Dangers of Hell

Dangers of Hell

11/24/19

It is widely known that humans do not like to dwell on issues or topics that have eternal finality, especially when it comes to an ending that can be considered a “controversy”.  All points of life give us many clues of how we should live and how we should make choices to suffice this life, but at the same time we have been provided a guide that shows us exactly what occurs both in the present life that we know and the afterlife that can become cloudy.  Many of these cloudy or controversial issues we tend to skirt because we do not wish to make waves with others, but God tells us differently in His Word and if we do not teach the complete Word of God, we will be held accountable for our lack of action someday in the future.  Hell is a very important subject that needs to be understood because it is real and many people are going to such a wicked place every day.  Hell was not created originally for any human being but for Satan and his angels alone, but now since mankind chose to fall those who wish to be away from God shall be so, eternally separated from Him.

How many of us are guilty of easing our thoughts and beliefs about hell?  I know that I have fallen into this category through my actions and explanations sometimes, but at the same time how much do we truly know about Hell and the reasons that it was created and who will go there for eternity?  Hell is a serious matter which is not treated with the respect and truth that it demands for there is no glory in Hell and its inhabitants shall never be exemplified on any level with the exception of pain and torture.  The Scripture verses that God gave me for this article really points to another trial time in a person’s life but there is a detail that many us know about yet have not understood its context and authority.  God has a fascinating way of giving us examples in a unique way so that we can figure things out before they occur to us but as it has been said numerous times before many of us do not reach that understanding early and have to repeat a few situations before we “get it”.  But God wants us to know that there is no second time around when it comes to being in Hell, for once we choose this place as our eternal home we can never change our minds again.

Matthew 25:40-41

“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.  Then shall he say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”

Job 1:6-12

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.  And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou?  Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.  And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?  Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?  Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all he hath on every side?  thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.  But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.  And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put forth not thine hand.  So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.”

Job 2:1-6

“Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.  And the Lord said unto Satan, from whence comest thou?  And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.  And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.  And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath he will give for his life.  But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.  And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold he is in thine hand; but save his life.”

Scripture makes it very clear that we should not take Hell lightly by any means or manner.  Hell was created for a specific reason and for the one being and his followers that blatantly chose to disobey God and to not follow His Ways.  The definitions of the sins of Satan are infinitely growing just as the sins of his followers do every day as well.  Matthew 25:41 tells us the specific reason for which God created Hell and according to this verse everyone who accepts Satan and his kingdom as truth shall receive their eternal reward, eternity with Satan with no presence of God at all.  It pains me to hear people say that God does not exist or that they want nothing to do with God because of whatever reason.  These people have no idea what they are confessing and refuse to acknowledge that there are any afterlife setting and placement waiting for them.  In this verse it mentions that Satan will be there, his followers will be there and that is all.  Furthermore, this passage says that those who choose to follow Satan will be told to depart from God which directly says that where they will be going God shall not be present.  It also means that since God is not present in Hell, He will have no jurisdiction in Hell and Satan shall be able to torment and torture you however he pleases.  It is this detail that many of us forget to include when we think about or talk about Hell for where God is not present Satan not only has the home-field advantage he has unlimited control and power as well.

Verse 40 of this passage sets the standard of how God views our hearts and what our hearts in return should reflect back toward God.  The heart is the only vital organ that God relates to for it is the centerpiece that drives our lives.  If it is connected with God it shall desire only to follow His Ways and to seek what is good to be shared with others according to God’s Ways and not mankind or the ways of the world.  See every deed that humans do comes from the heart and if it is just superficial then the overall actions of the heart shall be rewarded by the world but when the heart acts in the Ways of God not only will others be treated righteously but they shall be taught the Word of God as well which is the Truth that God mentions here in this verse; the cornerstone of His definition and the projection of Him to the dying world.  God also states that if we do not fit up to this Standard of His, our punishment shall be forever in the same place as Satan.  This can only mean one thing, our selfish actions were on equal terms and level with Lucifer when he fell from Heaven.

This is where God takes a turn and throws us a curve when it comes to the Scripture passages He uses to show us what He means.  Most of us know the story of Job and how God allowed Satan not only once but twice the opportunity to strike Job with afflictions.  It is this detail here that we need to understand and the difference of what occurred to Job and what Hell is like to those who choose Satan over God.  In the first passage for this article, we have God and Satan interacting between each other concerning what Satan was doing and then about a specific person who loved God and stood upright in all of his ways, and after God initiates the subject of Job to Satan He then directs exactly what Satan can do to Job to so-called test Job to see whether or not God is correct or if Satan is correct.  Now, what God allows Satan to do is pretty much everything physical yet not personal in that nothing on his person can be touched.  If we read the passage of Scripture immediately after this, we will find that what Satan does to Job’s land, possessions, and servants both is horrific and grotesque in nature for only one servant was allowed to escape to tell what had occurred.  Also, Satan was allowed to touch and to destroy all of Job’s family and servants of the other houses that were under his family’s protection.

