The Harsh Reality of Hell

            Kirk Cameron, who many may remember as Mike Seaver in the sitcom “Growing Pains” several years ago or more recently from the movie, “Fireproof,” and now is known for his work in apologetics and evangelism, has just caused a bit of a stir in indicating that he is entertaining the idea of “annihilationism.” This is the belief that an unbeliever’s soul and body are completely destroyed in hell after which they will cease from existence rather than them continuing there for all eternity in a state of conscious everlasting torment without any relief. Such is not a new teaching as there have been prominent evangelicals who have held to it in the past like John Stott whom you have heard me quote from time to time. And, perhaps even more concerning, are the number of cults which promote this kind of teaching such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists, Christadelphians, and Armstrongism with the Worldwide Church of God (though some modern groups of such thankfully no longer hold to this view). That itself should really give anyone pause before accepting this view. But what ultimately matters is not what our favorite entertainer, podcaster, social media influencer, or even preacher says about hell. It is what God’s Word says. And when we turn to the Bible on this issue, we find that God does not stutter or whisper about the harsh reality of hell.

            In all of the various passages of Scripture which reference or speak of hell, we find a pretty consistent picture of a horrifying place where unrepentant unbelievers will endure unbearable torment forever. At the end of the book of Isaiah, probably the first place in the Bible to explicitly provide us with a description of the topic, we read, “Then they will go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched; and they will be an object of contempt to all mankind” (66:24). The idea of their specific worm not dying and the fire for them not being quenched clearly seem to indicate that this judgment will be eternal and unending. If the maggots which feed on their bodies are not going to be annihilated at this time what does that say about their bodies itself? Also, the fact of the fire not being quenched by their presence must mean that they are not burning up where the fire would be put out because it has nothing else to burn. Later, the prophet Daniel will lay out the two opposite destinies of humanity. One for believers who have been declared righteous in Christ and the other for nonbelievers who refuse to repent. He says, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to reproach and everlasting contempt.” Notice that both are described as experiencing something everlasting. For the believer, it is “everlasting life” and the unbeliever “everlasting contempt.” Nothing about there being a ceasing from this contempt. It will continue just as long as the life the believer is promised to receive. Revelation 14:9-11 tells us, “Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘if anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, and he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His rage, and he will 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 goes up FOREVER AND EVER; THEY HAVE NO REST DAY AND NIGHT, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Seems pretty clear to me that there is no end to the conscious torment those who choose to worship the beast and are marked as belonging to him will endure. They very well may wish to be annihilated in order to have such a rest that this place will not afford them. That’s how terrible this punishment is going to be! Likewise, we are told that all who will be thrown into the lake of fire “will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10, 15).

            We can also look at what the premier preacher of hell Himself has said about the topic. Jesus spoke more about hell than He did heaven. And as with any other of His teachings, He did not mince words about it. He likewise described it as a place of everlasting torment in fire. “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be guilty before the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the FIERY hell” (Matthew 5:22). “And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into THE UNQUENCHABLE FIRE” (Mark 9:43). He even quotes Isaiah 66:24 referenced earlier about how the worm of the wicked will not die and the fire they are in will not be quenched (Mark 9:48). In the picture of hell in Jesus’ parable of the talents, the place is portrayed as being in “outer darkness” where “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30). A clear image of those who reside there being fully conscious and aware of the pain and agony experienced by hell’s fiery flames. They would not be weeping and gnashing their teeth otherwise. This is seen as well in the story Jesus told of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). While we certainly want to be careful not to develop any major doctrine solely from a parable, it says something that Jesus had the rich man in the place representing hell to cry out to Abraham “being in torment” “in agony in this flame” for just a drop of water to provide him some relief (vv. 23-24). And when Jesus returns and separates the sheep (His true followers demonstrating their faith in how they treated His other followers who were in need) from the goats (those who did not belong to Him through faith and their neglect of His people demonstrated such), He will say to the goats, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the ETERNAL lake of fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). They will go into “eternal punishment” while believers (the righteous in Christ) into “eternal life” (v. 46). Once again, we see the parallel contrast between the punishment and life. The duration of such being the same. If life is eternal without end for the righteous, so must the punishment be for the unrighteous. The word for “punishment” here as well was used elsewhere for the great physical suffering or torture that Christians experienced under persecution. Something they clearly felt and were aware of. Those in hell will both feel and be aware of a far greater punishment there without end.

 

            Even the very word Jesus often used to refer to hell communicates all this. He would call it “gehenna” which was an actual trash dump outside of Jerusalem that was constantly burning. It is said that dead bodies of criminals and animals were burned there. Jesus certainly could have chosen any other word to paint a picture of hell but thought that the best to illustrate it.

