Setting Sail on a Quest(ion) about Heaven and Hell – Hell… What Is It? (Part II)
Sermon Title: Setting Sail on a Quest(ion) – What Is Hell?
Good News Statement: Jesus invites us to let go of what weighs us down
Preached: Sunday, June 8th, 2025 at Dogwood Prairie and Seed Chapel UMC
Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.
Scripture (NRSVUE): Matthew 25:41, 46; Revelation 14:9-11; Revelation 20:10 Heaven and Hell: two words that have captured the curiosity, imagination, and wonder of millions of people across several centuries. One of those words brings forth comfort and peace, an image of green pastures and still waters, and hope and eternal salvation. The other word subjugates fear, darkness, and a feeling of being at the lowest point. Today, we are given a choice. May the hearing and understanding of this scripture add a blessing to your life.
Matthew 25:41, 46
41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels… 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.
Revelation 14:9-11
9 Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, “Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the brand on their foreheads or on their hands, 10 they will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the brand of its name.”
Revelation 20:10
10 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”
The following Sermon Series will be drawn from the words of Biblical Scholar, Alan W. Gomes, who explores 40 Questions about Heaven and Hell in his book 40 Questions about Heaven and Hell.
Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018.
Introduction:
In the ethereal[1] expanse of the cosmos, there exists a realm beyond mortal comprehension: it’s known as heaven. It is not a place dictated by religious dogma or mythical tales but rather a destination for all souls after their mortal journey concludes. In this celestial sanctuary, souls find themselves liberated from the constraints of physical existence: those who were tired, weak, and carrying heavy burdens have found rest (Matthew 11:28). They are met with an abundance of peace, harmony, and boundless opportunities for growth and fulfillment. Yet, amidst this infinite splendor, a conflict simmers—one not of divine decree, but of existential choice. Among the myriad of souls that populate Heaven, there exists a divergence in belief regarding its nature. Some perceive Heaven as a utopia, a paradise where individual desires reign supreme, and personal satisfaction is paramount. Others, however, hold a different perspective. They believe that Heaven’s true essence lies in collective goodwill, in the shared bonds of love, empathy, and compassion. Is that really what Heaven is like?
For some, the opposite of this heavenly celestial sanctuary is Hell: the abode of the “unredeemed dead.”[2] In its archaic sense, the term Hell refers to the underworld, a deep pit or distant land of shadows where the dead are gathered. From the underworld come dreams, ghosts, and demons, and in its most terrible precincts sinners pay—some say eternally—the penalty for their crimes. The underworld is often imagined as a place of punishment rather than merely of darkness and decomposition because of the widespread belief that a moral universe requires judgment and retribution—crime must pay. More broadly, Hell figures in religious cosmologies as the opposite of heaven, “the nadir[3] of the cosmos,”[4] and the land where God is not. Hell itself is the preeminent symbol of evil, alienation, and despair. Is that really what Hell is like?
Heaven and Hell: two words that have captured the curiosity, imagination, and wonder of millions of people across several centuries. One of those words brings forth comfort and peace, an image of green pastures and still waters, hope and renewal, grace and eternal salvation, empathy and compassion. The other word subjugates fear, worry, devastation, darkness, despair, and a feeling of being at the lowest point—walking in the shadows of the valley of death. These two words have caught the attention of both religious and non-religious persons throughout the ages: asking what is heaven like and what is hell like? Even those who have chosen to believe in the words of Jesus Christ wonder about heaven and hell: asking what do I need to do to be in heaven and what do I need to do to avoid hell? Heaven and Hell are two words that certainly have caught the attention of millions of people.
For the next few weeks, with the help of Alan W. Gomes, a professor of theology at Talbot School of Theology, we will be taking time to examine both Heaven and Hell from a biblical perspective. In his book, 40 Questions about Heaven and Hell, Gomes asks questions such as: “What should we conclude about those who claim to have seen heaven or hell?, What will the resurrected body be like?, What is hell like?, What is heaven like?, and How can a God of love send people to an eternal hell?” Most of us are familiar with the concepts of Heaven and Hell, but yet we still have questions. The time has come to examine a few of those questions as we explore the celestial sanctuary and dive into the abode of the unredeemed.
