Hell: The Worst Place to Be

Did you know that originally, God made Hell for the Devil and his angels (demons)? Hell was not made for man until sin entered in through Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: Matthew 25:41

Hell is also the place where those who are sinners and wicked go after their death on Earth, ( ie. if they don't repent ! ).

Some people say that there is no Hell, there is no place of torment after death, and that we are actually living in Hell now. Some say that Hell is the grave. Others say that hell is a temporary place to go until something happens to make God let you out. If you believe in God's Holy Word (the KJV), you know that these beliefs are completely untrue.

According to God's Word, there is no worse place than Hell, and once there, there is no escape nor comfort anymore!

This is perhaps the best illustration of Hell as a place in eternity for those who die lost and never repent (i.e., quit sinning).

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Luke 16:19-31

Hell is a place with fire, a place of torment, a place that is very hot. Worst of all, it is a place of Eternity. In this passage of Scripture, we also see the power of God's Word. Abraham, in effect, told the rich man that even a great miracle of someone returning from the dead to witness to the lost is not as effective as those who speak God's words, and at times have miracles following.

Here is another vivid description of Hell, where its occupants are tormented all day and all night.

And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:10

Hell is a very bad place to wind up when life on Earth is over! The worst place!

Who will go to Hell?

Anyone who dies unsaved will go to Hell. All who are not believers in Christ Jesus when they die will go to Hell.

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation 21:8

All who are not written in the Lamb's Book of Life will end up in Hell.

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 21:11-15.

All of us will be judged by God. Some will enter into everlasting life; some will enter into everlasting damnation.

All who live wickedly will be sent to Hell.

The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God. Psalm 9:17

Paradise

There are some doctrines that teach that there is a place of rest in the center of the Earth, and that some people who don't go straight to Heaven when they die go there to be made worthy of being transferred to Heaven at a later time (Purgatory).

At one time in our Bible history, there was such a place, called Paradise, where all who were righteous, and even some who the Bible calls "sometime disobedient", went after death. (Refer back to the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Lazarus went to Abraham's bosom; Abraham was in Paradise.) Jesus Himself went to Paradise to preach to the people there and afterwards He took them to Heaven.

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. Luke 23:43 ( Jesus during his crucifixion speaking to one of the thieves next to him )

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) Ephesians 4:8-10

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. I Peter 3:18-20

King David even prophesied that Christ would descend when He died.

For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Psalm 16:10

Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. Acts 2:29-31

Just in case someone is not sure that David was speaking prophetically of Christ, the Apostle Peter just cleared it up for us.

In Conclusion

Who has the power to send people to Hell? Only One, God Almighty, our Father!

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: II Peter 2:4-9

But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Luke 12:5

It is imperative that we fear God, which will keep us from sinning, so that we can enter into Heaven instead of Hell, when we die. May God help us to do the things necessary to receive eternal life with Him, in Jesus' name. Amen!

God’s Love – Unconditional?

As a young man, I was told by most of the Christian people I knew, "God's love is unconditional." Now that I'm no longer a young man, I still hear this from most well-meaning Christian folks.

It would really be nice if that were the truth, from God's Holy Word, but unfortunately, according to scriptural authority this is completely untrue. I know this subject is not going to set well with most Christians, and even with some non-Christian people, but isn't it better to know the truth about God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ?

By the grace of Jesus my Lord, I will tell you the truth and nothing but the whole truth, from the only true Word of God, the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

The Bible tells us in many places that not only is His love conditional, but so is everything else we receive from God. The argument made about this subject is based on some Scriptures, but we know that no one verse of Scripture stands alone. Not even two or three, in this case.

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. II Peter 1:20-21

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Isaiah 28:9-13

Some people use Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

But what you rarely hear is verse 10: For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Do you see that? We must bring forth good works! I know that when we are saved initially, there is nothing we can boast about, no works of righteousness that led us to salvation. However, as we progress in our Christian walk we certainly have a lot of work to do, with the help of Jesus Christ. This is a little off the subject, so let's get back to seeing whether or not God's love is unconditional.

Let's look at the words of Jesus Christ, Himself.

If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him…Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. John 14:15-21, 23

Note the underlined portion. Does that look like Jesus put a condition on His love? Yes, He said that to love Him, we must keep His commandments and His words, and then we would be loved. Let's look further into the scriptures.

