Many pulpits have grown cold on the topic of\u00a0Hell. Gone are the days of fire and brimstone sermons.<\/p>\n
Those days have been replaced with lessons\u00a0that are warmer, and make Christians feel\u00a0better about themselves and life in general. But\u00a0the silence has come at an extreme cost. We have\u00a0several generations who have heard many lessons\u00a0on the love of God and the grace of God\u2014\u00a0which I firmly believe must be taught. But they\u00a0have never heard about Hell.<\/p>\n
How can Christians\u00a0truly appreciate the love and grace of God if they\u00a0don\u2019t understand His wrath?\u00a0I was not much older than 4 or 5 years of age\u00a0when I first comprehended the concept of Hell.\u00a0While I didn\u2019t understand all of the dynamics, I\u00a0knew this was a horrible place to which I never\u00a0wanted to go. During my adolescence and formative\u00a0years, the fear of Hell kept me out of many\u00a0bad situations, as my conscience reminded me\u00a0of the consequences of choosing the wrong path.<\/p>\n
Hell was a real motivator in my early years, as I\u00a0knew I didn\u2019t want to \u201cburn.\u201d\u00a0That \u201cmotivating factor\u201d has been diminished\u00a0in the past few decades\u2014but not of my own\u00a0choosing. I honestly cannot recall the last \u201chellfire\u00a0and brimstone\u201d sermon I\u2019ve heard. In fact, a few years ago I began speaking on the topic of Hell\u00a0because I was afraid yet another\u00a0generation would grow up having never heard this\u00a0portion of God\u2019s Word.<\/p>\n
The darkness of Hell has\u00a0been replaced with the sunshine of grace and love.\u00a0Death has been replaced with fun and entertainment.\u00a0Want proof? Take a look at the activities\u00a0your youth group is involved in and the material\u00a0they study and then compare them in light\u00a0of Scripture: \u201cIt is better to go to a house of mourning\u00a0than to go to a house of feasting, for death\u00a0is the destiny of everyone; the living should take\u00a0this to heart\u201d (Ecclesiastes 7:2). Six Flags? Absolutely!\u00a0The cemetery? Not on your life.<\/p>\n
While we don\u2019t like to think about it, every human\u00a0being came into the world with an expiration\u00a0date\u2014this is a date that we will not miss\u00a0(unless Jesus comes first). In Ecclesiastes 3:2 we\u00a0are reminded that there is \u201ca time to be born and\u00a0a time to die.\u201d The writer of Hebrews acknowledged,\u00a0\u201cAnd as it is appointed for men to die once,\u00a0but after this the judgment\u201d (Hebrews 9:27).<\/p>\n
World Death Rates 2011\u00a0(according to the U.S. Census Bureau)<\/p>\n
– 8 Deaths\/100 Population<\/p>\n
– 55.3 million people died each year<\/p>\n
– 151,600 people died each day<\/p>\n
– 6,316 people died each hour<\/p>\n
– 105 people died each minute<\/p>\n
– Almost 2 people died each second<\/p>\n
Most humans cringe at the very thought of\u00a0stepping out into eternity. As such, we make light\u00a0of the concept of Hell. We joke about this \u201cdevil\u201d\u00a0creature with horns and a pitchfork. We find\u00a0it much easier to laugh than to truly meditate on\u00a0the reality of Hell. But that light-hearted attitude\u00a0and the ongoing silence in pulpits has caused\u00a0many Christians to become apathetic in our\u00a0outreach to the lost. If we aren\u2019t worried about\u00a0or focused on people actually going to Hell, why\u00a0would we reach out? The silence from the pulpit\u00a0and \u201cfeel-good\u201d propaganda from popular\u00a0preachers has damaged the church and has\u00a0cast many souls into danger.<\/p>\n
Add to this that modern-day charismatic\u00a0preachers are telling people that Hell is either not\u00a0real or won\u2019t last for eternity. Rob Bell had a New\u00a0York Times best-selling book titled Love Wins <\/span><\/em> in\u00a0which he contended that the phrase \u201ceternal\u00a0punishment\u201d should be translated as \u201ca period\u00a0of pruning\u201d or a \u201ctime of trimming.\u201d Bell proclaimed,\u00a0\u201cIf we want Hell, if we want Heaven, they\u00a0are ours. That’s how love works. It can’t be forced,\u00a0manipulated, or coerced. It always leaves room\u00a0for the other to decide. God says yes,we can have\u00a0what we want, because love wins.\u201d<\/p>\n Love wins? Then how shall we reconcile the\u00a0words of Jesus when He said: \u201cAnd these will go\u00a0away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous\u00a0into eternal life\u201d (Matthew 25:46)? Are we\u00a0to believe that Jesus was wrong or lying about\u00a0this \u201ceverlasting punishment\u201d? Christ went on to\u00a0say, \u201cBut the sons of the kingdom will be cast out\u00a0into outer darkness. There will be weeping and\u00a0gnashing of teeth\u201d (Matthew 8:12).\u00a0If Hell is not a real place that lasts forever, how\u00a0do we harmonize the sobering instructions of Jesus:\u00a0\u201cIf your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It\u00a0is better for you to enter into life maimed,\u00a0rather than having two hands, to go to Hell, into\u00a0the fire that shall never be quenched\u2014where\u00a0\u2018Their worm does not die and the fire is not\u00a0quenched\u2019\u201d (Mark 9:43-44)?