I realize that these pictures are cartoonish and cannot
begin to describe the HORRORS of HELL! But YAHUVEH the Father sent his son YAHUSHUA Messiah to pay
the ultimate price in crucifixion and torture and death to keep US out of this Damnation
for all eternity! Would YAHUSHUA have paid this price for something that does NOT exist?
As
beautiful as Heaven is that is how Horrifying HELL is. Words cannot describe HELL and
words cannot describe Heaven. Hell was created for the Fallen angels (demons) and satan.
Hell was never made for human beings. The Horror of HELL is NOT only
for those who are the Mass murderers or Hitler or the really EVIL of this world. But
Hell is filled with people we love, and our neighbors and friends who give to Charities and are
always there to lend a helping hand. People who we would say were GOOD people if they were
judged by their works.
But Father God is PERFECTION and demands HOLINESS and just being GOOD measuring up to man's standards is NOT enough. We must measure up to perfection for
breaking ONE commandment is breaking them ALL in GOD'S sight. ONE commandment broken is NOT
worse than another one, it is only in Mankind's eyes. It is All SIN.
All mankind has sinned and fell
short of the Glory of God his perfection and Holiness. NONE of US are perfect except ONE
and his name is YAHUSHUA Messiah. That is why accepting the price HE paid when HE spilled his
Blood at Calvary is the ONLY thing that can make US HOLY and acceptable before Father God
YAHUVEH. YAHUSHUA did this so we would be freed from the Damnation of OUR sins and would NOT
have to go to this place called Hell and the Lake of FIRE. The Holy Spirit gave me a
vision of the first level of HELL and a song.
It's the most horrifying song you have
ever heard. I literally heard a song being sung off key in HELL right NOW by a pastor
that never came back to the saving grace of YAHUSHUA Messiah. You see even someone that brings
millions of souls to YAHUSHUA can still lose their own soul. Because it's THEIR relationship with
YAHUSHUA that matters, NOT our GOOD WORKS that get US into Heaven. So NO man or woman can Boast of
their good works and think that is enough to escape HELL. God knows your motives and if
its NOT Holy motives done because you LOVE YAHUSHUA then all these WORKS mean NOTHING. For 8
hours the LORD showed me HELL and a vision of a Citizen in HELL! I am looking for the right
person to record what the LORD gave me and one day I believe in faith Carman will record
this song.
I have been accused of scaring people into heaven with
it as the Holy Spirit anointed my voice to sound like tormented souls screaming! The Devil
mocking, demons taunting, describing in detail what I saw. You cannot get a glimpse of
HELL without it making your physical body sick. For 10 days after this song was finished I
became VERY sick but I know this Jude 1:23 says some will only come by fear. NOT everyone
comes to YAHUSHUA because HE loves them. Some will run into the arms of the Lord
YAHUSHUA Messiah running in terror when they see the alternative which is HELL.
The name of the song is
"A CITIZEN IN HELL" and if any pastor promises to USE it to bring souls to
YAHUSHUA I will give them this song. It is the UGLIEST and most frightening song you will ever
hear, for when I was the sickest is when the Holy Spirit said NOW sing it Sherrie!
There is NO beauty in HELL even the best singer sings off KEY in HELL even the best
musician plays Off KEY in Hell. Only TORTURE, TERROR, TORMENT for all eternity! Only
entrances and NO exits. Look at a ring that represents eternity, no beginning or no end.
Where are you going to spend eternity? Heaven or Hell?
Here are a few brief lyrics to the song " A
CITIZEN IN HELL" no one may copy this without my permission and if anyone knows
Carman please tell him about this song. When the LORD gave this to me he said Carman has
the anointing to sing this song. This song is meant for the Last Chancers one step before
the flames of HELL. One step before Jer. 6 vs. 27-30. With the LORDS help and anointing he
has told me to create a animated hell from the lyrics in this song. If anyone has the
computer tech anointing to help me do this please email me right away. Here are a few
lines of the song so you can see this is NOT a place you want to spend eternity.
Flaming worms crawl in, flaming worms crawl out in the
belly button and out the mouth! In the front and out the rear! In the eyes and out the
ears! We scream for mercy yet NO one cares or hears! Red hot pain in my blood rivers of
feces, lava, vomit and blood, it looks like a flood! Flames everywhere yet they cast NO
light! All I have is every kind of pain, terror, torture, and fright! I am a Citizen in
HELL!
This is the first level of HELL the other levels there
are NO words to tell. Hell is so hot it boils the flesh off my skin how do I describe the
HELLISH pain I'm in! I'm so thirsty yet I've not even urine or tears to drink and OH my
GOD how this HELL stinks! AHHHH I am a Citizen in HELL!
There's NO water of any kind not even sweat to cool my
brow, I know from HELL I will never be set free and demons curse and Mock me! I scream to
God to help me, yet he does NOT hear! Instead the voice of satan laughs and jeers! Ha Ha,
there's NO GOD and there's NO mercy here! I have torture, terror, and Damnation and every
kind of FEAR but there's NO GOD HERE! Ha Ha Ha.
I saw a naked man covered in flaming worms that cannot
die. he turned to me and heaved a deep sigh as flames surrounded him and he sung this song in
an emotionless voice. A voice that held NO emotion only the pain and torment he was in.
Flaming WORMS that looked like Snakes were crawling in and OUT of EVERY OPENING OF HIS
BODY, his EYES, EARS, NOSE, FRONT, and REAR. I repeat EVERY OPENING without getting
graphically gross here. The Screams yet echo in my mind as I am writing this down.