 

            Now, what about all those places where it speaks of unbelievers “perishing” or being “destroyed” in hell? We all know John 3:16 and many of us have it memorized. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that all who believe in Him shall not PERISH, but have everlasting life.” Then we have Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to DESTROY both soul and body in hell.” Don’t these indicate some sort of annihilation or end to their punishment? Taking by themselves, it certainly seems to. And those who hold to such a position like to point to verses like these to prove their point. However, we have to read these in light of the clear passages speaking of the eternal torment of the judgment we have just looked at. Somehow they must be reconciled with them and there can’t be any contradiction since all of them are God’s Word and He cannot contradict Himself. It helps to recognize that the Greek word used for “destroy”, “apollumi,” does not necessarily, or even in most of its contexts, indicate annihilation or a complete cessation from existence. Often it is used in the sense of death. And death does not mean a ceasing of existence but more so a separation. A separation physically of the spirit from the body as seen with the description of Rachel’s soul departing at her death (Genesis 35:18) and spiritually of a separation or alienation from God (Ephesians 2:1-3; 4:18). The last of which can certainly continue for all eternity in hell. The word also is used in other contexts to describe something that is lost such as a sheep, a coin, or a son (Luke 15:4, 6, 8, 9, 24) and the necessity of losing one’s life in order to find eternal life (Matthew 10:39; Luke 17:33; John 12:25). The word is used as well in the sense of the ruining of an old wineskin when new wine has been poured into it (Mark 2:22). So, the talk of “perishing” or being “destroyed” in hell could just as much be speaking of one being ruined, lost, and dying for all eternity. As the Puritan Thomas Watson put it, “The wicked shall be always dying-but never dead.”

 

            Though different words for “destruction” are used in Philippians 3:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; and 2 Peter 3:7 to speak of the final destiny of the wicked, none of them have the absolute meaning of annihilation either. In fact, there are occurrences of them which clearly do not. For instance, the Greek word, “apoleia,” in Philippians 3:19 and 2 Peter 3:7 is also used by the disciples in Matthew 26:8 to speak of the “waste” they saw of the ointment which had been just poured upon Jesus’ head. That ointment did not cease to exist at that moment. It would have still been running down Jesus’ face and clothes. But it had been “destroyed” in the sense that it could no longer be used for any other purpose. Furthermore, the Greek word in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 and 2 Thessalonians 1:9, “olethros,” likewise does not refer to a ceasing of something no longer to exist as Paul uses the same term in 1 Corinthians 5:5 of the unrepentant sinner he called for the congregation to kick out of the church for his gross and heinous sexual immorality. He says that the man was to be delivered over to Satan “for the destruction of his flesh.” Whether “flesh” refers to his physical body or sinful nature, neither one were annihilated or ceased to exist after being excommunicated. Again, the idea is that of no longer being of value or use or “existing in their original, intended state” as New Testament scholar Douglas Moo points out. Those who refuse Christ and continue in their sin can expect an eternity of ruin and waste, not life and fulfilment.

           

            Some will say that an eternal unending punishment of torment in hell would not be fitting for the crime of our finite sins. That such would be rather extreme for our limited number of sins committed in this life. Some may even go so far to claim that this would be a cruel and unjust punishment for sin. However, that kind of reasoning fails to realize the serious nature of our sin against our holy God who has been nothing but good to us. Our sins are not just against anyone but against the sovereign Lord of the universe who has given us everything that we have. That makes even the smallest infraction against His holy law worthy of the worst form of punishment ever can be imagined. This is illustrated by a conversation a man had in another country with his taxi driver. The man who was a Christian, found out that the driver believed he would only suffer in hell for a little while to pay for his sins and then go to heaven after that. In his own estimation, he hadn’t done that many bad things after all. To get his point across, the man asked the taxi driver what he would do if he slapped him right there and then. The taxi driver said he would throw him out of the taxi. He then asked what would happen if it were some random guy on the street he slapped. The taxi driver told him that he would be probably be beat up by the guy and his friends. Next, he asked about the case if it was a police officer. The taxi driver said he would be thrown into jail. Finally, the man inquired about what the situation would be like if it was the king of that country he had slapped. The taxi driver nervously laughed and exclaimed, “you would die.” The same crime in each case but the status, value, and worth of the person he was committing it against carried with it a greater penalty. There is no one greater we can sin against than God. Therefore, there is no less of a punishment those who remain in their sins could expect to receive than the maximum possible which would be an eternity of such.

