HELL
Its Origin, Purpose, Nature
Inhabitants and Duration
Elder Oscar B. Mink
(Luke 16:19-31 KJV) 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]
In this Scripture the Holy Spirit gives us a graphic account of two men, who lived and died on this earth, and of their eternal and separate destinies. These two men are in a great sense representative men, depicting the et
WHY A HELL? Why a hell? All governments of the earth have prisons for the transgressors of their laws, and the voice of decency in universal concert cries out, saying, "This is as it should be." Then I ask, shall not God have His? Sin did no
In spite of the incessant rage of the cults against the Bible doctrine of hell, thousands upon thousands of people are every day learning of the reality of hell by dropping off of the precipice of time "into the fire that n
Dan. 12:2 "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." THE TEXT IS NOT A PARABLE Modernistic theologians teach that Luke 16:19-31 is a parable, but they err not knowing the truth. Christ is in this Scripture quoting the actual history of two individuals, one a rich man who held to the pagan philosophy:
Parables, similes, metaphors, and allegories are used in Scripture to set forth truth which is literally stated somewhere else in the Bible. They are used to free truth of confusion, and to enhance understanding. Parables a
In their effort to detour around the truth of a literal hell, the cults (the term "cult" is in this booklet used in a derogatory sense), and the modernists have made allegory their favorite vehicle, but due to its ill use t
I am caused to wonder how they who try to force upon Luke 16:19-31, the ill fitting cloak of parableism, get around the earth shaking demonstration of God's wrath against sin by sending a flood upon the earth, which
THE NEED FOR PREACHING OF THE Isa. 30:9-10
John 5:28-29 "Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming, in the which all that are the graves shall hear His voice, and come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done ev
Death and resurrection does not change the spiritual character of man. The Lord says of man's post resurrection state, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteou
DOCTRINE OF HELL, IS CRITICAL
THE ORIGIN OF HELL
Of Christ. we read, "All things were made by Him: and without Him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:2). No existence antedates Jesus Christ. Paul says: "All things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is bef
"All things were created by Him," including not only heaven and earth, but hell also. "By Him all things consist," and not merely exist or subsist, but "consist". Not only is all of creation dependent upon God for its order
There is no such thing or place as "A Devil's hell." Hell is God's hell, and His sovereignty over hell is as absolute as it is over heaven. The first person God had disfavourably in mind when He created hell was the devil.
The Bible does not tell us when hell was created. Some scholars believe it was created before the entrance of sin into the angelic family, others believe hell was created at the time of the angelic insurrection against God,
THE PURPOSE OF HELL While there is much about the purposes of God which defies human scrutiny, God has on the other hand been pleased to lift the cloud of inscrutableness, and reveal a goodly measure of His eternal mind to His saints. There are some
1. All of God's purposes shall stand. "The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass: and as I have purposed, so shall it stand" (Isa. 14:24). THE NATURE OF HELL Christ spoke far more about hell than He did heaven, and now let us note some of the things which the Bible says about that awful place. Christ said, "... It is better for thee to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than havin
Gehenna or the Valley of Hinnom which is near the city of Jerusalem was a place where they cast the dead bodies of malefactors or criminals. The putrid flesh of the dead bodies gendered a deluge of worms, necessitating a pe
In the eternal Gehenna the worms are spread under the residents of hell, and worms cover their already tormented bodies (Isa. 14:9 & 11). Ugly, slimy worms crawling in and out of the mouth, nose, eyes, ear
The condemned man sitting in death row of the state prison waiting to be electrocuted would not enjoy a lecture on the nature and function of the electric chair, and neither does the condemned sinner appreciate a message on
"The hell of the Bible is horrible beyond description. It is a lake of BURNING, BUBBLING, BRIMSTONE, environed with a dense darkness, rising in black embankments, instinct with Divine wrath. As far as the eye can see,
Let us further consult the Scriptures, and see what they say about the nature of hell. HELL IS: THE INHABITANTS OF HELL Acts 17:30 "God ... now commandeth all men everywhere to repent." And the Lord Jesus Christ said two times in quick succession, "I tell you, nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3 &<
People do not get disturbed when they are told the devil and his angels are going to burn in hell, nor are they concerned upon learning that the false prophet and the antichrist are going to be cast into eternal hell, neith
Under the biblical heading of "THE UNBELIEVING" are people from all walks and stations of life, and all who die in unbelief, be they rich or poor, shall stand before the God of the Bible at the last day and be made aware of
The religionists who pay only lip service to the word of God will hear the heart rending verdict, "Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Fathe
The Pastor who failed to tell his people the truth concerning hell and their inability to avoid its fiery gates, will stand before the white throne judgment, along with his poor deluded congregation. O' they will pleadingly
