Hell

Have your Bibles with you today to Route 51 to Revelation chapter 20 will be looking at verses 11 through 15 then I saw a great white throne and him I was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them in us all the day a great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.

Then another book was open, which is the book of life and the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done and the sea gave up the dead who were in it, death, and Hale gave up the dead who were in them and they were judged, each one of them according to what they had done. Then death and Hale were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death like a fire, and if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire that with me as we got our Lord in prayer. Heavenly father, we continue to cry out to you for mercy.

We asked Lord that you lift this pestilence off of us.

Father we pray that you would heal the sick, stifle demonic activity and remove fear from the hearts of your children. Our hearts ache for those who are suffering and dying in our hearts are angered over political leaders who would use tragedies further their agenda.

We pray father that you would lift up the veil of deception that we might see what is real what is fabricated at this is a special time for your church. May we view ourselves as merciful soldiers, may we pray with the deeper fervency and a deeper dependency on you.

May we be quicker to share the gospel and point people to Christ father I'm preaching on the subject of hail this morning may preach with compassion in my heart and tears in my eyes may remember that hail is what I deserve, but your grace was greater than my sin.

The blood of Jesus wash my sin away. May every child of God hearing this sermon, the day be humbled and grateful that heaven is our destiny and Hale is not a possibility.

May every lost soul be convicted and run to Christ for mercy.

40 is in the precious name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. The last three weeks we have been studying Gethsemane the burial of Jesus and the resurrection. Today we move back into the book of Revelation and the last study that we did on Revelation, we were looking at the believers judgment, we move on today to look at the unbelievers judgment. During this time of coronavirus crisis. I've noticed that there has been a lot of fear. What are people fearing some people fear sickness. Some people fear isolation. Some people fear loneliness. Some people fear financial loss but many fear death and people are asking the question what's going to happen to me when I die.

Hebrews 927 gives us the answer is appointed to me at once to die, and after that the judgment today we begin looking at the unbelievers judgment and I'm going to hone in on the subject of hail and you may say will Doug why the world would you preach such a negative sermon when the world is in such great need of hope. I want you to know that this is not a negative sermon, I want you know that this is truth and the truth that I preaching today concerning hail is a proof it's a truth that can be absolutely filled with joy, and it should be for a few fear God and if you fear hail. If you're not saved, you can run to Christ in repentance and trust him as your Lord and Savior. And that is the most positive, most glorious, most powerful, most joyful message at the world has ever known. The look again at verses 13 to 15.

In this chapter and the sea gave up the dead who were in it, death, and Hale gave up the dead who were in them and they were judged, each one of them according to what they had done. Then death and Hale were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire and if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire every unbeliever, every Christ projector who is God is in hail right now and Revelation chapter 20 verse 14 tells us that that is not their final destination. When Jesus comes back to this earth. The second time at his second coming. There is going to be a resurrection of the just and the unjust and the unbelievers going to receive a an internal body is the body that can never die, but it is a body that will suffer. It is a body that will have memory is a body that will retain it see in nature – that so then what that means is that people who are in hail retain the same sin nature that they had when they were here on this earth. In other words, they will have the same addictions the same cravings that they had on earth, but there will never be any fulfilling of those desires. Those desires will never be satisfied. The alcoholic will still crave his alcohol. The pornography addict will still crave his smut, the pedophile will still crave children the prideful will still crave praise, but those desires will never be satisfied ever. The Scripture says here that the city will give up the dead and that death and Hale will be cast in to the burning like a fire. Now that's important and it helps us to understand something that hail is horrible. Absolutely horrible but it's not as bad as the final destination which is the burning like a fire hail will be taken and cast into it not know the hail is not a popular subject and preachers that preach on Heller call cruel and harsh. I like what Doug Jake Rizzo used to say. He said when there was more hail in the pulpits of America, there was less hail in the streets of America on to listen to a very powerful statement that RG Lee made. He said I know some people he called a preacher who stands firmly on the doctrines of Scripture narrow harsh and cruel Esther be a narrow Dr. Lee says I have no desire to be any broader than Jesus Esther be in cruel, is it cruel to tell a man the truth is Amanda B. Cruel, he preaches the whole counsel of God and points me into danger. Is it cruel to arouse sleeping people to the fact that the house is on fire.