 

            Furthermore, there is a sense that the sinners in hell never stop sinning for their punishment ever to end. Since they have never repented of their sins, they continue to bear the guilt of every one of them. Also, while in hell, they still will have their sinful rebellious thoughts and attitudes towards God. None of that will ever stop. In fact, it very well might be even worse as any restraints they had on this earth will not be present there. Keep in mind that the wicked spoken of in the book of Revelation who have the terrible plagues of God’s judgment poured down upon them keep refusing to repent and still blaspheme God (Revelation 16:9, 11, 21). If their sinning doesn’t stop, neither should the punishment.

 

            We can certainly understand why some people may want to soften this harsh reality of hell by making it seem a little less severe by having the punishment come to an end. But we can’t go against or contradict what Scripture has to say about hell. It is meant to be a hard pill to swallow and gut-wrenching every time we read or hear about it. Such is the seriousness of our sins and what we all justly deserve from our holy God. And it should make us run to Christ and the cross for our salvation from it, glorifying His great love, grace and mercy to rescue us from it. It also should move us even more to share the gospel with our unsaved loved ones, knowing that this is what will await them if they do not repent and turn to Christ now. It is not a punishment that they will ever get any relief from and one which will not end. We certainly don’t want any of them to ever experience that. So, let’s make sure none of them go there without having to step over us and our many warnings.

 

Love in Christ,

Pastor Lee

Commonly Misquoted and Misapplied Verses: The Christmas Story

            Since we have been looking at a number of the most commonly misquoted and misapplied verses in the Bible the past several newsletter articles, I thought it only be appropriate to focus on those involving the account of Christ’s birth this month since Christmas is on its way. We could call these the “Inigo Montoya verses” of Christmas. “You keep quoting that verse. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Many of these misunderstandings have been perpetuated for years through film adaptations, plays, pageants, songs, and several sermons of well-meaning pastors. As always, our goal is to go back to Scripture to see what it actually says so that we don’t fall prey to some of these misinterpretations. Or to correct any we may already unwittingly hold to.

            No Room in the Inn? How many times have you heard about the cold-hearted inn-keeper who could not, or would not, find any room for Jesus? He is pictured at the doorway shaking his head "no" and pointing Mary and Joseph away from there. And the countless sermons which have been preached about how we should not be like Him but instead to make room in our hearts for Jesus? However, the only problem with this is that there probably wasn't an inn-keeper. That’s because it wasn't an inn they were turned away from. The Greek word used for this place in Luke 2:7 is not the one typically for an inn but rather a guest room in someone's home. In the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:34 where Jesus speaks of the Samaritan taking the man ambushed and beaten by the robbers to an inn, a different word is used in the Greek. This same word though is found in Luke 22:11 regarding Jesus instructing His disciples to ask for the guest room of the man's house for holding the Passover meal. It was common during a census in that day where one would have to travel back to their hometown for relatives in the area to host them in their homes. More likely, this was the home of one of Joseph's relatives who unfortunately had all of their guest rooms filled up by others who needed a place to stay while in for the census. The best that they could do was to have them stay in the cave next to the house with all of the animals.

            The Birthplace of Jesus. Here's another misquoted and misunderstood part of the Christmas story by the way. The idea that the birth occurred in a stable. It was typical back then for the animals to be housed in a cave next to a person's home. Don't think of Jesus' first earthly accommodations being a nice size modern day barn with a roof and door. Picture a dark, damp, smelly cave instead. Even more of a humble scene of our Lord's entering into this world.

            Hark! the Herald Angels SAY? A Christmas Carol we love to sing, and my personal favorite I might add, is "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing." This is probably the most theologically deep and accurate older hymn of our Lord's birth. The writer, Charles Wesley, really did his homework! But when you read Luke's Gospel concerning the angels appearing to the shepherds that first Christmas night, you don't find it telling us that this multitude of angels were SINGING "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." But they were SAYING this (2:13). While it is certainly a possibility that these angels were indeed singing these words, Luke doesn't explicitly say that. We don't know for sure. Praising and singing do go together but the Bible shows us that there are more ways of praising God than just singing to Him. That is one among a number of them. Of course, "Hark! the herald angels say" doesn't rhyme as well with "glory to the newborn king." (Please know that I am not trying to ruin or pick on any of your favorite Christmas Carols. I only want to be biblical. I will still gladly join you in singing this one loudly throughout the month!)