Body:
Have many of you have heard the phrase “Spill the beans”? Do you know what that means? It means to give away a secret. How about the phrase “Take a rain check”? It means to postpone a plan. How about the phrase “Take it with a grain of salt”? It means don’t take it too seriously. How about the phrase “The ball is in your court”? It means it’s your decision. Or how about “It’s raining cats and dogs”? It means that it is raining unusually or unbelievably hard. (This phrase actually comes from the Greek expression cata doxa, which means “contrary to experience or belief.”) Now, what do these phrases have in common? They are all idioms. An idiom is a type of phrase or expression that has a meaning that can’t be deciphered by defining the individual words. Appropriately, the word “idiom” is derived from the ancient Greek word “idioma,” which means “peculiar phraseology.”
Here’s a few more examples: “caught between a rock and a hard place,” “come up against a brick wall,” “don’t have a leg to stand on,” “on a razor’s edge,” “out of the frying pan into the fire,” and “caught in a pickle.” Maybe you have heard these next examples before: “going to hell in a hand basket”—meaning to become completely ruined, or “going to hell in a handcart”—meaning to become much worse very quickly, or “hotter than hell” or “hotter than blazes”—meaning that something is extremely hot, or how about the phrase “to hell and back”—meaning to live through an extremely unpleasant, difficult, or painful experience.
I’m sure you have heard, if not all, some of these idioms before and maybe you have used them from time to time in your life depending on the circumstance and situation that you were in. The idiom that I want us to think about today is the last idiom that I shared with you: “to hell and back.” This peculiar phraseology fits with the questions we will be focusing on during this message, which were proposed by Alan W. Gomes in his book 40 Questions about Heaven and Hell. The three questions are 1) What is Hell like?, 2) Are the Fires of Hell Literal?, and 3) How long does Hell last? Then after answering these questions, we will apply these questions to our own life with hopes of realizing that even if we have ever found ourselves, metaphorically, in hell that we have the chance to return to Christ.
Movement One: What Is Hell Like?
For starters, “What is Hell?” Last week, I shared with you some definitions and Biblical understandings or concepts of Hell. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “The Old English hel belongs to a family of Germanic words meaning ‘to cover’ or ‘to conceal.’”[5] This notion of concealment ties in with its common definition, which the Oxford English Dictionary gives as “the dwelling place of the dead; the abode of departed spirits; the infernal regions regarded as a place of existence after death; the underworld; the grave; Hades.”[6] Gomes goes so far as to state that hell is the place of the “wicked.” In the Bible, “hell” is often associated with words such as sheol, grave, hades, gehenna, the Lake of Fire, and tartarus.
First, hell is called “sheol.” “Sheol” is a Hebrew word used in a variety of passages to describe the fate of the dead, or at least the fate of some of the dead. In the Bible, specifically in the Old Testament, sheol is associated with “the grave,” “the spirit world,” or “realm of the dead.” In Psalm 88, sheol is translated as “going down to the pit” (Psalm 88:3-5), which he further describes as lying in the “grave.”
Second, Hell is sometimes referred to as “Hades.” We find the Greek word hades both in the New Testament and in the Septuagint (LXX). Though the word itself “is taken over from Greek mythology, in which Hades was the god of the lower regions,” the New Testament connects its use with the meaning of the Old Testament sheol. And like sheol, hades carries the same meaning: the grave or a place of punishment for the wicked that are possibly consumed in agonizing flames.
Third, the New Testament also relates Hell to “gehenna” and “the Lake of Fire.” The word “gehenna” appears twelve times in the New Testament: eleven times in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and once in the epistle of James. In the Gospels, Jesus is always the one who speaks of it. The word comes into Greek from the Aramaic gehinnam, which in turn derives from the Hebrew gehinnom, meaning the “Valley of Hinnom.” Gomes observes that this despicable place was known by Jews as a Tophet meaning “abomination, desolation,” a garbage dump which was consumed by continual fires.[7] Consequently, it is equivalent to “the lake of fire” mentioned in Revelation 19 and 20: a lake of fire and sulfur, “where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
The last word we find in the New Testament to describe hell is “tartarus.” In 2 Peter 2:4 we find a form of tartaroo, which means, “to cast into Tartarus” or “to cast into Hell.” Gomes asserts, “Certain Jewish works…draw upon this word and use it to designate a place of punishment and/or detention for a certain class of wicked angels.”[8] These specific wicked angels have been committed “to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until judgment.”[9] Thus, it appears that for these particular angels, Tartarus is their place of confinement, where they await their future punishment in gehenna, and “being held there, God limits their ability to wreak havoc on earth.”[10]
Hell: whether sheol, the grave, hades, gehenna, the Lake of Fire, or Tartarus, is a place of punishment for the wicked and is often associated with fear, fire, worry, devastation, darkness, despair, destruction, judgment, lack of hope, and a feeling of being at the lowest point—walking in the shadows of the valley of death experiencing eternal punishment. This leads us to the question “What is Hell Like?”
