WHO WILL GO TO HELL?
By George W. Sinquefield
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By George W. Sinquefield
John 3:36 (KJV)
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
We may not like to think about hell but hell is real and it is my responsibility to warn people. Jesus said more about hell than He said about heaven. It is sad but true that we today say far more about Heaven than we do hell. Hell is never preached from many pulpits. May the Holy Spirit reveal to us something of the awfulness of that place of torment and may He give us the love and conviction we need to warn the lost and win them to Jesus.
What kind of place does the Bible say hell is?
It is like a fire.
Revelation 20:15 (KJV)
It is a place of torment.
Luke 16:23 (KJV)
It is a devouring fire.
Isaiah 33:14 (KJV)
It is a furnace of fire.
Matthew 13:42 (KJV)
It is a place of everlasting destruction.
2 Peter 1:9 (KJV)
It is a place of outer darkness.
Matthew 25:30 (KJV)
It is a bottomless pit.
Revelation 20:1 (KJV)
It is a place of sorrows.
Psalm 18:5 (KJV)
It is a place of weeping.
Matthew 8:12 (KJV)
It is a place of no rest.
Revelation 14:11 (KJV)
It is a place of filthiness.
Revelation 22:11 (KJV)
It is a place where they curse God.
Revelation 16:9 (KJV)
It is a place where they cry for mercy.
Luke 16:24 (KJV)
It is a place where they pray.
Luke 16:27 (KJV)
It is a place of no repentance.
Matthew 12:32 (KJV)
It is a place of no exit.
Matthew 25:46 (KJV)
It is a place where inhabitants gnaw their tongues for pain.
Revelation 16:10 (KJV)
It is a place of everlasting darkness.
Jude 1:13 (KJV)
It is a place prepared for the devil and his angels.
Matthew 25:41 (KJV)
It is a place where they plead for one drop of water.
Luke 16:24 (KJV)
It is a place of fire and brimstone.
Revelation 14:10 (KJV)
It is a place of vile companionships.
Revelation 22:15 (KJV)
It is a place of wrath.
Revelation 14:10 (KJV)
It is a place where those already there do not want their loved ones to come.
Luke 16:28 (KJV)
There are those who say they don't believe that a God of love would send anyone to a place of suffering. The truth is that God doesn't send anyone to hell. Man goes to hell because he chooses to go. He will not repent of sin and trust Jesus which he must do if he is to escape hell.
Please allow me to share with you the words of a preacher of by gone years. He says it far better than I ever could. "I know that the breaking of the law of God drove man from the Garden, baptized the earth with the horror of the flood, turned Israel back from Canaan, and drenched the world in the blood of millions twice within my own short lifetime. Foolish indeed is the man who cannot understand this.
But here, of course, is where the great lovers come in. They wave it all aside, dismiss it every whit, sweep it entirely from the possible with a sweet wave of their hands, and tell us that "God is love" and that "God so loved the world" that He would not have any man perish. Surely a loving God could not be so harsh and terrible as to banish any creature whom He had made into a land of eternal suffering! the thought is monstrous! Such is their preachment.
Thus the mightiest heresy of this generation is born. The lifting of the love of God out of its setting, out of its proper relationship to the justice of God, the wrath of God, the vengeance of God, constitutes the deadliest deflection from God in His entirety that man has been capable of in any time. We make God soft, maudlin, sloppy. We drag from His throne of sovereignty the God of the ages and make Him suit our whims and adjust Himself to our viciousness. We are guilty of pillage, murder, rapine, and every conceivable vileness and charge them up to the big heartedness of God. God becomes a kind of eternal salve, an infinite sponge that absorbs human rebellion, a mighty father-heart into which humanity empties its sewage and offal.
Such is the insult flung by modern softness at the God who sits upon His throne high and lifted up. Such is the ultimatum of that liberalism that in its broadmindedness, born of the damned, has made the love of God to cover like a blanket all the filth and vileness of the human heart -- and this without any demand for a penitential tear or one broken word of contrition.
When you say that God's love will not permit of Hell, you are joining that motley multitude who would tear away the walls of every penal institution in the world and turn loose upon society every maniac killer and rapist because we must love our fellowman and espouse a universal brotherhood. The love of God is the most blessed truth of the ages, but thus we make it, by our distortion and perversion, an ally of rebellion against the law of God and a conspirator in the attempt to tear down the very plan and purpose of God within His universe.
Penalty is not cruel. Penalty is just. The sooner we realize that love is made possible by justice and that without a just God there can be no God of love, the sooner will we see clearly at this point. The love of God cannot overthrow the justice of God. God sits on a throne of judgment first. His love follows. That's why Jesus Christ must needs die on Calvary. Justice had already spoken. "Twas then the "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The trail of smoke above the altars of Israel simply meant that the judgment seat had spoken and the penalty had been pronounced. All men had "sinned, and come short of the glory of God." The verdict of eternal banishment was in the record. Then it was that love sent Christ. Then it was that provision for escape was made. Then it was that Jesus started on His way toward the dregs of the cup in the Garden and toward that hour of final agony on Golgotha."
