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Mark chapter 9, what I'm going to be preaching on tonight is about hell. Literally, I just named the sermon hell. I'm not trying to be real clever with the wording, I guess. No, this is not a double-sided sermon. I ran out of paper, so I took some of my old sermons. Don't get worried now. It's not like we're going to be your double or anything like that. Mark chapter 9, and this is just going to be more like a doctrinal sermon as far as what is hell. What's it like? What does the Bible teach about hell? This is a big subject and something that needs to be preached. It's not a light subject, but why do we go soul winning? Because there's a hell. Why do we do what we do? What's the whole purpose of the ministry of reconciliation? What are you reconciling them from? Hell. We need to understand and have a healthy thought of hell. Obviously, we don't worry about hell. We're not afraid of hell because we've been saved from it, but we need to remember that it exists. We need to remember that it's there, so that we can have that motivating factor of why we're going out soul winning, why we do what we do. Mark chapter 9, at the very end there, once you get to verse 43, actually verse 42 where we're talking about offending little ones and it would be better for them to be cast into the sea. Jesus is giving a sermon here about hell and about the fact of someone being cast into hell. Let's read that real quick again. In verse 43 it says, And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off, it is better for thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched, where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off, it is better for thee to enter halt into life than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched, where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. And if thy eye offend thee, pluck it out, it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. So he's getting a point across here, right? Now, if you have any other version besides the, you know, if you have the NIV ESV, then they take out the part where it says where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. That's removed from the NIV ESV and all these other versions. Oh, by the way, if you have a new King James and the word hell is just not in there. So hell appears 54 times in the Bible and 31 times in the Old Testament and 23 in the New Testament. And if you think about the length of the Old Testament compared to the New Testament, that's a lot in the New Testament that hell is mentioned. The ratio is definitely a lot higher in the New Testament as far as being mentioned. But hell also isn't just talking, I mean, it's not just called hell. And so there's other words, phrases, and stuff like that used to describe it that it doesn't even use the word hell sometimes. So, and by the way, hell is not a bad word. And people get, you know, they get on this soapbox of like, oh, don't cuss, you know, don't use the word hell. Hell is a Bible word. It's used 54 times in the Bible. And so it's not a bad word. Now it should be a scary word for those that aren't saved. You should be fearful to hear that word. And, you know, as believers, that word should give us a sense of urgency when it comes to winning the loss. Now in this passage here, and I'm not really preaching on Mark 9, but when Jesus is talking about it's better for you to cut off your hand, pluck out your eye, or cut off your foot, what he's talking about is that if you're gonna be judged by the law, and actually in the next chapter, he talks about the rich man and basically saying, hey, if you're perfect, then, you know, sell all you have and all this stuff. And basically his disciples, who then can be saved, he said, with men this is impossible. So he's basically saying, if you're trying to get there by law, it's better for you to cut off your hand that you were gonna break the law and go to hell. It's better for you to cut off that hand than to go into hell. That's what he's basically saying. That's the severity of hell, is the fact that you're better off to cut off your hand, cut off your leg, pluck out your eye if that were to make you transgress the law to where you'd go to hell. Now we know that everybody's sinned, okay? But he's saying that in the fact that here's the urgency of it. You're better off to cut off your members that would cause you to sin, you know, so that you don't go to hell. And so that's what that's talking about. But notice that it keeps saying where their worm dieth not and the fire's not quenched. So what is that talking about? Well, this is actually being quoted from Isaiah 66. So go to Isaiah 66. The last verse in the book of Isaiah is where this is being said. And I've heard people say this, that where their worm dieth not and the fire's not quenched, they'll say, well, the worm is their soul. But I don't agree with that, okay? First of all, the soul dies. So that wouldn't make sense if the worm is representing the soul. It's saying the soul doesn't die then. That doesn't make sense, right? Because we know that the dead, small and great, stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and they're cast into the lake of fire. So they're dead. The people that are in hell right now, they're classified as dead. So to say that the worm is referring to their soul doesn't make sense. But see here, it says their worm dieth not, and then it says the fire's not quenched. Well, Isaiah 66 and verse 24, Isaiah 66, verse 24, it says, And they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me, for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be in a pouring unto all flesh. Notice now it says their fire. Now, no one would say that the fire is that person, okay? So what we're going to see, and I'm going to prove this to you, I'm going to go to Isaiah 14, where it talks about the fact, or what's this worm that dieth not? Well, I'm going to talk about that and show you that, because there's not just fire in hell. So if I scare you tonight, it's not my intent necessarily to scare you, but I mean, we should be more so thankful that we're not going to go to this place called hell. But we should be, we should be, if there's anything that you get out of this, is the urgency to want to see people saved that you know and care about, and that you don't want to see anybody go to this horrible place. But keep that in mind with the worm, but well, go to Isaiah 14, and I'm going to read to you, we've gone through this many times. I'm going to read to you the first time hell's mentioned, which is in Deuteronomy 32, 22. So you probably already have that written down as the first mention of hell. And it says, so we already saw from what Jesus said, what's hell? It's fire that's not quenched, right? But also it mentions this worm that dieth not as well. But in Deuteronomy 32, 22, it says, for a fire is kindled in mine anger and shall burn unto the lowest hell and shall consume the earth with her increase and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. So that gives a lot of information, where's hell? Is that the foundation of the mountains? It's on fire? You know, there's a lot that goes into that, and it's this anger that's kindled that's fueling the fire. So in that very first mention of hell, it gives you a lot of information. But we're going to see also that just because that's the first mention of the word hell, that's not the first mention of people going there. There's actually a story in Numbers we're going to look at. But Isaiah 14, so I want to kind of answer this worm thing. You know, what's this worm that dieth not? Well, Isaiah 14 is the famous passage. It's a proverb against the king of Babylon. But it's, the proverb, it's kind of like when you think of an allegory or a parable where you're kind of using, you're talking about a person that's physically there, but you're kind of using a story of someone else to explain it to them. So the story's about Satan. It's about the devil. And this is where we get the name Lucifer from, is in Isaiah 14. But Isaiah 14 and verse 9, we'll start there. Notice what it says. It says, All from beneath is mood for thee, to meet thee at thy coming. It stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth. Again, see, the