Matthew 25:41 and 46 tell us, “Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You, who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels…. And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.” First, observe that the wicked share the same fate as the Devil and his demonic hosts: eternal punishment by fire. Second, this text tells us that God created hell specifically for the Devil: “depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil.” Third, God also specifically tells us that it’s those at His left hand who will receive eternal punishment. Ironically, the term “left” in Latin, laevus, means “sinister” in English. So, the sinister—the wicked—will be burn, but never consumed, by eternal fire in a place prepared for the devil while the righteous will be given eternal life in heaven. The sinister will suffer and experience pain.
Furthermore, Jesus describes the final state of the wicked in these verses as one of everlasting punishment. Luke 23:30-31 and Revelation 9:6 talk about the wicked experiencing the intense “wrath of God,”[11] begging in vain to have the mountains fall on them so as to put them out of their misery, to not experience everlasting punishment; they would clearly prefer unconsciousness to their continuing torment. Some would rather endure continual immense pain and suffering on earth rather than experiencing the punishment, the “wrath of God,” for eternity in Hell. What is Hell like? Eternal fire, punishment, sinister, the “wrath of God.”
This leads us to our next set of scripture. Revelation 14:9-11 asserts, “Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, ‘Those who worship the beast and its image and receive the brand on their foreheads or on their hands, they will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the brand of its name.’” Then in Revelation 20:10 we hear these words, “And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
These texts describe the nature of the punishment as “torment.” The words used in these verses are forms of the Greek word basanizo. As Thayer states, basanizo means “to vex with grievous pains (of body and mind), to torment.”[12] Likewise, Arndt and Gingrich say that basanizo means “to torture, torment,” and may apply to either physical or mental pain or distress.[13] The New Testament, on a few occasions, uses the word torment to describe the situation. For example, the centurion’s sick servant is grievously tormented by his illness (Matthew 8:6). Revelation 12:2 uses the word torment to describe the pains of childbirth. Second Peter 2:8 describes righteous Lot as tormented in his soul by the Sodomites’ wicked deeds. Luke 16:23 and 28 uses “torments” to describe the rich mans’ suffering in Hades. Torment—in Hindi meaning pain, suffering, misery, agony, affliction, and excruciating pain—is what the wicked will experience day and night, forever and ever, with no rest while they are in Hell.
So what is Hell like? Hell is more than a Lake of Fire, more than garbage being continually burned, more than darkness, more than destruction, more than being beneath everything, and more than a pit of despair and devastation. Hell is eternal punishment, eternal torment, eternal torture, eternal suffering, eternal restlessness, and eternal burning but never being consumed always living with perpetual pain and sin. If you have ever experienced or been to Death Valley in Eastern California—a place that is 282 feet below sea level, extremely arid and dry, and often reaching temperatures in the summer up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit—then you might have received a very small glimpse of what Hell might be like: lifeless. This leads us to our next question: Are the Fires of Hell Literal?
Movement Two: Are the Fires of Hell Literal?
