Answers to the Tough Questions About Hell

Transcription

1 Answers to the Tough Questions About Hell Skeptics and critics of the Christian faith have raised some tough questions regarding the Bible s teaching on Hell, questions like: How can a God of love send anybody to Hell? Why would God have created us, if He knew in advance that so many people would end up in Hell? Does God send people to Hell if they ve never heard of Jesus? Isn t an everlasting existence in Hell an unjust punishment for the sins done in a finite life? Isn t it unjust that God would give out the same punishment to everybody? INTRODUCTION: There are more than 150 references in the New Testament that warn of hell and the judgment that awaits the unrighteous. Matthew 25:30 Throw out the worthless slave into outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth Descriptions of hell mentioned in the Bible: Outer darkness (Matthew 25:30) Weeping (Matthew 25:30) Gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30 Wailing (Matthew 13:42) Flames (Luke 16:24) Everlasting fire (Matthew 25:46) A furnace of fire (Matthew 13:42) Separation from the righteous (Matthew 25:46) Eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord (2 Thess. 1:9) torment (Luke 16:23) everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:46) the lake of fire burning with brimstone (Revelation 19:20) All but two of these descriptions just listed were uttered by Jesus Himself. Jesus, who was the most loving person to ever walk the planet, made mention of hell and judgment more than 70 times. In fact, He had more to say about hell than He did about heaven. And Jesus made it absolutely clear that the unrighteous will spend eternity separated from God in a place of conscious state of torment that He often called hell (e.g., Matthew 5:29)

2 Satan, the father of all lies has deceived many people into believing the following: Millions of Jehovah s Witnesses have bought into something called annihilationism. Jehovah s Witnesses believe that God will annihilate the unrighteous and that the unrighteous will simply just cease to exist. Buddhists, Hindus, Hare Krishnas, and those who adhere to the teachings of the New Age religion believe in reincarnation. Reincarnation is the belief that upon death the soul migrates (moves on) to inhabit another life form (an animal, insect or human, depending on your karma ). Mormons believe that all people will eventually be permitted into one of three levels in heaven that they say exist. Others in the emerging church movement are buying into something called Universalism. Universalism is the unbiblical belief that because Jesus death on the cross, all people will eventually be saved! The lie behind all of these beliefs is this: There s no need to be concerned about what awaits you or others after death. The Bible contradicts this: 2 Corinthians 6:2 Indeed, the right time is now. Today is the day of salvation. To the Lord, this is an urgent matter. He knows what awaits the unrighteous. Not only have many people rejected what the Bible has to say about hell, skeptics and critics of Christianity are posing some difficult questions and raising some challenging objections about hell. Tonight, we hope to do the following in this presentation: Answer questions other may ask of you or that you yourself have about hell. Equip you to be better prepared to address these types of questions. Stir you hearts to be compassionate for those who are lost. Wake you up, especially if you have not accepted Jesus into your heart. OBJECTION #1 A God of love would never send anybody to hell Question: Where does mankind get this idea that God loves the whole world, including sinners? The idea that God is a loving, merciful, forgiving God comes from the Bible. It is the Bible alone, amongst all religious writings that present God as

3 Gracious Loving Merciful And forgiving of sinners So, people get their idea that God is loving from the very same book that teaches us about hell! The Problem is that people want to treat the Bible like a SALAD BAR! Oh yeah, I ll have a little bit of that, a scoop of that. Oh, I don t like that. Ewww, none of that. AND They do that with God! Yeah, I ll take some of the love. Let s pass on the judgment. Oh yeah, I take some of the mercy! Yuck, none of that hell stuff The same divinely inspired book that reveals to us that God is loving also assures us that God is holy, pure, moral, just, that He hates sin, and that unrepentant, unforgiven sinners will be cast away from His presence forever in hell. Nonbelievers are right in believing that God is loving but that have seriously erred when it comes to His holiness and His justice. And because He is holy, because He is just, adulterers, murderers, thieves, liars, fornicators, idolaters, etc., will be punished. (e.g., 1 Cor.6:9-10) Let s imagine that your little child has been the subject of some terrible crime. Thankfully, the police apprehended the criminal. The day finally comes when the criminal stands before the judge. What if the judge listened to overwhelming evidence pointing to his guilt started laughing and said It s obvious that this man did these things, but I don t think there s anything wrong with those things. Let this man go! Would you consider that judge loving? Is a judge who lets rapists, child molesters, drug dealers, and thieves go, loving? A loving judge condemns the lawbreaker in order to love his neighbors. The same is true of God. It would be unloving for Him to welcome sinners into heaven without justice being meted out for the evil things they did in this life. OBJECTION #2 Okay, God may send some people to hell, but He s not going to send good people to hell Many people who believe in hell s existence and who even believe others are going there, have been deceived into thinking that God will not send them there. They will say I am a good person