dead are down there, and they're still there, right? And we're going to get into all the different aspects of hell. But they're stirring up the dead, the chief ones of the earth. And it says, It hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? Art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave and the noise of thy vials. The worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. So there's like this particular worm that is spread underneath the person that's in hell. So if you think about the fire and the torment, now you've got these worms crawling on you. And this worm is probably tormenting you as you're down there. And obviously, he's kind of given this parable about that king of Babylon. So this is what's going to happen to him. He's talking about all these other kings. They're saying, hey, you become like one of us. You become weak like one of us because you're in hell with us. And it says, Hell from beneath is moved for thee. And notice in verse 12 there, now we really see that. We know we're talking about the devil. It says, How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the ground which didst weaken the nations? For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the most high, yet thou shalt be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit. So Satan here basically is being brought down to his place and he's going to be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit, which also gives me another point here. So we see that where the worm die, if not, well, the worms are going to cover these people. And there's going to be a particular worm that's laid underneath these people that are in hell. And you say, well, that's weird that there's animals in there or there's creatures in there. Well, don't we read about that in Revelation 9, the locusts that come out of hell? Scary place. Because you think about the darkness, the darkness that's down there. And when you think, you know, like, well, it's fire, wouldn't it be light? What's the hottest spot, or what's the hottest points on the sun? The black spots. So you think about hell and how it's, you're kindled by the anger of God and it's dark, you got all these creatures down there probably biting you and torturing you, and then you have all the fire itself, you know, that you're on fire, and you never go out of existence. We're going to get to that. But I want to get it to the point because you may say, well, it's only mentioned 54 times, hell, right? Well, it's mentioned a lot of other times, just talking about the pit. So notice here how it links the hell to the sides of the pit. So that's what I want to show you, too, is that the fact that hell, a lot of times, when it talks about the pit or people going down to the pit, it's talking about hell. And so it doesn't always necessarily have to name hell out by name, but it, you know, you can look at that. And go to Psalm 55. Psalm 55 does the same thing. So we saw with Isaiah 14 and how it was saying he's going to be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit. Well, Psalm 55 does kind of the same thing when it talks about let them go down to hell, and then it's talking about bringing them down to the pit. Psalm 55 in verse 15, it says, Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell, for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them. Well, go down to verse 23, and it says, But thou, O God, shall bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in thee. See how it uses that interchangeably throughout the Old Testament? And if you had a New King James, that would say sheol, because you know what that word means, right? So anyway, it's good to have a King James Bible because hell is in there. And, you know, hell is a good... People understand the word hell. When you say hell, people know what you're talking about. When you say sheol or Hades or Gehenna, people don't know what you're talking about. And those, by the way, that's just a Hebrew word for hell, and then, you know, Hades and Gehenna is just a Greek word for hell. And I'm actually going to talk about that in a little bit because people will say, Well, see, you know, if you had the Greek, you could really understand whether you're talking about Hades or Gehenna. Well, we're going to talk about that because in context you can always know whether you're talking about hell beneath or, you know, in the center of the earth or hell that's the lake of fire. But go to Ezekiel chapter 31. And actually, both in Ezekiel 31 and 32, we see the same language about hell and the sides of the pit, descending into the pit. And if you remember, Ezekiel 28 was... There's two basic passages dealing with Satan and his fall. That's Isaiah 14. But then you had Ezekiel 28. You remember where he was the covering cherub until iniquity was found in him, right? He was beautiful until iniquity was found in him. Well, when you get to chapter 31 and 32, you get kind of that same thing where he's going to be brought down to hell. And in verse 16, so Ezekiel 31 and verse 16, and again, this is a lamentation. This is against another king. And so you kind of have the same idea as Isaiah 14. It says, And I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit. So you see, it's synonymous. I mean, you can't say you're casting down at hell, and then, you know, that's obviously talking about the pit. The pit and hell are synonymous. And all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with a sword, and they that were his arm that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen. So in your spare time, if you want to read more about hell, Ezekiel 31 and Ezekiel 32 kind of cover all this. And I didn't want to go into all that for sake of time and kind of explain all that. But side note, I've had people say right here that this passage in verse 16 there proves that there's some kind of holding chamber in hell because it says at the best of the level all that drink water shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. And they'll say, see? They're comforted down there. I'm like, wow. Wow. I mean, that's how far it goes. You're going to read Ezekiel 31 and 32 and think that people are having a good time down there. I mean, this whole passage is about how they're going to be in torment. They're going down with all them. They're uncircumcised. Like, nothing in there is about believers. And just because you had the word comforted there, and all that to say is that comforted doesn't always mean that it's something that's good, OK? It's just a word to mean basically that's where they're going to be held at. You think a fort is in that word, and you're kind of like building a fort around it. And so all the trees of Eden. Remember that the devil was likened unto one of the trees in Eden in Ezekiel 28, right? And so it's talking about all these trees of Eden going down into the hell. He's talking about all these kings that were as the trees of Eden. And if you remember, even Nebuchadnezzar was likened unto a tree until he was cut down to the stump. So all this stuff is just talking about all these kings, these high people that were high and mighty being cast into hell, and they're going to be comforted down there. And so I'm just saying that because it's funny how far people go to try to prop up some weird doctrine. And that's about all they got. That was the biggest one I've ever seen them give me as far as some chamber down in hell, because these trees with the uncircumcised, right? So that makes sense. Go to Numbers chapter 16. So with that in mind, dealing with the pit, we see that they go down to hell to the sides of the pit. They go down to hell and descend into the pit. Well, think about that now when you think about this story with Korah. And if you remember, the earth opened up and swallowed up all the people. And now think about that when you realize that the pit is talking about hell. And so in verse 28 there, so Numbers chapter 16, verse 28, this is the gainsaying of Korah talked about in Jude. It says, and Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of mine own mind. If these men die the common death of all men, and if they be visited after the visitation of all men, then the Lord hath not sent