Popular depictions of hell—whether mocking and humorous, as in Gary Larson’s cartoons, or devout and serious, as in lurid images of the fifteenth century artist Hieronymus Bosch—portray its victims being roasted alive. The more fanciful portrayals throw in for good measure boiling cauldrons and demons prodding their victims with pitchforks. Whether humorous, series, or fanciful, when you look up pictures of Hell, more than likely you will see pictures, images, and photos depicting some sort of “fire scene.” But are the fires of Hell to be taken literally? (Show pictures on PowerPoint…)
The Bible describes hell as a place of fire. So, Gomes asks the question, “Then why not simply take the Bible on its face and let it speak for itself?”[14] For example, the case of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 shows that we are to understand the fire literally: “The rich man in Hades asked father Abraham to cool his tongue with water because, ‘I am in agony in this fire’” (Luke 16:24). Thirst would be a natural reaction to fire, and the desire to cool his tongue would be in keeping with this description. As a matter of fact, some of the greatest Christian luminaries throughout the history of the early church have taken the literal position. For example, St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Jonathon Edwards, and Charles Spurgeon, had and have consistently argued that part of the torment found in Hell comes from the literal fires that generate burning, pain, suffering, and immense heat. Therefore, according to some, literal fire and flames describes Hell and Hell is described by literal fire.
On the other end of the spectrum, some have argued that the fires in Hell are figurative. For instance, if the flames of hell refer to literal, material fire, then they can only literally burn a corporeal, physical object. The problem, though, is that the Bible also applies the description of “fire” to disembodied human beings, spirits (and in some instances “fire” is used to talk about judgment). Consider the case of demons. Demons, being fallen angels, have no physical bodies. Hebrews tells us that they are “pure spirit” (Hebrews 1:13-14). Luke 11:24 notes, “When a corrupting spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil” (Message Bible). Therefore, how can something literal burn something that is described as a spirit, who needs a host to live and which is disembodied? The Bible describes the agony of fire affecting beings that simply cannot be touched by physical fire, granting that they themselves are not physical.
Some scholars have even gone as far as to say that the fires of Hell are figurative because they give off light and Hell is dark. For example, the Bible describes a certain class of disobedient angels as “kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment of the great day” (Jude 6). Furthermore, Matthew 22:13 extols, “Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Later on in the New Testament, Peter wrote, “These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm; for them the deepest darkness has been reserved” (2 Peter 2:17). If a place described as “the deepest darkness” is illuminated by the light of fire, then how can it be as dark as it is described to be?
The debate over which the fires of Hell are either literal or figurative will never be extinguished. However, we must not let this argument take us away from what the fires represent. John Calvin notes, “Let us lay aside speculations, by which foolish men weary themselves to no purpose, and satisfy ourselves with believing , that these forms of speech denote, in a manner suited to our feeble capacity, a dreadful torment, which no man can now comprehend, and no language can express.”[15] The fire represents torment and suffering. This suffering will be the cause of one rejecting God and His goodness toward them. Whether literal or figurative, the wicked will burn forever but never be consumed.
Movement Three: How Long Does Hell Last?
Repeatedly, the Bible tells us that the wicked will burn not just for forever but for eternity: the wicked will undergo eternal punishment. However, what does this mean? How long does Hell last?
The question of Hell’s duration is not difficult to answer, as the Scriptures are clear on this point. The short answer is: the sufferings of Hell are without end; they are in that sense “eternal.” For example, Daniel 12:2 declares, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” The Hebrew word translated “everlasting” is olam. The word olam carries as its primary and literal meaning, “eternity; unlimited duration.” Furthermore, in Isaiah 66:24 we read, “And they shall go out and look at the dead bodies of the people who have rebelled against me, for their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” Jesus clearly employs this verse from Isaiah as a metaphor of the sufferings of Hell as being unquenchable.
In the New Testament, Mark 9:47-48 answers this question: “And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies and the fire is never quenched.” Robert Reymond observes of these verses, “Because maggots, the larvae of flies, normally feed upon a corpse’s flesh and are finally done with it whereas here the unrepentant sinner’s “maggot” is said never to die and Gehenna’s fire is said to be unquenchable. [Therefore,] the unrepentant sinner’s final state is that of ‘a state of continuous punishment.’”[16]
Returning to our Scripture passages for today from Matthew and Revelation, we also find an answer to our question. Matthew 25: 41 and 46 mentioned “eternal fire” and “eternal punishment.” The Greek adjective translated “eternal” in these verses is aionion. This adjective carries the sense of “perpetual, never-ending, eternal, everlasting, without end.” In Revelation 14:9-11, we hear these words, “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever….” And in Revelation 20:10, John asserts, “…and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” The above verses tell us that the torments of Hell are without end; and they will happen both day and night, night and day.