           The Appearance of Angels.  While we're on the angels, isn't it interesting that in just about every Christmas play and pageant, they are portrayed by girls instead of boys? Yet, every angel we ever encounter in the pages of Scripture has male pronouns. And the only ones we have the names of are masculine ones; Gabriel and Michael. Maybe women just appear to be more angelic than men do. (I won't go any further with that!) And don't get me started with the little cute cherubs and their tiny exposed bottoms. I don't have any idea where they came from but I know it wasn't from Scripture!

            The Mysterious Wise Men. Perhaps the group associated with the Christmas story who takes the cake for the most misquoted and misunderstood ideas developed about them would be the magi or wise men. Much of this is due to the beloved Christmas Carol, "We Three Kings of Orient Are." First off, we are not sure that there were only three of them. There may have been many more. The text of Matthew 2 doesn't specify any specific number. Just that they were magi plural and brought three gifts. It is hard to imagine that just three of them would have caused as much of a stir as described. And I have no clue where the names Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar came from to call them. Scripture never gives us any of their names. For that matter, nothing is said about them being kings either. The word "magi" means "great or powerful ones" and often alluded to those with a high status or influence. These ones probably were astrologers who studied the stars and tried to interpret the future by them. That's why they take such a special notice to this unique star that showed up which others may have just passed over in their causally gazing into the night sky. They made it their practice to examine the stars. The group would not have had crowns on their heads but their eyes on the sky. "We unspecified number of astrologers of Orient are" would be quite a mouthful to sing though.

            And when it comes to their arrival, just about every single manger scene gets it wrong. The magi would not have been there at the same time as the shepherds. In fact, they would not have been at the manger at all. Matthew doesn't say that they came to the cave to find the baby or infant but "into the HOUSE" where "they saw the CHILD" (2:11). It probably was a good year or a year and a half before the magi arrived to meet Jesus. We know that it had been close to two years from when they first noticed the star and talked to King Herod about it to when the king realized that they weren't coming back. Hence, why he ordered all the male children two years old and under to be slaughtered (v. 16). So, Jesus would have been one or one and a half at the time of their visit and well out of the manger.

            A Manger Without a Cross. One of the most dangerous of these misinterpretations is presenting the manger without the cross. Speaking and viewing it without being in Calvary’s shadow. One thing we notice in Scripture is that the nativity is never presented to us as an isolated event but is always connected to the cross. It is never just about the birth of the Messiah. For instance, in her song following the announcement that she had been chosen to bear the Christ child, Mary exclaims that God "has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy" according to the promise that God made to their ancestors (Luke 1:54-55). That "help" ultimately being in the sense of salvation. Zacharias, right after the birth of his son, John the Baptist, acknowledges that with the coming of the One whom his son had been designed to point to, God "has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David His servant" (Luke 1:68-69). The name "Jesus" itself speaks of the reason for the child's birth which finds its fulfillment in His death on the cross. As the angel Gabriel told Joseph in the dream, "you shall call His name Jesus, FOR HE WILL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS" (Matthew 1:21). The shepherds were specifically told that the One who had been born that very night was "a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11). And the old man, Simeon, who sees the baby Jesus in the temple, recognizes that in laying his eyes upon Him that he is looking at the very One who will accomplish salvation for God's people (Luke 2:30). An accomplishment we know that will occur through His death and resurrection which Simeon indicates with him prophetically telling Mary that "a sword will pierce her own soul to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed" (v. 35). What greater sword could pierce a mother's soul than watching her son being brutally and painfully crucified? Interestingly enough, one of the gifts of the Magi was myrrh which was often used in embalming and symbolized bitterness, suffering, and affliction. Again, connecting us to His crucifixion where He would suffer and die for the salvation of His people. The Ball Brothers have communicated this so well in one of their songs. “It's not just about the manger / Where the baby lay / It's not all about the angels / Who sing for him that day / It's not all about the shepherds / Or the bright and shining star / It's not all about the wise men
Who travelled from afar / It's about the cross / It's about my sin /It's about how Jesus came to be born once / So that we could be born again / It's about the stone / That was rolled away / So that you and I could have real life someday / It's about the cross.”

            So, as we go about celebrating our Savior’s birth this month, let’s be sure to recognize these misquotations and misunderstandings surrounding it and stick to just what Scripture says. Hope you and your family are blessed with a wonderful season with a focus not on the reason for the season but the reason He came.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Lee

Commonly Misquoted and Misapplied Verses: When Jesus is Really in the Midst of the Church

 

            We hear it said at just about every prayer meeting with a low turnout or when the crowd may be sparse for the Bible study or ministry event. Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” What a great encouragement to the faithful few who showed up! The only problem is that this is not referring to a general prayer meeting or Bible study at all. It is another instance of an “Inigo Montoya passage.” “You keep quoting that verse. I do not think it means what you think it means.” What the verse is talking about may come as a surprise because so few churches actually practice what it refers to.