Is it cruel to jerk a blind man away from a coiled rattlesnake is it cruel to tell people of the deadliness of disease and tell them of the medicine to take. Then Dr. Lee said I would rather be call cruel for being kind to be call kind for being cruel to ridicule a preacher who believes in hail would be as foolish as to ridicule a doctor. He believes in cancer. No one likes to talk about hail no one like to talk about cancer, but we can't simply ignore it and hope it will go away and I know people say, well, the scholars don't believe in hail anymore. The scientists say such a place could not exist and the philosophers claim that it could not be but listen 1 ounce of what the word of God has to say is worth a ton of what they have to say were going to have to find out what the word of God has to say about it because only the word of God can settle the issue and laughing and scoffing about hail does not put the fire out.

Abraham Lincoln once asked the little boy question is that son of a dog has four legs and you call his tail a leg. How many legs does he have the little boy said five. Abraham Lincoln said no son, just have for doesn't matter what you call his tail. It's still a tail man can say there's no hail they can call it something else but that doesn't change it.

Words don't change facts hail is for real nephew Christian and you're here today and there might be a tendency for you to say well I don't really have to listen to the sermon.

I'm not worried about hail. I'm I'm going to heaven when I died know the Lord on going to heaven. Listen if you are Christian.

I'll guarantee you you have have people in your life whether it be a wife or a husband Nora, a son or daughter or grandchild or relatives or friends or neighbors that don't know Jesus and are headed for a priceless eternity and the reason that we can stay unconcerned, unbroken, uncaring, apathetic, without tears is because we really don't understand what this place called hail is like Gen. William Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army and he said that if he had his way about it. When training Christian workers.

He would not send them to a seminary to get a three year education, but he would put them in hail for 24 hours and he said when they got out and be the greatest witnesses in the world but I believe with all my heart that we as the children of God may desperately need desperately to understand what will up about what hail is really light, and if we do then will get urgent as something was said to me well. Doug God is sovereign over our salvation. So it's not up to us to go to heaven and who goes to hail all that's very true. God is sovereign over our salvation, but God uses means and second causes to bring people to Christ, the lost need our prayer. Oh yeah, good to the lost need a credible witness from us. Oh yeah, if I'm a child of God not been elected from the foundation of the earth to be saved and in the.

The Lord regenerated my spirit and gave me a change in my will that I would repent and render Christ. That all happened. But I'll tell you what God used a man in my life Chip Sloan to get the gospel to me to put the gospel in my ear that God may take that gospel and put it in my heart but don't ever think that your prayers, your witness, your testimony don't matter. Oh yes they do they matter greatly, and we need to be urgent and we need to be faithful right there seven points that I want to share with you today about this place called hail number one Hell is a place of vile associations on reverse Revelation 21 verse eight Meridian from the King James version, but the fearful, and unbelieving and the abominable, and murderers and horror mongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death a few years ago I was reading in the Reader's Digest. They have a little section in the reader's digest call quips and quotes alike gave a quote from Samuel Clemens we know him better as Mark Twain and Mark Twain said said this since I had my way about it, I would choose heaven for climate and hail for Associates. I'm sure he thought that was funny that the that the the ones that are in hail would be better company for him than the ones that are in heaven. Let me give you a list of those who are in hail and we might call this a roll call of the damned. First of all, the devil will be in hail. Look at Revelation 20 verse 10 devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur with the beast and the false prophets were and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever notice this verse completely destroys the Jehovah witnesses doctrine of annihilation. Jehovah witness believes that you died in your stand before God and you are judged.

And then God burns you up your annihilated you cease to exist. That's all there is to it. You be like you were before you were born, not knowing anything you ceased to exist because that's not what the Scripture teaches the Scripture says every tormented day and night for ever and ever. Contrary to popular belief, Satan is not the Lord of hail Satan is not down in hail the pitchfork poking people. That's not what's going on at all in hail Satan has no authority. Satan has no power for him.

There will be continual suffering for ever and ever. Okay, who else will be there.

The fallen angels will be there. Second Peter chapter 2 verse four says for God did not spare angels when they sin, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness, to be kept unto the judgment, the filthy, vile, perverted demons will be there in hail. I tell you, if every body could could experience an encounter with a person who is genuinely demon possessed, and if they could see the. The hail hits in that person's life and they could see the torment in the fear and the frustration and the blasphemy and the perversion. Every single one of us would have a great fear of hail the demons will be in hail. Matthew chapter 25 verse 41 it was Jesus himself. He said that hail was prepared for the devil and his angels thoroughly.

