I have read people argue that the common belief of hell being an actual, physical place of eternal torment and punishment just isn’t real. That after a person dies their soul just goes…nowhere. Or even if it does, and as they say “if hell is real” then it is just a place of separation from Heaven, not a place where a soul is sent to be punished with torment and suffering. Hell is rather a “metaphorical place” according to them, and not a place of pain and agony.
Well just read this passage of Scripture that Jesus spoke.
Luke 16:19-25 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
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.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Does this sound like a “metaphor” to you? If you burn your hand on a hot stove, is that pain that streaks through your nerves a “made up” feeling? I would think we could all agree otherwise when you reach for an ice pack to cool down your hand to reduce the pain. In this parable, the rich man was in “torment.” The definition for torment is “severe physical and mental suffering,” and when he asked to have the beggar Lazarus to come and cool his tongue we can clearly see that the rich man was definitely under “severe physical pain.”
Hell is a very, very real place, with a very real punishment. Yes, it is a place that will separate the evil and disobedient from the presence of God, but according to the words that Jesus spoke, it is also a place that will be filled with pain and suffering as a result of unrepented sins.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
This is a verse that people argue about, because they say, “See, the result of sin is death, not eternal torment. Death is a place where there is nothing afterwards, not a place where you can continue to be punished.”
This is a separation from the life that is found only in God the Father and Jesus Christ. Because without Jesus, we have no life. He is the Life, and to be separated from Him is death. Likewise along with that separation, punishment will come upon those who have refused to obey the teachings of the Lord, and that punishment is in the fires of hell.
If you decide that you are not going to obey your parents as a child, what happens? You are punished. You may receive a spanking, a “time out”, removal of privileges along with other things. But it is certainly not “nothing”. It is an unpleasant punishment that is the complete opposite of what you would have gotten if you had been obedient.
People have time right now to decide to obey and follow Christ, but for those who make the decision to not, punishment in hell will be the only result. But that is their choice.
Matthew 13:47-50 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Hell is a very real place, reserved for the disobedient. It is a place of wailing and pain, separate from God and the eternal bliss of Heaven. It is not a “metaphor.”
In Christ
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 