The rich man in the bible who went to HELL told YAHUVEH if he would just send a man back from HELL
to warn others his brothers of the torment in Hell they would not want to come there and they
would live differently. But God said even if he sent someone back from HELL few would
listen and take the warning seriously.
Few would believe. In this end time how many has
the LORD allowed to see Heaven and Hell to be brought back to life to tell of the Horror.
Dr. Eby is one of them....Dr. Maurice Rawlins is another and now Rev. Sherrie Elijah who
praise YAHUVEH I didn't have to die but in a vision so real. Its like I know the man and
grieve for the man I met in this vision and he is warning you now. Those who mock and laugh at
YAHUSHUA hear the lyrics of this song and although I can't give it all to you. Know this, if
you MOCK and LAUGH again, this was your LAST CHANCE for your heart is hardened and YAHUVEH
said this song was the LAST CHANCERS Last Chance! If this does NOT scare you NOTHING will
till you taste HELL for yourself and then its too late.
Here are some more lyrics from the song "A CITIZEN IN HELL."
I am reminded how YAHUVEH in his mercy gave
YAHUSHUA Messiah his only Son to suffer crucifixion for my sins and on a cross he hung. Just so from HELL I
would be free and satan would have NO claim on me. But I refused YAHUSHUA'S blood to cover
my sins I wanted to live my own life so I denied him. I know I have no one to blame now
forever I'll live in satan's evil domain with every kind of torture and shame. Wanting to
die but forgetting there is no death thinking it will be better tomorrow but forgetting I
have FOREVER left. This is what its like to be a CITIZEN IN HELL!!!
Where the Horror is so gruesome, NO tongue can tell!
Everyone who is coming here will have to dig their own level before they die and that is
how deep your sins are piled up high. But beware the greatest of all sins is the REJECTION
OF YAHUSHUA Messiah. One torture room to the next what seems like your worst nightmare is ONLY
satan at his BEST this is what its like to be a CITIZEN IN HELL!!!!!
There is so much I cannot convey
with these written words if only you could hear the screams and torments. Much more
gruesome lyrics but this is enough to give you a sample of the Terrors in HELL!
Read below what the bible describes Hell as and if you still want to go afterthis I suppose no one will be able to stop you. But if you decide after reading this that
you don't want to go to Hell then say out loud not only with your mouth but mean it in your heart the SALVATION
PRAYER. If I am wrong you have LOST nothing by saying this prayer. But if I am right and
you don't make YAHUSHUA your LORD and savior and say this prayer you have LOST EVERYTHING
and you will one day be a CITIZEN IN HELL!!!! As for me I intend to be a CITIZEN IN
HEAVEN! At the end of this song the LORD gave me a new vision, if you hear the tape you
would hear the excitement in my voice as the LORD showed me MILLIONS of souls coming to
HEAVEN that would NOT have been there if they had NOT heard this song, or
the lyrics of this song!
I pray dear Holy Spirit in YAHUSHUA Messiah's name let NO ONE reading
this go to HELL. Compel them to come NOW and say the salvation prayer and then confess it
before others and let me know by emailing me so I know that someone is listening
to this warning. Holy Spirit as the song is anointed I am counting on you to anoint this
page also with your convicting power and save souls so no one reading this or saying the
salvation prayer will become CITIZENS IN HELL! Instead let US rejoice as their names are
written in the Lambs Book of Life and they decide to be CITIZENS IN HEAVEN! AMEN.
For those of you still NOT convinced READ ON. But beware this may be YOUR last Chance. The bible says
the Holy Spirit will NOT always strive with man. Today is the day of Salvation, tomorrow
may be too late. There is hardly anyone in HELL that is NOT praying to YAHUVEH for mercy, but
there is NO more mercy! Your Reservation is being made now while you
yet live...will it be heaven or Hell? Its your Choice!
If anyone knows Carman the
singer please let me know how to get this song to him. YAHUSHUA has promised when he hears it
he will want to record it and millions of souls will be saved. Please Christians WARN THE
LOST! Before they become CITIZENS IN HELL!!! Someone who has the burden for lost souls
with computer tech knowledge, email me and lets show a animated Hell and Heaven on the
internet. I am waiting for someone special the LORD is sending, is it you? In the
meantime WARN the LOST SHEEP!
Copyright Apostle Elisheva Eliyahu (Elisabeth Elijah)
You are in a car you see a sign it's
a CROSS and it says YAHUSHUA Messiah Salvation. There is another sign and that sign is an upside
down cross and that says satan, damnation. There is a detour in the road and it comes to a
two way stop, no other road, we must choose which sign will it be? Salvation? Damnation?
The road to Salvation is an arrow and it takes faith to travel this road. So many dangers
along this road, yet we have FAITH in the one who maintains the road he will PROTECT, and
GUIDE us. He will safely get us to our Heavenly home. The maintainer of this road is
YAHUSHUA Messiah and His Holy Spirit. All because we made him LORD, RULER of our lives.
The road to Damnation is so broad, it's easy to travel on this
road and it takes NO faith at all. We can travel at any speed. We can run over the other
cars. We can even Kill the other drivers just for sport. We don't have to have any morals,
follow any commandments, OR believe in a God Almighty or YAHUSHUA Messiah. We can laugh and
mock at the bible. We have no map to follow. No one can tell us which way to go on this
road there are many paths and all look so SINFULLY FUN. We have traveled most of all the
roads, drugs, booze, adultery, greed, stealing, lying, fornication, homosexuality, murder,
abortion, the list goes on. There is no end in sight we can do what we want and NOT pay
any attention to the little signs that were warning us.
