Who Will Be In Hell?

Intro: Imagine you wake up in Hell

Some people do not believe in Hell. Some believe but are flippant. Some believe and candidly declare they would rather be there if there is someone they know who is there. It is probably true that none of us really understand it.

But what if you did wake up there?…there are others there. After you get over the initial horror you begin to look around and to take in the “scenery”. There are many, many people around you. Some of them look pretty seedy and obviously belong there, but there are others who seem to be just like you and you really don’t understand why you are there. So you begin to ask the question, “What are you in here for?”

What would you expect to hear for answers?

· I murdered my parents

· I led a life of crime

· I was sexually immoral

· I committed adultery

· I was greedy

· I was a liar

· I was homosexual

How about these answers?

· I got angry

· I was unloving

· I lusted after another man’s wife.

And These?

· I did not know God

· I did not obey the gospel

· I did not love the truth

How about just being unclean? Mark 7:21-23

Cf 1 Cor 6:9-11; Gal 5:19-21’ Rev 22:15

Without God’s forgiveness this is a pretty bleak picture

We must understand that sin is a universal problem – one size fits all sort of thing. No one will say I was a “Big sinner” or “I sinned a bit”.

We must understand that the cure is a universal fix. One size fits all. Just as any amount of sin is enough to put you in Hell, so also any amount of God’s forgiveness will keep you out.

There is a biblical formula that speaks of proportion of sin relating to forgiveness. It goes like this:

He who is forgiven much will love much

Lu 7:36-43

What about those who “love and practice falsehood”?

I don’t think the answer for why a person is in Hell should be, “because I sinned.”

I sinned too!!

Luke 16:19-31 Rich man and Lazarus. Was the rich man there because he was rich? Because he was rich and possible ignored Lazarus?

The answer on how to avoid being there is in v. 31Listen to Moses and the Prophets. The rich man would answer

“ I did not listen to Moses and the Prophets” That means he ignored scripture.

2 Thess. 1:3-10

Also 2 Thess 2:5-12

Those who do not believe the truth delight in wickedness. That means your family friends, etc. They will be in Hell.

Seems like a hard stretch between not believing the truth and delighting in wickedness, but how about those of us who love the truth cf Rom 1:32