So, how long does Hell last? Hell lasts for eternity: it is forever, it is endless, it is eternal, it is everlasting, it is perpetual, it is continual, it is an unlimited duration (olam) of time (if time even exists in Hell), it is without end (aionion), it lasts days and nights. Those in Hell will be continually exposed to the fires of agony but will never be consumed, constantly living in their own sins, being separated from God and God’s goodness toward them. This brings us back to where we began this message.
Movement Four: “To Hell and Back…”
We began this message by thinking about the word “idiom” and I provided you with a few examples of some popular idioms that you may have heard during your lifetime. The idiom that I would like you to really contemplate today is “to hell and back.” Again, this idiom means “to live through an extremely unpleasant, difficult, or painful experience.”
Remember, Hell is often described as a wicked place for wicked people, consumed in agonizing flames of fire, cloaked in darkness and devastation, dread and despair, hopelessness and perpetual punishment, that is without end. Hell is separation from God. According to David, it could be the “valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23). Hell is the place we seek to avoid in our life. However, there have been moments—circumstances and situations—that may have caused us to feel as if we were in Hell, as if the fruit of the flesh—impurity, idolatry, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, and envy (Galatians 5:19-20)—consumed our heart, like a blazing flame consumes what it burns.
The “Hell” that you might have found yourself in could have been related to possibly of having a bad day, when no heard you or saw, when you felt broken. You might have found yourself in the pit because you lost someone you didn’t want lose—the pain and suffering you endured and the questions you asked and the complaints against God pushed away from God. You might of experienced setback after setback after setback and felt as if there was no way of moving: forward, you kept taking two steps back and only one step forward. You might have encountered a situation in your life when it was easier to give into temptation than to face it head on or to give up and throw in the towel.
You might have found yourself alone wondering if anyone was out there to help you, to see you, or even to hear you. You might be struggling right now with a storm that is constantly consuming you and wearing you down, making you feel as if you don’t have the strength to keep moving forward. You might have found yourself in a situation where judgment and ridicule guided your speech. You might have found yourself saying “repentance can wait.” You might have been placed in a situation that challenged you and instead of leaning into your faith you shied away into the shadows. You might have done something or heard something or gone through something that put you at your lowest point—the nadir of life—struggling to breath, struggling to see tomorrow, struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel, struggling to see the joy that comes in the morning, struggling to have hope, or struggling to put the pieces together.
I’m sure, because of stress, worry, anxiety, doubt, and pain, you have found yourself reciting the words to Simon and Garfunkel’s 1964 hit song The Sound of Silence, “Hello darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again.” In that darkness you possibly saw “people talking without speaking, people hearing without listening, [and] people writing songs that voices never shared.” In that darkness, your cup was viewed as have empty instead of being half full; made your well was dry. There may have been a light at the end of tunnel, but it was so faint that it didn’t seem real: the idea of being in a tunnel was more real than the light. In that darkness, you might have felt as if you were being consumed by the chaos, suffering, and uncertainty of the day. It was a lot easier to say “Hello darkness, my old friend” than to say “I can get through this” or “help, I need somebody, help.”
I’m sure, you all have experienced something in your life that has caused you to feel has if Hell was nearby, as if God was far away from you. If you haven’t, then I bet you know someone who could tell you what it was like. Hell is a real place and a real feeling. And it is so real that it finds us and pulls us in from time to time. However, there is hope to the idiom “to hell and back.”
You may have been to Hell, you may have experienced Hell in some way—pain, torment, darkness, and suffering—but God wasn’t done with you yet. He brought you back: He brought you back “to life.” He extended an invite to return to Him and you accepted. He left the ninety-nine sheep because He didn’t want to give up on you. He turned your life upside-down, leaving beyond valuable coins, to find you who are more worthy and valuable than any coin in His possession. He celebrated your return after you left pursuing a different path. He brought you back because He saw something in you that you didn’t see in yourself. He brought you back because He gets you: He understands you, He hears you, He sees you, He feels your presence, He knows your prayers, He searches your heart, and He has forgiven you of your sins.