4 Question: Will God send good people to hell? The answer is: NO. Good people go straight to heaven. (Are you shocked by this?) Walk through this for a minute: According to the Bible there are no good people. Luke 18:19 No one is good but One, that is, God. Romans 3:10 There is none righteous, no, not one. Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; Matthew 7:11 If you then, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! On man s scale a person might appear pretty good, but according to the Bible, each one of us, in our natural state is an unrighteous, evil person. Those are the people who deserve to end up in hell. Sinners, people like you and me (before we were forgiven). And those are the people, if they reject God s offer of forgiveness, who will end up there. OBJECTION #3 Why would God have created us if He knew in advance that so many people would be eternally lost? It seems foolish that God would create so many people knowing that many of them would perish! Question: Did God know, before He created the world, that many would freely reject Him and end up eternally separated from Him? Yes. Hundreds of fulfilled Bible prophecies assure us that God s foreknowledge of future events is perfect (Isaiah 46:10). Question: So then, why did He create us knowing in advance that many would be lost? Just as the Lord knew many would reject Him, the opposite is also true; He also knew that many would freely receive Him and enjoy eternity with Him. Apparently, even knowing that many would reject Him and end up in hell, He felt it worth it, so that you, who would receive Him, could have fellowship with Him and Him with us. Should God have refused to create humans, just because some would refuse to submit their lives to Him? That would allow evil to triumph over good! I would never refuse to start a family even though I realize that some of my grandkids or great grandkids will reject the gospel and end up in hell. Why? Because I know that many of my kids and grandkids will not. And if some reject the gospel and end up in hell it will be of their own free accord or choice (John 5:40, Matthew 23:37). By me fathering or grandfathering them, I am not in any way forcing any of them to go to hell. They, like all people, will

5 have the option to receive God s mercy and forgiveness. So I m not going to withhold the blessings of eternity from my children and other descendants because of the foolish and sinful decisions of others. OBJECTION #4 Couldn t God have just created a world in which no one would end up in hell? Sure. He certainly could have (Luke 1:37), but it would not have been a world of humans; it would have been a world of robots. It would have to have been a world in which sin never takes place. In a universe created by a holy and just God, sin requires judgment and punishment (hell). So, to prevent people from going to hell, God would have to prevent people from sinning. To do that, God would have to have created people without free will (i.e., without the freedom to sin). The creatures would have to have been creatures that God pre- programmed to always to do what God wanted them to do. Can you imagine a world of creatures walking around saying: I love you God. I worship You God. I will obey everything You say. Here s another song for You. Sure. God certainly could have done that, but the fellowship, the worship, etc. would all have been meaningless to God. In order for a meaningful genuine loving relationship to exist between God and people, people must be free free to love Him or free to hate Him. Do a little survey on the street sometime. Ask people if they would like to live their lives in accord with all of God s holy commandments twenty four hours a day with no freedom to do otherwise. So in this respect, God has given mankind the very world that mankind actually wants to live in, a world in which true freedom exists. OBJECTION #5 It seems unfair that God would send people to hell just because they ve never heard of Jesus. Question: Is it true that people are going to hell just because they have never heard of Jesus? People do not end up in hell because they never heard of Jesus. People go to hell because of their sin (Romans 2:5-9). It is true that some of the people who will end up in hell will have never heard of Jesus. But that is not why they end up there. A person will end up in hell because they have lived their lives ignoring or even retreating from the truth that God revealed to them. God has revealed in some to mankind in two different ways: 1. Creation. Romans 1:19-20 v19 that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. [How has God made it evident to them?] v20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through [What?] what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

6 2. Conscience Romans 2:15 Gentiles show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them So all mankind can know through an examination of creation and their own conscience that God exists and that they have failed to live up to His laws written in their hearts. And if they respond to the light of creation and/or their own conscience, God will give more light (additional truth). Hebrews 11:6 is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Matthew 7:7 seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. If a person respond to the light (truth) of creation and/or their conscience, God will give them more light (truth). What kind of light? Light that will ultimately lead them into a relationship with Jesus. There are lots of ways that God can get the truth about Jesus to a person. He may send them a missionary, allow a radio program to penetrate their part of the world, send them a Bible, an angel or give them a vision so that they can know the truth about Jesus (e.g., see the story of Cornelius starting in Acts 10:1). Why doesn t He just do that with all people? Christians have been sharing the truth about God with millions of people and many refuse to hear it! They refuse to respond. For God to give more light (truth) to the millions of hard-hearted people who He knows will not respond to the gospel would only result in their greater guilt and condemnation. Why? Greater light brings about greater responsibility. Luke 12:48 For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required. You can rest assured that no one will suffer in hell who could by any means have been won to Christ in this life. God leaves no stone unturned to rescue all who would respond to the convicting and wooing of the Holy Spirit. Romans 8 seems to make that clear: Romans 8:29-30 For whom He foreknew [would respond to the gospel] these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Skeptics say It just seems that some people who live in third world countries are at such a disadvantage geographically when it comes to hearing the gospel