In the second passage of Scripture for this article we find that Satan is still not satisfied with the defeat that he already has obtained for Job has not cursed God through the devastation that was dealt upon him.  Here we find that Satan now wants to get personal about things when it comes to Job and to be allowed to strike his flesh and to personally inflict specific harm upon Job’s body, this is the ultimate example of been given an inch and taking a mile.  Once again, God allows Satan to have permission to torment Job but this time his attack can be specified on Job and his body, with the exception that Satan cannot take his life.  Basically, Satan could anything his wished to Job and he did so as described in this passage.  Such pain and agony this man must have felt and to have to endure not only the physical pain but also the result of his own wife telling him to curse God and die.  But once again we have the detail here that God wants us to understand about His presence and Him not being around our lives too.

We cannot deny that what Job went through was horrific in every thought imaginable, but the detail noticed here is that in all aspects of Job’s trials God was present and instructing what and what not could happen.  God was in control of the situation both in the good times of Job and in the bad times of Job.  Some people did not see this Truth that lived around Job, including his own wife but God was still present.  It must be remembered that Satan cannot do a single thing unless God authorizes it and for God to authorize a process, good or bad, He must be present.  God being present and in eternal authority is the detail here that needs to be understood concerning Hell.  Our personal world may be shaken apart a time or two but as of these moments, God is still present and is still merciful in all areas of life.  God created the earth for life and for the growth of life, Satan had access to the earth back in the Garden of Eden and he has access to the earth today.  God did not create Hell for His children He did so for the devil and his angels.  This means He created Hell before humanity was present and means that since God’s Laws are eternal our complete disobedience and denying God places us in the same category as the devil and his angels.

In no way, shape, or form does the passage in Matthew mention that God was present in Hell.  Yes, Jesus went there to defeat Hell but only He has the authority to leave through the strength of His Father.  Once this place was created, it cannot be changed and the conditions of why people are in there cannot be changed either.  Therefore, since God cannot be around sin of any form, God is not present in Hell.  This means that Satan has no boundaries when it comes to those in Hell and he can do whatever he wishes to them for as long and as hard as he wants.  True hatred comes from Satan and as of this moment he is limited to what he can and cannot do, but in Hell he has free reign and he will definitely dole out his torment to those in his domain just because of this eternal hatred to God and His definition.  Hell is not a fairy tale and it is not a fictitious place, it is real and it is eternal and it is very much alive.  There is no God in Hell listen to what God is saying here there is no God in Hell.  He has no dominion here and Satan, while tormented himself shall take you to this place gladly to grant your wish of denying God.  This is the detail that is missed or not really thought about concerning Hell.  Satan had every authority to grieve Job but to the extent of what God said he could do and not do, in Hell that shall not be the case.

Look at the extent Job went through because of what Satan was allowed to do, just think about what he can and shall do to you when God has no say over his treatment of you.  Hell was not originally created for you, not one child of God was to be even considered for the occupancy of Hell, but through our disobedience in the Garden of Eden that occupancy became an option.  It is eternally vital that we never forget that choosing God is a choice in itself an eternal choice with eternal consequences.  The dangers of Hell have been witnessed here in these three Scripture passages, but only a glance of them.  They should stir your spirit enough not to scare you but to want to have a relationship with God and an eternal place of magnificence that our finite minds cannot comprehend.  God sent His Son to die for our sins so that we may have everlasting life, not everlasting torment and torture.  I recently heard a sermon preached by a person who spent some time in Hell through a dream and as he was describing it this thought about God not being in Hell was given to me along with the passages of Scripture to use.  There is a reason folks, time is running out and we need to change our ways before our time is up and God has to say “enough” due to our willingness to sin.

Church, so where are we with this article and the subject?  Do we talk about the truths about God and about Hell or do we shy away from the entire truth about God and His Word?  Hell is directly and indirectly mentioned from cover to cover in the Bible, for every issue that humanity faces that does not support God and His Ways is an example of Hell in its limited form.  God is real and Hell is real and the way that people reach Hell is real as well, more real than we want to admit, but this must change or many of us shall find out just how wrong we were about all things God.  It is time we take back those lives that we have lost before it is too late for them.  The only way we can do this is by going out into the world and preaching the Truth about God and what His Son did for us on the cross.  It shall be tough because Satan does not like to be pushed backward but it must be done or we shall see so many of our friends and loved ones missing out on eternity.  And most importantly, we shall be held accountable for why we did not reach those who were lost.  For those who do not wish to obey God, do not believe in God, or just find God to be false, I plead with you to reconsider God and His presence in your life for there will be a day coming that you shall not have that opportunity again to choose Him and for those who consider themselves to be assembled as the Church, it is your responsibility to witness to those who do not believe and fervently witness to them at all times.  The single most danger of Hell is that shall be no God present with you and that thought alone should speak volumes of just how bad the place called Hell is.

DLB