens. Yet, they are happy to work in the sugar cane fields for two dollars a day. It does not allow them to eat fancy, but they do eat. Curious though, downtown Dominican Republic, at a Burger King, a meal cost six dollars and there is an armed guard at the door with a shotgun. Funny how in America we complain so much, yet in most of the world they would be happy with our refuse!
Those trapped in Haiti know just over the mountain is paradise…Those in hell know just over the gulf is Paradise; yet with those in hell, there is no escape. They are forever doomed, forever cursed, forever tormented. How terrible to be in torment and see peace, comfort, love…yet never ever to come to it. How sad. The rich man is in hell being tormented forever seeing those comforted by God. He is in eternal torment, suffering, and all the while seeing what he could have had, yet he denied the shed Blood of Jesus and now, forever he must suffer in torment!
No Mercy In Hell!
“24And 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. 25But 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.”
Verse 24,25 tells us there is no mercy in hell. What a terrible thing to imagine, no mercy! It is almost impossible to imagine a place of no mercy, for we all have been given so much mercy in our life. However consider this account of a man imprisoned for several years. He was sentenced for armed robbery and sent to a prison for violent offenders. As he arrived he maintained the same type attitude he had outside of prison; that is a defiant, rebellious attitude that would not accept authority. Shortly after his incarceration he was locked into solitary confinement. Normally no one would be kept in solitary for more than a year, but this individual was so uncooperative that when the year was over, he was still locked in solitary. After the year this defiant man changed, he was ready to be co-operative, he wanted mercy. He told the officers, “I’m sorry”, to which, they replied, “Sorry…Sorry, what’s that, we don’t know sorry…what’s that?” This man finally found mercy six months later. This episode in his life is forever deeply imbedded in his mind…the time when he found NO MERCY!
The rich man in hell cried out…Mercy! Mercy! Mercy! There is no mercy in hell. There is only pain, misery, thirst, burning…torment. For hell is where all sin is paid for: All sin that was not washed by the Blood of Jesus. If Jesus does not cleanse you and wash you from your sins you will pay for your sins in hell eternally. You will burn in the fire of your sins forever, and the more wickedness you have done the more wicked your burning torment will be. Hell Is Real, and if you are not washed by the Blood of the Lamb you will pay for each and everyone of your sins. Sin must be paid for! The Blood of Jesus paid for sin, you do not have to die and spend eternity in hell; all you have to do is repent of denying Jesus’ Lordship over your life. Surrender to Him, ask Him to save you, ask Him to wash you with His Blood.
Colossians 1:14 “In whom we have redemption through his blood,even the forgiveness of sins:”
THERE IS NO MERCY IN HELL!
Christian, are you being stirred to be a witness for Jesus, are you being encouraged to pray for the lost. This is what you are to gain from this message, a burning desire in your heart to stop your lost love ones from burning in hell forever! Every Christian is to witness whenever God gives them an opportunity. There is Power in the Word of God. The Word of God does the saving, all the Christian does is present the Word of God.
Consider this illustration of another man in prison. Why another illustration of a man in prison? Because hell is the ultimate prison, a prison of no escape; a prison of pain and suffering; a prison that lasts forever, no end to the sentence, no mercy, only torment.
Ralph had been incarcerated for several years and was soon to be released. At his prison a preacher sat down with him and spent time with him and another man explaining to them there need for salvation. Explaining to them that they would burn in hell forever unless they were saved. When the preacher had finished delivering the Gospel to the men he asked them if they wanted to be saved. Both men rejected Jesus.
A month later the preacher was teaching a class in the cafeteria of the prison. While he was teaching the class Ralph was outside washing the windows. The preacher noticed Ralph kept looking inside as if he was interested in what was going on inside. Shortly, Ralph laid down his squeegee and came inside the class. He walked in without saying a word and sat down. The preacher, led by the Holy Spirit began to talk about salvation and then boldly began to ask each of the class members if they were saved. Each in turn when asked had said yes. When the preacher came to Ralph he knew he wasn’t saved and he asked him if he wanted to be saved. To which Ralph nodded his head yes. Ralph then asked the Lord to save him.
It’s not the preacher; it’s the Word of God that saves. The Word of God was locked in Ralph’s heart, locked bringing salvation. All we have to do is present God’s Word…God does the saving, but if we don’t present the Word how will they be saved?
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of Godis quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, andis a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
The Bondage Of Hell!
“26And 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, thatwould come from thence.”
Verse 26 proclaims the residents of hell can never leave, there is no escape, there is no leaving hell, and no one from heaven can go to hell. Hell is the domain of evil, only evil can enter hell and those that are in heaven are pure and spotless. There is no desire for sin in them. If they went to hell they would not be pure for sin corrupts, sin is evil. What makes them different from those in hell? The Blood of Jesus has washed them and God reached inside them and took out their dead spirit and breathed life into it. It then was Born Again, made clean, holy by the Blood of Jesus. Not by anything they did, for man’s heart is wicked it must be changed and only God can change the heart when man asks God to change his heart.
Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Once again, consider an illustration of a man who spent most of his adult life in prison: James had had a difficult life. He was constantly in trouble and as a result he was imprisoned many times. The older he got the more institutionalized he became. He seemed quite uncomfortable when he was released from prison. He did not know how to live in a free society. It truly was sad to see James trying to adjust to freedom from the bondage of prison. The problem was James did not feel as though he was out of prison for he was often seen ‘walking squares’ as if he was still in his cell. It truly was sad to watch James ‘walk squares’; he was released, he was free; yet he was in Bondage.