Hell is a real place

[Revmitchell]

Was speaking with a LGBTQ individual today and I warned him of the fires of Hell but he said he enjoys warm weather. People these days think of Hell as a joke and I get this often when I open air but Hell is no joke. Sadly many christians do not take it seriously and few warn about it in their evangelism, and sermons. We need the good old fashioned Fire & Brimstone preachers to return!

Maybe his response was not so much a commentary on his actual view of hell as it was his actual view of your preaching.

 

[Yeshua1]

Was speaking with a LGBTQ individual today and I warned him of the fires of Hell but he said he enjoys warm weather. People these days think of Hell as a joke and I get this often when I open air but Hell is no joke. Sadly many christians do not take it seriously and few warn about it in their evangelism, and sermons. We need the good old fashioned Fire & Brimstone preachers to return!

Would think that repeating what Jesus stated on it would be sobering, as to me, the worst aspect will be an ternity without any presence of God, like we would have forever to be tormented by being stuck in our own sins...

 

[Yeshua1]

And also for repentance of sin BEFORE conversion, and not the modern day heresy that says that to repent means only to change one's mind on Jesus Christ, and after you are saved you can say you are sorry for your sins! What utter rubbish!

To repent does not mean to see all my sins as being sinful, nor to promise to clean my act up, but it is to change mind that I can save myself by doing better, doing good works!

 

[Yeshua1]

The cure for the problem is not to quit preaching on Hell, but to have compassion when we do so. John R. Rice used to make the point that any man who could preach on Hell without weeping was backslidden.
Actually, you can and should. The Bible says in Jude v. 23: "And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh."

My wife was saved at age 20 when she heard a message on Hell by a visiting evangelist in her church. She wept the whole sermon, then went forward and got saved.

One of my mentors, Dr. Monroe Parker, used to preach a very scholarly sermon on Hell, through which many were saved. The difference between him and other evangelists who preached on Hell? Dr. Parker was filled with the Spirit when he did so.

Such preaching never tickled my ears. It should be preached to the church with the goal of getting them out to rescue souls.
Again, what is necessary is (1) compassion, and (2) the fullness of the Spirit, neither of which I see in the author of the OP. (And yes, I've confronted him on these to no avail, so I finally gave up on him

Think it was said of either Spurgeon or Moody that they were qualified to preach on hell, as they spoke on it with teras in their eyes!

 

[AndyMartin]

To repent does not mean to see all my sins as being sinful, nor to promise to clean my act up, but it is to change mind that I can save myself by doing better, doing good works!

Repentance is godly sorrow for one's sins before a Holy God, by heartfully admitting them to the Lord in contrition, and asking His mercy and forgiveness, which is required before a sinner can be saved.

 

[Judith]

Hell is a literal place, where the unsaved will suffer eternal punishment. However, these is no way of saying from the teaching in the Bible, that the terms like "fire" are literal, or metaphorical. Again I say that this is the saddest doctrine in the whole Bible.

What is sad is for anyone to deny what is written as literal when there is absolutely no reason to think it is not except the lack of faith.

 

[TCassidy]

“When you speak of heaven, let your face light up with a heavenly gleam. Let your eyes shine with reflected glory. And when you speak of hell–well, then your usual face will do.” Charles Spurgeon.

 

[DavidP]

Was speaking with a LGBTQ individual today and I warned him of the fires of Hell but he said he enjoys warm weather. People these days think of Hell as a joke and I get this often when I open air but Hell is no joke. Sadly many christians do not take it seriously and few warn about it in their evangelism, and sermons. We need the good old fashioned Fire & Brimstone preachers to return!

A few years ago a man that I have admired for many years was speaking on this subject and he said that in his ministry he does not use the word "hell" but instead just tells people they will be separated from God or that they will not be able to live with God forever. I thought much about that and the danger of failing to warn people of the judgment to come. Jude used the phrase "pulling them out of the fire". I have a hard time thinking that Jesus would spend so much time warning of hell if it was not real. The old spiritual God's Trombones by James Weldon Johnson uses a line that says, "Beyond the reach of the love of God" in describing those that are condemned to hell. Hell is real and it is imperative if we are honest ministers of the gospel that we warn of the "wrath to come."

