Stairway to Hell.
13“Enter through the narrow gate. The gate is wide and the road is wide that leads to hell, and many people enter through that gate. 14 But the gate is small and the road is narrow that leads to true life. Only a few people find that road.
Matthew 7:13-14.
"Concerning hell There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power.”
No one, Christians included, should like the idea of hell. Those of us who believe in hell aren’t sadists who enjoy the idea of eternal suffering.
In fact, the thought of people I know who are outside of Christ spending eternity in hell is heartbreaking. As a young Christian, when I began to learn about hell and its implications, I almost lost my faith.
It was that disturbing.
"But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8
"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." - Matthew 10:28
"And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” - Matthew 25:46
There are many verses that discuss the subject of hell, for it is not a place where anyone wants to spend eternity, so it is important for Christians to know the Scriptures describing this horrible place.
The concept of hell in the Bible is a sobering truth intricately woven through the Old and New Testaments.
Described as a real place of outer darkness, eternal torment, and destruction, hell represents the culmination of the wages of sin and the rejection of the knowledge of the truth.
The Bible vividly depicts God’s wrath against unrighteousness, from the fiery furnace to the gloomy darkness.
It is a place where the worshipers of the beast, those marked with its mark, and others who defy the will of the Father face eternal separation from the presence of God.
Jesus, the Son of Man, emphasized hell’s reality, referencing the judgment of the great day and the lake of fire.
For the wicked, it is a place of torment where a poor man like Lazarus is comforted at Abraham’s side, and the rich are left yearning for even a drop of water on the tip of his finger to quench their thirst.
Yet, for those whose names are written in the Book of Life, the promise of the Kingdom of God, the new heavens, and the new earth remains.
The Word of God reveals hell’s depths and offers salvation, the gift of God—salvation through the name of the only Son of God.
It’s not enough for God to take us out of hell; he must take hell out of us. Some people see a problem in using hell as a way of coercing people to submit to Christianity.
It’s as if God is saying, “Serve me or else!” And that seems manipulative. It may surprise you, but God agrees.
If people are converted to God simply because they are scared, or because God has done some great, miraculous sign ( Luke 16:31), they might submit, but it wouldn’t change their heart attitude toward God.
If you accept Jesus just to “get out of hell,” then you’d hate being in heaven, because only those who love and trust God will enjoy heaven.
If you don’t love the Father, then living in the Father’s house feels like slavery.
It would be like forcing you to marry someone you didn’t want to marry. The only way you’ll enjoy heaven is when you learn to love and trust God.
Only an experience of the love of God can rearrange the fundamental structure of your heart to create a love and trust of God.
It’s not enough for God to take us out of hell; he must take hell out of us.
God has good news regarding the harsh reality of hell’s existence.
God, in His justice, prepared hell for the punishment of sin; but, in His mercy, He also provided the means by which we can be saved.
Romans 5:8–9 states, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”
Because of Christ’s sacrifice and our faith in His atoning blood, we can be at peace with God (Romans 5:1).
We can look forward to the time when we will live with Him for all eternity in the resurrected bodies He will give us.
What a blessing it is to be at peace with God.
What a privilege to be called His child, His friend. We can enjoy the peace and joy of His presence both now and forever.
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