7 Well, in addition to God s assurance that He will respond to those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6; Jeremiah 29:13), the Bible says that God has actually placed each person in a specific place geographically that he or she might be more prone to call upon the Lord. Acts 17:22-27 v22 So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all aspects. v23 For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. v24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and Earth, does not dwell in temples made with human hands; v25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; v26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having [What?] determined [What?] their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation. v27 so that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us Paul tells us her in Acts 17 that God determined ahead of time the times in history that each one of us would be born and the geographical boundaries (v26) of our dwelling place. Acts 17:27 tells us in order that we might Seek the Lord And find Him It is amazing to know that every person (including you) has been born, by the sovereign will of God, in the place (both in time and space) that would be most advantageous to you actually finding the Lord. In the end, all are going to receive what they actually chose in this life, either to be with God or to be without Him. If a person constantly ignores God, constantly mocks Him by the way he chooses to live, saying I couldn t care less about what You put me here to do. I couldn t care less about Your values or Your Son s death for me. Leave me alone! I want to live my life without You! Well, God will honor that decision and in the end, that person will have his preference. C.S. Lewis said There are only two types of people in the world. Those who say to God Thy will be done and those to whom God says Thy will be done Separation from God is not simply a sentence that is handed down out of the blue on judgment day. It is the end of a path that is chosen, to some degree, in this life right here and now, day by day. C.S. Lewis also said I believe that the damned are, in one sense, successful rebels to the end; that the doors of hell are locked on the inside. OBJECTION #6 Why doesn t God give people a second chance to be saved after death? The truth of the matter is God is giving people a second chance right now. And a third chance, and a fourth chance Every hour is an opportunity for a person to cry out to God and be a recipient of His mercy and grace. And God obviously thinks the chances He extends to us in this life are sufficient. Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.

8 OBJECTION #7 Why doesn t God seek to reform (change) sinners in some form of temporary punishment (e.g., purgatory)? Purgatory, according to the Catholic Church, is a place of torment where people go for a time of suffering in order to be prepared for heaven. But why doesn t God try something like this in order to reform people? God has tried to reform people; the time of reformation is called life. For the lifetime of the individual, God s Spirit patiently (2 Peter 3:9) Strives with them (Genesis 6:3) Convicts them of their sin (John 16:8) Reminds them of God s righteousness (John 16:8) Warns to them coming judgment (Acts 24:25) Testifies to them through creation (Romans 1:20) Sends them messengers with the good news of salvation (Romans 10:15) OBJECTION #8 It seems unfair that God would give out the same punishment to everyone who ends up in hell. Some people seem to be so much more guilty of terrible crimes than others. Some critics of Christianity believe that eternity in hell is unfair because they imagine that your ordinary unbeliever is going to get the same punishment as someone like Joseph Stalin or Adolf Hitler. Well the person who raises this objection has overlooked or misunderstood what the Bible actually teaches regarding hell. God is not going to indiscriminately throw the unrighteous into hell to suffer the exact same judgment. Revelation 20:11-15 says that every unsaved person is going to be resurrected to stand before God at a great white throne to be judged for every one of their deeds before they are sentenced. Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. Matthew 12:36 I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. This judgment of each individual s deeds seems to suggest that a person will receive a greater condemnation or judgment based on what he or she has done. And this lines up precisely with what

9 Jesus said in Mark 12:40, where He stated that the scribes of His day would receive greater condemnation than others. John 19:11 Jesus answered [Pilate], You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given to you from above; for this reason he [Judas] who delivered Me up to you has the greater sin. Matthew 11:21-24 v21 Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. v22 Nevertheless I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you. v23 And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You shall descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. v24 Nevertheless I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you. According to Jesus, those with the lesser sins will have a more tolerable judgment than those with greater sin (Matthew 11:22, 24). This is not to suggest that their suffering will not be horrible. Separation from God in hell ( the lake of fire, Rev. 20:15) will be horrible for everyone who goes there, but it will be worse for others. What will a greater condemnation (Mark 12:40) result in? We can t know for sure. Perhaps some will suffer a greater degree of separation, isolation, emptiness, and regret. OBJECTION #9 Well maybe all this is true and hell does exist, but I could never be happy in heaven knowing that my loved ones are in hell. God assures us in His Word that in heaven our joy will be absolutely full. Psalm 16:11 In Thy presence is fullness of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore. Revelation 21:4 He [God] shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. C.S. Lewis said If you are concerned about your loved one s that won t be in heaven, the most irrational thing you could do if you are truly concerned about those on the outside is to remain outside yourself. CONCLUSION: Of course, just as important, or even more important than being prepared to answer these kinds of questions, is that we be praying for the lost. Charles Spurgeon said If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. If they perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for. May God cause us to be in the way of those loved ones who are going to hell!

10 Pray and fast for your loved ones May we have the boldness, compassion and courage to speak out! How can you make sure that you are going to heaven? A. Acknowledge your sinfulness to God. (1 John 1:9; Romans 3:10) 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. B. Believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again to pay for your sins (Romans 10:9-10). Romans 10:9 if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved C. Change direction. Turn away from your sinful way of living (Luke 3:13; Acts 17:30). Luke 13:3 unless your repent, you will all likewise perish. D. Decide to receive Jesus into your life and follow Him as Lord (John 1:12-13). John 1:12 as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name If you need to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior... PLEASE DO SO TODAY!