Where is Hell? Intro Where is hell? Iraq? The center of the earth? An outer planet of the universe? The earth itself? I’ll be back in a moment with the prophetic perspective on “Where is Hell?” Message Hello, this is Cody Francis with Prophetic Perspectives. Fear of the infamous hell has prevailed for millennia. To the ancient pagans hell, or tartarus, was an underground place of banishment by the gods that had both rulers and inhabitants. Then during the medieval times Dante in his Divine Comedy, considered to be one of the greatest literary works of the Middle Ages, elaborates on Virgil’s descriptions of this pagan realm in a Christian perspective. Dante describes inferno, or hell, as having nine descending circles with varying degrees of ice, fire and torture. Then in the revivals of the 1700s Jonathan Edwards preached the classic “fire and brimstone” sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” in which he imagines sinners walking over the top of hell on thin ice never knowing when the ice will break and the sinner will descend into the torments of hell. Today, though, hell is not thought much about, probably the most common usage being that of profanity. Hell is even used as a joke or tourist attraction with Hell, Michigan capitalizing on its unusual name. Regardless of what poets, preachers or marketers may say, our interest is in what does the Bible say? Is there a hell? What is hellfire like? Where is hell? Outline I. Hellfire in the Bible A. Prepared for the devil & angels – Matt. 25:41 B. Hell is not just a soul world; bodies cast in – Matt. 5:29, 30 C. Not until end of the age – Matt. 13:40-42 1. In grave presently – John 5:28, 29 2. Is the second death – Rev. 20:15 D. Soul & body destroyed in hell – Matt. 10:28 E. Punishment is everlasting destruction 1. Rom. 6:23 – wages of sin is death 2. Matt. 25:46 – everlasting punishment 3. 2 Thes. 1:9 – everlasting destruction F. Everlasting & eternal 1. Example of eternal fire – Jude 7 2. Unquenchable – Jer. 17:27 3. Forever a. Slave – Ex. 21:6 b. Jonah – Jonah 2:6; 1:17 c. Samuel – 1 Sam. 1:22, 28 G. Fate of the wicked 1. Devour them – Ps. 21:9 2. Perish – Ps. 37:20 3. Consume away – Ps. 37:20 4. Burn them up – Mal. 4:1 5. Ashes – Mal. 4:3 6. Be as stubble – Is. 47:13, 14 7. Be as though they had not been – Obad. 16 II. Where is Hellfire? A. Hell itself is cast into the lake of fire – Rev. 20:14 B. Fire comes from heaven & devours – Rev. 20:9 C. Earth is created on the ashes of the old 1. Tread upon the wicked – Mal. 4:1-3 2. New heaven & new earth – Rev. 21:1 Conclusion: I. Way of escape provided for us II. Jesus suffered vengeance of 2nd death for us A. Not perish – John 3:16 B. Soul sorrowful even unto death – Matt. 26:38 C. How shall we escape? – Heb. 2:2, 3
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