God's Description of Hell

 Last week, I posted on the subject, "What A Lost Soul Discovers One Minute After Death in Hell." Today, we are going to look at God's description of hell. You don't wany my opinion, or for that fact, any man's opinion on this subject. This is too important subject for a mistake. God has told us in His Holy Word, The Bible, exactly what hell will be like. If you are unsaved, read about your eternal dwelling place. However, you don't have to go there. Come to the Lord Jesus Christ and He will never cast you aside. If you have been converted, read the description and thank the Lord Jesus Christ for blood redemption and hell will not be your home. If you know someone unsaved, I encourage you to share this with him. Now, let's see what God says about hell.

First, hell is a prison house. 11 Peter 2:4: "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness." 

Second, hell is a bottomless pit." Rev. 20:1: "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand."

Third, hell is a place of sorrows. Psalm 18: 5: "The sorrows of hell compassed me about." Matthew 13:42: "And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

Fourth, hell is a place of darkness. Matthew 8: 12: "But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Fifth, hell is a place where they curse God. Rev. 16: 11: "And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds." 

Sixth, hell is a place of filthiness. Rev. 22:11: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be fithy still."

Seventh, hell is a place of no mercy. Luke 16: 24: "And he cried and said, Father Abraham , have mercy on me!" But the answer was, no mercy. 

Eighth, hell is a place of no rest. Rev. 14: 11: "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image...."

Ninth, hell is eternal. Matthew 25: 46: "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment."

Tenth, hell is a place of everlasting punishment. Psalm 11:6: "Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup."

Eleventh, hell is a place where conscious never dies. Mark 9: 48: "Where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. The fire of an awaked conscious is never put out. 

Twelfth, hell is a place of the wrath of God. Rev. 14: 10: "The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimestone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb."

Thirteenth, hell is a place prepared for the devil and his 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."

The above descriptions of hell come right from God's Word. They are not my opinion. My opinion is worthless unless it is based on the Word of God. You don't hear much about hell today from the pulpit. Instead, you hear things like, "God is not mad at you, He is mad about you." The previous statement demonstrates a lack of true salvation on the part of the one saying it. How can I make such a claim? No one comes to Christ until that person sees himself as a lost sinner headed to hell.  Holy Spirit conviction awakens the sinner to his lost condition and need for salvation. The "mad about" you statement is designed to soften Holy Spirit conviction. 

So, tell me, who wants to reduce Holy Spirit conviction? Is it God or Satan? Also, remember that there is a similar statement that God loves the sinner but hates the sin. Untrue and I wouldn't take much comfort in it. Why? God doesn't cast the sin into hell, He casts the sinner into hell.

If you know the truth, tell someone you care about. Perchance, God may use you to reach the lost.

6-12-2022 Devotion: Promises Day 19

 John 14: 16: "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever...." The priestly and intercessory work of Christ began with the request that the Father send the Holy Spirit to indwell in the people of faith. another. The Greek. word specifically means another of the same kind, i.e., someone like Jesus Himself who will take His place and do His work. The Spirit of Christ is the Third Person of the Trinity, having the same essence of deity as Jesus and as perfectly one with Him as He is with the Father. Helper. The Greek term here literally means “one called alongside to help” and has the idea of someone who encourages and exhorts. “Abiding” has to do with His permanent residence in believers. This is one reason why the Trinity is so important. If you don't believe in the Trinity, I don't know how you could be saved. The Father chose you before the foundation of the world. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son, paid for your redemption by the shedding of His blood. The Holy Spirit comes to you to regenerate, think "make alive" so you can believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation. When you are saved, you are baptized with the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ. Don't be misled. The Scriptures are clear. Thank the Lord Jesus Christ that He sent His Spirit to you so you would not be alone.

6-11-2022 Devotion: Promises Day 18

 John 14: 15: "If ye love Me, keep My commandments." The proof of love to Christ is not an oral profession but living obedience. Love for Christ is inseparable from obedience. “My commandments” are not only Jesus’ ethical commandments in context (vv. 23, 24), but the entire revelation from the Father. This is not a new concept. The OT already closely connected love for God with obeying his commandments. Now let us consider what all three of these verses say. What does it mean to ask in the name of Christ? To pray in His Person means to be standing in His place. It means to be fully identified with Him, joined to Christ. It means that you and I are pleading the merits of His blessed Son when we stand before God. We have no standing of our own before God at all. He does not hear my prayer because of our name, and He does not hear your prayer because you are who you are. He hears our prayers when they are in the name of Christ. This is not just a little phrase that we tag on to the end of our prayer closing with “in Jesus’ name.” Praying in His name is presenting it in His merit and for His glory. To me prayer is humbling. When I consider Who I am speaking and His holiness which is beyond me to comprehend, all I can do is call out in the Lord Jesus Name trusting in the merits of blood redemption that allows me entrance to be heard. Thank God for blood redemption. 