 

            Of course, it certainly is true that Jesus is there in the gathering of the two or three present for the prayer meeting and Bible study. He is in our midst no matter where we may be or what we may be doing. That is just as much the case of every private prayer meeting or Bible study we may have when it is only ourselves as well as a public one whether it would be in a crowd of 10 or 1,000. We don’t have to quickly find a few other people to get together with for Him to show up among us so to speak. David recognized this in his ponderings of Psalm 139. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get away from God’s presence. He would be everywhere the king was. If he went to the highest of highs or the lowest of lows, he would still find God present. He writes, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I lift up the wings of the dawn, if I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, even there Your hand will lead me, and Your right hand will lay hold of me” (vv. 7-10). Jesus’ parting words to His church were a promise to be with us always even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). This is indeed the case with Jesus’ Holy Spirit living inside every believer (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16). So, there is never a case where Jesus cannot be said to be in the midst of a believer alone or believers who have gathered together.

 

            As always, context is the key for the right understanding of this verse. We must see how it fits with what is said both before and after the statement. And when we do that here, we discover the context to be that of church discipline. How the congregation is to lovingly confront and correct any major sin in its members. Jesus begins this section with instructions on what to do “if your brother sins” (Matthew 18:15). (You will notice some older translations have “against you” afterwards. The reason why newer ones do not is because we have discovered earlier copies of the Greek New Testament since then that do not have the “against you” in them, leading many scholars to believe that those two words were not originally a part of the text. Regardless though, Galatians 6:1 speaks of the need to restore a brother or sister who is caught in any type of sin generally. Probably both sin in general and specific sins against an individual are included here.) Following His telling the parable of the shepherd leaving the ninety-nine of His flock of a hundred to pursue the one which is lost (vv. 12-14), we are to understand this as Jesus teaching the church to go after any wandering or straying sheep in its own flock who needs to be brought back to the fold. More likely, this is speaking of noticeable habitual ongoing sins the person is clearly unrepentant of that you don’t have to go searching for to see. And Jesus lays out four steps to this process. The first step is a one on one confrontation with the individual to point out their sin and call them to repent of it (v. 15). The hope of this private meeting is repentance and restoration. The winning back of the brother. However, if the man or woman refuses to listen and turn from whatever the sin is, the next step has one or two more people involved to serve as witnesses of the matter (v. 16). If the person continues to walk in the direction of the sin after that meeting, the third step is to bring the issue to the church (v. 17). The goal here being for the entire congregation to reach out to this one and plead for their repentance. I like how one commentator has put it, “God loves us so much that if we are caught in sin, He will send an entire army of believers to us as a demonstration of His love and mercy.” And, if after that, he or she still stubbornly persists in the sin, the most drastic of the steps is to “let him be to you as the Gentile and the tax collector,” two groups who were at that time excluded from the fellowship. Basically, this is speaking of excommunication; no longer recognizing the individual as belonging to the congregation. Instead, he or she is to be seen as an unbeliever needing to be evangelized rather than a brother or sister a part of the family.

 

            This brings us now to the verse under discussion. In light of that process, Jesus provides the church with confidence when such a decision has to be reached. The confidence is that they are carrying out the will of heaven in following the steps Jesus has just laid out for them (v. 18). The actions they have taken regarding the person is what God has already determined to be done about them in these instructions. The church is simply confirming Jesus’ wishes we could say. The two or three agreeing about anything they ask on earth with the expectation that God who is in heaven will do it for them probably refers to this action of discipline as well (v. 19). It speaks of His support of their decision, assuming that they have done everything He has said in this passage. And v. 20 then serves as that reminder of Jesus’ presence in such.    

 

            You see, rather than being intended to serve as an encouragement to the small tiny group gathered to pray or study the Bible, this verse is designed for the whole church to assure them that they have Jesus’ approval whenever carrying out the unfortunate task of disciplining a wayward member who continues to refuse to repent for his or her sin. We really hope not to have too many situations where this verse would actually apply to us. But should we ever do, we know that if we faithfully follow the blueprint Jesus gives us here for how to lovingly confront and correct the sin of one of our members, we do not go at it alone. Jesus is right there with us in every step of the process, including that last one if necessary. So, there should be no fear in any church practicing this discipline when needed. It is helpful to know that Jesus is with us when there are only a small group who have gathered. It is even more important to know that He is with us in this difficult responsibility and work of holding each other accountable for our walk with Him. Praise God that we can know He is our midst in the process of such!

 

Love in Christ,

Pastor Lee