<\/p>\n An honest evaluation\u00a0demonstrates that Jesus believed in Hell, a\u00a0place of torment and everlasting devastation. This\u00a0is supported by a passage found in Revelation\u00a020:10: \u201cThe devil, who deceived them, was cast\u00a0into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast\u00a0and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented\u00a0day and night forever and ever \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Consider that after a soul has been in Hell for\u00a0150,000 years, they have no hope of relief. This\u00a0is a torment that will go on and on through eternity.\u00a0We read, \u201cBut the cowardly, unbelieving,\u00a0abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers,\u00a0idolaters, and all liars shall have their part\u00a0in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone,\u00a0which is the second death\u201d (Revelation 21:8).<\/p>\n Our casual and relaxed attitude has caused\u00a0us to forget that sin separates us from God (Isaiah\u00a059:2). We don\u2019t truly meditate on the holiness\u00a0of God. Consider what we find in Habakkuk 1:13, “You are of purer eyes <\/span> than to behold evil, And\u00a0cannot look on wickedness.\u201d God\u00a0is holy (1 Peter 1:16).<\/p>\n For just a moment I want you to imagine what\u00a0it would be like if we could peel back the lid\u00a0of Hell. What would it sound like? What would\u00a0it smell like? During my time at Vanderbilt\u00a0Hospital, I witnessed many gruesome sights. But\u00a0the area that always stood out the most was the\u00a0burn unit. Once you have smelled burning flesh,\u00a0you will never forget that smell.<\/p>\n Could it be that we have come to view sin as\u00a0not that big of a deal? Have we reached the point\u00a0that we don\u2019t view it as stench in the very nostrils\u00a0of God? I believe that we have sanitized and\u00a0recast God\u2019s wrath and His Word. We view the\u00a0Flood account as a cute children\u2019s story\u2014not\u00a0grasping that God wiped out every human and animal\u00a0except those on the ark. Jeremiah proclaimed,\u00a0\u201cBehold, the whirlwind of the Lord goes forth with\u00a0fury, a continuing whirlwind; It will fall violently\u00a0on the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of\u00a0the Lord will not return until He has done it, and\u00a0until He has performed the intents of His heart.\u00a0In the latter days you will consider it\u201d (Jeremiah\u00a030:23-24). Nahum paints an even better picture\u00a0of the wrath of God: \u201cGod is jealous, and the\u00a0Lord avenges; The Lord avenges and is furious.\u00a0The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries,\u00a0and He reserves wrath for His enemies; The Lord\u00a0is slow to anger and great in power, and will not\u00a0at all acquit the wicked\u201d (Nahum 1:2-3).<\/p>\n Does this\u00a0sound like the \u201clove-and-grace-only\u201d God you frequently\u00a0hear about?\u00a0Having traveled across the world, I am\u00a0convinced that many who wear the name of\u00a0Christian are\u2014through our actions, words, or\u00a0thoughts\u2014offering up dung in the nostrils of God.\u00a0Maybe it is the television show that we know\u00a0Christians shouldn\u2019t watch, but we tune in anyway.\u00a0Or maybe it is the music with repulsive lyrics.\u00a0Or maybe it is gossiping lips or a hateful attitude.\u00a0For others it may be Internet pornography or immodest\u00a0clothing. Or maybe it is sexual activity outside\u00a0of marriage or drinking alcohol with friends.\u00a0But the bottom line is we are offering up dung in\u00a0the nostrils of the living God. \u201cDo not be deceived,\u00a0God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that\u00a0he will also reap\u201d (Galatians 6:7).<\/p>\n Hell is a real place. I long for the days when\u00a0that motivator is back and pulpits have warmed\u00a0back up to this topic. The Bible records: \u201cEnter by\u00a0the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad\u00a0is the way that leads to destruction, and there are\u00a0many who go in by it\u201d (Matthew 7:13). How many\u00a0people will we continue to watch step out into\u00a0eternity\u2014who are not prepared\u2014all because we\u00a0would not speak up? All because we were\u00a0afraid it might \u201coffend\u201d them? They need to\u00a0know\u2014and you are the perfect one to share the\u00a0Truth in love.<\/p>\n By Brad Harrub, Ph.D.<\/strong><\/p>\n This article appeared in the November 2011 issue of<\/em>\u00a0Think\u00a0magazine. For more info, or to subscribe, click on the tab above.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many pulpits have grown cold on the topic of\u00a0Hell. Gone are the days of fire and brimstone sermons. Those days have been replaced with lessons\u00a0that are warmer, and make Christians feel\u00a0better about themselves and life in general. But\u00a0the silence has come at an extreme cost. We have\u00a0several generations who have heard many lessons\u00a0on the love […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20,59,32,66],"tags":[145,575,370,371,333,415,351,352],"class_list":["post-1152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all","category-christian-living","category-church","category-think-excerpts","tag-brad","tag-brimstone","tag-hell","tag-judgment","tag-preaching","tag-punishment","tag-sermons","tag-think","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n