There's another group and that is people all the unbelievers. John tells us what kind of people.

In Revelation 21 verse eight is this fearful, and unbelieving, abominable, murderers, horror, mongers, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars. You may read that say well I'm not so bad. I never murdered anybody. I don't cheat on my wife. I don't stop prostitutes so I'm just not that bad. Look at the first the first one EE list here.

It is the fearful list that before murder. Are you fearful are you scared to take a stand for Jesus Christ, you say well yes I am but that's just a little thing. Now it's not a little thing God says fear is sin, and then the second was unbelief. Unbelief unbelief is the mother see and it's the parents send us a sin from which all others see in Drew's you may be a moral person evaded a fine, more ethical, honest person, but if you die without Jesus you will spend forever with every murder, every warmonger and every pedophile who ever lived enough heard people say well I want to go to church because of too many hypocrites they are. I won't deny that there are hypocrites in the church. Jesus told us that there would be, but I would rather be in church with a few hypocrites for a few years than to be in hail with all the hypocrites forever, but Judas was a hypocrite, but the other 11 did not quit because of him. Hail will be a place of vile associations.

Secondly, hail will be a place of separation, Lieut. 1328 in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. When you see Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob at all the prophets in the kingdom of God. But you yourself cast out. What is that telling us it's telling us that if we go to hail. Not only will be there with the devil and in demons and and unbelievers wicked evil people, but will also be separated from all the good godly Christians who have ever lived. My grandmother on my dad's side died 44 years ago my dad died 14 years ago. They were both strong, wonderful Christians, and I've missed them so much. I look forward to. To begin with them again in heaven and being able to to bow down at Jesus feet and touches the nail prints in his seated touch the nail prints in his hands at and we can worship him together and will never be separated ever again. I'm looking forward to talking to people like Peter and James and John Paul King David and Jeremiah and Isaiah wonder what it would be like to talk to Paul about what what it was like when he met Jesus on the Damascus road and fell at his feet, trembling and shaking before him and called him Lord of light asked Paul about what it was like to be so fully inspired by the Holy Spirit of God they could write a letter like Romans 16 great chapters without one hint of error because the Holy Spirit of God kept him from arrow and he people in this church.

Some of best friends in the world are in this church and will never be separated ever again, but friends if you die without Christ you be separated from this church you be separated from your Christian loved ones. You be separated from your Christian friends you be separated from them for ever and ever and ever heard about a young man who is getting ready to leave his home go out drinking. One evening with his buddies and on his way out the door.

His mama reached over and she handed him a gospel tract and he got mad and he took that gospel tract. He threw it down.

He looked at his mother and and power was just shooting out of his eyes and he said I'm sick of people badgering me about their religion.

So I got on the bus this morning to go to work in some body handed me a gospel tract and he said it. And now my own mother hands me one of the stupid gospel tracts.

He said in there anywhere I can go where no one will hand me a gospel tract.

His mother looked at him, a tear rolled down her cheek. She said yes son in hail, no one will hand you a gospel tract. Hail is a place of separation. Thoroughly, hell is a place of eternal darkness second Peter chapter 2 verse four says for God did not spare angels when they sin, but cast them into hail and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness, to be kept into the judgment in the book of Jude verse 13 Jesus speaks of the destiny of the false prophets and he says this.

They are raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. The blackness of darkness forever. Matthew 812 Jesus said, but the children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness to show up, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Can you imagine a place where the rays of the sun never touch with. There's no reflecting light from the moon with there's no twinkling of the stars with. There's nothing but pitch black darkness forever when God cast the plague of darkness upon the people of Egypt. The Scripture defines it as a darkness that could be felt. What is that mean that means that the people who were blind, who had never seen the light of day knew that this darkness was different. This darkness was deeper. This was a darkness that would last forever, a darkness that was a darkness that could be felt. Several years ago.

There's a seminary student who had been preaching at country church not too far from the seminary, and he got finished with the sermon on Sunday night, got in his car with his wife and two little girls in the backseat and they took off to go back to their apartment near the seminary.