The cross we seen every once in a while to remind us to turn
back before it was to late but who pays attention to a map called the Bible. Heck that's
just for them Bible thumpers who believes in a God Almighty Supreme in ALL ways. The
creator of Heaven and Earth and all that lies between. We prefer to believe in evolution.
Yea that's it, believing in creation is for them Christians who think they have to
answer to the biggest road sign of all, the TEN COMMANDMENTS!
But NOT us we just passed the Cross again, just insulted some
driver who tried to flag us down for we are speeding down a winding road and this bible
thumper tries to yell something like these words REPENT, ASK YAHUSHUA INTO YOUR HEARTS!
ACCEPT YAHUSHUA Messiah AS LORD AND SAVIOR! LET HIM WASH YOU CLEAN OF ALL YOUR SINS! TURN BACK
NOW BEFORE ITS TO LATE!!! But we just look at the Bible Thumper and mock and laugh. No way
we are NOT going to live our lives Holy, what a bore. Turning the corner now picking up
speed, gee its hard to see now darker than I ever remembered what's that up ahead it looks
like ......NO, it can't be *#$%^&*()^#@ (Cursing violently) AHHHHH ......its a DEAD
END!
CRASH! BLOOD EVERYWHERE! Our blood NOT YAHUSHUA'S Blood! We look at our body its mangled and in so many pieces laying everywhere. We have fallen in a huge
pit. What does that sign say, WAIT! No, someone evil and ugly demonic faces and long claws
are pulling me, "Where are you taking me?" pulling me toward that sign. It says I can barely
make it out, seems to be so dark here, yet the sign glows in Fire, it says HELL! NO! My
friends told me HELL wasn't real, this can't happen. The screams are all around me. Wait
that's ME screaming! Why is this happening? Then I remember the cross, the map that was
called the BIBLE. YAHUSHUA he was the only way I could have avoided that DEAD END.
All the bible thumpers I insulted, they really did care, now its TOO LATE! ahhhhh! The stench,
the ugliness. Now how long must I stay here? I want out! Where are the exit signs? Only
entrance signs wherever I look. I look to the demons chaining me and I ask how long must I
stay here? And they laugh and mock with yellow puke green eyes, so evil, as they say
"We have just begun your here for ETERNITY! hahahaha "all because you passed
that Cross called YAHUSHUA Messiah's Cross at Calvary now your MINE! You're MY CITIZEN IN HELL! hehehhehehehe!
Thank you Sweet Holy Spirit for anointing me once again so
souls will be saved. Please use this to save lost souls. Anoint these words and let NO one
reading them choose to mock or laugh. Cause them to repent and say the Salvation Prayer
asking YAHUSHUA to save their souls and come into their hearts, forgive them of their sins
and wash them clean with the blood that was shed for them by our perfect sacrifice. YOU
Dear YAHUSHUA paid the price for OUR sins.
Given to Pastor Sherrie Elijah on Easter day
March 30, 1997 5:36 pm
Please USE this to bring the lost sheep to YAHUSHUA Messiah! the ONLY Good Shepherd!
Anyone who accepts the gift of salvation
through YAHUSHUA Messiah after reading this Please share your joy with US! email me at
revholyfire@hotmail.com.
The Bible says
CONFESS speak and not be ashamed of your decision to make YAHUSHUA Messiah LORD
and Savior. We will not embarrass you in anyway only rejoice, as we will look
for you in Heaven one day. To be able to say WELCOME to the Family of YAHUSHUA
Messiah. We LOVE YOU! YAHUSHUA LOVES YOU! You don't have to crash into that
dead end that drop off into the Pit of HELL. If we are wrong in serving
YAHUSHUA, we have lost nothing but those of you who mock or laugh, or deny he is
GOD have LOST EVERYTHING. It's your CHOICE. Two roads, your making your
reservations NOW, will it be Heaven or Hell? Its you CHOICE. Reservations
please, what will it be? You have been warned once again, no one is guaranteed
tomorrow. Today is the day for salvation, tomorrow may be to late.
One thing about Hell is...it's no respecter of
persons. The rich go to Hell, the poor go to Hell, the old go to Hell, the teens go to
Hell, the Jew goes to Hell, the gentile goes to Hell. Even those that never hurt anyone,
and even help others, those that are kind and generous to charities. In the worlds eyes we
would say they are NOT bad enough to go to Hell with Hitler and the Satanic worshipers,
murders, etc.. but the bible says ALL Have sinned and fell short of the Glory of God. All
of US need a perfect savior and that is YAHUSHUA. This picture shows many faces that
represent the many faces in Hell if they did NOT receive YAHUSHUA Messiah as LORD and Savior.
For there is ONLY one entrance way, one door into Heaven and that is YAHUSHUA Messiah.
It does
NOT matter how famous you are in this world, in HELL you are a NOBODY. Satan has no
favorites he only wants to do one thing, to take as many souls to HELL with Him to suffer
with him for all eternity. Please don't be one of these many faces. Please warn others!
Grandma's, grandpa's, moms, dads, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, and children (teens) are
in HELL. All races are in Hell, warn THEM before its too late. In Hell there is no healing, you die in sickness
and pain. If you choose to go to HELL after reading this I
can NOT stop you its Your Choice!!!! But at least you were warned!
Copyright by Rev. Sherrie Elijah April 8, 1997
from
"THE
TERRORS OF HELL"
by William C. Nichols
"So it will be at the
end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the
righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:49-50).