me. But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit, then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their houses and all the men that appertained unto Korah and all their goods, they and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them, and they perished from among the congregation, and all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them, for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also, and there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense. So, now with that in mind, do you see what happened to them? The earth opened up and they literally fell down alive into hell. That's a scary story right there. But obviously, we talked about the gainsaying of Korah, and you know, that's talked about in Jude, or brought up in Jude, and so Korah and all his minions basically got taken out here, but that's a crazy story to think about, about them being cast alive into hell. Now, that's going to be an important point when I get into talking about, we're going to talk about, you know, the great white throne judgment, and kind of answering something there, but I'll get to that in a minute. Now, in the Old Testament, you'll see the pit, the pit, the pit, those that descend into the pit, so you're going to find a lot more mentions than that thirty-one mentions of hell now that you have that kind of as a definition as well. Now, I'm not saying that the pit is always, you know, when they put Joseph in a pit, we're not talking about hell, but you can see how it represents hell, right? And in Zechariah, it talks about a pit with no water, and you can see how it represents it, but so, yeah, obviously, you know, when Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, went down into a pit on a snowy day, he didn't go down to hell and slay a lion, okay? So, obviously, pit can mean just a pit in the ground, right? But a lot of cases, when it's talking about the pit, we're talking about hell. Now, in the New Testament, it mentions the pit again, but it says the bottomless pit. So go to Revelation chapter 9, Revelation chapter 9. So I believe the bottomless pit and hell that's beneath us right now is the same exact thing. It's just a different way to describe it. And so that's what you'll see throughout the Bible is basically hell is being described in different facets, and so it's giving you different elements of it, right? Because the bottomless pit, that gives you a different element of hell. How does that work? Is the earth flat and it just keeps going down on forever? No. It's just the fact, okay, if you have the earth and you have gravity pushing around, what you'll have inside the earth is this constant feeling of falling because gravity is basically coming in at a central point, and so it would be like a bottomless pit, although they're still in one place, right? And so imagine you're on fire. You have these worms that are covering you and this one particular worm, for example, laid underneath of you, and you're in torment. It's dark, and now you feel like you're falling. Horrific. And so it's a scary thought, but the bottomless pit, Revelation chapter 9, Revelation chapter 9, verse 1, it says, And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth, and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and there arose a smoke out of the pit as the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. Now, we're going to see another place where hell is likened unto a furnace of fire. And so you can see why it's calling it a great furnace, and he opens up this bottomless pit, and there's smoke ascending up out of it, so much that it darkens the sun. And you say, well, what's this talking about, this key to this bottomless pit? Well, go to Revelation chapter 1. Revelation chapter 1, and I've already proved this before, and actually I'm going to show you this, that this star that falls from heaven is not Satan, okay? Abaddon and Apollyon is not Satan. It's an angel that God has put as king of the bottomless pit, and it's not the devil. The devil's not ruling hell, okay? And actually, it's going to look really stupid if you think that when I get to Revelation 20. But what's this key to this bottomless pit? Well, Revelation chapter 1 and verse 18, it says, I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen, and have the keys of hell and of death. So imagine this. Jesus, when he rose from the dead, he has the keys of hell and of death. And remember, he said, I'm giving Peter, you're talking to Peter and his disciples, I've given you the keys to the kingdom of God, right? He has the key of David, but the keys of hell, that's what he's talking about. The key of hell, he gave that to the, that was given to that angel to open up the bottomless pit. So imagine if that's Satan, okay? He just destroyed the works of Satan and the works of the devil, and he got the keys of hell and of death when he rose from the dead, and then he's going to give it back, he's going to give it to Satan, right? No, it doesn't make any sense. No, this angel, and they just get that from like, he fell from heaven. Well, it talks about when you go on to the next chapter, there's another angel that comes down from heaven. So it's saying, it's basically applying that, hey, the one that fell from heaven before it, that was an angel that came down from heaven. And so it's not like the fall, like he, you know, like one of the devil's minions. Anyway, so go to Revelation chapter 20, and you'll see that that's such a dumb statement to think that Apollyon and Abaddon, which is the same person, it's just a different name, but Apollyon would be Satan. Because in Revelation 20 and verse 1, Revelation 20 and verse 1, and I believe, actually this passage right here I'm about to read is the fulfillment of Isaiah 14. Remember that Satan was going to, Lucifer was going to be cast down to hell? That, I believe, happens at the end of God pouring out his wrath before the thousand-year reign, and he's going to be cast down to hell for a thousand years. And so that's, what that statement that was made about Lucifer doesn't happen until Revelation 20. Verse 1 there, it says, And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bombless pit, and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bombless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled, and after that he must be loosed a little season. So imagine that if this angel that has the key of the bombless pit is binding himself and throwing himself into the bombless pit, okay, that's how dumb that theory would be. Because, obviously, Abaddon is not Satan because he wouldn't bind himself and throw, cast himself into the bombless pit. But do you see how that matches up, though, with Isaiah 14? The bombless pit is hell. When he's going to be cast down to hell and into the pit, and in here it just calls it the bottomless pit. And so it's giving you more information of what's going on there. Now, this sounds familiar to what happens to the angels as well, and I believe, personally, I believe that this happens to the angels at the same exact time it happens to the devil. Go to 2 Peter chapter 2, 2 Peter chapter 2. Remember, they took a big chain and bound Satan and cast them into the bombless pit. Notice the language it uses about the angels that fell, or the angels that sinned. Jude, it talks about the angels that left their first estate. 