Hell- What Jesus Taught

The majority of Americans today do not believe in hell; it’s considered such an unpopular subject that the experts insist that church leaders should avoid this offensive subject in order to retain their personal credibility. However, Jesus Christ Himself believed in Hell - - He taught on it more often and more extensively than any other person in the Bible- - so the follower of Christ has a tough decision to make: (a) either Jesus was deluded and subject to all the misguided popular opinions of His day (in which case, why be a Christian at all?); or(b) there is in fact such a place as hell, and He, being the Son of God, knew all about it. 

 The latter conclusion would seem to make sense. If he knew of the place, if He had seen it, and even been party to its design, then He would know of its horrors better than anyone else, and be more anxious to warn people to avoid it at any cost. 

 The account of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke chapter sixteen seems to indicate that Jesus indeed did know of the place personally, and have special information on it. Notice, first of all, the way He introduces the story…

 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table.” Luke 16:19-21

 Some have called this parable, but when Jesus introduced a parable He usually said something like, “the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed…” (Matthew 12:24, 31,33 etc). But in the case of the rich man and Lazarus, He simply stated calmly and matter-of-factly, “There was a certain rich man…” It’s as though He was familiar with the particular case. In fact, he calls Lazarus by name, something He does in no other parable in the Bible. Why? Because this is  no parable. There was a real man named Lazarus, and this is a true account.

 We should also notice that in this story, Jesus gives us more information about hell than any other passage in Scripture. Most of the passages simply mention its existence, and, possibly, who may be expected to go there. The story of Lazarus and the rich man actually describes the place, and more… “So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by angels to Abraham's bosom.” Luke 16:22 

Abraham’s Bosom 

 The rich man (sometimes known in church traditions as Dives) and Lazarus were kept in separate places, but they could see each other. Lazarus was in a place referred to as “Abrahams Bosom”, (see Luke 16:23), or, in other passages in the Bible, simply as “Paradise” (Luke 23:43, 2Corinthians 12:4). This was the place where righteous people were kept before Jesus died for the sins of humankind. You see, prior to His death, even the righteous weren’t completely forgiven- their sins had been ‘passed over” but not finally dealt with. Before the blood of Christ was shed, and God's justice satisfied, even the saints of the Old Testament could not enter into heaven.  Because of their faith in the promised Messiah, they were kept in a safe, peaceful place in the underworld.

 After the death and resurrection of Jesus, Abraham’s Bosom was emptied out, and Jesus led the souls of the righteous out of the place and into heaven (see Ephesians 4:8-9). The way had been made and now the righteous could freely enter into the presence of God. 

 “...The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then 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.’” Luke 16:22-24

 Hell Proper

Dives, the rich man was kept in another place entirely. We could call it ‘hell proper”, or by its New Testament name. Hades. This is the place of torment, as our text illustrates. There are questions that remain unanswered, such as ‘how can a soul feel pain?’ Apparently, they do, however, and the sensation can be more accurately compared to that of burning. The illustration is used again and again in Scriptures, so it must be the closest experience we have in our physical bodies to compare to it. 

The Chasm or Bottomless Pit. 

 Dives looked out and saw Abraham and Lazarus, and requested some relief. Relief was impossible, for, as Abraham noted "between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.” Luke 16:26 That the great gulf or chasm between Paradise and Hades is quite likely the same place that is referred to elsewhere as the bottomless pit. (See Revelation 9:1-2, 17:8, 20:1-3 etc.). It may even have a proper name, Tartarus, the Greek word translated hell in 2 Peter 2:4 and described as the “pits of darkness.”

“And I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear:Fear Him who, after He was killed, has power to cast into hell [Gehenna]; yes, I say to you, fear Him! Luke 12:4-5

Gehenna

 Furthermore, there is another place referred to as Hell in the Bible. It is referred to by a different word in the original Greek language of the New Testament, As we’ve noted, Hades is the name of the place where Dives was held and tormented. Gehenna is the other place, and refers to the final state of the unredeemed. Hades is a kind of county jail where the lost are held until their appearance at the great judgement seat of God. Gehenna is the federal penitentiary that they are cast into afterwards. The name comes from the garbage dump outside of Jerusalem, in the Valley of Hinnom, where fires were kept burning constantly. In the book of Revelation, this second hell is called either the “second death” or the “Lake of Fire”. 

“ Then I saw a great white throne and Him who 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, standing before God, and books were opened, And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life, And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them, And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire, This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15

 If hell is simply a figurative place, the Bible sure goes to great lengths to describe it in detail! If you die in sin, you will go first to Hades, where you will be held in torment that can only be described as fiery. Then, at a future date, you will be called up to stand before God, who will have you thrown into the Lake of Fire of Gehenna, if your name is not written in the Book of Life. 

 But isn’t God loving and kind? Yes, He is. From cover to cover the Bible depicts Him as a God of great patience and mercy, eager to forgive and to go to great lengths to save people from the predicaments they find themselves in. But sin has separated us from Him. If we understood the depth of sin, perhaps, we could understand why the punishment is so severe, In any case, it is not for us to question the justice of Hell(our opinion will not carry much weight anyway) but rather, to find out what we must do to insure that our names are written in the Book of Life. 

How long is Eternal?

 Several phrases are used in the New Testament to describe the duration of one’s stay in Hell. Jesus referred to Gehenna as a place “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched”. Mark 9:44 Worm is a Hebrew metaphor for human consciousness and memory. In Revelation it says that in hell, the devil, the beast and the false prophet shall be “tormented day and night forever and ever”. Revelation 14:11, 20:10 Furthermore, the same word “everlasting”, is used in the Bible in “everlasting life” and “everlasting fire”. If you take away the eternity from the fire, you also take it from the life of those who are saved. 

What Must We Do?

 This is what the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about. God loves us and doesn’t want us to go to Hell. He sent His Son to die for our sins. Jesus wasn’t just a nice man, a prophet and teacher worthy of imitation; He was (and is) the very image of God. He lived as a man, with one exception- - He was sinlessly perfect - - and He died on a cross for our sins. (See 2 Peter 3:9, John 3:16-17, Hebrews 1:1-3) Of course, our sins are not automatically forgiven just because Jesus died. If that were true, there would be no justice at all; regardless of your behavior or beliefs, all would go to heaven: Adolph Hitler, and the Apostle Paul, Saddam Hussein and Mother Teresa would all receive the same judgment, and none would be cast into the Lake of Fire after all. But the Bible indicates that many will perish and go to Hell.

 To apply Christ’s forgiveness personally you must repent of your sins and believe in Jesus Christ (see Acts 20:21). As Jesus called on people to follow Him in His early days, so He’s looking for disciples today - - those who would believe enough to change their lives, and commit themselves to Him. If you haven’t yet decided to become a real, Bible- believing Christian, why don't you today? Tell God frankly that you know you’ve failed Him, but want to change all that; that you believe in the Son He sent to save you, and want to be His disciples; that you receive His death and resurrection personally, that you want to link up your life with His. then get yourself into a church that really teaches the Bible, so you learn how to grow and develop in your new faith and make some Christian friends. Jesus came to give us life more abundantly. Why would anyone prefer to go to Hell? 

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live’ that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, that you may cling to Him, for He is your life…” Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Written by Kim Harrington

Edited and uploaded by Svetlana Van Zee