As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. John 15:9-10

Jesus said for us to continue, or abide, in His love. To do it, we have to keep His commandments and His words. Sounds like a condition, yes?

Using John 3:16, many people say that God just loves everybody in the world. God does love the world as a whole, enough to make a way of salvation for us. But God does not love everyone in the world individually. If He did, why did He create a lake of fire where people are tormented day and night? Why is there so much suffering and loss in this world if God loves everybody? Jesus spoke about the world in John 17:6-9:

I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

Jesus said He prayed for those who keep His word, who are separated to Him, apart from the world and the sin and lust of it. Also, read John 17:14-17 for more about those who God loves in the world. Another good place to read is I John 2:15-17. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the truth!

The Old Testament gives us a more detailed and forceful look at God's love in Isaiah 63:8-10.

For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

God speaks of loving and saving His people; however, when they rebelled (conditional) He turned to be their enemy and fought against them. Here is another sobering example of God's love and favor being conditional.

All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters. Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb. Hosea 9:15-16

God says in Verse 15, "I will love them no more." It doesn't get much plainer than that. The word "unconditional" means: Not limited in any way. In other words, people make the argument that no matter what we do, God will always love us. Not true, according to the Bible.

For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Malachi 3:6

God does not change! He is still the same today (New Testament) as He was yesterday (Old Testament), and will be the same tomorrow (Eternity).

His love was, is, and always will be conditional, based on whether or not we keep His commandments and His words.

There are many more scriptures which prove that God's love is conditional. I hope that you will take heed to His Word as the truth and that God will love you and keep you in His love always.

Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. Romans 11:22

Conditional! Not Unconditional!

Seeking for God’s Favor

As Christians, we should always do our best to live for Jesus. People who don't know the Lord also seek to do their best. They do it, not to please God, but rather, to find favor in the eyes of their boss, their friends, their family, etc. People who fear God and keep His commandments should seek to find favor with Him, who loved us and gave Himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord.

When we do find favor with God, not only will we be blessed above most other Christians, we will also find favor with the boss, with our friends and family, and with virtually everyone that can be favorable towards us.

How do we find favor with God?

We know that only through Jesus Christ can we even attempt to start to make headway in a favorable direction. In any quest, it is vital that we have knowledge of where to start. Let's see what the Bible says about finding favor with God.

A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn. Proverbs 12:2

A person must be good to obtain favor with God. How do we go about being good? How good do we have to be? Let's look further into God's Word for the answer.

My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. Proverbs 3:1-4

This passage tells us several things we must do. First, we have to remember God's law and keep His commandments. Then we have to be merciful to others; we must also speak the truth and be honest.

Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death. Proverbs 8:32-36

We must listen to what the Lord tells us in His Word and seek God.

For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield. Psalm 5:12

We must be righteous. What does that mean? It means doing the right thing, no matter what.

Examples

Here are a few examples of people in the Bible who found favor with God. We can look at their stories, and follow their example, so we can find favor, too.

King David:

Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen. Which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David; Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. Acts 7:44-46

The prophet Samuel:

And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men. I Samuel 2:26

Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand. And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness… Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. I Samuel 12:3-5, 23-24

Samuel found favor both as a child and as a grown man.

Mary, the mother of Jesus:

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. Luke 1:28-30

And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. Luke 1:45-55

Why was Mary favored? Because she was faithful, she had a humble spirit, and she feared God, i.e., she feared what God can and will do to those who disobey Him.

Blessings

Here are some of the ways God blesses those who find His favor.

Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. Proverbs 18:22

Are you looking for a good wife or husband? Find favor with God!

Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Proverbs 31:30

Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD. Psalm 128:1-4

The absolute greatest of all blessings will be our admittance to Heaven!

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. Revelation 21:1-5

A Warning

And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God? Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law; And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me: Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour. Jeremiah 16:10-13

We must listen to God and do His will. If we go about life walking in our own way, not God's way, He will reject us and we will not have His favor.

And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. Revelation 21:27

Despite popular opinion, if we live in sin everyday and die in that condition, we cannot make it to that blessed home, which is Heaven.

If we harden our hearts and walk in our own imaginations, not doing the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ's will, it will be impossible to find favor with God. May the Lord our Savior and God the Father help us to do His will and find favor, in Jesus' name, Amen.