2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 4, it says, For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment. So when you think about it, you say, well, did that already happen? Well, remember that God's speaking of those things as being not as though they were. And a lot of times when you're looking at things that are prophetic, it could be in past tense, it could be in present tense, it could be in future tense. It doesn't always have to be in future tense that they will be cast down to hell. Because remember, it's kind of one of those things where when it says Babylon has fallen, has fallen, well, it hadn't happened yet, you know, when that's said. But when he says it like that, you know what that means? That there's no way it's not happening. There's no turning of judgment there, right? You can think about how God is gracious and he'll repent him of the evil. You know what that means when he puts it in past tense there? That it's going to happen. There's nothing that's going to change that. There's no way those angels are getting out of this. And so, but do you see the same kind of judgment? They're going to be chained up and cast into hell. And you say, well, what's going to happen to the angels? Well, they're apparently going to be judged by us. Because didn't Jesus say that the angels, that you're going to judge angels? And later on it talks about thrones being set up and all this other stuff. And you think about the great white throne judgment and there's probably going to be, you know, the angels being judged and being cast into the lake of fire. And so, but, so we can see that. We see the bottomless pit. But again, you see them being cast down to hell. And so do you see how that's synonymous in the pit, hell, all that stuff? Now I want to talk about how hell is a literal flame and torment. Now there's people out there like Jehovah Witnesses who believe that it's, you know, people just go out of existence or that hell is just this burning in your bosom for the absence of God. Well, we're going to get into all that because everything that was just said right there is false. Okay? The absence of God and it's just a burning of like the desire to serve God and all this stuff. It's ridiculous, okay? Now go to Luke chapter 16. You're probably surprised why I didn't go to Luke 16 to begin with for my opening passage. But people are always trying to tear down, you know, Luke 16. They're like, oh, it's a parable, all this stuff. Well, that's interesting because Lazarus, you know, a parable is you never have the person's name. You say, well, why didn't he name the rich man? How about I know my sheep by name? You know, it talks about in John chapter 10. Do you remember Jesus ever calling Judas by his name? What did he call him, friend? How about I never knew you, depart from me either, work iniquity? That's why he says he doesn't know him. He doesn't even call him by name. Why did he say Nathaniel? Why did he call him Nathaniel by name? Because my sheep hear my voice and I know them. And he talks about how he knows them by name. And so that's why Lazarus is named in here and the rich man doesn't matter what his name is because he's in hell because he doesn't know them. And so anyway, I believe this is a literal story that happened. But Mark 9, there's no doubting the fact that Mark 9 is definitely, no one has ever said, well, that's a parable. If they did, they're an idiot, okay, because there's no way to get around the fact that he's just preaching on the fact that hell exists and it's better for you to cut off your hand, pluck out your eye or cut off your foot than to go there. And so it's a real place where Jesus wouldn't use that language. He's not playing around and he wasn't joking when he said that. In all sincerity, he's saying that if you're going to be perfect and keep the whole law, it's better for you to cut off your hand than to break the law and go to hell. And so Luke chapter 16 and verse 19, I'll read this story here. It says, It says, There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receiveth thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you, there is a great gulf fixed, so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, Father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house, for I have five brethren that they may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets, let them hear them. And he said, Nay, Father Abraham, but if one went out unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Now there's a lot of information in this passage. First of all, immediately he lift up his eyes in hell. You know, people preach this soul sleep stuff. Though the Bible says to be asked in front of the bodies to be present with the Lord. So when you die, just like Lazarus, you're going to be carried by angels to heaven. And then also, you see that the rich man, the moment that he died, he lifted his eyes up in hell, being in torments. So you see automatically, what's hell about? It's about being tormented. And it's in a fire. And notice the little aspects of it. He says, I wish that you could just take a, you know, dip your finger in water and just take that little bit of water that's on your finger and put it on my tongue to cool my tongue because I'm tormented in this flame. And so you can see the anguish that's in him and the fact that he's tormented. Tormented, that's what's being brought up all throughout this passage. And basically he's saying, No, no one can go to you and no one can come from you to us. And notice, you know, one thing that people always try to bring up, they're like, Well, I want to go to hell with my friends. I'm going to go to hell and party with my friends. And you think of like ACDC and all that stuff about the hell's bells and, you know, about partying in hell and all this stuff and how their friend, you know, that died of, I think he choked on his own vomit because he was a drunk. And all their music's about hell and all the other wickedness in the world. And they're talking about how they want to go party with their friend in hell. Well, what did the rich man say? Did he say, No, I want my brothers to be here with me. Well, what did he say? Send Lazarus to tell my five brothers so that they won't come into this place of torment. He didn't want his family to be there. And you know what? There was one time I was out soloing and this girl was into the Ouija board and stuff like that. And she was talking about how it was like a teenager. This was years ago. And she was talking about the fact that I was talking about, you know, heaven, hell, stuff like that. And she said, Well, I know about hell, you know. I talk to spirits and stuff like that. And they said hell's not that bad. They said hell's not bad and they want me to go there with them. That's what she said, okay? And then I said, Well, let's see what the Bible says about it. I took her to Luke 16. I said, What do you think about hell? Do you think, this guy didn't want his family to go there where he was at. You know what that fear of hell got her saved. But yeah, I'm sure that the devil wants you to think that it's that way. I'm sure the devil wants to put into your mind that it's a place, a party place. You know, I'd rather reign in hell than serve in heaven. You know, the proverbial saying. No, you're not going to reign in hell. You're going to be torched in hell. You're going to be tormented in hell. You're going to wish that someone could just take a little bit of water on the tip of their finger to cool your tongue and then you're going to wish that there was an end to it. But the worst part about hell is that it's forever. If I had a portion of just the aspects of hell is that it never ends. If it was a million years, a million years that you'd be in hell and you had that glimmer of hope that you'd get out after a million years, at least there's hope. But all hope is gone. There's no hope. And that's the worst part about hell is that it is forever. There's no being annihilated like the Jehovah Witnesses say. And you know what? Those type of doctrines, all that is is for lazy people. Lazy people that want to put their head in the sand like an ostrich. And we have a bunch of ostrich-type Christians that don't want to think about hell. They don't want to think about the severity of it. They just want to think that everybody's saved or that hell's not that bad. But hell is a horrific place that most of the world's going to. And if you think about people dying, people die, you know, there's two people that die every second. So if you think about that, that two people are dying every second. And you think about the fact that most of those people are going to hell. Most of them are going to hell. They're just people dropping into hell. That's why in Isaiah it says hell hath enlarged herself. And it's never satisfied because people are being dropped into hell every single day, every second of the day. People are dying and going to hell. That's why we need to go soul winning. That's why we do what we do. That's why we come to church. That's why I read my Bible. That's why I memorize Bible. That's why, you