The doctrine of hell is one of
the most neglected doctrines in all of Scripture. When hell is mentioned
today, it is generally ridiculed, as if the whole idea of hell were so old
fashioned that only the naive and ignorant would really believe that such a
place actually exists. This is not hard to understand. Natural men hate the
idea of being held accountable for their lives to a holy God, because they
love sin and do not wish to part with it.
The carnal mind throws up objection
after objection to the idea of hell because it does not want to face the
reality of it. Men live their lives thinking that maybe if they ignore a
difficulty long enough, it will go away. Even conservative religious
leaders are now attacking hell. Let men do what they will, the frivolous
objections of the foolish will not do away with hell.
Amid the clamor to annihilate hell,
those who believe the Bible to be true must stand and speak. Your
consideration of the terrors of hell maybe one of the most important
things you can do in this life. "Then he who hears the sound of the
trumpet, and does not take warning, and as word comes and takes him
away, his blood will be on his own head" (Ezekiel 33:4). Please, I
implore you, invest the time it takes to read this chapter and book to
the end.
Why should we be so concerned about
hell? Why should we spend time reading about hell? There are several
reasons why it is profitable to do so:
1) Hearing about the terrors of hell
may shock your conscience and awaken you out of your false security.
2) Hearing about hell helps to deter
men from committing sin. Both the godly and the ungodly are persuaded
not to sin as much when they are regularly reminded of the terrors of
hell.
3) Hearing about the terrors of hell
may help to awaken those among us who may think they are saved because
they believe in Christ or the facts of the gospel, but who are not
really saved and are on their way to hell, but don't know it.
4) Preaching the doctrine of hell is
profitable to both the godly and the ungodly alike, as will be
demonstrated.
Why aren't people fearful of hell?
There seems to be a real lack of fear today of the reality of hell. This
applies to both those who are in the church and those who are in the
world. People are not afraid of hell.
Why?
You would not be afraid of a lion when
it is only painted in a picture upon a wall. Why is this? Because it is
only a picture. You know that it's not real. But if you were left alone
in a jungle and came face to face with a real lion that growled
ferociously at you, you would be terrified. The consciences of men are
much like the man who only views the painted lion. We hear of hell in
the Bible. We know that the Lord YAHUSHUA spoke of hell. In fact, Christ
spoke more of hell than anyone else in the Scriptures.
Why do men not believe hell is real?
Because they do not hear enough about it. We don't study what the
Scriptures say about hell. It is not just what we hear which makes up
what we believe, it is what we don't hear as well which helps to form
our belief system. Only the Spirit of God can present the terrors of
hell to our hearts in such a way as to see them alive before us. The
doctrine of hell has been used by God more often to the conversion of
sinners than any other doctrine in the Scriptures. Pray now that as you
read this chapter the Holy Spirit will set hell before you as real
indeed.
THE NECESSITY OF HELL
Most who scoff at hell today probably do so for
several reasons. Primary among them is a desire to pursue their own paths of sin without
having their consciences troubled about the consequences of their actions. They do not
want to hear that what they are doing is wrong. They do not want to hear that their sin
will be punished. I can hear someone say, "But isn't eternal torment in hell
inconsistent with a merciful and loving God? How could a good God punish people in hell
forever?"
A misunderstanding of the character of God and the nature of sin can easily
lead to such questions. Why is hell necessary? Let us examine several reasons for the
necessity of hell.
1) The Great Evil in Sin and the Holiness of God. The difficulty most people have in
understanding the necessity of hell is related to an incomplete and inadequate
understanding of both how awful sin is and how glorious God is. We do not see what a great
evil is in the least sin, nor do we understand God's holiness, His justice, and His wrath.
If we saw sin as the greatest evil in the world and realized that every sin is a rejection
of God's rule over us, a sneering at Him, a shaking of our fist in His face, and a hurling
of dung at Him, we would begin to understand a small bit of what our sin is like to God.
Every time we sin, we either set ourselves, or a pet lust, up in our hearts as a rival
god. Sin rejects the Creator as God and sets up the creature in His place.
If we could comprehend God's holiness and what it means to
be holy, pure, perfect, upright, and untainted by the least sin, we would have a better
idea of why God hates sin so much. Absolute holiness cannot tolerate the least sin,
"Thine eyes are too pure to approve evil, and Thou canstnot look on wickedness with
favor" (Habakkuk 1:13). If we could understand the glorious holiness and purity of
God and also the abominable nature of sin more, then we would have no problem with the
absolute necessity of hell.
"The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can
understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). The human heart is sick. The human heart is wicked.
The human heart is deceitful. The corruption the heart causes us to be deceived about the
awfulness of sin as well as many other things.
2) God's Infinite Nature. In understanding what our
sin is really like, we must view it through the eyes of God. God is an infinite, eternal
being. Every act of sin is committed against an infinite, holy God. In every act of sin we
dethrone God and set ourselves above God. In every sin this question is the issue,
"Whose will shall be done, God's will or man's? Now, man by sin sets his own will
above the Lord's, and so kicks God as filth under his feet." 1 A single act of sin
committed against a holy, infinite God deserves infinite punishment. It is an infinite
evil to offend an infinite God even once.
3) Divine Justice. Even one sin against God calls for God
to vindicate His name and His justice by punishing it as fully as it deserves. God can and
will vindicate His justice. He promises to do so in Romans 12:19 where it says,
"leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay,
says the Lord.'