The greatest verse in the Bible is John 3:16. It has been called, "the gospel in miniature." It tells us how much God loved this world of lost, hell-bound people like you and me, and it makes it very clear that God wants us to become His child and go to heaven. It explains how that can happen.
John 3:16 (KJV)
The glory of the gospel of Christ is that it lifts us from the lowest depths of sin to the highest heights of eternal redemption. The vast majority of the human race will go to hell. That is what Jesus said.
Matthew 7:13 through Matthew 7:14 (KJV)
The sad thing is that many who go to hell thought they would go to heaven.
Matthew 7:21 through Matthew 7:23 (KJV)
I. Now, according to the Bible, who will go to hell?
A Brooklyn traffic officer gave a ticket to Miss Margaret Greenburg and she said, "You can go to hell." The officer had her in court because of her language but the judge dismissed the case saying, "It wasn't a command or wish, but a pure statement of a fact, for going to hell is a possibility."
1. First of all, the devil and his angels will go to hell.
Matthew 25:41 (KJV)
2 Peter 2:4 (KJV)
Hell was created for the devil and his angels, but men have intruded on the devil. They have rejected Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as the Saviour of the world and as a result of it they are dying by the millions, filling up hell at such a rate that the Bible declares that God has had to enlarge hell.
2. Wicked nations go to hell.
Psalm 9:17 (KJV)
Think of the nation of Babylon. King Belshazzar entertained a thousand of his lords and ladies using the holy vessels which he had desecrated. In that long banquet room, in the city which he thought was so fortified, the walls were so thick that three chariots abreast could race around it. The river Euphrates flowing under the moats and down through the city. With his hanging gardens and his orchestra and his beautiful kingdom, old Belshazzar said that night, "Let us make merry. Bring in the vessels from the house of God and we will drink wine and whiskey, play the band and dance." That night God wrote in the plaster, "This night thy kingdom is finished. Thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting." Babylon went to hell. Go yonder where she once stood and see the rubble. The cats and hoot owls play in the moonlight because a kingdom went to hell.
3. Wicked cities go to hell.
Luke 10:15 (KJV)
Capernaum was a great city located at the north end of the Sea of Galilee where all kinds of traffic and business thrived. There is no city now only rocks and stones and foundation pieces scattered across the north end of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum went to hell just like Jesus said. I wonder if he doesn't look down upon some of our cities with all the ungodliness, rioting, murder, hatred, all kinds of wickedness in high and low places and say, "Those cities are on their way to hell."
4. All people who reject Jesus as Savior and Lord go to hell. The New Testament makes this very clear.
John 14:6 (KJV)
Acts 4:12 (KJV)
John 3:18 (KJV)
John 3:36 (KJV)
Revelation 21:8 (KJV)
God's Word says, "Believe and be saved." What does it mean to believe on Jesus? It doesn't mean simply to believe that Jesus was, that He was born of a virgin, that He lived a sinless life, that He did many good and wonderful things. that He died on the cross and went back to the Father in heaven. Just believing these things, which are indeed true, will never save anyone. The believe, from the New Testament viewpoint, is to trust Jesus, it is to accept Him into your heart and life.
A man is drowning and will soon die unless someone helps him. We throw him a life raft and he grabs it and puts himself on it. He trusts it to save him. Now one who is lost is sinking in sin and will die an eternal death unless someone comes to his aid. That is what God has done. He has given us the one who can and will save us if we'll trust Him. Yes, His name is Jesus.
II. Why do people go to hell.
We have already stated that people go to hell because they have not believed in Jesus. The Bible says the devil blinds and deceives people to keep them from coming to Jesus for salvation.
2 Corinthians 4:4 (KJV)
In what ways does the devil blind and deceive people"
1. He tells them that a loving God will not send them to hell. That is certainly true but he convinces them that they need have no fear, that they should not be overly concerned. Oh, how much God does love us? I feel like the one who wrote this song.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
9 And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.
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.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
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.
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
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;
17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
God's love moved Him to provide the way for man to be saved.
2. Many go to hell because they don't see themselves as lost. They feel they're not bad enough to go. It is easy for them to believe that a dope friend, or a murderer is on the road to hell but they reason that they're not in that class. They think in terms of sins )plural) and not in terms of sin (singular). Please look at these scriptures.
Romans 5:12 (KJV)
Romans 3:23 (KJV)
Romans 6:23 (KJV)
People are lost because by nature they are sinners. They do sinful things because it is natural. It is not the sinful things they do that sends them to hell. It is sin and Jesus came to save us from sin - not sins. Why is a rattlesnake poisonous? It is his nature to be such, and so it is with man. He is a sinner by nature.
I was preaching in a revival once and talked to a lady about becoming a Christian. In a very indifferent manner she said, "Yes, I know I should be saved and I will sometime. I'll do it when I make up my mind. I don't want to be pushed." I said to her, "How long would it take you to get treatment if the doctor told you that you had cancer? The problem is really the fact that you haven't accepted the truth that you are lost and on your way to hell."