know, we're even here. We're here because we have the ministry of reconciliation. We have the word of reconciliation. We are ambassadors for Christ. And that was Jesus Christ's, basically, sole mission was for the hearts and souls of men. And we need to remember this. And this isn't a sermon that's really fluffy or anything like that, obviously. But sometimes we need this type of sermon to just remind us of why we do what we do. Why do we take the times out of our schedule when we could be doing other things, when we could be relaxing? Because people are dying and going to hell. Because hell is real. Because hell exists. And people just want to put it out of their mind. They don't want to think about it. They want to say it's a bad word. It's not a bad word. It's a scary word. It's a fearful word. It's a terrifying word because of what it implies and what that place is. But go to Matthew chapter 25. Matthew chapter 25. Matthew chapter 25. It doesn't say hell in this passage. But I don't think anybody would say it wasn't hell. But we're going to see the aspect of hell being forever. So we know that it's literal. It's a literal flame. It's torment. And so when you... Show me a place where hell is mentioned and it's not something bad. It's not something... You know, it may not always mention fire. But hell fire is literally an adjective to fire, right? When you think about hell fire, it talks about hell fire. What's that implying? That we joke about it, but I like my food hot. And Holly will pull something out of the oven. And it will be like, I didn't get home. It was kind of late getting home or something like that. And I'll have to warm it up. And she's like, well, it's not eternal hell fire then. It's not hot enough for me. It's got to be eternal hell fire, she said. But isn't that like an attribute? It's basically like an adjective to fire as far as what it implies. You know what that implies? That that fire is really hot. And so for someone to say that hell is not always fire is ridiculous, okay? Just in the Bible itself. But in Matthew 25 and verse 41, Matthew 25 and verse 41, this is actually a parable we never got to dealing with the sheep and the goats. But this is talking about the ghosts, those that aren't saved, where they're going to go. Matthew 25 and verse 41, it says, Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire. Prepare for the devil and his angels. So you say, well, you know, that's his everlasting fire. It doesn't mean that they're going to be there forever, though. It doesn't mean that the people are going to be there. The fire may last forever. I'm just saying what people would say, right? We'll go down to verse 46 then. Verse 46, it says, And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal. So how can there be everlasting punishment if there's no one there to punish? So, and I'm going to obviously show you some other scriptures on this, but we see that it's forever. So if you want to know some passages as far as like hell being forever, that Matthew 25 is a great one. But also Revelation chapter 20 is also another good one to go to. Revelation chapter 20. And obviously Revelation chapter 20, it has a lot about hell. We're talking about the bombless pit, you know, and it talks about the lake of fire and all this stuff about the devil. And that's what we're going to show here is the devil being cast into the lake of fire. And notice what it says in verse 10. It says, And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. So the devil is going to be tormented day and night forever and ever. But notice the beast and the false prophet, they were the first two to be cast into the lake of fire. And by the way, the beast and the false prophet are men. They're men, just like I'm a man. And the beast and the false prophet, the antichrist, they're both going to be cast into the lake of fire. They're going to be the first ones cast in there. They were cast in, if you know the story and you know what's going on here, this is after the thousand year reign of Christ. That means they were in the lake of fire for a thousand years and it says that this is where the beast and the false prophet were. Is that what it said? No, it says where they are. The beast and the false prophet are still in the lake of fire after a thousand years. And you know what? At that point when you get to, when the devil's being cast into hell, you know the rich man's still there. The rich man's still there. And the rich man's going to be brought up out of hell when we get to that point and all the other people that have been in hell to be judged according to their works. And then they're going to be cast into the lake of fire. So hell is not only forever, but it's also in the presence of God Almighty. It's in the presence of Jesus Christ. And so this whole aspect of hell's annihilation or hell is not really literal burning flames, which at what point when I read all this did you think, oh, that's just symbolic, right? And, but they'll also say, but it's separation from God, right? How many of these stupid IFB, you know, statement of faith do I have to read about not only the total depravity of man, but also that hell is the separation from God? Well, let's go to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. Where did they get that from? It's like God doesn't exist. The same pre-tribbers that talk about only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way and be like, that's the Holy Ghost, brother. When the Holy Ghost leaves the earth, I'm leaving with them. It's like when, since when did God stop being omnipresent, okay? Since when was God not everywhere at once? How about if I make, if I ascend up into heaven, behold thou art there, and if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there, right? How about God is everywhere? Not to mention, the first mention of hell says that his anger is what kindles hell, but somehow he's not there, right? So 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 2, we'll start there. It says, and to you who are troubled, rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in all them that believe, because our testimony among you was believed in that day. So, you know what they'll say with this, okay? Now, first of all, I talk about punishment with everlasting destruction, so there's another verse about how hell's forever and that punishment is forever. It's not just being annihilated. So they'll say, well, from the presence, it's away from the presence. Well, you know, the Bible, a lot of times when it talks about from, it's talking about the source of which that's coming from, right? So when it says from the presence of the Lord, you know what that means is that the punishment with everlasting destruction is coming from the presence of the Lord. You say, well, you know, I'm not completely convinced. Well, go to Revelation chapter 15, because this same type of language is used in another place dealing with something else, and no one, I don't think, would ever take this verse to think that it's away from. And so if anybody ever brings this up to you and says, well, from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, that means away from. It means they're separated from it, okay? Well, first of all, you're adding to the word of God by saying away from, okay, and adding that in there. But second of all, from, a lot of times just means the source, you know? If you got a gift from me, what would that mean, right? Away from me? No, you got it from me because I, I'm the source of the gift, right? But in Revelation 15, verse eight, it says, and the temple was filled with the smoke from the glory of God and from his power. Case in point, what was the temple filled with and what was the source of the smoke that was in the temple? And I don't think anybody would say that it wasn't the glory of God. This was filling that temple with smoke. But it's the source in which it was made, in which it was done. If you go to Isaiah six, it talks about the same type of thing dealing with the glory of God and how the pillar shook. From what? From God. And so, you know what, this verse that people try to stay away from, it's actually completely opposite of that. It's not, they're not being destroyed away from God. They're being destroyed from the presence of God. The presence of God is what's tormenting these people and all the destruction that's going on in hell with the people in hell is actually from the presence of the Lord. And you say, well, you know, I'm still not convinced. Well, go to Revelation 14. Go back a chapter. Revelation 14. And there's no getting away from it here. Revelation 14, in verse nine, it says, And the third angel followed them, saying, With the loud voice of any man, worship the beast in his image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand. 