For Whom The Bell Tolls

Before we begin to look at some of the objections to hell. It is probably a good idea for us to have some understanding of what “hell” is. Let me emphasize once again that I do not hold to the Bible’s teaching about hell because it fills me with the warm fuzzies. My emotional comfort, my minds understanding is never the ultimate authority in the universe…and I don’t want to rock your world…but neither is yours. God is the absolute!

Today, we will look at one verse and mull it over…

Vs. 22 “The rich man also died and was buried…and being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes…”

Jesus’ teaching in this verse stands in stark opposition to much of what people in our culture like to think about concerning death! I have been to quite a few funerals in my life and what I have found out is that it doesn’t really matter what type of life you lived, or what you believed…because…at ‘your’ funeral…not only is some guy going to dress you to the nines, and put make-up on you to make you look your best, physically, but people are going to say all kinds of nice things about you…whether those things were really a part of you or not!

To tell you the honest truth…it really doesn’t matter what the minister and the rest of the people say about me on this side of death’s veil…if it doesn’t match the info that God has about me on the other side of it. In the end…all the nice words that people make up about me and you means nothing if we didn’t really love Jesus and trust our never dying souls in Him!

Our culture wants to sugar-coat death…everyone gets a “get out of jail free” card!

There is a saying that is popular in our culture, “All paths lead to God.”

To a certain extent this saying is true…when we die we will all stand before God in judgment…so all paths do lead to God the judge…but all paths do NOT lead to salvation!

Jesus tells us very clearly that NOT everyone is going to spend eternity in heaven…and the only other option is NOT non-existence…it is going to a place of suffering…or as Jesus said…torment!

What will be the nature of this suffering? The Bible speaks in language of “fire”!

Some Christian’s interpret the fire language to mean “literal” fire, while others believe that the language of fire is speaking in metaphoric language. In either case, both sides believe that the “fire” whether it is literal or symbolic for something else is going to be horrific…and will cause suffering.


If you have never seen Mel Gibson’s, “The Passion” you should rent it. And as you watch it, witnessing the brutal beating that Jesus suffered physically…remind yourself that the worst torment that Jesus suffered on the cross was not due to the physical torture of the nails that were pinning Him to the cross!

While on the cross, Jesus drank the full cup of God’s wrath…the wrath of hell was poured out on Jesus…because Jesus had voluntarily taken the place of everyone who would trust Him, and call Him Lord!

Those who reject Jesus will drink this cup themselves for all eternity! The fire of God’s judgment and wrath will pour upon their rebellion for endless ages!

God is holy and perfect and His nature must punish evil and wickedness wherever it is found!

The Bible tells us that God is a consuming fire!

But…the suffering of hell is not merely going to be external…as horrible as that will be in and of itself…hell will also be, in a sense, self-made.

Hell is also going to be a place where the suffering is within. For all eternity a person’s lusts, hungers and thirsts will ever increase and yet never be fulfilled!

In hell, a person will fully remember every gift they were given by God, they will see their lack of gratitude in full light, they will remember every opportunity that God gave them to turn from their sin and come to Jesus for mercy, and they will remember their hateful rejection of those opportunities!

One of the most horrifying realities of hell will be that there is absolute no hope, no end in sight, no end…period!

Christian writer, C.S Lewis said that on the day of Judgment there will be two types of people. Those who say to God, “Thy will be done!”, and those to whom God will say, “thy will be done.”

If you want to try and understand what hell will like, begin by looking at the God who made us and then start subtracting!

In my first couple years as a Christian I can remember a man telling us to look in the Bible to see what God’s attributes are…here is a beginning list from Galatians 5: 22-23, God is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Please note that the Bible doesn’t say that God merely has these characteristics…instead…He IS these things!

Next, this preacher encouraged us to go home and grab a Thesaurus…and find the antonym [opposite] of each of these attributes.

The people who tell God I want nothing to do with you…should really know what they are asking for…here are the opposites of God’s character.

Hell will be a place of undiluted hatred, turmoil, discontent, cruelty, wickedness, disloyalty, rage, and chaos.

Because God is absolutely perfect and holy, He cannot tolerate sin! Those who demand on clinging to their sin are telling God they do NOT want Him.

Now, finally, we will begin to look at some of the objections that people have against the Bible’s teaching on hell…next time.