6-10-2022 Devotion: Promises Day 17

 John 14:14: "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." This verse supports the verse from yesterday, "And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do...." Since these verses are so misinterpreted, they warrant another look. "In my name" means “as My agent.” The promise of answered prayer is based on the disciple acting as the agent of Jesus’ will (cf. 16:23–26). It is also linked here especially in the accomplishment of the “greater works.” The promise is for unlimited resources to do the works of God. The promises that our Lord was making were qualified as well as radical. General statements of principle were sometimes qualified for particular circumstances . Nevertheless, few if any other teachers offered promises from God as radical as this, and none dared offer such radical promises about their own name. The Lord Jesus Christ knew that in a few short hours that the disciples would be scattered and confused. He wanted to give them assurance of His name. When we pray, we should see ourselves as His agent. God is Sovereign, but He has chosen prayer as one method through which He works. Never forget man's responsibility to His Sovereignty.

6-9-2022 Devotion: Promises Day 16

 John 14: 13: "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." This does not guarantee that God will do whatever we ask if only we add to our prayer the words “in Christ’s name.” To pray in Christ’s name is to identify with the purpose of Christ to the extent that our will has become identified with the will of God (1 John 5:14). To ask in Jesus’ “name” does not mean to tack such an expression on the end of a prayer as a mere formula. It means: 1) the believer’s prayer should be for His purposes and kingdom and not selfish reasons; 2) the believer’s prayer should be on the basis of His merits and not any personal merit or worthiness; and 3) the believer’s prayer should be in pursuit of His glory alone. Those who do not obtain what they specifically request are often surprised by a different but better answer—and “no” is sometimes the best answer. Prayer is a time to acknowledge God's Sovereignty over your situation. It is a time to submit to His perfect will and plan. When we pray with this mindset, we have no fear regarding the answer. God's will is perfect and so should be our submission to it.

6-8-2022 Devotion: Promises Day 15

 John 14: 12: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works I do shall he do also; and greater works than these he do; because I go unto my Father." Jesus did not mean greater works in power, but in extent. They would become witnesses to all the world through the power of the indwelling and infilling of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) and would bring many to salvation because of the Comforter dwelling in them. The focus is on spiritual rather than physical miracles. The book of Acts constitutes the beginning historical record of the impact that the Spirit-empowered disciples had on the world. If you think about it, at the time of the crucifixion, the Lord Jesus Christ was known to very few people. His promise of "greater works" meant that His followers would take the gospel to the entire world. Think about how far the Christian faith has spread. Ponder the martyrs that have died for the gospel. It sickens me when I see "ministers" distort verses like this one to sell the idea that believers could have creative power like our Lord. There have been no creative miracles since the apostles. I remember a few years ago when there was a "revival" in Lakeland, Florida. People were supposedly raised from the dead. All false and it was proven. It ended when the lead evangelist left his wife for a staff member. When the words of the Lord Jesus Christ are understood in context, they are a source of comfort and never disappoint.

6-7-2022 Devotion: Promises Day 14

 John 14: 6: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." This is a strong affirmation that Christ alone is the way of salvation. To imagine and proclaim other ways is to mislead people and forget the necessity of His coming and redemption. In this verse, the exclusiveness of Jesus as the only approach to the Father is emphatic. Only one way, not many ways, exist to God, i.e., Jesus Christ. Gentiles complained about Jews’ “intolerance” because Jews insisted on only one God. Some Jewish groups, however, notably the Qumran community, were even more exclusive; they believed that they followed the only path to God and that other Jewish groups were lost. Jesus goes beyond such groups; he does not teach a way to God, but rather is the way to God. Face it, the Gospel message is offensive. It proclaims that Jesus is the only way to the Father and the glories of heaven. Does this mean all the unsaved Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus are all going to hell? The answer is "yes" according to the Lord Jesus Christ. If this bothers you, it is a good indicator that you are unsaved. To those of us that have received Holy Spirit conviction, see ourselves as lost sinners, know that we deserve hell, and yet can see the risen Lord Jesus Christ and know He died for us and shed His precious blood for us, we rejoice in the salvation we have freely received.