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 brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day nor night, who worship the beast in his image and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. No question there, right, that they're being tormented in the presence. But you know what 2 Thessalonians is saying is that the source of the destruction, the source of their torment is the presence of the Lord. But he is also in the presence. They're being tormented in the presence of the Lord because he's obviously there. So this whole idea of, you know, hell being the separation of God, it's just a way to make hell a little colder, right? Because that doesn't sound as bad, right? Well, they just have to live for eternity without being close to God, without having that good relationship with God, bro. You know, have that nice relationship with him and, you know, have that loving relationship. No, they just have to wander around and, you know, without God. You know what, the people that go to hell, they didn't want God. They didn't want to be around God. Why do you think that they'd want to be in heaven? So this whole idea of, you know, that's the torture of it, that's the torment. No, the torture of it is hell. The torture of it is the worms that are covering them. The torture of it is that they feel like they're falling forever. The torture of it is that it's black and darkness forever. To whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever. It talks about in Jude and then it talks about in 2 Peter and wandering stars. And what's the worst part about it? It's forever. It never ends. They're going to be tormented day and night and the smoke of their torment ascended up forever and ever. They have no rest day or night. They're constantly in pain. They can't rest. They can't sleep. And they're going to be constantly tormented in the presence of the lamb that died for them. Think about that. Think about the fact that they're going to be in the presence of the one that they could have got out, would have got out of that. And they had to sit there in torments. And so hell is a scary place. Notice that the people in hell still exist. I mean, you know, they're not alive, right? But just because they're not alive doesn't mean that they're not conscious, okay? And so go to Revelation chapter 20. That sun's coming in. Doesn't feel like the depths of hell right now, right? It's a sunny day, you know, it's nice and a beautiful day, right? It would be a little more effective if we had like this thunderstorm and crashing thunder and all this stuff. I picked the wrong night. Now one time I was actually preaching. I was at a Faithful Word. And we had a camping trip. And my sermon was about, it had to do something with hell. It had to do with, I forget exactly what it was that I preached on. But it started raining and it was dark. It was raining and then all these bugs came flying out. You know, like they were like attacking the people that were watching it. I'm like, see? It's like these bugs. Just imagine like the locusts from hell and all this stuff. And it was like the perfect atmosphere for it. Anyway, we don't have that tonight, but that's okay. But Revelation chapter 20 and verse 10. We already read this. But remember that the beast and the false prophet are still there. I want you to see that again. In verse 10 it says, And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. That was verse 11. It says, And I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead. Notice he didn't say the living or that they came back alive. I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. So these people are standing, but they're dead. It said, I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God and the books were opened and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And I believe that's talking about the Bible. So you had the book of life as to whether you're written in the Lamb's book of life. And then you had the books that were open, which I believe would be the Bible. And you have all the laws of God and all the commandments of God that they're being judged according to. Verse 13, And the sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. And they were judged, every man according to their works and death and hell were cast in the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. So what's going on here? So this is the great white throne judgment. And I believe that this great white throne judgment only deals with unbelievers. Okay? I don't believe that there's any believers here because I believe that judgment must first begin at the house of God. And obviously we're going to have at the first resurrection, you're going to have the judgment seat of Christ that happens with, that will be there, right? So whether Christ comes in our day or not we'll be the dead in Christ that rise and we'll be at that first resurrection. We'll be at that judgment seat of Christ that happens before the thousand year reign. But there's also going to be another resurrection that comes at the end. And go to John chapter 5. So when you see these passages you're going to say, well what is this talking about? We're talking about the resurrection of the just and the unjust. Okay? So if you take what it says in 1 Peter that judgment must begin at the, first begin at the house of God and what shall be of them that obey not the gospel of our God? Then I believe before this great white throne all the saved people, all those that came out of the thousand year reign had to already be judged at that point. Okay? So I don't believe it really touches on that but I believe that that's what's going on is that there's this resurrection that's happening here of the just and the unjust. The just were kind of taken care of and then the great white throne where all the unsaved people are going to be judged. And so in John chapter 5 and verse 28 it says, Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. Notice that there's a resurrection of damnation. Now when you read this in Revelation chapter 20 it didn't say they were alive though. They were dead. Daniel chapter 12 says kind of the same thing. You don't necessarily have to turn it over. Daniel chapter 12 verse 2 it says, And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. So you see this resurrection that's going to damnation. So what is this talking about? Well this is talking about the fact that their bodies are being brought back to their souls. So there's this resurrection so to speak as far as their bodies being joined back to their souls. And we're going to see that's why we're not the fear we're supposed to fear him that is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Not just the soul but the soul and body. And so the dead now that's what kind of makes sense when you see that the sea gave up the dead which were in it. You know it wouldn't make sense if you're talking about souls there because are the souls just floating around in the sea? And then it says death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. You say well whether well you could be talking about the souls in hell just right there but think about it it wasn't Korah his body's in hell. Right because his body obviously was disintegrated I'm sure by the time it hit the flames but you say well there's no bodies that were in hell. Korah and all those that appertained to him were and so you can see how that would make sense. And death I believe death and hell are basically synonymous so I mean you think of death and hell you know there's the the rider on the pale horse his name is death and hell followed with him and you think about how hell I believe and this is just what I