They were headed home that night. A drunk driver ran a stop sign and hit the car totaled it is wife was killed. The two little girls were killed in the backseat and his body was terribly mangled, they took him to the hospital and he was laying in the bed in the hospital in great pain but he said it was like that night we just never easy and they said it was so dark, so dark.

He said he just wished that the the morning would come in the sun would come up he could see the light again. The he said it was so dark it was just so dark.

The psalmist said darkness in your earth for a night but joy comes in the morning and that's true for the believer, but books for the unbeliever for that one who does not know Christ. There will be no morning and there will be no joy.

It will be pitch black darkness. One continual night.

There's a 15-year-old boy is dying to have an incurable disease. He didn't know what would happen to him when he died. The idea of him being in a in a casket dark casket with 6 feet of dirt on top of him was driving absolutely berserk, so went to his dad.

He said that I want you to put out a window in the in my face in the coffin and then went went when you Barry Mason I want you to tumble down to that window and leave a tunnel they are safe during the day at least some Shia, some rays of sunlight can being down on my body of foods.

I want you to understand that inhale will be no windows and there will be no sunlight. It will be pitch black darkness forever and ever and ever. Fourthly, hail is a place of eternal life. Matthew 1028 is the words of Jesus and do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him.

He can destroy both body and soul inhale hail is a place of eternal separation and by that I mean separation from God.

I'm not talking about secession from life. I'm not talking about a person ceases to exist in this life, talking about separation from God.

The book of Genesis. When God spoke to Adam he said Adam in the day that you eat of the forbidden fruit. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the day that you eat of that fruit you will die. Adam and Eve did he do that fruit. They disobeyed God, did they die that day. I didn't physically die that day.

They begin the. The process of dying, but they did die spiritually. That day they lost their communion with God. Hail is a place of eternal separation.

Never again will that person feel the tugging of the Holy Spirit on his heart. Never again will that person feel the common grace that God extends to the lost. Never again will he feel anything of the presence of Almighty God.

Physically, hail is a place of memory.

In Luke chapter 16 verse 25 we read the story of the rich man and Lazarus and father Abraham is speaking to the rich man the rich man is been begging and pleading for mercy, and father Abraham says Tim son, remember that in your life you received good things I tell you one of the most horrible things about hail will be memory this the father Abraham said, son, remember in your life. Did you realize that over a million people in America attempt to commit suicide each year. Many of those are successful. Why would anybody want to take their own life in different reasons but I think one of the primary reasons is the us they are haunted by the ghost of guilt and they think will it if I can just die, then all this will be over with. I will be troubled with that I will be burdened with it any longer. I will have to deal with this guilt all know is one of the greatest lies you will ever you will ever come in contact with. Because hail is a place of memory. Hearing the stories of the rich man calls out the father Abraham is the father Abraham tell Lazarus to come over and dip his finger in cold water, touching them out to prime and tormented in this flame and what his father Abraham says to him, he said, son, remember in your life.

One of the worst facets of hail is memory.

If you died if you go to hell you going to remember this sermon. You remember that there was a day when a gospel preacher stood before you with an open Bible and is saying that he taught you on the subject of hail any bag with you. Any plant you to turn from your sin and come to Christ. You remember, every AA every person who ever tried to witness to you you and you remember every gospel tract. You have a rated you remember every person who said to you. I'm praying for your soul.

You remember every movie that you resolve Jesus life you River every picture that you saw the soldiers nailing the spikes to the hands and feet of Jesus on the cross. You remember the first time that you heard that Jesus died for sinners and you also remember that which you probably never said out of your mouth but that which you know you said in your heart. Jesus I'm not coming to you I'm not repenting in my sins. I'm not gonna trust in you I'm not going to submit my life to you because my sin is more precious to me than you are. Hail is a place of memory, sexually hail is a place of despair. Proverbs chapter 11 verse seven says when a wicked man dies, his expectation shall perish in the hope of the unjust man shall perish. Man can live without food for about 40 days.

They can live without water for about eight days. They can live without air for about three minutes but he can't go one second without hope.

I've been in the in the hospital at the bedside of people who are dying in their last moments of life, and I can remember so many of these people would reach up they would take my hand and they would squeeze my hand and they say they're still there still hope was with a family has experienced a terrible automobile accident where their son been terribly hurt. The doctors were operating on him.

