Hell is real. The Bible explains how to earn a ticket to hell. First, we can withhold love. Second, we can fail to serve and love our neighbor. Third, we have free will to not worship God. Fourth, if God lays a problem at your feet, just ignore the problem and God. Fifth, just violate some of the Ten Commandments, Six, if God gets you out of slavery or a bad situation, complain about the food and make yourself an idol. Seven, take advantage of a few temptations. Eight, stay in the darkness and avoid the light of Jesus Christ. Nine, take a few people away from God. Finally, if you can’t find three people to testify on your behalf on judgment day and you forgot to ask Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, then you can get one free ticket to hell.
Hell is a place where there is no light, no hope, where the fire and heat are unbearable, and where you are always thirsty. Torment is constant and there is no chance of escape. Hell is a place where hate is the norm and you are removed from God’s love and peace. Hell is the place where all of the scary things that make you skin crawl are in your cell. Satan and his demons are in control. Hell is called the pit, the fiery furnace, the lake of fire, Sheol, or place of total darkness.
When we die, we will be asked if we loved our neighbor and loved the Lord our God. God has a huge capacity to love and to forgive after we have sinned, but mankind has the capacity to try God’s patience. Hell is a real place if we fail to serve and love our neighbor.
The scripture explains that hell is a place prepared by Satan and his fallen angels or demons. God does not want us to go to hell. In fact, God fights for our souls and our eternal life, but we have the free will and free choice to follow and worship God or to take the path that leads to hell. If we use our free will to follow Satan, we can definitely start down the path that leads to hell.
The following scripture explains that if God lays a problem at your feet you better find a way to solve that problem. In Matthew 25:41-47, "Then God will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
In Luke 16:19-31, the scriptures use a specific example that if you see suffering at your feet, you better solve that suffering. It is interesting that the beggar has a name while the rich man does not have a name. The story goes “19"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' 25"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
27"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' 29"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' 30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' Abraham said to the rich man, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
The rich man realized that he could have helped Lazarus during his lifetime. The rich man could have solved the pain and suffering if he had seen with the eyes of God. The rich man could have fed Lazarus and helped him to have a better life here on Earth. The rich man had to step over Lazarus to live his life. The rich man could have given Lazarus food when he was hungry. The rich man could have given Lazarus clothes when he was naked. The rich man could have given Lazarus water to drink when he was thirsty. Instead, the rich man walked past Lazarus every day of his life without seeing with compassion the needs of his neighbor. If you say you this does apply to you, then you are wrong. If you do not show love and compassion to your neighbor, then the fate of the rich man can also be your fate.
Two communities sinned so long and so blatantly that God brought judgment on them. Sodom and Gomorrah will always be known as two cities that were so corrupt that God destroyed the cities. Sodom and Gomorrah violated many of the Ten Commandments. They put their trust in sin and Satan.
The Israelites were taken out of slavery to travel toward the Promised Land. They had just seen Moses use his staff to part the Red Sea. In Exodus 14:29 it says “But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
In Exodus 16:2-4; 9-13, the scripture explains that the people just saved by God had the nerve to complain and grumble. This is the sixth point, if God gets you out of slavery or a bad situation, complain about the food and make yourself an idol. It says, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death."
"8 Moses also said, "You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord."
9 Then Moses told Aaron, "Say to the entire Israelite community, 'Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.' "10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud. 11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 "I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.' "13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.”
This is the story of manna falling from Heaven. God saved the Israelites from slavery. God parted the Red Sea. God set the example that we should give food to the hungry and water to the thirsty. God sent food from Heaven, but it was not enough. They were tempted to create idols to worship. These people who had been blessed by God with everything had the nerve to gripe and complain. They were whining that freedom was hard and bragging that slavery provided all of the food that they could eat. They were in God’s light and they were asking to return to the darkness and fear of slavery. Hell is darkness and fear. You will be a slave to Satan in hell. They were living hell on Earth, but Satan made their hell appear good. Satan lies. He tries to make the good and Godly things look bad and the terrible things look desirable.
God will provide for our every need if we just let him. We must be thankful for God’s provisions. The people did not believe that God would provide food and water to drink. Water represents life. The people did not believe that God could provide life to them. They lost faith. They saw the Red Sea parted. They saw manna fall from the sky in the morning. They saw quails fall at their feet at night. They could not believe that God could provide the living water to cool their thirst. In hell, God will not be there to cool the thirst. Heat and fire will surround you and your throat will always be dry in hell.
We study the story of Jesus in the desert to learn how Satan tempted Jesus. The story is told in Matthew 4:1-4. “1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
Jesus sets the example for us to follow. Satan tempted Jesus quoting scripture, but Jesus quoted scripture back to him. Jesus could have been king of all of the earthly kingdoms, but Jesus said “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” Jesus showed us how to avoid the temptations of Satan. If you want the free ticket to hell, just take advantage of a few of the temptations from Satan.