believe on this I believe that that hell beneath would be the first death of your soul. And then when you die physically that would be a death so your body let's say you die let's say you're unsaved and you die right your body has died once and your soul has died once then at this resurrection of damnation both your soul and body are going to be reunited and they're both going to die another time because they're both going to be cast into this lake of fire which is the second death but they're going to be going in there together and so your body and soul is going to be cast into this lake of fire and we talked about this too you know you know why are they not alive because they don't have a spirit okay so you say well their soul and their body does it say that the the soul without the body is dead or the spirit without the body is dead that's why there is a difference the spirit without the body is dead so there's no spirit here because the spirit has returned on the god who gave it now when we die as believers our spirit and soul they're together and they're not being separated so I believe just as much as the spirit without the body is dead the soul without the spirit is dead as well that's what I believe okay now that's not scripture that's not I don't know of it anyway that's in there but to me when the spirit returns on the god that gave it if your soul is not going with it your soul is dead the spirit was the only thing that was keeping it alive because god you know that's the breath of life that's in your soul that made it a living soul so I believe it's a dead soul but it doesn't mean it's out of existence right because they're standing before god god dead and so people are saying well they're dead that means that they're you know I talked to some Jehovah witness I think brother David was with me we were talking to that Jehovah witness that one time I remember and he kept saying you're not going to say god bless to me brother or you know whatever he said to him and I'm like no I'm not you know anyway he was trying to say that with this passage and that was where he's like well you know what do you think and he's like I think it means hell I think it means that they're tormented in hell and yeah I'm like yeah because that's what it says you know and this guy was trying to dance around and be like but they're dead but I'm like yeah but they're standing and they're being tormented day and night I don't care what you call it they're in torment they're conscious you can you can say that that doesn't mean yeah they're not alive so this whole idea of like well you know and you run into people too that say well I you know we're all going to live forever just either in heaven or hell no they're not living in hell they're dead that doesn't mean they're out of existence though they have an eternal soul but it's a dead soul which means that it's being tormented day and night forever and ever and so I hope that makes sense when you're looking at this this second death that we're dealing with here so that's why you know the lake of fire and second death which is the second death notice that the lake of fire is called the second death and so I believe that's why hell and death you know when you talk about hell beneath and death are so synonymous this isn't death and hell brought up the dead which were in them I believe that the death is you know that place if you were to refer to what's death it'd be hell because that's where the dead are at it's just giving you an aspect of it it's called death because that's where all the dead people are at you know the dead are dwelling there in hell and so the great white throne judgment the lake of fire now you may ask yourself well what what about the lake of fire compared to hell you know because you think about when we say that people go to hell forever well the lake of fire is hell okay and I want to prove that to you through the bible because go to Matthew chapter 10 basically hell is moving places it's basically relocating because when the new heaven new earth happened there's going to be no more seas but there's also going to be no more hell in the center of the earth hell has been relocated death and hell were cast in the lake of fire this is the second death so hell you know gets relocated to where the lake of fire is at and so but people are always talking about you know well if you had the Greek you'd understand the difference between Hades and Gehenna now context always shows you and you know when I was studying you know I was studying Greek and all that stuff I was looking up all the places that Hades is used compared to Gehenna and like the different references to hell and most all the time it's talking about you know shall bring them down to hell which one do you think that's talking about Hades and then it talks about outer you know it talks about being cast you know body and soul into hell which one do you think it's talking about Gehenna right so Gehenna is talking about the lake of fire Hades is talking about hell that's in the center of the earth but context in the English always shows you what portion you're talking about but you know what that shows you is that the lake of fire is hell that the place that's underneath the earth right now that where people are at right now is hell they're both hell and our Bible just calls both of them hell and so I'll prove that because in Matthew chapter 10 verse 28 it says and fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell that's talking about the lake of fire right there because that's the great white throne judgment the body and soul are brought back together at the resurrection of damnation and they're going to be both the soul and body are going to be cast into the lake of fire which is hell and so when you say people are going to go to hell forever you know that's biblical that's right you don't have to say well they're going to be in hell for a little bit then they're going to go to the lake of fire no they're both hell okay they're going to be cast into hell and so just wanted to show you that the differences there of that and so when you're talking about outer darkness I believe you're talking about the lake of fire so you see these passages about outer darkness and all that stuff what's that talking about I believe it's talking about the lake of fire but see context gives you that and so go to Matthew chapter 8 Matthew chapter 8 and verse 11 Matthew chapter 8 and verse 11 and we're almost done here I just kind of want to show you this because in these I'm going to show you different passages because there's there's a place where it calls it outer darkness and there's a place that calls it the furnace of fire I believe one case is talking about underneath of us and then outer darkness is talking about the lake of fire but you see how it gives the different aspects of it it's just explaining what this place is but in Matthew 8 verse 11 it says and I say unto you that many shall come from the east and west and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven but the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Matthew 22 12 same language but dealing with the parable of the wedding feast or the wedding garment or whatever you want to call it that's why when you read these parables and it talks about being cast into outer darkness where there's weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth it's definitely not talking about a saved person because it's clearly talking about hell it's talking about the lake of fire and so but in Matthew 22 verse 12 it says and he saith unto him friend how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment and he was speechless no friend he doesn't call him by name because he's unsaved verse 13 then said the king to the servants bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth for many are called but few are chosen clearly talking about the fact that many are going to go to hell and few are going to go to heaven and Matthew 13 so that one I believe is talking about the lake of fire but it calls it outer darkness see the darkness that's implied there to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for that forever to whom the blackness of darkness is reserved forever it talks about in both 2 