The reality of hell does not depend upon your interpretation of the Bible. It doesn't matter whether or not you even believe in the Bible. The reality of hell only depends upon whether or not the Bible is true. And the Bible is true, whether you like what it says or not.
Hell was "prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). But since in the person of Adam, the progenitor of the human race, mankind rebelled against God; therefore, every one of Adam's descendants (the entire human race), having inherited the nature of sin from our first parents, Adam and Eve, is born spiritually dead to God, because that inborn sin in us, by its very nature separates us from God who is perfect in holiness. God, having "condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3), decreed that the penalty of sin is death (Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 18:20). And the fact of the matter is, that "all have sinned" (Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23). Hell is not just for 'bad' people, but hell is for all sinners. Whereas we all once were sinners; tragically, most people choose to remain in sin, notwithstanding the often pleading and striving of God's Spirit with each and every human heart, in efforts, truly, to save individuals from eternal damnation in hell. God doesn't want any human being to go to hell. But neither does God want humans to continue in sin and rebellion against God. Therefore, God made a way for people to be saved not merely from hell, but also from the very power of sin in one's own soul. That 'way' of salvation is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nevertheless, "hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure" (Isaiah 5:14), because sinners refuse to turn away from sin, as they refuse to embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, in truth.
Here's what awaits every soul who dies and departs from this world without Christ.
Instantly, upon the death of the body, the spirit is separated from the body. Every function of consciousness exists, eternally, in the spirit of the individual. So, even after the body is dead and the spirit departs the body, the spirit is still very much alive and, so, the person continues to be self-aware of his or her continuing existence; albeit, the nature of reality begins to appear radically -and horrifyingly- different, moment by moment. Now unencumbered by integration with a physical body, the spirit is not only alive and self-aware, but the mind (the essence of spirit) acquires a sensitivity and alertness never before experienced. Every sensation becomes magnified. Yet, there are no eyes with which to see. There is only total, absolute darkness, which the Bible calls "outer darkness". The sensation of such utter darkness the Bible describes as "thick darkness". There are no ears with which to hear; but the never-before-heard, perfect, unending silence is maddening to the now keenly awakened mind. The mind screams in terror, but there is no response. The mind pleads for help, for forgiveness, for rescue from this surreal experience, but no answer comes. Fear grips the mind with increasing force, with every passing hour...until, very shortly, even time itself loses all meaning, having absolutely no reference whatsoever.
I don't have space to explain or to prove it, here, but every bodily sensation -notably, hunger and thirst, exist and persist in the spirit, even though the spirit is disassociated from the body. Thus, hunger and thirst grow, unbounded, because there is no way to satisfy those urges in the spirit; until, soon, the sensations of hunger and thirst become unbearable. At this point, the mind is rapidly losing its grip as the spirit desperately searches for a way of escape from this--hell. After some time of riding this mental and emotional roller-coaster of an experience, as it were -all the while wresting with incredibly real sensations of fear and pain, the mind begins to accept the realization that one is, in fact, in hell without any possibility of deliverance.
But such a realization is infinitely more than the mind can handle. Hopelessness quickly gives way to madness -and insanity opens the door to all kinds of new and deeper horrors.
Now, hell begins to take on new dimensions. Not 'real' ones, of course. But the mind of the spirit knows no such distinctions, anymore. The imagination -which God gave to be an unspeakably wonderful, creative gift to the soul in life, now becomes the engine that generates the most exotic kinds of torments.
Then, there is every memory that is perfectly recorded and stored in the spirit. Memories of the time when the soul used to enjoy the beauties of the world and of life. Those memories -and the awareness of what could have been, but never, ever can be again; they burn like no earthly fire ever could. Never again to look upon the faces of one's loved ones, or even to hear their comforting voices. Never again to have a conversation with any living being -not even so much as an argument or a complaint or an accusation! Oh! but the accusing goes on, and on, and on. "Who's fault is it that I'm here in this hell?!" Everyone and everything, in turn, again and again, is blamed -and cursed. Most especially, God is cursed and blasphemed with the most bitter hatred, because, as the those in hell view it, their destruction is all God's fault and God's doing.