 

[JonC]

And also for repentance of sin BEFORE conversion, and not the modern day heresy that says that to repent means only to change one's mind on Jesus Christ, and after you are saved you can say you are sorry for your sins! What utter rubbish!

Yes. Repentance is a lifelong process which involves turning to Christ in all things, but also dying to our sins (taking up our crosses daily).

 

[JonC]

To repent does not mean to see all my sins as being sinful, nor to promise to clean my act up, but it is to change mind that I can save myself by doing better, doing good works!

It also means not sinning (i.e., walking in the light rather than in the darkness). We are imperfect, hence repentance as a lifelong process.

 

[Revmitchell]

To repent does not mean to see all my sins as being sinful, nor to promise to clean my act up, but it is to change mind that I can save myself by doing better, doing good works!

Uh completely wrong.

 

[AndyMartin]

What is sad is for anyone to deny what is written as literal when there is absolutely no reason to think it is not except the lack of faith.

Hi Judith, there is no Biblical warrant to take the "fire" as literal, but the same way Paul uses it for believers, "If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire" (1 Corinthians 3:15), which is "metaphorical"

 

[AndyMartin]

Yes. Repentance is a lifelong process which involves turning to Christ in all things, but also dying to our sins (taking up our crosses daily).

Yes, but my point is, that before a sinner can be saved, they have to confess and repent of their sins to the Lord and seek His mercy and forgiveness. And not something that is done later, as some teach, like Greg Laurie.

 

[Wanderer]

The subject of hell is always a touchy one for many, including Christians. Admittedly this subject is a difficult one to not only understand, but also to have the ability to share in a coherent message.

Typically try to explain this quickly and short as possible because even when people are willing to listen, they have short attention spans these days.
Here is whats said: Hell is separation of man from God and is not, or at least not yet a physical place, and has not taken place. IF we are all judged right as we pass away there would be no need for Jesus's second coming.

Usually the individuals curiosity is sparked just enough to either ask more questions or they will seek out a more qualified individual at a local church after thinking about it for a while.

 

[Yeshua1]

It also means not sinning (i.e., walking in the light rather than in the darkness). We are imperfect, hence repentance as a lifelong process.

yes, but not repenting as in the sense of giving up our sins before bring saved!

 

[Yeshua1]

Uh completely wrong.

So we must confess and repent of all sins before God will save us?

 

[Calv1]

Was speaking with a LGBTQ individual today and I warned him of the fires of Hell but he said he enjoys warm weather. People these days think of Hell as a joke and I get this often when I open air but Hell is no joke. Sadly many christians do not take it seriously and few warn about it in their evangelism, and sermons. We need the good old fashioned Fire & Brimstone preachers to return!

They need the Spirit to understand Hell. It's strange, I think when we see the glory of God, we know Hell is much worse than Fire, it's unimaginable. But yeah, if they aren't regenerate don't expect them to understand the symbols of darkness, prison, unquenchable fire, no rest night and day, these things mean nothing to the unregenerate, though are terrifying to the true Christian. Not debating you on whether symbols or reality, but if you think about it, the symbols point to a reality that's far worse than the symbol itself.

 

[Yeshua1]

They need the Spirit to understand Hell. It's strange, I think when we see the glory of God, we know Hell is much worse than Fire, it's unimaginable. But yeah, if they aren't regenerate don't expect them to understand the symbols of darkness, prison, unquenchable fire, no rest night and day, these things mean nothing to the unregenerate, though are terrifying to the true Christian. Not debating you on whether symbols or reality, but if you think about it, the symbols point to a reality that's far worse than the symbol itself.

True, as there is a literal existence in hell that will be neyond real human understanding!

 

[Mark Corbett]

I'm convinced that part of the reason that some people do not take Hell seriously, and part of the reason some pastors don't preach on it often, is that most Christians have a wrong understanding of what the Bible teaches will happen in Hell. The Bible teaches that those cast into Hell will be destroyed and body and soul (Matthew 10:28), perish (John 3:16), be burned to ashes (2 Peter 2:6), and die a second time (Revelation 20:6). I've preached on this (I have a two part sermon on YouTube), and written blog posts explaining the Bible's teaching on Conditional Immortality. I've also written a blog series explaining the meaning of the passages in Revelation which many wrongly interpret to teach eternal conscious torment.

 

[Revmitchell]

So we must confess and repent of all sins before God will save us?

I did not say that.