Some people, ignorant of God's holy character and fixed opposition to sin, have said, "Men go to hell, but it is not God Who sends them there, man puts himself in hell." There is an element of truth in this statement, but t
In the Scripture just cited (Mt. 7:22) we see man doing his best to stay out of hell, but all to no avail, and God consigns them to hell; saying, "Depart from Me ye that work iniquity" (Mt. 7:23). "... Man put
While hell shall be filled with those who are as despicable as dung, as loathsome as lizards, as gruesome as Goliath, as hateful as Herod, and as spiteful as Satan, there will not be one infidel or atheist in hell, for they
Hell will be devoid of love, even natural affection will be alien in that place of endless sorrow and grief. There will be sons and daughters who will point their burning and puss dripping fingers into the face of their gri
In hell there will never be one smiling face, nor the laughter of little children, neither shall there be any singing, nay, not even the satanically inspired songs of fleshly lust and lewdness shall ever be sung. There will
Instead of kindness or concern hell will be a place of the accrued hatred of all the ages. intense bitterness shall prevail in every quarter, and the guilt ridden souls shall incessantly cry out, "O wretched man that I am.
THE DURATION OF HELL One of the first questions the cultist will ask his unsuspecting prospect is. "Does eternal mean everlasting, or does everlasting mean eternal?" Obviously, a foolish question, but nevertheless a favorite with the cults. The culti
Two so-called Jehovah witnesses were saying it could not be proven from the Hebrew scriptures that the soul of man is eternal. The sagacious pastor to whom they were talking, said, wait a minute, stepped into his office, an
The Greek word "aionios" translated "eternal" or "everlasting" in the King James Version is used to denote that which is eternal in its nature. Aionios is used seventy one times in the KJV, and is set in contrast with "pros
Aionios or eternal is used to denote the being or glory of God. (Mt. 6:13; John 8:35; Rom. 1:25, 9:5, 16:27; Gal. 1:5; II Tim. 2:10; Heb. 1:8, 5:6; I Pet. 4:11, 5:11; I John 2:17; Rev. 1:8, etc.) EXHORTING THE EARTHLY The contemporary believer is not going to hell, and as yet he is not in heaven. Thus it is the believer's responsibility to warn, not only rich men and their brethren of their broad way travel to the gates of eternal destruction,
Let me exhort those who as yet have no interest in the privileges which belong to the children of heaven. I pray the God of all grace that He may enable you to earnestly consider your carnal security, and cause you to see t
O' rebel, you are a stranger to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. You manifest in every way that in your present state you are an heir of hell. This is your natural heritage, and if you
When you die you will leave your earthly substance to another, but the righteous judgment of God has fastened hard upon you, and will follow you into the next world. Divine justice is weary of you, and cries out for the ete
Your responsibility is, a denunciation of this present world and its vain glory, owning your helplessness to save yourself from hell, that hell has a rightful hold on you, and that if the merits of Christ's shed blood does
"The wicked shall be turned into hell ..." (Psa. 9:17). A person does not have to be Judas Iscariot to be wicked, all that one need do in order to be wicked, is to be born into this world (Psa. 51:5). By natur
But the sounds of mercy are not fully hushed, even in this dark and late hour the joyful sound of the gospel is with impassioned tone still going forth in our benighted land, and some repentingly hear it and turn from their
Genuine repentance invariably brings remorse to the heart because of sin against Him Who was made sin for the believer, but God given repentance calls for more than remorse or sorrow for sin. Every convicted criminal fears
Pharaoh defied the Lord, and was caused to see the darkest and longest night this world has ever known (Ex. 10:21,22). But Egypt's sightless night, as bitter as it was, can in no way compare with that absolute and et
If the death angel who visited Egypt in that dreadful and destructive night, wherein the firstborn in every Egyptian household died, would visit hell; His presence would be met with relentless applause. All the occupants of
Christ is both light and life, in Him is neither darkness nor death, and He has said: "He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). Man's native love for darkness ra
CONCLUSION No doubt the modernists who reads this booklet will call the author an "alarmist," and charge him with trying to scare people into the church. The appellation "alarmist" in this case is not utterly fallacious, for we are living i
As to the charge of "trying to scare people into the church," I deny it. for it is badly flawed. In truth it is God and only God Who adds to the church (Acts 2:47). When God adds to the church there is a genuine "inc
The cultist with his preconceived notions on the subject, may with great reluctance glance over these pages (although I doubt it), but he knows in advance what his conclusions shall be. His insatiable prejudices have precluded any favor
Whatever the thoughts of the readers may be, I am confident there will be at least a few among them, who knowing the grace of God, and considering themselves brands "plucked from the fire." will say: "God can if He pleases
2. The Lord's every purpose shall be executed. "... For every purpose of the Lord shall be performed ..." (Jer. 51:29).He "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will" (Eph. 1:11). 3. God's purposes are eternal. "According to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph. 3:11).
