DON’T WAIT (UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE)

TO HELL AND BACK

(OR NOT)

For those of us who are movie buffs, one of the movies that we truly love is the movie entitled “To Hell and Back” based upon the true-life story of Audie Murphy. Mr. Murphy was the most decorated soldier of World War II. He enlisted when he was too young and everyone said that he was too small to make a soldier. If you have ever seen the movie or read about his exploits, you know that he had one attribute that overshadowed every shortcoming that he might have had – he had incredible courage. The movie, which you should see if you haven’t seen it, actually stars Mr. Murphy playing himself. He received this opportunity to star in a major film and go to Hollywood after returning to the United States after the war. The title of the film is based upon the supposition that war is hell and that Audie Murphy had been to hell and back during World War II.
Many people use “hell” as a descriptive metaphor in their daily conversation. Like the film about Audie Murphy, some people use the word to describe life’s experiences. In fact, I have been told that I have been through “hell” with my struggles about my physical condition. Other people may use the word to describe how they feel about what they have been through. If you grew up in the 50’s and 60’s and attended church, you were probably exposed to a style of preaching called “hellfire and brimstone.” This type of preaching tried to get people to repent of their sins by making the realities of hell very real for the parishioner.
However, the reality is that Audie Murphy didn’t go to hell and certainly didn’t come back. Also, despite how difficult my life has been and continues to be, I have not been through hell and I am not going through it currently. No matter how difficult your life may be, you are not going through it either. There is one reality though and that is there is a hell and people will go there.
If you take the time to study the subject, you will find that there are those who believe that hell does not exist at all and there are others who believe that God will not send anyone to hell if it exists. These people attempt to rationalize Biblical doctrine according to human terms and desires and as a result, they do not want to deal with the reality of hell. Who can blame them? After all, wouldn’t it be easier to think of an afterlife that is devoid of pain or consequence for one’s actions? What amazes me is that some of the very people who want to convince us that hell does not exist do want to profess the belief in a heaven, i.e. a paradise that will be the place where the “good” reside after death.
Looking at it from just a logical viewpoint, I surmise that hell must exist. The Bible states that hell exists and that it was created as a place of punishment for Satan and his minions who rebelled against God. If the Bible is the Word of God and God is the perfect being responsible for all of creation (acting through Jesus Christ according to John 1:1), then the Bible must be true because a perfect God would not speak untruth. If a perfect God cannot speak an untruth or lies, then hell must exist.
Jesus said that hell was real. Jesus spoke about hell more often that He spoke about heaven. And if Jesus, as the perfect Son of Man, said that it is real, then it must be. If you are going to discard Jesus’ teachings about hell, then you must also discard His teachings about everything else. You cannot simply pick and choose what you wish to believe in the Bible and what you do not wish to believe. Now, you do have the option of not believing anything that is contained within the Bible thereby dismissing it as the work of man and not the divinely inspired work of God but if you do, then, in my opinion, you really don’t have anything to base a personal belief system on.
Getting back to the idea that hell must exist according to the Bible, we want to see what is said, how it is described and how we envision hell. The reason that this is important and it is a reason that we too often ignore in today’s world is that you are going to go to one of two places when you die. You are either going to go to heaven (in which case you have no worries) or you are going to go to hell (in which case you cannot even imagine the worries).
Jesus taught a higher standard than the standard that was taught before He arrived. The Old Testament of the Bible is based primarily upon the law and the observation of that law. When Jesus came, He said that He came in fulfillment of the law. That ushered in the age of grace. With the age of grace, a person could ensure that heaven was going to be their final destination by, according to Jesus, believing in Him as the Son of the Father. The downside was that there was now a higher standard, if you will, than the one previously taught.
In the beginning of Matthew 5, Jesus taught about the beatitudes or who was blessed and for what reasons. However, further down in the text, the teaching took a different turn.

Matthew 5:21-30

** New International Version

King James Version

21 "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. 23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. 25 "Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

27 "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. 27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut if off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

You will note that Jesus used the word “hell’ three times in this particular passage emphasizing that one could be in danger of going to hell because of one’s actions.
The classic parable concerning hell and its description is the parable about the rich man and Lazarus. This is the Bible passage that many people turn to when they want to try to envision what hell must be like. While it also gives us a picture of paradise, Jesus used it to illustrate the reality of hell.

Luke 16:19-31

** New International Version

King James Version

19 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 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.'