" One of the greatest preachers that ever lived, Jonathan Edward's,
wrote, "The glory of God is the greatest good; it is that which is the chief end of
creation; it is of greater importance than anything else. But this is one way wherein God
will glorify Himself, as in the eternal destruction of ungodly men He will glorify His
justice. Therein He will appear as a just governor of the world. The vindictive justice of
God will appear strict, exact, awful, and terrible, and therefore glorious."
A DESCRIPTION OF HELL
Hell is a furnace of unquenchable fire, a place of
everlasting punishment, where its victims are tormented in both their bodies and their
minds in accordance with their sinful natures, their actual sins committed, and the amount
of spiritual light given to them, which they rejected. Hell is a place from which God's
mercy and goodness have been withdrawn, where God's wrath is revealed as a terrifying,
consuming fire, and men live with unfulfilled lusts and desires in torment forever and
ever.
In Matthew 13:47-50 the Lord
YAHUSHUA tells a parable relating
to the judgment. In verses 49-50, the Lord describes the fate of the wicked: "So it
will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from
among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth."
In examining these words of the Lord
YAHUSHUA we should first
notice that hell is described as being a furnace of blue fire.
Nebuchadnezzar's furnace
was heated seven times hotter than normal and is described as "a furnace of blazing
fire" (Daniel 3:23). John the Baptist spoke of "unquenchable fire" and
Revelation describes hell as "a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Revelation
19:20). Can we really imagine the horror of which these words speak? Imagine every part of
your body on fire at the same time, so that every fiber of your being felt the intense
torment of being burned. How long could you endure such punishment?
Christ tells us that "there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
The lost will wail and gnash their teeth from having to endure the most intense pain and
suffering they have ever felt as the flames consume them and constantly burn every part of
their bodies.
And there will be no relief.
Jonathan Edwards describes in graphic language what the
fires of hell will be like: "Some of you have seen buildings on fire; imagine
therefore with yourselves, what a poor hand you would make at fighting with the flames, if
you were in the midst of so great and fierce a fire. You have often seen a spider or some
other noisome insect, when thrown into the midst of a fierce fire, and have observed how
immediately it yields to the force of the flames. There is no long struggle, no fighting
against the fire, no strength exerted to oppose the heat, or to fly from it; but it
immediately stretches forth and yields; and the fire takes possession of it, and at once
it becomes full of fire.
Here is a little image of what you
will be in hell, except you repent and fly to Christ.
To encourage yourselves that you
will set yourselves to bear hell torments as well as you can, is just as if a worm, that
is about to be thrown into a glowing furnace, should swell
and fortify itself, and prepare itself to fight the flames."
Hell is also described as a place of darkness. The
Lord tells us of the guest without wedding clothes who was cast "into outer
darkness" (Matthew 22:13). Jude writes of those in hell "for whom the black
darkness has been reserved forever" (Jude 13).
Christopher Love says in his work
Hell's Terrors: "darkness is terrible, and men are more apt to fear in the dark then
light: hell is therefore set forth in so terrible an expression, to make the hearts of men
tremble; not only darkness, but the blackness of darkness".'
Hell is compared to Tophet in Isaiah 30:33. Tophet was the
place where the idolatrous Jews sacrificed their children to the heathen god Molech by
casting them into the fire. Day and night shrieks and howls were heard in that place, as
day and night shrieks, howls, and wailing are heard in hell.
Isaiah speaks of "the breath of the Lord, like a
stream of brimstone" setting hell ablaze. There is good evidence from the Scriptures
that God Himself will be the fire in hell. Hebrews 12:29 says, "Our God is a
consuming fire."
The ungodly on earth ignorantly dance for joy when they hear pastors
speak about the love and mercy of God, but they will be the beneficiaries of neither,
unless they repent. To them God will bean all consuming fire.
Hebrews 10:30-31 warns: "For we know him who said, Vengeance is Mine, I will
repay,' And again, `The Lord will judge His people.' It is a terrifying thing to fall into
the hands of the living God." It is a fearful thing, it is a terrible thing to fall
into the hands of the living God! You shall not escape hell, sinner. God will be your hell
and His wrath will consume you and be poured upon you as long as He exists. "Who
understands the power of Thine anger?" (Psalm 90:11).
It is because God Himself will be
the fire in hell that words cannot possibly express the terrors of the damned in hell.
"There is no reason to suspect that possibly ministers set forth this matter beyond
what it really is, that possibly it is not so dreadful and terrible as it is pretended,
and that ministers strain the description of it beyond just bounds...We have rather reason
to suppose that after we have said our utmost, all that we have said or thought is but a
faint shadow of reality."
In Luke 16:19-26 Christ tells us of two men. One of them
was rich (he has traditionally been called Dives); the other man was poor (his name was
Lazarus). Both men died. The poor man was carried by angels to heaven and the rich man
went to hell. The rich man did not go to hell because he was rich, nor did the poor man go
to heaven simply because he was poor.
The Lord shows us through this contrast that
our circumstances may change drastically when we pass from time into eternity. We
are not to be fooled that just because God may not have dealt harshly with us here, that
he will not do so after death. The eternal abiding place of both men resulted from the
condition of their hearts before God, while they were on earth.
Lazarus was a true
follower of God. Dives was not. We want to carefully note what the Scriptures tell us
about Dives and his condition, for from that we may learn much about hell. Verses 23-24
indicate to us that Dives is "in torment."
