Hell...Is It Real or Just A Myth?

Jesus endured Hell when he bore the sins of the entire world when he was crucified and God turned his back on him. Matthew 27:46 - "Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama, sabachthani? that is to say, MY GOD, MY GOD WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?"

Why was Hell created? "the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Matthew 25:41 Lucifer was the first sinner and he, along with a third of the angels, were cast out of heaven.

Do Satan and his angels currently reside in the lake of fire? Surprisingly, the answer is no. Most people have this image of Satan as a little red devil with a pitchfork tormenting souls in hell. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible tells us that Satan has access to the throne of God.

JOB 1:6&7 "One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the Lord, "From roaming through the Earth and going back and forth in it."

Satan not only has access to the throne of God, he also roams the earth. Scripture refers to Satan as "The god of this age (world)" 2 Corinthians 4:4 In Galatians 1:4 Paul calls our age "evil".

What is Satan doing right now? For those who will not go to the eternal place of torment (having their sins washed away by the shed blood of Jesus Christ) Satan stands before God and accuses them day and night. See Revelation 12:10

For those who have rejected Jesus as Lord and Savior, Satan prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8

Is Hell a real place or just something used by bible thumping preachers to scare people into attending church? In fact, many of today's preachers are instructed to not preach about hell because the people don't believe in it. This is contrary to what the Bible teaches.

The Bible has a lot to say about this place. The word hell is translated from the Hebrew word in the Old Testament "Sheol" which means "the place of the dead". In the New Testament the word is "Hades". The Greek word "Gehenna" is also used. "Gehenna" is translated to mean "a place of retribution for evil deeds." "Sheol" & "Hades" is a holding place for departed spirits, not the grave as some would have you believe. The Hebrew word for grave is "queber". "Gehenna" is the Lake of Fire which is the final dwelling place of all sinners including fallen angels. This brings up two questions: 1. Who is a sinner? 2. Why should sinners end up in hell?

Who is a sinner? ROMANS 3:23 states: "for ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God."We all know President Clinton is a sinner. However, the Bible teaches that even the Pope of the Roman Catholic church is a sinner. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."

Why should sinners go to hell? 1 Cor. 15:50 "flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdom of God". John 5:5 "Jesus answered ,'I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.'" In a nutshell, sin cannot enter into heaven so something has to change with the sinner.

What is sin? Any thought, word, action, ommission , or desire contrary to the law of God.

What is Hell? Spiritually speaking, it is separation from God.

No one has to be separated from God. Jesus laid down His life on the cross so that we might be reunited with God. But we have to put our trust in Jesus. If we don't, we have no hope of getting to heaven. Ultimately, whether you spend eternity united with God or forever separated from God is up to you. Where are you headed?