God is determined to glorify Himself, and it is this end which all of God's purposes have in view. God never acts except to glorify Himself, and God being the author of all creation, the inextricable, and only honest conclu
Rev. 4:11 "Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour, and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created". God does not save people merely to keep them out of hell,
The modernist preacher presents God as a sentimental indulgent father who pats his rebellious children on the head and says, "There, there, I know you didn't mean it." But God is not the Father of all mankind. He is the Cre
In reading the narrative (Lk. 16:19-31) concerning the rich man and Lazarus, there cannot be found the first element of regret manifested by Abraham in his reply to the rich man. The rich man "Cried and said, F
The Lord says to Christ hating and gospel rejecting men, "I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upo
God does not owe man the first warning, but out of His general mercy God has filled the Scriptures with warning after warning, saying, "Why will ye die?" "Flee the wrath to come." "It is appointed unto men once to die, but
It is true that hell is for the purpose of punishing the lost who die in their sins. Christendom so-called with its sickly sentimentality, and its malformed concept of God may ignore sin by giving it another name, but God c
God will not indefinitely suffer His Divine perfection to be impugned by puny man. God's love does not invalidate His law, and man needs to learn that God is holy, just, and righteous, as well as longsuffering, kind a
A lake of fire - Rev. 20:15
A bottomless pit - Rev. 20:1 & 3
A devouring fire - Isa. 33:14
A horrible tempest - Psa. 11:6
A place of bitter sorrow - Psa. 18:5
A place where all wail - Matt. 13:42
A place of weeping - Matt. 8:12
A place of torment - Lk. 16:23
A place of filth - Rev. 22: 10
A place of cursing - Rev. 16:11
A place of outer darkness - Matt. 25:30
A place destitute of mercy - Lk. 16:24
A place where tongues are gnawed - Rev. 16:10
A place where the devil will be - Matt. 25:41
A place where the fallen angels will be - Matt. 25:41
A place where abominable men will be - Rev. 21:8
A place where there is no repentance - Rev. 16:9
A place of gnashing of teeth - Matt. 24:51
A place where the residents do not want their relatives to come - Lk. 16:28
But the dehydrated bodies of the victims of hell must go eternally parched and dry-mouthed, for hell has not nor shall ever have the first drop of water.
It is a place the terribleness of which is humanly incomprehensible, and a place to be shunned at the cost of all things which this life has to offer. The Saviour asks, "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the
Aionios or eternal is used to denote the believer's life in Christ. (Mt. 19:16, 25:46; Mk. 10:17 & 30; Lk. 10:25; John 3:15,16 & 36, 6:27,10:28; Acts 13:46 & 48; Rom. 2:7, 5:2 1; Gal. 6:8; I Tim. 1:16; Titus 1:2; I John 1
Aionios or eternal is used to denote the duration of the punishment of those who die in their sins. Jude 7 "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication,
Greek scholars agree, with little to no exception, that the words "aion" and "aionios" refer to duration, and unless specified, they always mean endless duration. When Christ says to those on His left hand, "... Depart
A heavenly eternity is not long enough to give God all the praise and honor due Him, neither is hell too long in duration for the occupants thereof to suffer more than due recompense for their sins. The man, woman, boy or g
While no man on earth can know the date hell was actually created by God, neither shall any man in heaven, earth, or hell ever know the day of its cessation, for the simple reason; THE FIRE OF HELL IS UNQUENCHABLE, and shal
In that great hymn, Amazing Grace, John Newton says to the weary pilgrim, "When we've been there (heaven) ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun." To