I want to begin with one of my favorite parables written by Henri Nouwen. Henri Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic priest and author. In his book entitled “Our Greatest Gift,” he tells this parable of faith and hope. He imagines twins– a brother and a sister–talking to each other in their mother’s womb…

Do you know what happens when we die? Throughout human history, this has been one of the most frequently asked questions. Here are some proposed answers…

Today I will be speaking about Hell first, and next Sunday, I will discuss Heaven… Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants generally agree that “Hell is a place or a state in which the souls of the unsaved suffer the consequences of sin.” Let me read to you what our denomination as The Presbyterian Church in Canada believes on this topic. According to A Catechism for Today, Question 99 asks, “Is there a hell?” The answer is “Just as the Bible gives many images of union with God, it gives a number of images of separation from God. Among these are Hades, Sheol, and Gehenna, While heaven describes life in the presence of God, these describe the life [that] rejects God and stands under God’s fearful judgment. Hell is… a state of separation from God…”

Do you know there were the three main topics Jesus preached during His ministry? They are the Kingdom of Heaven, Hell, and money and material possessions. Jesus taught about hell more than all other Biblical authors combined…

In our text for today, Jesus believed in a literal hell and shared a story known as “The Rich Man and Lazarus.” When a beggar named Lazarus died, the angels carried him to “Abraham’s side,” which represents Heaven. On the other hand, the rich man died and went to hell, referred to as Hades in Greek…

This story emphasizes that our eternal destines are determined at the moment of death. Once in heaven or hell, there is no crossing over from Heaven to Hell or vice versa…

My goal today is not to frighten you. If you do not believe in hell, it is unlikely that anything I say will change your perspective/view. My only purpose is to share what the Lord has revealed on this topic through the Bible. How you respond to this truth is a personal matter between you and God. I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide each of us in understanding this subject and its implications for our eternal destines. This morning let us reflect on what this story teaches us about hell and some thought-provoking questions.

Firstly, is hell real? Hell is the subject of the story of the rich man and Lazarus. I am aware that there is a debate among Bible scholars regarding this passage. Some argue that this story is a parable, which is an illustrative fictional narrative. In the New Testament, Jesus shared a total of 38 parables, all beginning with phrases like “There was a certain man or woman. There was a certain farmer or king.” However, in this particular parable, Jesus specifically identifies two characters by their names, Lazarus and Abraham. It is the only parable where Jesus uses real names. Consequently, it can be interpreted as Jesus providing a genuine account of life after death…

2 Corinthians 5:10 states that we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ after our death. Each person will receive what they deserve based on the good or evil they have done in this earthly life. Revelation 20:15 declares, “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” This signifies the second death, which serves as the final destination for those whose names are not recorded in the Book of Life. They are cast into the lake of fire.

Let us take a moment to reflect on the image of a lake of fire. How would it appear? It is depicted as being filled with fire and burning smoke, emitting such intense heat that no one can come near it. The roar of the fire never stops and the smoke ascends eternally… I believe this scripture verse is among the most terrible in the Bible, leading us the second question.

Is the lake of fire literal or symbolic? In the Bible, Hell is described using various terms such as eternal punishment, outer darkness, unquenchable fire, burning sulphur, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, a place of torment, and a prison. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a renowned London pastor of the late 19th century, supported a very literal interpretation of fire in hell… Conversely, liberal theologians argue that those descriptions are symbolic in nature. They propose that the descriptions represent deep realities rather than literal physical manifestations.

When asked whether the fire of hell is real or symbolic, the answer can be both. I believe that the lake of fire is a real concept, while also having symbolic implications. It can be understood as a non-consuming fire that burns in total darkness. In order to explain this, I would like to share two illustrations.

The first illustration is from Dr. Maurice Rawlings, MD, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Chattanooga…

The second illustration comes from Robert Charles Sproul, a prominent American Presbyterian minister… I am sure that the reality of hell is far worse than what human words can describe.

Now, what is the application of this story? There is an urgent message. We need to avoid hell at all costs. Jesus states in Mark 9:47-48: “And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” His point is not to literally start cutting off limbs, but rather to emphasizes the importance of doing whatever we must do to avoid Hell…

“In 1871 an American named Heinrich Schliemann began excavating an ancient city in Turkey. To the amazement of many, this retired businessman discovered the fabled lost city of Troy… We live in a day of compromise. The Trojan horse symbolizes our compromising hearts within an unhealthy moral and spiritual environment. Some of the things in our society and culture can dwell in our hearts and slowly rot within us. These actions may even be happening within our churches today. We may claim to believe, but our hearts are not aligned with our words. Having the right relationship is one of the most important aspects of our faith journey. Our relationship with the Lord is known only to Him. Take a moment to reflect on this divine connection between the two parties…

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus encouraged His audience to make a sacred decision in their daily lives, as it carries eternal consequences: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” There is no middle ground or compromise between life and death. We are called to enter the narrow gate by repenting of all our sins…

Since the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, He preached the message of repentance, proclaiming, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near.” The consequence for not repenting is to face God’s condemnation. Therefore, it is essential that we examine ourselves daily and repent of every sin. When we do so, we can be free from eternal condemnation in Hell and receive the gift of eternal life in Heaven…

Friends, we have learned valuable lessons about one of the eternal destinations: Hell. This morning, our loving God calls upon each one of us to come to Him as we are. He invites us to sincerely and humbly seek His forgiveness and mercy because we have all sinned against Him and people around us, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Let us boldly cry out to God, asking Him to save us from the torment of hell… This transformation leads us on the path to heaven, for Jesus Christ willingly bore the weight of hell on the cross for us. We have done nothing to earn God’s love and grace, except through our belief in Him and our repentance. What wonderful news we have received! So, let us reflect on our own lives and consider our destination. Are we headed for heaven or hell? The choice is ours…

*In this sermon I have incorporated ideas and materials from various sources that are based on the text Luke 16:19-31.