What does it mean to be "in
torment?" This torment refers to both torment in body and torment in soul as well. As
we have seen, men's bodies will be tormented in a furnace of fire. Every part of the body
will feel the pain of that fire. Men with severe stomach pains can be in great agony from
that alone, but this pain will be far greater. Death from cancer is sometimes said to
cause extreme pain in the body, but the pain of hell will be far worse. If your body were
afflicted with many different and painful diseases all at the same time, you still would
not begin to approach the pain of the damned in hell.
Men's consciences shall be in torment in hell as well. Conscience is the worm that will
not die which the Scriptures speak of (Mark 9:48; Isaiah 66:24).
Dives is told to "remember
that during your life." Men will be tormented with extreme pain, but they will also
be tormented by their own memories. They will remember hearing of hell and scoffing at it.
They will remember being warned and told to repent or told that accepting the blessings of
heaven without submitting to Christ as Lord falls short of salvation, but they took no
heed to those warnings. They will be tormented by seeing at a distance the glories of
heaven (as Dives was able to do), and knowing that for all eternity they will be damned.
They will be tormented by unfulfilled desires and unfulfilled lusts (Dives is not able to
receive even a drop of water to cool his tongue). They will be tormented by the knowledge
that they will never escape from hell (Dives is told that "neither can you pass to
us"). They will be tormented by the cries, shrieks, and curses of the damned around
them.
The most extreme torments a man can experience on earth will be like flea bites
compared to the torments of hell.
Jonathan Edwards speaks of men unable to find even a moment
of relief in hell in his sermon on The Future Punishment of the Wicked: "Nor will
they ever be able to find anything to relieve them in hell. They will never find any
resting place there; any secret corner, which will be cooler than the rest, where they may
have a little respite, a small abatement of the extremity of their torment.
They never
will be able to find any cooling stream or fountain, in any part of that world of torment;
no, nor so much as a drop of water to cool their tongues. They will find no company to
give them any comfort, or do them the least good. They will find no place, where they can
remain, and rest, and take breath for one minute: for they will be tormented with fire and
brimstone; and they will have no rest day nor night forever and ever." 6
THE ETERNITY OF HELL
The most terrifying aspect of all about hell is its
length or duration. Hell is eternal. Hell will last forever. Can you comprehend eternity?
No mathematical equation or formula can explain it. Your mind cannot conceive of eternity,
but it is none the less real. This aspect of hell alone should cause men to cry out in
repentance. It is not surprising that skeptics of all ages have attacked the eternal
nature of hell, substituting doctrines like the annihilation of the wicked in its place.
Let us look at the Scriptures to verify the eternal nature of hell and to try and
understand eternity better. Then we will explore why hell must be eternal.
"And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the
lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will
be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10). This verse clearly
gives us the duration of hell. Hell is forever and ever. How could a stronger, more
certain expression be used? If the Spirit of God wanted to communicate the eternal nature
of hell to men what could communicate it better than the expression "forever and
ever?" The Scripture has no higher expression which is used to denote eternity than
"forever and ever" for it is the very phrase used to tell us of the eternal
existence of God Himself, as in Revelation 4:9: "to him who sits on the throne, to
Him who lives forever and ever." Does anyone doubt that God will live to all
eternity? How then can you doubt that hell will not last to all eternity when the same
expression is used for both?
"We can conceive but little of the matter; but to help
your conception, imagine yourself to be cast into a fiery oven, or a great furnace, where
your pain would be as much greater than that occasioned by accidentally touching a coal of
fire, as the heat is greater. Imagine also that your body were to lie there for a quarter
of an hour, full of fire, and all the while full of quick sense; what horror would you
feel at the entrance of such a furnace! and how long would that quarter of an hour seem to
you!
And after you had endured it for one minute, how overbearing would it be to you to
think that you had to endure the other fourteen! But what would be the effect on your
soul, if you knew you must lie there enduring that torment to the full for twenty-four
hours...for a whole year...for a thousand years!
"Oh, then, how would your hearts sink, if
you knew, that you must bear it forever and ever! that there would be no end! that after
millions of millions of ages, your torment would be no nearer to an end, and that you
never, never should be delivered! But your torment in hell will be immensely greater
than this illustration represents."
Christ, describing the great day of judgment, tells of the
separation of the wicked and the righteous using these words: "And these will go away
into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:46). Is
there anyone who would deny that heaven exists eternally? Will the lives of the blessed in
heaven be brought to an end one day? Of course not.
But the same Greek word is used here
in this verse to speak of the eternal life of the righteous and the everlasting punishment
of the wicked. Hell will last as long as heaven does.
In hell there will be different degrees of torment
appointed to men as indicated by a number of Scriptures. Luke 12:47-48 says: "And
that slave who knew his master's will and die not get ready or act in accord with his
will, shall receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds
worthy of a flogging, will receive but few."
Christ says in Matthew 11:24:
"Nevertheless I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in
the day of judgment, than for you." The verses in Matthew indicate that the people in
Capernaum will receive a greater punishment on judgment day than those who had lived in
Sodom. The verses in Luke speak of a differentiation in judgment based on the amount of
light received: some will receive many stripes and others will receive few.
Those who commit greater sins than others or more sins than
others will receive greater punishment in hell (John 19:11). Religious hypocrites, those
who profess Christianity but are not real Christians, will be punished more severely than
others (Matthew 23:14-15).
The Lord said of Judas Iscariot," It would have been good
for that man if he had not been born" (Matthew 26:24). How could any of these things
be said to be true if annihilation were what awaited men after death? The presence of
different degrees of punishment only makes sense in light of the ability to sensibly
feel the torment. Could it be said that it would have been better for Judas if he had
never been born if annihilation was all that awaited him? Annihilation is like no
punishment at all.
