The Reality of Hell

The Story of the Rich Man and Lazarus

• The rich man lived luxuriously.
• Lazarus, a beggar, was full of sores and longed for scraps from the rich man’s table.
• Lazarus died and was carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom (paradise).
• The rich man died and was buried, and in hell, he was in torment.
• The rich man saw Abraham and Lazarus and asked for mercy, requesting Lazarus to bring him water.
• Abraham reminded him that he had received good things in his lifetime, while Lazarus had suffered.
• A great gulf was fixed between them, making it impossible to cross over.
• The rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to his father’s house to warn his five brothers.
• Abraham said they have Moses and the prophets and should listen to them.
• The rich man argued that if someone rose from the dead, they would repent.
• Abraham concluded that if they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.

The Significance of the Story

• The story provides an eyewitness account of what happens to an unbeliever after death (before Christ’s death and resurrection).
• Lazarus went to Abraham’s paradise, which Jesus later emptied when he opened the way to heaven.
• The focus is on the rich man’s fate and the reality of hell.
• If someone could return from hell, they would be the best evangelist.

The Importance of Preaching About Hell

• The word of God should inspire zeal to tell others they do not have to go to hell.
• It’s important to be soul winners and convey the message of heaven and hell.
• Dying without Christ means rejecting Christ and going to hell.
• Jesus came to provide a way to avoid hell.
• It is not pleasurable to declare that lost people go to hell, but it is the truth.
• Hell was created for the devil and his angels, but those not born again will go there.
• The world and many churches have stopped preaching about hell.
• Jesus preached more about hell than heaven because he wanted to keep people out of it.

The Need for Saved Individuals to Understand Hell

• Some saved people do not act saved because they have not considered what they were saved from.
• A vision of hell should inspire gratitude for salvation.
• Excitement about not going to hell should be maintained.

Hell is Real

• Hell is not a figment of imagination but the words of Jesus Christ.
• Jesus cannot lie, and he said the rich man went to hell.
• There cannot be a heaven without a hell.
• Many people do not believe in the concept of an afterlife.
• People often think they are good enough to go to heaven based on self-righteousness.
• The Bible concludes that all are under sin, but can be made dead to sin through Jesus’ resurrection.

The Confusion of the Rich Man

• The rich man thought someone returning from the dead would cause belief and repentance.
• There is plenty of good preaching available, but people do not want to escape hell’s flames.
• People need to believe Jesus Christ, who cannot lie.
• It is wrong to tell someone to go to hell.
• The Holy Ghost convinces people of the reality of hell, not just preachers.
  • Example: At nine years old, the Holy Ghost convinced Pastor Tommy that hell was real, leading to fear and repentance.
• People are leaving the world daily and going to a place they do not believe exists.
• It is not God’s will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The Reality of Hell

• One can sit smugly in self-righteousness, but there is a hell.
• If one is undone without God and not born again, hell will be their eternal home.
• God calls people to tell the truth about hell so others might hear, believe, and avoid it.
• Living hell on earth is not comparable to the reality of hell.

Hell is Immediate

• There is no purgatory or holding place after death.
• The idea of a waiting place is a lie from the devil.
• When you die, there is no encouragement in scripture to want to die without Christ.
• Hell is real and immediate; there is no waiting period.
• A story about a man who believed one does not know where they are going until they are dead is shared as an example of heresy.
• Confidence in what God did on the day of salvation is essential.
• When the rich man died and was buried, he immediately lifted up his eyes in hell.
• God has a blind marked for each person, and when they reach it, they will die.
• Everyone who has died without Christ for the past six thousand years has gone to a place of torment.
• The Holy Ghost must get to people, or they will go to hell.

Hell is Torment

• In hell, the rich man lifted up his eyes, being in torments.
• The torments of hell are beyond comprehension.
• God sends people to hell if their name is not in the Book of Life.
• God has done everything possible to keep people out of hell, including sacrificing his son.
• If one goes to hell, it is not God’s fault.
• The rich man spoke of the fire in hell.
• There are no gaps in the flames of hell, meaning no relief.
• One should not play around with eternity’s truths as if they are in charge.
• God will not change his mind if someone dies without Jesus Christ.
• The death of Jesus Christ will be honored, and no one having rejected Christ will escape hell.

Graphic Descriptions of Hell

• If a hand offends, cut it off to avoid going to hell with both hands.
• It is better to enter heaven maimed than to go to hell with both feet.
• Hell is a place where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
• The fire of hell will never go out; there is an endless supply to keep it going.
• The worm that does not die refers to the conscious remembrance of a man.
• There will be constant regret for having rejected Christ as Savior.
• There will be no relief from the torment.

Hell is Unchangeable

• There is a great gulf fixed, making it impossible to escape.
• The only change is being pulled out of hell for a moment to be judged before going to the lake of fire.
• The only chance to escape hell is today, right now.
• It is foolish to assume there will be another chance.

A Message Out of Hell

• The rich man wanted his brothers to be warned about hell.
• The message is to tell them it is real, immediate, torturous, and unchangeable.
• Preachers are called to preach about hell to save people from it.
• The rich man’s brothers have the chance to get to heaven through Moses and the prophets (the Bible).
• The world will not know about the Word of God unless someone tells them.
• Some may learn new things about hell, but it is from the pages of the Bible.
• The question is not whether one will die, but whether they will go to heaven.
• Believing in Jesus Christ as Savior is the only way to be certain of going to heaven.

Invitation

• If the Holy Ghost has visited one’s soul, they know they are lost and heading to hell.
• One should pray, “Lord, save me. I believe in you. Repent of my sins. Save me. I’m lost. Save me.”
• When fear sets in and the reality of hell is understood, one must trust Christ.
• Bow your heart to him and ask him to save you.
• Do not worry about what others think; people in hell wish they had not cared and had bowed in need of Christ.
• One needs to be saved today if they are lost.
• No one can come to the Father unless they are drawn.
• Bow in need of Christ and be saved.