25 "But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

27 "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' 29 "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' 30 "'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' 31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

While there is some debate about whether the place where the rich man went to after death was actually hell or whether it was a place of torment with hell to follow, we can use this passage to show that there is a place of terrible consequence for the deserving after death. Other verses in the Bible indicate that hell will come later, after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In any event, if this is not hell and simply a place of torment where the deserving reside until hell is opened, we can surmise that hell is worse that what we read here.
What do we see from these verses about this place of torment? First, it is just that - a place of torment. The rich man was begging for relief by crying out to Father Abraham. I do not understand why the rich man was crying out to Father Abraham instead of crying out to God except that Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation and the example of Godly faithfulness; therefore, the rich man, as a person of the Jewish faith, was crying out to the one that all Jews recognized as their father.
Second, it was hot and there was no water. The rich man asked that Lazarus be sent to simply dip his finger in water to cool the rich man’s tongue. It is interesting that the rich man, although clearly in torment and seeing Lazarus comforted in paradise, still looked upon Lazarus as one lower than him and as one who should then serve him. Whatever the case, this place is apparently terribly hot and uncomfortable where something as commonplace as water does not exist for easing anyone’s pain or discomfort.
Third, the heat comes from the presence of flame or fire. This is the source of the torment. The rich man is complaining about the presence of the fire and he is clearly tormented by it.
Fourth, there is no respite from the torment. The pain and discomfort are unrelenting. It never ceases.
Fifth, there is a great expanse between paradise (or Abraham’s bosom) and this place of torment. It is put there so that no one can cross it.
Sixth, once you enter into the place of torment, you cannot get out. The rich man could not get out of the place of torment to cross over and Lazarus could not cross the great expanse to get to the rich man. Abraham explained that it was put there for a reason: That reason was to create separation between heaven and hell. That separation is also separation from God.
Seventh, those in torment can see those who are in paradise. This ability for those who are in torment to see those who reside in paradise makes it much worse. Just the idea that those who are being tormented can actually see what they missed out on is truly disturbing. Those who are being tormented in the flame, eternally separated from God, can see those who are living in paradise.
Eighth, apparently those who are living in paradise cannot see and are not aware of those who are being tormented. This only makes sense as it would give no one pleasure to see anyone tormented for all eternity.
During the history of mankind, we have seen and experienced terrible things. Wars and torture are just a few of the things that come to mind. These things are man-created and it is certainly true that man is his own worst enemy. We have spent much of our existence devising methods to kill, maim and torture each other for a variety of reasons.
What we have done to each other for the sake of power, greed and national self-interest throughout the ages is staggering. Whether it be the conquest of the ancient world by Rome and the human destruction that took place, the commencement of World Wars I and II, the holocaust, genocide that is still going on today, or the never-ending war in the Middle East that has as its focus the destruction of the State of Israel, we never seem to get our fill of death and destruction. The Twentieth Century was the bloodiest century in the history of this planet; so much for the advance of civilization which saw the rise of Hitler, Pol Pot, Stalin, Chairman Mao and Idi Amin.
There have also been natural calamities that have taken an untold number of lives and have left many people suffering without hope. Whether it is drought, volcanic activity, earthquakes, famine or pestilence, the end result is human suffering.
I once had the opportunity to view an exhibit of the aftermath of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius which covered ancient Pompeii. In that exhibit were human beings who had been encased in volcanic ash, preserved for eternity. The thought that these people saw the eruption and the descent of the ash that covered and destroyed their civilization is almost unfathomable. They saw their own destruction and there was nothing they could do about it. Likewise, in our own recent history, we saw the effect of the eruption of Mount St. Helens on our own continent. With it we saw lives destroyed and an entire ecosystem set back for decades. People in the American northwest experienced the effect of the falling volcanic ash and what it could do.
Additionally, we saw an earthquake in Southeast Asia that triggered a tsunami; that tsunami destroyed thousands and thousands of lives along with the areas in which these people resided. The continuing effect of that disaster has still not been realized as families attempt to piece their lives back together even today.
Each of these calamities, whether natural or man-made, was terrible. The loss of human life is virtually incalculable. However, it isn’t hell.
No matter how we describe it, so many of the tragedies of life are not hell. This includes things like Columbine and the Manson family killings. Hell is most probably beyond our human comprehension. No matter how terrible we might envision it, we still probably fall short. Therefore, those terrible pictures of the holocaust, the torture chambers of Saddam Hussein, the beheadings carried out in the name of Islam are still not hell.
There are those who profess to have had a vision or to have even experienced hell for the purpose of sharing with the world. While I do not know whether to believe them or not, these people describe an existence that is devoid of even the most basic human comforts and that is filled with horrible imagery. They write of an arid landscape, dark and foreboding, that is filled with flame but no light. There are putrid, nauseating fumes that make every breath an effort. There is separation from others so that even conversation is impossible except that they also portray the existence of terrible creatures whose only purpose is to torture you. Flesh is torn from your body and the heat makes you want to die but you can’t. Contrary to what others may have said, there are no parties and no one is interested in anyone else. It is an existence separated from God and from the things that God treasures such as love. It is also an existence that never, ever ends.

2 Peter 2:4-13

** New International Version

King James Version

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8(for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)- 9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. 12 But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. 13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done.

4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: 10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. 11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. 12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; 13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time.

So, should a person become a Christian just to avoid the fires of hell? Yes, if that is what it takes. Christianity is much more than just fire insurance but if the thought of hell is what it takes to make someone realize that there is an eternal consequence for the life that they have led, then so be it. One thing is for sure – if you go to hell, and you will if you do not seek salvation through Jesus Christ and repent of your sins, there won’t be any coming back. It is real; it is very real. Deal with it.

** A modern language quote is provided for readability together with the accompanying KJV version which is believed by many to be a more accurate representation of the original scripture.

Comments or questions may be directed to the author at jrhett58@yahoo.com.