Each time the unbeliever sins he is adding to his torment
in hell.
The person who sins twice as much as another with similar light will receive
twice as much punishment. Every day that sinners continue to live and breathe here on
earth without repenting, they are adding to their torments in hell. Romans 2:5 tells us:
"But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for
yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God."
The
Lord YAHUSHUA encouraged the righteous to lay up treasures in heaven rather than on earth.
The wicked are increasing their future wrath and torment in hell every day by their
continued sinning. They add to their punishment daily. In hell men will wish that they had
never been born.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon said: "In hell there is no
hope. They have not even the hope of dying--the hope of being annihilated. They are
forever--forever--forever lost! On every chain in hell, there is written
"forever". In the fires there, blaze out the words, "forever". Above
their heads, they read, "forever". Their eyes are galled and their hearts are
pained with the thought that it is "forever".
Oh, if I could tell you tonight
that hell would one day be burned out, and that those who were lost might be saved, there
would be a jubilee in hell at the very thought of it. But it cannot be--it is
"forever" they are cast into the outer darkness."
Christopher Love uses an illustration to try and help us
understand what eternity means: "Suppose all the mountains of the earth were
mountains of sand, and many more mountains still added thereto, till they reached up to
heaven, and a little bird should once in every thousand years take one (grain of) sand of
this mountain, there would be an innumerable company of years pass over before that mass
of sand would be consumed and taken away, and yet this time would have an end; and it
would be happy for man, if hell were no longer than this time; but this is man's misery in
hell, he shall be in no more hope of coming out after he hath been there millions of
years, then he was when he was first cast in there; for his torments shall be to eternity,
without end, because the God that damns him is eternal."
Earlier we looked at the necessity of hell or why there
must be a place like hell. Now we will look at why hell must not only exist, but why it
must exist eternally. Why is it necessary that hell be eternal? There are several answers
to this which we shall explore briefly.
The first reason we will look at is the one mentioned by
Christopher Love in the passage just quoted. The God who damns men is an eternal
God. "Ultimately the eternality of hell is based upon the nature of God."
Is God's Word eternal? Is God's nature
eternal? The Scripture tells us: "YAHUSHUA Messiah is the same yesterday and today, yes
and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). "His righteousness endures forever" (Psalm
111:3). "The Word of the Lord abides forever" (I Peter 1:24). If God's Word is
eternal, if God's righteousness is eternal, if God Himself is eternal, then why shouldn't
His wrath be eternal as well? As eternally existent, all of God's attributes are eternal
and immutable; therefore, hell, as an expression of God's wrath, must be eternal.
Hell must be eternal because God's justice could never be
satisfied by the punishment of sinners no matter how long it lasts.
Christ makes this
clear when He speaks about settling with your accuser before you get to court, otherwise
you shall be cast into prison and "I tell thee, thou halt not depart thence, till
thou hast paid the very last mite" (Luke 12:59). Man can do nothing to pay for his
sins. No amount of punishment in hell, no matter how long, can ever atone for sins. It is
impossible; therefore, hell must be eternal.
Thirdly, hell must be eternal because the Scriptures tell us that the worm which gnaws the
conscience of men in hell never dies. "For their worm shall not die, and their fire
shall not be quenched" (Isaiah 66:24). If the worm never dies, then those being
tormented by the worm shall never die.
Lastly, hell will be eternal because men continue to sin in hell. They increase and
compound their guilt there. Hell is a place where tormented men curse God, curse
themselves, and scream and wail with blasphemous language at their fellow men around them.
Wicked men will increase each others torments as they accuse, blame, and condemn one
another. Men will not repent in hell because the character of sinners does not change.
They remain sinners. Men will sin to eternity, therefore, God will punish them eternally.
APPLICATION TO BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS
The Old Testament prophets warn us repeatedly of the
dangers of hell: "Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?" (Isaiah
33:14, KJV)." Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the
burning of His anger? His wrath is poured out like fire" (Nahum 1:6). Sinner, are you so
arrogant as to think you can bear the wrath of God poured out in full measure upon you?
You may think that hell is not so hot and that you will be able to bear it quite well. If
you believe that you are more than a fool. The terrors of hell cause the devils to tremble
and are you so foolish as to be unmoved by them or make light of them?
Do not think that simply because you go to church, or
believe in God, or believe intellectually in the truths of Christianity that you will
escape hell. The majority of those who regularly attend churches every week, all over the
world, will go to hell.
Thomas Shepherd, pastor and founder of Harvard University, wrote:
"Formal professors and carnal gospelers have a thing like faith, and like sorrow, and
like true repentance, and like good desires, but yet they be but pictures; they deceive
others and themselves too...most of them that live in the church shall perish."
You who profess to be Christians, but do not read your
Bible much and pray little: how shall you escape the damnation of hell? You who are not
especially bothered by little sins or troubled by the vain and filthy thoughts which you
have: are you ready to go to hell? You who think the kingdom of God consists in a verbal
profession of Christ or intellectually believing that YAHUSHUA died for your sins, but who
are not concerned with living a holy, godly life and give little or no thought to God
during the week: are you prepared to endure the torments of hell, day and night, forever
and ever? You had better be, because if these things are true of you, you are headed
straight for hell, unless you repent.
Do not delude yourself!