Peter and Jude so the darkness is implied there a lot that is just complete darkness and then hell is also a furnace of fire and we saw that in Matthew 24 or 25 where it talks about the furnace or no I'm sorry it talked about in Revelation chapter 9 where he opened up the bottomless pit and it was as a burning furnace and the smoke ascended up out of it well Matthew 13 verse 41 Matthew 13 verse 41 it says the son of man shall send forth his angels and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity and shall cast them into a furnace of fire there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth verse 49 so shall it be at the end of the world the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just and shall cast them into the furnace of fire there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth notice the gnashing of teeth all this stuff you know applies to hell and what's going on there don't tell me that this is just something where they're being annihilated and that this isn't going on forever so it's a terrifying thing so what do we learn tonight about hell well it's dark it's a literal burning fire it lasts forever there's creatures down there that are tormenting people and you know all these different aspects of weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth, darkness it's a burning fiery furnace where all the dead are there and they're all brought low there's no rest day nor night so how do we apply that now obviously we should be just praising God that he saved us from that place because we were condemned already all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death and we would all be there if it wasn't for Jesus Christ dying on the cross and now when you read about the fact that his soul was not left in hell neither his flesh did seek corruption you can think about where he went to pay for your sins when his soul was made an offering for sin and it says that he shall see the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied think about what your savior went through when he went down to the foundations of the mountains and the earth where their bars was about him forever and he cried out of the belly of hell to save us from our sins think about that and obviously be grateful and thankful for your savior but what are you going to do about it as far as there's other people out there that haven't gotten saved and go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 this is the call of the action we know about hell and sometimes we just need to be reminded about all the aspects of hell not to say that we'd be afraid because obviously there's no fear in love and we know that fear had torment and perfect love it cast without fear we know that we're saved and we have eternal life we don't have to worry about hell but what about those that aren't saved 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verse 11 it says, knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men but we are made manifest into God and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences why do we persuade men? because we know the terror of the Lord we know what's waiting for them we know that their day is coming we know that our time on this earth is but a vapor appears for a little time and then vanishes away that our years on this earth there is a tale that is told and that it can happen at any moment that someone dies and so we know the terror of the Lord that's why we persuade men go to Jude chapter 1 Jude verse 22 and this is the last thing we're going to look at here and then we'll be done what kind of really brought up this sermon besides the fact that I have it on a checklist that I need to preach on hell as far as the doctoral sermon on hell is that we went out soul winning last week and there was a young man that came to the door and brother Anthony and I were at the door and brother Anthony started a conversation went well and did a great job but the guy was basically saying I got to go somewhere so I can't really talk and so brother Anthony was kind of leaving him with a verse and then I was just kind of telling him about the church about the invitation and all that stuff and I said the guy was real nice he wasn't like wanting us to leave necessarily he just didn't have time or whatever and so I said well I just want you to know that the reason we even bring this up is because we do believe in a hell we do believe that people are going to be tormented day and night and the guy said that he didn't know where he would go I said just to give you a little gravity on the situation if you don't know where you're going to go then the Bible is stating that you're going to go to hell because there's only one way out and if you don't know it then you're not going to make it and I said the Bible talks about hell and how it's a place of torment a place of torment where people are being burned forever and ever and ever and I said are you sure that we can't show you some verses I want to show you how you can know for sure you're going to heaven and he said you know what I'll take a look at that and I'm getting saved and this verse is always what I think about when I think when that happened and other times that that's happened but in verse 22 it says and of some have compassion making a difference and others save with fear pulling them out of the fire hating even the garment spotted by the flesh there's a lot of times where I'll bring up hell and I purposely bring up hell to people because I want them to see the urgency the gravity of the situation that this isn't just something to just kind of brush off or it's not a big deal it is a big deal you know we're coming up there and we're trying to be friendly we don't want to be overbearing when we're talking about them but we also want them to see that this is a big deal where you go when you die this isn't just something like well if I go to hell I go to hell you know no if you go to hell this is what you're in store for and if only you could just open up their brain and just show them all these scriptures as far as what hell is and you know what our society is trying to cool down hell it's trying to downplay hell it wants to tell you that it doesn't exist it exists whether they want to believe in it or not and hell is going to be tormenting people day and night forever and ever and they're not going to have any rest from that torment and you know what the Calvinists can go just jump off a cliff because the Christians today that have the truth in their heart that have the word of God are the only hope for this dying world and if we don't go out and give them the gospel they're all going to hell because he's given us the ministry of reconciliation and ever our gospel be hidden is hidden to them that are lost and woe unto us if we preach not the gospel and if I do it willingly then praise God if I do it unwillingly then a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me and so that's what we need to think about in those days when and trust me my friends my brothers and sisters there's days when I don't want to go soul winning I just rather go home and just go to sleep but you got to remember what's the big reason why we're going because people are dying and going to hell because hell exists and that's the reason that we we give up our afternoons that's the reason that we give up sleep that's the reason that we we don't get to do the things that we want to do sometimes because we care about the souls of men and they may not come into our church but we'll see them one day in heaven and they don't have the taste of that death of hell so let's end with a word of prayer dear heavenly father we thank you for this evening and Lord just pray that you help us to have a healthy remembrance of of hell and that place of torment that you've saved us from and we want to thank you and praise you Lord for all that you did for us to give us eternal life to save us from that torment and Lord I pray that you help us to remember it and Lord to not dwell on it to the point where we're just depressed but Lord to remember it enough to know the reason why we need to go out soul winning and do the work and Lord we thank you again and praise you for all that you've done for us in Jesus Christ's name Amen