3. Some go to hell because they wait for some special revelation from God.
The simple gospel is not enough for them. The fact that Jesus died, was buried, rose again and ascended to heaven and is now saving those who trust Him is not sufficient for them. The devil has led them to believe that they must have some unusual feeling, must talk in tongues, roll in floors, have visions and be overpowered by the Holy Spirit. These are lies of the devil.
I remember trying to win a man to Christ and he felt that when the time came for him to be saved, he would have these experiences. Nothing I could say had any affect on him. The devil had him right where he wanted him.
The rich man in hell begged for someone to go and warn his five brothers so that they would not come to where he was.
Luke 16:27 through Luke 16:28 (KJV)
Now notice what Abraham said to him.
Luke 16:29 through Luke 16:31 (KJV)
They had the Word of God - the Old Testament and that was all they'll ever have. If God's Word was not enough, one rising from the dead and witnessing to them would not be effective.
Now lost friend please listen to me. You have everything you need in order to be saved. You have the New Testament which makes very clear the gospel. You have people praying for you and the Holy Spirit to convince you of your sin and of your need of salvation. You have Jesus standing ready to save you and inviting you to come to Him. You have everything you'll ever have and I urge you not to reject that. The brothers of this rich man didn't need anything more than what they had and nothing more.
4. Many go to hell simply because they neglect getting right with God.
Many in hell expected to go to heaven. They wanted to go and intended to prepare but kept putting it off. One has said the "Neglect is the shortest way to hell." And we might add, "Neglect can be and often is the surest way to hell. God says, "Today is the day of salvation," and throughout His Word man is urged not to put it off.
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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.
Tomorrow I'll conquer the habits
That hold me from heaven away,
But ever his conscience repeated
One word, and one only, "Today."
Tomorrow, tomorrow,tomorrow--
Thus day after day it went on.
Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow,
"Til youth like a vision was gone.
'Til age in his passions had written
The message of fate on his brow.
And forth from the shadows came death
With a pitiless syllable -- Now.
What will ye do with Jesus?
The call comes loud and clear.
The solemn words are sounding
Now in your listening ears.
Immortal life's in the question.
And joy through eternity--
Then what will ye do with Jesus?
Oh what will your answer be?
5. Some go to hell because they are not willing to give up that which is in their way of being saved.
A man in New York said to a preacher, "If I become a Christian, I would have to give up my business." And that he didn't want to do. The preacher asked him, "It's a matter of giving up your business or giving up your soul, which shall it be.
We have an example of that in the Bible. A rich young man desired salvation but when he learned what it would cost him he went away sad.
Mark 10:17 through Mark 10:22 (KJV)
How sad but true that money and sinful pleasures will cause many to die without salvation and go to hell. Notice what Jesus said to His disciples.
Mark 10:23 (KJV)
Matthew 16:24 through Matthew 16:26 (KJV)
5. All who go to hell go because they did not repent.
Luke 13:3 (KJV)
To repent means to see sin for what it is, come to hate it and turn from it to the Lord. To repent means to turn around and go the other way. When one who is going the way of sin and he repents, he turns from sin and turns to God. The rich man wanted someone to warn his brothers so that they would repent. He was saying, "I am here because I did not repent."
Do you want to go to hell? A most devout preacher said, "Don't let anybody kid you. Even though I love the Lord, the thing that led me to receive Christ as my Savior was the fact that I didn't want to go to hell."
The story is told -- a true incident out of history -- of a man by the name of George Wilson, who worked on an express train some years ago.
One night there was a robbery. A twenty thousand dollar government payroll was stolen. This man told how some bandits overpowered him. tied him up in a chair, shot and killed his working partner, and made their getaway with the money.
The detectives, while questioning him, found a flaw in his story. Eventually, he broke under interigation, confessed he was the one who killed his partner, stole the payroll, and tied himself in the chair.
He was brought to trial, found guilty, convicted, condemned to the death penalty -- and was awaiting execution on death row in the state penitentiary.
Some of his friends went to the president of the United States -- Andrew Jackson -- and persuaded Mr. Jackson to grant their friend a pardon.
Rushing down to the prison, his friends, along with the warden, presented the pardon to their friend.
"Look, George, we have a pardon for you from the president of the United States."
"I don't want it," he replied.
George Wilson absolutely refused to accept the pardon. Nothing like this had ever occurred in jurisprudence. His case finally wound up in the Supreme Court. Chief Justice, John Marshall, wrote the majority decision of the court. It went something like this -- and I quote: "A pardon is a piece of paper, the value of which depends upon the acceptance of the one implicated. It is hardly to be supposed that one under the sentence of death would refuse a pardon. However, if it is refused, it is no longer a pardon -- it is merely a piece of paper. Therefore, George Wilson must die for his crime."
They took this man out into the prison yard and hung him by the neck until he was dead.
God offers you a pardon for your transgression and sin. However, it is not a pardon until you accept it. God offers it to you. But if you reject; there is nothing else He can do. You have the power of choice.
One has said that the one word that describes life after death is the word "hereafter." The "after" is most important and it is determined by what we do "here."
Will today be the time you decide for eternity?
John 3:16 (KJV)
17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. 26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