Christianity does not consist in
words, or pious statements, or mere intellectual belief, but in a new heart and a new life
dedicated to not sinning and living for the glory of God. If your heart and life have not
been changed by God, you are still in your sins. If you are living in known disobedience
to the word of God and are unconcerned about it, you have no right to assume you are going
to heaven: you are on your way to hell! Repent of all your sins and turn to YAHUSHUA Messiah
and surrender to Him as Lord. Listen to the words of Christ: "If your eye causes you
to stumble, pluck it out, and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with
one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into the fiery hell" (Matthew 18:9).
"Nothing short of the complete denying of self, the abandoning of the dearest idol,
the forsaking of the most cherished sinful course--figuratively represented under the
cutting off of a right hand and the plucking out of a right eye--is what He claims from
every one who would have true communion with Him." 12
But remember, the difficulty
involved in forsaking all for Christ is nothing compared to spending eternity in hell.
I do not believe anyone can be scared into heaven, but I do
believe they can be scared away from hell, so that they might begin to seek God with all
their hearts, and to beg Christ to have mercy on them. Men stand on the brink of the pit
of hell and are ready to fall headlong into it and yet they are completely unaware they
are in any danger. If hearing about hell can cause otherwise senseless men to consider
eternal truths, then preaching about hell is valuable indeed. It is better to view hell
now, while you are living, and be terrified by it, than to have to endure hell forever
when you die.
I would not have you to be more afraid of hell than of sin.
Sin is your real enemy. Sin is
worse than hell because sin gave birth to hell. Would you be willing to go to hell for all
eternity for the enjoyment of a little pleasure and lust here on earth? Flee from sin!
Flee from living for self and self pleasing to YAHUSHUA Messiah. When you die it will be to
late. All opportunity to repent ends at death.
This doctrine is useful to the godly as well as the
ungodly. The doctrine of hell should stir up within the righteous a fear of God. A godly
fear is useful in many ways. The one who has a fear of God in his heart has a greater
respect for the commandments of God. He who truly fears God will not fear men and would
rather displease men than God (Isaiah 8:12-13).
This doctrine should increase your
faithfulness and joy in Christ that you have been delivered from the torments of hell and
should likewise increase your love for Christ who endured the wrath of God upon the cross
for you.
The doctrine of hell should stir up within you a fear of
sin. It should cause us to fear even little sins and be careful to confess and forsake
sins of the heart and thought life also. Let the doctrine of hell keep you from the
practice of sin.
The doctrine of hell should help the godly to be patient
under all outward, temporary afflictions which come to them. No matter how great your
afflictions are in this world, they are far less than the torments of hell from which the
Lord has freed the godly. You may have to undergo lessor torments while on earth, but
remember they are only temporary and you have been freed from the greatest of all torments
so you may rejoice even in a time of affliction.
This doctrine is useful to motivate you to tell others of
the message of Christ. Eryl Davies wrote in his book The Wrath of God: "The eternity
of hell's sufferings should make us the more zealous and eager to tell people of the only
One who is able to rescue them. Do we shrink from declaring these solemn truths?
Does the thought of hell displease us? Remember that God will be glorified even through
the eternal sufferings of unbelievers in hell. His injured majesty will be
vindicated...What is supreme in the purpose of God in the election and reprobation
of men is His own glory, and hell also will glorify the justice, power, and wrath of God
throughout eternity. In the meantime it is our responsibility to pray and work for the
salvation of sinners before such awful punishment overtakes them."
I cannot leave without one final word to those who think
they are converted, but are not; and also, to those who know themselves to be unconverted.
Can you conceive of eternity? Stop now and try to imagine being tormented unceasingly,
forever, without end. Does this not terrify you? Never a chance for a moment's rest.
Never a drop of water to cool your parched throat. Think again of how long eternity is.
Try to imagine it: day and night, forever and ever, burned with fire like a spider in a
furnace of flames. Shrieking, howling, wailing, cursing the day you were born, and being
cursed by the devils and damned souls around you eternally.
Remembering,
forever remembering, how you were warned on earth and how you ignored those
warnings: self-satisfied and self deceived that all was well with your soul. Job's
wife told him to curse God and die. Unless you repent and flee to YAHUSHUA Messiah, who is
your only hope, you shall curse God eternally and be tormented by Him in His presence in
the awful fullness of His wrath, and you shall never die. You shall never die. You shall
never die! Eternity is forever!
1 Thomas Shepherd, The Works of Thomas Shepherd, Volume 1, (New York: AMS Press, 1967), p.
94.
2 Jonathan Edwards, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume 2, (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth,
1974) p. 87.
3 Ibid, p. 82.
4 Christopher Love, Hell's Terrors, (London: T. M., 1653), p. 19.
5 Jonathan Edwards, The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume 2, (Edinburgh:Banner of Truth,
1974) p. 884.
6 Ibid, p.80.
7 Ibid, p. 81.
8 Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The New Park Street Pulpit, Volume 1, (GrandRapids: Baker Book
House, 1990), p. 308.
9 Christopher Love, Hell's Terrors, (London: T. M., 1653), pp. 54-55.
10 John Gerstner, Heaven and Hell, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1991),p. 77.
11 Thomas Shepard, The Works of Thomas Shepard, Volume 1, (New York: AMSPress, 1967), p.
58.
12 A. W. Pink, Studies in the Scriptures, January 1932, p. 18.
13 Eyrl Davies, The Wrath of God, (Mid Glamorgan, Wales: Evangelical Pressof Wa
The Terrors of Hell is copyrighted 1992 by William C. Nichols.
Mail all questions and comments to
Apostle Elisabeth (Elisheva) Elijah
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