Hell is a very complicated subject. Probably the basic and most common question that people ask is: “Why does hell exist?” or “Why would a loving God create a place like hell?” Honestly, I think the questions show some flaws of understanding. It shows we don't understand the holiness of God, and we don't understand the horror of sin. There are two basic biblical reasons why hell exists:
Hell exists for God to deal righteously with Satan.
Now a lot of people think that Satan is a ruler of hell. Their picture is if you die and you go to hell there's gonna be the devil there. He's got this tail and pitchfork and he’s saying: “Welcome to hell.” People think he's like the ruler of the kingdom of Hell, but that's not the case. Part of the reason hell exists is to punish him.“Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” Matthew 25:41 (NIV)
So, one of the reasons that hell exists is it's a place for God to deal righteously with our spiritual enemy, the prince of darkness.
Hell exists for God to deal righteously with unbelievers.
“He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might.” 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 (NIV).This is a pretty difficult scripture. But Jesus unpacked it a little further with the parable that He told in Luke 16.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.”Luke 16:19-21 (NIV).The first person is the story is a rich guy that was very, very rich. Who has the best of everything. The second character is a beggar named Lazarus. So, you have a rich guy and a poor beggar, and Lazarus was covered with sores. Now the rich guy maybe wasn't that bad of a guy he didn't have Lazarus arrested. He didn't have him kicked off the property. He was generous enough to let him have the filthy leftovers, but he obviously did not know Jesus because he wasn't living out the gospel. In fact, his god was obviously money and possessions.
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’” Luke 16:22-24 (NIV).Both the rich man and Lazarus die. The rich man ends up in hell and Lazarus ends up in Paradise or heaven. But the rich man was in hell. So the rich guy is in torment. And there's a big chasm that he can't cross and Lazarus is on the other side. He's doing great and the rich guy is utterly miserable. “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’”Luke 16:27-28 (NIV). Here the rich guy believed in hell. He was there. He didn’t want his brothers to be where he was.
LESSONS FROM THE OTHER SIDE:
If I were Satan, I would try to convince you that hell is not real or no big deal. If I could convince you then a couple things would happen. First, people around the world could easily reject Jesus with no fear of God at all. Which is what we see around us regularly.
And if I could convince you there is no hell then you wouldn’t share your faith. You wouldn’t share the love of Jesus, you wouldn’t make that a priority.
Charles Peace was a murderer who got convicted for his crimes in the 1800s in England. On the day he was scheduled to be hanged, he was visited by a chaplain. The chaplain talked to him about knowing Jesus and going to heaven, and about hell. Charles Peace was minutes away from execution. He says: Do you really believe that? The Chaplain was like: “Well, yeah I think so.” And he said: "You're telling me that there's a hell–it's real?” Peace said, “Sir, I do not share your faith, but if I did, if I believed what you say you believe, then even if England were covered with broken glass from coast to coast, I would crawl the length and the breath of it on hand and knee, and think the pain worthwhile just to save a single soul from the eternal hell of what you speak. If I believed in this place that you say you believe in, my life would reflect it.” The bottom line is: Either we believe what Jesus said about hell, or we don’t, but if we do, our lives should be dramatically different.
God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell.
“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) The Bible says God is not wishing anyone to perish, but that all should reach repentance. God loves the world so much and He gave His only Son, that whoever in the world believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life. He wants all to reach repentance. And so, just think about that with the people around you that you will interact with today. God doesn’t want any of them to perish. He wants all of them to reach repentance. Pray that God helps us all to see Him clearly.