We must worship God and be true to Him. We have so many things that tempt us and take us away from God. We must be able to rebuke those temptations and put our trust into God. Sometimes, it is pride that takes us away from God. We believe that we can go it alone. Do we need the light of Jesus Christ in our lives? Is slavery better than freedom? Is darkness is better than light? Jesus Christ is the light of this world. We NEED the light of Jesus Christ in our lives today and every day.
We don’t experience true darkness anymore. We have exterior lights and the glow of a distant city. The Bible describes a darkness that could be felt. It makes me think of a thick fog that is difficult to see through. It is difficult to see a tree that is just a few feet away in a thick fog. It is difficult to see true evil in extreme darkness. Evil loves to hide in the darkness because it would be exposed in God’s light. If you want the free ticket to hell, just stay in the darkness and avoid the light of Jesus Christ.
I have seen Satan’s strongholds here on Earth. The people live in fear and extreme poverty. The people learn that everyone hates them. The people put their lives and trust in Satan’s hands. The people don’t know the love and hope of Jesus Christ. They live in darkness. They have not experienced the light of Jesus Christ. I have seen what happens when God’s word is preached in that place of fear and evil. I have seen the impact a church where people come together to sing God’s praises. I have seen God’s blessings replace the curses and fear of Satan. The people begin to pray to God. The people begin to place their trust and faith in God. The people see their children and grandchildren being transformed into children of God.
In hell, you will not rest from torments. The smell has to be terrible, awful, and foul. It says in Revelation 14:10b-11 that a person in hell “will be tormented with burning sulfur… 11 And the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.” The scriptures tell of a time when we will have to choose to have the mark of Satan or to choose God. Hell is the absence of God’s goodness and love. You are also absent from people that you love. Hell is the absence of God’s blessings.
Jesus Christ died on the cross so that we could live life here on Earth and have eternal life. Salvation is a free gift. Salvation is freely given by God to us. We must confess our sins and ask Jesus Christ to be Lord of our lives.
Hebrews 10: 26-29 tell us “For if we willfully persist in sin after having received the knowledge of truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has violated the Law of Moses dies without mercy “on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” 29 How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by those who have spurned the Son of God, profaned the blood of the covenant by which they were sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” If you want that free ticket to hell, don’t get the testimony of three witnesses.
One of the greatest sins is to lead someone astray. We should bring people to God. False prophets are those who claim to be Jesus or one of his disciples, but their teaching is not of God. Their teaching is evil. It causes confusion and internal conflict. We must share the love of Jesus Christ and teach God’s Word written in the Bible. That is why it is so important to bring up our children in the church. That is why it is so important that we share our testimony about God whenever we can. Do you have at least two or three people who can testify on your behalf on judgment day that you showed compassion, shared the love of Jesus Christ, gave food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, and clothing to the naked?
The Bible tells about the lamb’s book of life. Are you sure that your name is written in God’s Book of Life? Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? We do not know the day and hour of our death. It is too risky to wait until your final hour to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior to avoid going to hell. Are you sure that everyone that you love will go to Heaven and not hell?
I remember teaching about the faith chapter of Hebrews 11. I taught that Daniel had faith from an early age because he had faithful friends. A boy spoke up and told me that his name was Daniel, too. Daniel told me that he wanted to become a Christian on his last day on Earth. I asked him why he wanted to wait. He told me he was a Muslim. Daniel wanted to be able to do anything that he wanted while he was not a Christian. I told Daniel that he may not have time when he is dying to repent of his sins and to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Daniel prayed the prayer of Salvation and accepted God into his life with his friends that day.
The prayer of salvation is fairly easy, but you must believe it when you pray:
Dear Precious Lord,
I am a sinner. I have fallen short in my life. I am sorry and I repent. Please forgive me. You gave your only son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for me, so that I could have eternal life. I come to you now. Please take control of my life. I give my life to you. You are my personal Lord and Savior. Help me to live every day in a way that pleases you. I love you, Lord, and I thank you that I will spend all eternity with you. Amen.
Are you ready to pray the prayer of salvation today and start a new life with God the moment that you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? Salvation is a free gift. We can’t earn it. It is by God’s grace that we receive salvation and eternal life. We must ask God to forgive our sins and dedicate our lives to Christ. We have to give ourselves freely to God with our whole heart. Trust me, hell is not a place we want to visit or even risk the chance that we or someone we love may be going. The guarantee is to pray the prayer of salvation with faith and commitment. It is because God loves us that we give our love to others. Make a reservation for heaven instead! Amen!
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