God has brought you back because that darkness is not your friend. He brought you back because He has a plan for you that is going to change your life, that is going to save you, that is going to rescue you, that is going to set you free from your sins, that is going to heal your wounds, that is going to wipe away your tears, that is going to remind you that those lost are always with you, that you will be found, that the pain in your life is no match for His love, and that the storm you are in right now will clear and the other side of the lake will become visible.
How do I know He will bring you back? Isaiah 4:10 states, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” And Isaiah 40:31 shares, “But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” And Psalm 23 reminds us, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The Lord is the business of restoring, of forgiving, of renewing, of bringing back to Him what has been lost.
You might feel like you’re in your own prison, trapped by circumstances, weighed down by fear, or held back by spiritual chains, lost in Hell, but don’t underestimate what God can do. He is the God of earthquakes, the God that breaks chains, and He still sets people free. God is with you! Have you allowed him to bring you back?
All this can be said for the church as well. At some point, possibly several moments in our church’s history, we doubted or even questioned its future: Will our doors stay open, where are the people, what are we not doing but should be doing, will our lights turn off, and so forth. As a church, we may have found ourselves in the dark. However, God has brought us back! We are still here: the heart of the church is still beating, the church is being redeemed, the church is being revived because the light is shining brightly within us. God is not done with us yet! He is bringing us back to life because He knows that what we are doing people need to experience. We may have been to hell, but I am praying that we are allowing God to bring us back to life.
Conclusion:
Sometimes, being in the dark seems like the easiest option. But that is not the option God has for you. As followers, we must not let the darkness consume us. We must take time to be holy, to seek repentance, to ask for forgiveness, to offering forgiveness, to worship our Lord and Savior, to make time for him in our life through church sponsored events, gatherings, ministries, reading scripture, praying, and worshiping, preparing today for tomorrow, building God’s kingdom here on earth, finding ways to discover, deepen, and deploy our faith, and to do what we can to make our heart right with God. We must do what we can today to avoid the everlasting fires of Hell before it is too late. Hell is separation from God. And I can’t speak for you, but I promise to do what I can today and every day to limit the space between God and myself because I have been to hell and I am beyond thankful that I was brought back.
Hell is either figurative or literal flames of fire that don’t consume but perpetually burns as punishment for the wicked. It lasts for eternity and is everlasting. And it doesn’t have room for you because God has already claimed you! What do you need to do today to remove yourself from the “fires” and come back to God? Who would have ever thought that a simple idiom could be used to set one’s heart right with God?
Let it be so…
Closing Prayer:
Let us Pray… Dear God, save us from the darkness; rescue us from the consuming fires; and bring us out of the valley of death. O God, brings us back to you, search our heart, remove our sins, and put us on the path that leads to you. In your name we pray, Amen.
Benediction:
Hell: a devastating, dark, gloomy, and hopeless place that is no match for God’s glory. Let God bring you back from the darkness and as He does that for you, invite someone else to join you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth making choices that lead toward a heavenly tomorrow. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.
[1] Ethereal: extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world.
[2] Carol Zaleski, “Hell,” Britannica Online, updated 16 May 2025 and accessed 28 May 2025: https://www.britannica.com/topic/hell/Greece-and-Rome
[3] Nadir: the lowest point in the fortunes of a person or organization
[4] Carol Zaleski, “Hell,” Britannica Online, updated 16 May 2025 and accessed 28 May 2025: https://www.britannica.com/topic/hell/Greece-and-Rome
[5] Carol Zaleski, “Hell,” Britannica Online, updated 16 May 2025 and accessed 28 May 2025: https://www.britannica.com/topic/hell/Greece-and-Rome
[6] “hell: noun & interjection,” https://www.oed.com/dictionary/hell_n?tl=true
[7] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 75. It has been noted that Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, hung himself in a place called the “Field of Blood” or Akeldama located in the Valley of Hinnom.
[8] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 76.
[9] Ibid., pg. 76.
[10] Ibid., pg. 76-77.
[11] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 277.
[12] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 278.
[13] Ibid., page. 278.
[14] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 282.
[15] John Calvin, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, translated by William Pringle, 3 Volumes, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker, 1971, Volume 1, pg. 201. Quoted in 40 Questions about Heaven and Hell by Alan W. Gomes (2018), pg. 285.
[16] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 291.