The Reality of Hell - The Story of the Rich Man

THE REALITY OF HELL – 10 THINGS TO REMEMBER FROM LUKE, Chapter 16

Part of the old path is telling the whole gospel, even if it is not popular.  In Luke 16, Jesus spent some time in this chapter chastising the Pharisees about their love for money.  He continues, by telling them about a rich man who went to Hell.

1.       He never says it’s a parable.

2.       The rich man did not go tell hell because he had money, but because he was selfish and loved his money more than God.

3.       God allowed Lazarus to lie at his gate every day as a reminder of what he should be doing. The rich man had every opportunity to do the right thing.  So do we.

4.       Lazarus did not ask for much, only crumbs, and the rich man would not even give him that.

5.       The rich man was very conscious in hell; he remembered his life, and his actions and those things tormented him.

6.       The atmosphere was flames, torment, and suffering.  The rich man did not want his family to come.

7.       It was ironic that in Hell the rich man was now begging.

8.       When the rich man asked that someone return from the dead to warn his brothers (who no doubt were living a similarly selfish life), Abraham refused.  Shocking people only goes so far.

 God is not interested in scaring people into salvation.  He wants us to listen to what he has already left us…THE BIBLE. 

9.       There was a “great gulf fixed” between heaven and hell,  and God’s decision about his life was final and would not be changed.   Once we pass over, there is no other chance for change.

10.   Any one that causes you to believe that Hell is a myth and not to worry about it— is deceiving you.

The Reality of Hell

This is part 8 and 9 of  "To Hell and Back".  The whole hour long video can be seen on youtube.  This particular section has an interesting testimony of a russian scientist who became a Christian after experiencing a vision of hell. 



The Reality of Hell

The Greek word Gehenna is one of the words used in the New Testament to describe Hell.  This is defined as a place “originally in the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead animals of the city were cast out and burned; a fit symbol of the wicked and their future destruction.[1]  What are we to make of this?  Often, the original Greek and its representation of a garbage dump are misused to soften the concept of punishment and the stark reality of the place Jesus called hell. Of the 23 times the word “hell” is used in the New Testament. 12 times it is used in relation to fire or hell-fire.  In studying Christ total message on this subject it becomes clear that this was not just a reference to a city garbage dump but a depiction of what this place of punishment would really be like.  This depiction was an appropriate one to give those Jerusalem dwellers an everyday picture they could relate to and understand.  It was done with purpose.  Consider: it was a place where items that were no longer of use were destroyed; there was constant burning, heat and smoke rising up.  It was a practical description designed to convey the concept of a reality.  We know Jesus often used analogies to teach.  Here, he does the same.

Rob Bell a rising star on the evangelical stage is interviewed below and has been rightly criticized for watering down the Gospel. 

 

No Rob, Hell is not a place to be laughed at and shooed away as a myth.  Jesus taught the reality of the place of punishment and separation from God.  Whenever doctrine is taught, scripture cannot be taken out of its context.  It is not only misleading to confine the significance of Hell to a city garbage dump, it is a perversion of Christ’s teaching.   

What are we to do when Jesus said in Matthew 23:33 ”...how shall ye escape the damnation of hell”.  Here the word Gehenna is used, but in combination with the word “damnation”.  “Damnation of a garbage dump” doesn’t quite fit, does it?  The Amplified bible translates damnation (kriðsiov, transliterated as Kresis) as “penalty”.   This Greek word means a sentence of condemnation, a judgment. Here we see not only the concept, but an actual word describing hell as the ultimate punishment for mankind’s sins.  When we take in the totality of Jesus’ teaching on Hell, Luke 16 teaches that hell includes consciousness, feelings of pain, memory, torment, heat, regret, having the ability to see those in a better place.  Jesus taught of servants being placed in outer darkness for their wickedness.  2 Peter uses a word for Hell that describes a deep abyss. All this points to a place not to be taken lightly.  Teaching the old path, which is Christ’s way, includes teaching and warning about the punishment of Hell.

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[1]www.studylight.org