Things Hell Will Never Have
Introduction
Everything in our physical world possesses certain qualities that make it what it essentially is. For instance, water is made up of two molecules of hydrogen and one molecule of oxygen. Any other mixture, and you won't have water. You'll have something totally different.
In a very real sense, we recognize things in our physical world not only by the characteristics they possess, but also by those they do not possess. You're not likely to ever see a horse with antlers growing out of its head, or a deer with a trunk hanging from its face. Neither of those appendages are characteristic of those particular animals.
Today as we deal with the topic of Hell, I want to talk about some of the things that will not be there. By doing so, we will also get a vivid idea of its characteristics. I can assure you, if you are normal, you won't like the mental pictures this information will conjure up before your mind's eye.
You may be wondering why I would preach a message like this. It is my hope that if there is anyone here today without Christ, that they will determine to give their heart to Jesus before it's eternally too late. For those who are saved, I pray that you will get such a vivid picture of Hell today that you will determine to keep as many people out of it as possible.
I want to make it very clear today that this preacher does not view what the Bible has to say about Hell as simply metaphorical or allegorical. I believe that the Hell the Bible speaks of is a literal place, filled with literal people, enduring literal and unbearable pain. I believe our worst nightmare would not come close to the horrors of Hell.
One might ask, "Why would a loving God create such an awful place?" Folks, I believe that God wanted to make Hell so horrible, so hot, that all who seriously considered it would be repulsed by it. Hell was not created with man in mind. It was created for Satan and his angels according to Matthew 25: 41. However, the Bible teaches that all who reject Christ will wind up there as well.
Today I want us to look at some things that Hell will never have. Let's see what God's Word has to say about hell.
I. No Light
Matthew 8: 12a, "But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness..."
Matthew 22: 13a, "Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness..."
2 Peter 2: 17, "These (false teachers) are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever."
Jude 12-13, "These (false teachers) are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; 13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever."
Note: Can you imagine never seeing the light again? When lost souls have suffered the darkness of Hell for a thousand years, they will still be tormented by the memories of the warm glow of the sunlight that once caressed their faces. But the light of day they will never see again. However, what could be a more fitting punishment for those who "loved darkness rather light" (John 3: 19)?
I am told that one who is forced to remain in total darkness for an extended period of time becomes very agitated and irritable.
There are some other reasons why there will be no light in Hell: The Light of the world will not be there (John 8: 12).
The light of the Gospel won't be there, for every heart has already been darkened. 2 Corinthians 4:4b says, "...the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ...should shine unto them."
II. No Liquid
Luke 16: 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."
Note: To the consternation and torment of the doomed, the only cool liquid in Hell will be that which remains in their memories. One can only imagine the torment of a dry, parched throat, and swollen tongue that begs for one drink of water; and yet can never experience relief.
Water Problem
Driving up from Beersheba, a combined force of British, Australians and New Zealanders were pressing on the rear of the Turkish retreat over arid desert. The attack outdistanced its water carrying camel train. Water bottles were empty. The sun blazed pitilessly out of a sky where the vultures wheeled expectantly.
"Our heads ached," writes Gilbert, "and our eyes became bloodshot and dim in the blinding glare...Our tongues began to swell...Our lips turned a purplish black and burst."
Those who dropped out of the column were never seen again, but the desperate force battled on to Sheria. There were wells at Sheria, and had they been unable to take the place by nightfall, thousands were doomed to die of thirst.
"We fought that day," writes Gilbert, "as men fight for their lives...We entered Sheria station on the heels of the retreating Turks. The first objects which met our view were the great stone cisterns full of cold, clear, drinking water. In the still night air the sound of water running into the tanks could be distinctly heard, maddening in its nearness; yet not a man murmured when orders were given for the battalions to fall in, two deep, facing the cisterns.
He then describes the stern priorities: the wounded, those on guard duty, then company by company. It took four hours before the last man had his drink of water, and in all that time they had been standing twenty feet from a low stone wall on the other side of which were thousands of gallons of water. From an account of the British liberation of Palestine by Major V. Gilbert in The Last Crusade, quoted in Christ's Call To Discipleship, J. M. Boice, Moody, 1986, p.143.
III. No Laughter
Luke 16: 23a, "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments... Luke 16: 24b, "...I am tormented in this flame."
Matthew 8: 12b, "...there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Matthew 13: 42, "And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Matthew 22: 13b, "...there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Revelation 14: 11a, "And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever..." Note: Proverbs 17: 22a says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." Let me illustrate:
In "The Anatomy of an Illness: As Perceived by the Patient," Norman Cousins tells of being hospitalized with a rare, crippling disease. When he was diagnosed as incurable, Cousins checked out of the hospital. Aware of the harmful effects that negative emotions can have on the body, Cousins reasoned the reverse was true. So he borrowed a movie projector and prescribed his own treatment, consisting of Marx Brothers films and old "Candid Camera" reruns. It didn't take long for him to discover that 10 minutes of laughter provided two hours of pain-free sleep. Amazingly, his debilitating disease was eventually reversed. After the account of his victory appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, Cousins received more than 3000 letters from appreciative physicians throughout the world. "Today in the Word," December 18, 1991.
The smile of pleasure or enjoyment will never be seen in Hell. The laughter of little children, or the chuckle of adults will never be heard in Hell, for all laughter will be replaced by languishing.
III. No Liberty
Those Who Receive Christ Will Be Free Forever.
John 8: 36, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." Those Who Reject Christ Will Be Fettered Forever.
2 Thessalonians 1: 8-9, "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: [9] Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;"
Rev.20: 10, "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever."
Note: The pain will be forever. The darkness will be forever. The thirst will be forever. The languishing and torment will be forever.
Folks, there will be no exit signs in Hell. There will be no escape. Once a person arrives in Hell, it is forever.
IV. No One Who Isn't Lost
A. The Saint Will Never Perish.
John 6: 47, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life."
John 10: 28, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."
B. The Sinner Will Not Escape Punishment.
Luke 13: 3b, "...except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
John 3: 36b, "...he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." Rev.20: 15, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Theme: In Hell, there will be:
No Light No Liquid
No Laughter No Liberty
No One Who Isn't Lost