That is not all. For, a very great mystery -hidden from the sinner, in life, now begins to express itself. In life, that 'thing' was not able to be too fully expressed, because the grace and power of God that reached out in mercy, in attempts to save and deliver the human soul from demonic entities and powers, that grace and power of God, I say, is no longer present to restrain those demonic entities that are IMPRISONED WITHIN THE SPIRIT OF THE DAMNED. The mystery, above mentioned, is this: that the spirit of man is a kind of 'house', intended to be a dwelling place for God's Spirit. Instead, having rejected God's Spirit, thus left the spirit open to become inhabited by demons, while the person yet lived in the world. Now, in hell, there is no power of God to restrain or inhibit those demons, in any measure at all. What that must mean to the experience of one in hell, only God can know. Although, I believe that the torment of those who have had to be bound in straight-jackets in mental asylums, among this world, cannot compare to the suffering of those who, in hell, are compelled to live with demons, in their own spirit. Oh, and there are no drugs in hell, to blunt the experience.
No drugs. No music. No water. No food. No pleasure of any kind. No friendship. No conversation -except with one's own demented mind...and the devils within.
But that's just the beginning of eternal suffering.
For, after the coming thousand or so years, there is going to be a general Resurrection of the dead. Why? What purpose could that possibly serve? Hasn't hell been quite enough suffering, even for the most savage enemy of humanity that ever walked the earth? No.
But, evidently, the spirits of all those who suffered and waited in hell, shall receive, at the Great White Throne Judgment, a body (if they do not, in fact, possess a body in hell). Else, at that time, how could "every knee bow" and "every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord", without embodiment? Not only that, but the final state of the damned is to be confined, eternally, in some 'place' or some 'thing' called, in Scripture, "the lake of fire". Satan himself is destined to spend eternity in the lake of fire. What an innumerable multitude of sisters or brothers, moms and dads, sons and daughters, young persons and elderly, rich and poor, shall then suffer not only all of the former torments and horrors of hell, but now also the lake of fire -no less than Satan shall!
God shall never have mercy upon those tormented, demented spirits -now become something infinitely less than human, by reason of their raging insanity and the unrecognizable condition of their burning, mutilated frames.
Do you think my words are overly harsh? Then, you have nothing even close to an understanding of the nature of eternal damnation; nor of the nature of the Almighty God who's hatred of the wicked is as perfect and complete as is his love for his redeemed; nor yet of the immutability of God's will and Word; nor yet of what it means to exist forever -entirely separated from the life-giving Presence of Jesus Christ.
You want to continue to be a god unto yourself, refusing the right of your Creator and would-be Savior, to rule over you? You are perfectly content to deny to yourself the love, the grace and mercy, indeed, the very life of God, and to live your life as if God doesn't exist or, at least, that he has no real claims on you--
Yet, you object that God is unrighteous to punish those who hate him, and rebel against his will, and refuse to humble themselves to accept the Son of God as their Sovereign Lord and Savior? And you say that you don't deserve to go to hell?
That is proof enough, that you very well deserve it.
And the suffering that Jesus endured for your sake, on the Cross of Calvary, which was intended for your salvation -but which you arrogantly and persistently refused, is the very thing that will satisfy the righteous indignation of God, who will not hesitate, once it is too late for you to repent, to condemn you forever.
What a fine specimen of a man you are, today. What kind of a 'man' will you be, then? Will you still be so full of yourself, so proud, so arrogant, so haughty? Will you then snuff at the tender voice of the Holy Ghost who used to plead with you for your own soul's sake? Will you still boast yourself of your strength, or of your intelligence, or of your good looks? Because, you won't look so good; or feel so strong; or think yourself so wise, in the lake of fire. Your short-lived party will be shockingly over. And all of your one-time self-sufficiency will mock you forever and ever. And no one will ever hear your voice, or look upon your face, again, forever. Then even the most miserable times in your former, earthly life will appear as Paradise, compared with what you have only begun -after many thousands of years- to suffer in hell and the lake of fire.
The hour of repentance, and of receiving God's mercy, is right now. Right now. Only a rebellious heart will continue to put off, even for one more moment, not just surrendering to God but running to embrace his mercy, in receiving his own Son into your life, as Lord and Redeemer.
