Jesus is the answer, our only hope and the only hope that we need.
Christians get a bad wrap when we talk about Hell, but we talk about Hell because we don’t want anyone to go there, and neither does God. 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV) :
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Jesus, Himself, spoke of a physical Hell (see Luke 16:19-31) and there are many references to it in the Bible.
As discussed by Pastor Charles Swindoll (click here for the full discussion):
“This is only one of many references to an eternal existence in hell. The New Testament, in fact, says more about hell than it does about heaven. Here are just a few characteristics of hell set forth in the New Testament:
- It is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12).
- It is a place where people scream for mercy, have memories, are tormented, feel alone, cannot escape (Luke 16:23–31).
- It is a place of unquenchable fire (Mark 9:48).
- It is a place of darkness (Revelation 9:2).
- It is a place of eternal damnation (Mark 3:29 KJV).
- It is a place where God’s wrath is poured out (Revelation 14:10 KJV).
- It is a place of everlasting destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
The finality of all this is overwhelmingly depressing. We have little struggle believing that heaven will be forever, but for some reason we ignore that hell will be equally everlasting. To deny the permanence of hell is impossible without also removing the permanence of heaven. Each is a reality and each is ultimate finality.”
(Excerpted from Avoiding Stress Fractures, Copyright © 1990, 1995 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. For additional information and resources visit us at www.insight.org.)
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I once heard a pastor teach that just as we cannot possibly imagine in our limited human minds how wonderful and beautiful Heaven is, we cannot imagine the true pain and torment of Hell. When you consider the horrible things that Man can imagine (just watch TV for a little while or read about what the Nazis did to their prisoners), this statement is truly profound.
There is a gentleman named Bill Wiese, who includes in his testimony: “On November 23, 1998 I had an out-of-body experience which falls under the classification of a ‘vision’ as described in 2 Corinthians 12:1-2. It was not a dream or a near death experience. The Lord chose to take me to hell in my spirit body. I had been a Christian for 28 years with a love for God’s Word but I had never studied the topic of hell.” (See https://soulchoiceministries.org/about-bill-and-annette-wiese/)
Mr. Wiese has posted videos in which he describes in great detail what he saw, felt, heard, and smelt. I have watched the longer video and would encourage anyone interested in the topic of what happens after we die to do the same. Regardless of what you come to think of Mr. Wiese, you might ask the question, “What if it is true?”
Jesus is the answer, our only hope: John 3:16-18 (KJV):
“16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
We have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain by placing our trust in Jesus. As stated by the French mathematician, Blaise Pascal:
“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.” (found at www.brainyquote.com).
What if time is short? If you haven’t already done so, make the choice now to accept the Lord as your Savior.
Billy Graham used the following prayer, but we should all remember that it is not the “magic words” of the prayer that save; it is Jesus’ merciful, gracious call and our penitent, heartfelt response to his knocking at our hearts:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name.”
For additional discussion of the above prayer, see www.abiblecommentary.com at this link.
Oh, Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!
Notes/Disclaimers:
*”ASV” refers to the American Standard Version of the Bible and “KJV” refers to the King James Version of the Bible, both of which are in the public domain. Links are to the New International Version on BibleGateway.com.
**I am not affiliated with any of the websites that I mentioned above (other than I may have donated a time or two), nor have they endorsed this website in any way. I am just listing them because I have found them to be very helpful references.
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