I did know where they would live or die, and they were waiting for the doctor to come out and give the report and they were praying and they were crying and they would look over it million say still hope you still hope that was truly but I want you to know.

Inhale. There will be no expectation of hope there will be no hope of escape, it will never happen. So if you need to be saved, you need to be safe now.

Now while they're still number seven hail is a place of burning, Matthew 1225 or 41 then he will say to those on the left. Apart from me you curse it into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. The word for hail that is used in this passage is the word Gehenna. It was a garbage dump. It was situated right on the outskirts of Jerusalem. There was a fire they are and that garbage dump, and they called it a perpetual fire for it never went out. People would bring garbage there every day except on the Sabbath and the fire just continued to burn day and night. It never went out several hundred years before Jesus was even born. Before that place was a garbage dump, they they had erected an idol in that very spot in Gahanna is an idol call Malec and Malec was a large tall idol that was made out of bronze and it was hollow, had its arms held out this way and it will have a furnace down in the bottom of it and the people would come they take would like put in the bottom of that furnace and and they'd set the wood on fire, and in that the that idol would heat up and it would get so hot that it would glow at night you could see it for miles away, but this was a place of human sacrifice, and the people would come parents knew of newborn babies and they bring the newborn babies to to this idol and then they would take the baby they would lay it in the white-hot arms of Malec and the baby would just be burnt to ashes.

That is the place Gahanna Molex place. That is the place that Jesus accused to describe what hail would be like as bad as it was in the time of Jesus as bad as it was in the Old Testament time when Malec stood there, it was not near as bad as what hail will be like for that burning place and was over the burning inhale will last forever and ever.

I cannot in the sermon like this without direction.

If you are sure of your salvation when you do wait for a feeling no hope that things will get better know second Peter chapter 1 verse 10 says that we are to be diligent to make our calling and election sure you say Doug how I know that I know that I know that I'm saved Hecate. I have assurance ask yourself this. Had you repented of your sin. Have you run to Christ for salvation.

Had you trusting in what Jesus Christ did for you on the cross that he became your substitute that he died in your place. Then he took your Santa gave you his righteousness and he took your appellant gave you is heaven and you have you trusted him for that is Jesus Christ your treasure if Jesus is truly your treasure is nothing on this earth means more to you than Jesus.

You belong to him.

He belongs to you. I just finished reading a wonderful book by the greater Puritan Thomas Watson. The book is a title heaven taken by storm and she listens something Watson said. He said if you refuse to repent of sin and surrender to Christ. There will be no help for you after death, when men shall open their eyes and another whirl and see in the what a damned condition. They have seen them sales oh now, what would they not do what violence would they not use if there were a possibility that they might be saved.

Once the door mercy is shut. If God would make new terms far harder than before they would readily bind themselves to them. If God should say to the sinner after death. Would you be content to return to the earth and live there under the hair of persecution for a thousand years, for my sake, they would say yes Lord, I will subscribe to this and endure the world's fury. If only I may have thy favorite last, but will you be content to serve an apprenticeship inhale a thousand years were you shall feel the worm gnawing in the fire burning yes Lord even inhale estimate to you so that after a thousand years.

I may have a release that bitter cup may pass away from me, but will you for every lie you've ever told endure the rack with you for every oath that you've ever sworn feel a bottle of tears we live 10,000 years in sackcloth and ashes for every sin you committed.

Yes, Lord. All this and more.

If they'll request, I will subscribe to.

I'm content now to use any violence, if I may, but at last be admitted into your kingdom.

No, God will say there should be no such such condition proposed to you the possibility of favor, but you shall live forever among the damned and who is able to dwell with everlasting burnings.

Oh therefore be wise in time now, while God's terms are more easy embrace Christ in heaven for after death, there will be nothing to be done for your souls. The sinner in the lake of fire shall never be parted. But let's pray heavenly father. I don't like preaching on hail. I don't even like thinking about hail, but you not given me a choice you've commanded me to preach the whole counsel of God, Jesus and the four Gospels you spoke twice as much about hail as you did about heaven. If you believe it's that important then so should I I pray today that Christians would be spurred and motivated to be more effective witnesses. I pray that the loss world would run to Jesus in repentance and faith, for it is in the holy and precious name of Jesus that I pray, amen