People think that they do God a 'favor', by acknowledging him. God is not looking for any favors from us, who have made ourselves the enemies of God and of his Kingdom. God is willing, though, because of his own great goodness and mercy, to do us a favor -a favor that cost God the Father the life of his only-begotten Son; and which, favor, cost the Son of God his life, so that God could forgive and save such ungodly people as we all have been. But he will not -because he cannot- wait forever, for his enemies to make up their minds whether or not they will humble themselves to 'accept' God's gracious offer.
Hell was "prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). But since in the person of Adam, the progenitor of the human race, mankind rebelled against God; therefore, every one of Adam's descendants (the entire human race), having inherited the nature of sin from our first parents, Adam and Eve, is born spiritually dead to God, because that inborn sin in us, by its very nature separates us from God who is perfect in holiness. God, having "condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3), decreed that the penalty of sin is death (Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 18:20). And the fact of the matter is, that "all have sinned" (Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23). Hell is not just for 'bad' people, but hell is for all sinners. Whereas we all once were sinners; tragically, most people choose to remain in sin, notwithstanding the often pleading and striving of God's Spirit with each and every human heart, in efforts, truly, to save individuals from eternal damnation in hell. God doesn't want any human being to go to hell. But neither does God want humans to continue in sin and rebellion against God. Therefore, God made a way for people to be saved not merely from hell, but also from the very power of sin in one's own soul. That 'way' of salvation is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nevertheless, "hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure" (Isaiah 5:14), because sinners refuse to turn away from sin, as they refuse to embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, in truth.
Here's what awaits every soul who dies and departs from this world without Christ.
Instantly, upon the death of the body, the spirit is separated from the body. Every function of consciousness exists, eternally, in the spirit of the individual. So, even after the body is dead and the spirit departs the body, the spirit is still very much alive and, so, the person continues to be self-aware of his or her continuing existence; albeit, the nature of reality begins to appear radically -and horrifyingly- different, moment by moment. Now unencumbered by integration with a physical body, the spirit is not only alive and self-aware, but the mind (the essence of spirit) acquires a sensitivity and alertness never before experienced. Every sensation becomes magnified. Yet, there are no eyes with which to see. There is only total, absolute darkness, which the Bible calls "outer darkness". The sensation of such utter darkness the Bible describes as "thick darkness". There are no ears with which to hear; but the never-before-heard, perfect, unending silence is maddening to the now keenly awakened mind. The mind screams in terror, but there is no response. The mind pleads for help, for forgiveness, for rescue from this surreal experience, but no answer comes. Fear grips the mind with increasing force, with every passing hour...until, very shortly, even time itself loses all meaning, having absolutely no reference whatsoever.
I don't have space to explain or to prove it, here, but every bodily sensation -notably, hunger and thirst, exist and persist in the spirit, even though the spirit is disassociated from the body. Thus, hunger and thirst grow, unbounded, because there is no way to satisfy those urges in the spirit; until, soon, the sensations of hunger and thirst become unbearable. At this point, the mind is rapidly losing its grip as the spirit desperately searches for a way of escape from this--hell. After some time of riding this mental and emotional roller-coaster of an experience, as it were -all the while wresting with incredibly real sensations of fear and pain, the mind begins to accept the realization that one is, in fact, in hell without any possibility of deliverance.
But such a realization is infinitely more than the mind can handle. Hopelessness quickly gives way to madness -and insanity opens the door to all kinds of new and deeper horrors.
Now, hell begins to take on new dimensions. Not 'real' ones, of course. But the mind of the spirit knows no such distinctions, anymore. The imagination -which God gave to be an unspeakably wonderful, creative gift to the soul in life, now becomes the engine that generates the most exotic kinds of torments.
Then, there is every memory that is perfectly recorded and stored in the spirit. Memories of the time when the soul used to enjoy the beauties of the world and of life. Those memories -and the awareness of what could have been, but never, ever can be again; they burn like no earthly fire ever could. Never again to look upon the faces of one's loved ones, or even to hear their comforting voices. Never again to have a conversation with any living being -not even so much as an argument or a complaint or an accusation! Oh! but the accusing goes on, and on, and on. "Who's fault is it that I'm here in this hell?!" Everyone and everything, in turn, again and again, is blamed -and cursed. Most especially, God is cursed and blasphemed with the most bitter hatred, because, as the those in hell view it, their destruction is all God's fault and God's doing.
That is not all. For, a very great mystery -hidden from the sinner, in life, now begins to express itself. In life, that 'thing' was not able to be too fully expressed, because the grace and power of God that reached out in mercy, in attempts to save and deliver the human soul from demonic entities and powers, that grace and power of God, I say, is no longer present to restrain those demonic entities that are IMPRISONED WITHIN THE SPIRIT OF THE DAMNED. The mystery, above mentioned, is this: that the spirit of man is a kind of 'house', intended to be a dwelling place for God's Spirit. Instead, having rejected God's Spirit, thus left the spirit open to become inhabited by demons, while the person yet lived in the world. Now, in hell, there is no power of God to restrain or inhibit those demons, in any measure at all. What that must mean to the experience of one in hell, only God can know. Although, I believe that the torment of those who have had to be bound in straight-jackets in mental asylums, among this world, cannot compare to the suffering of those who, in hell, are compelled to live with demons, in their own spirit. Oh, and there are no drugs in hell, to blunt the experience.
No drugs. No music. No water. No food. No pleasure of any kind. No friendship. No conversation -except with one's own demented mind...and the devils within.
But that's just the beginning of eternal suffering.
For, after the coming thousand or so years, there is going to be a general Resurrection of the dead. Why? What purpose could that possibly serve? Hasn't hell been quite enough suffering, even for the most savage enemy of humanity that ever walked the earth? No.
But, evidently, the spirits of all those who suffered and waited in hell, shall receive, at the Great White Throne Judgment, a body (if they do not, in fact, possess a body in hell). Else, at that time, how could "every knee bow" and "every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord", without embodiment? Not only that, but the final state of the damned is to be confined, eternally, in some 'place' or some 'thing' called, in Scripture, "the lake of fire". Satan himself is destined to spend eternity in the lake of fire. What an innumerable multitude of sisters or brothers, moms and dads, sons and daughters, young persons and elderly, rich and poor, shall then suffer not only all of the former torments and horrors of hell, but now also the lake of fire -no less than Satan shall!
God shall never have mercy upon those tormented, demented spirits -now become something infinitely less than human, by reason of their raging insanity and the unrecognizable condition of their burning, mutilated frames.
Do you think my words are overly harsh? Then, you have nothing even close to an understanding of the nature of eternal damnation; nor of the nature of the Almighty God who's hatred of the wicked is as perfect and complete as is his love for his redeemed; nor yet of the immutability of God's will and Word; nor yet of what it means to exist forever -entirely separated from the life-giving Presence of Jesus Christ.
You want to continue to be a god unto yourself, refusing the right of your Creator and would-be Savior, to rule over you? You are perfectly content to deny to yourself the love, the grace and mercy, indeed, the very life of God, and to live your life as if God doesn't exist or, at least, that he has no real claims on you--
Yet, you object that God is unrighteous to punish those who hate him, and rebel against his will, and refuse to humble themselves to accept the Son of God as their Sovereign Lord and Savior? And you say that you don't deserve to go to hell?
That is proof enough, that you very well deserve it.
And the suffering that Jesus endured for your sake, on the Cross of Calvary, which was intended for your salvation -but which you arrogantly and persistently refused, is the very thing that will satisfy the righteous indignation of God, who will not hesitate, once it is too late for you to repent, to condemn you forever.
The hour of repentance, and of receiving God's mercy, is right now. Right now. Only a rebellious heart will continue to put off, even for one more moment, not just surrendering to God but running to embrace his mercy, in receiving his own Son into your life, as Lord and Redeemer.
People think that they do God a 'favor', by acknowledging him. God is not looking for any favors from us, who have made ourselves the enemies of God and of his Kingdom. God is willing, though, because of his own great goodness and mercy, to do us a favor -a favor that cost God the Father the life of his only-begotten Son; and which, favor, cost the Son of God his life, so that God could forgive and save such ungodly people as we all have been. But he will not -because he cannot- wait forever, for his enemies to make up their minds whether or not they will humble themselves to 'accept' God's gracious offer.
"Again he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." (Hebrews 4:7).
Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow may be eternally too late.
"CHOOSE YOU -THIS DAY- WHOM YOU WILL SERVE..."
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