Eternal Damnation
In
the previous chapter on “Man” I had mentioned that because of the fall of man
into sin, there were only two eternal destinations for the human race, and that
is, heaven and hell. In this
section, I want to look at the biblical teaching of hell or eternal damnation.
The Lord Jesus Christ spoke of hell which means it is a real place and
not a place of fantasy which the unbelieving world hopes it is.
Hell was originally prepared for the devil and his angels but when Adam
and Eve sinned, it became the final abode for all those in the human race
without a savior. Hell is one of
the most mocked places by the world.
The unbelievers talk about hell as if it is a place where many parties
are going to happen but the reality is that it is a place of eternal death where
the unbeliever will reside for eternity under the wrath of God.
What
Hell is not
There
are many belief systems which have taken the seriousness of eternal damnation
and did what they could to mollify the biblical teaching of eternal damnation.
1.
Purgatory – This the Roman Catholic belief that when a person dies in venial
sin, they go to a place for a certain number of years to have the rest of their
sins purged. When they have
successfully been purged of all sin, they are then allowed to enter heaven.
Now what is a venial sin?
Roman Catholicism divides sin into two categories, venial and mortal.
Let’s say you go into a store to rob it and in the course of the robbery
you kill the owner and 3 customers, which would be considered a mortal sin which
means you cannot be redeemed. Let’s
say you go into the same store and steal a bag of potato chips, which would be
considered a venial sin which can be purged after your death.
Purgatory is nowhere to be found in Scripture as it is a manmade
teaching. God has redeemed those
who have committed murder such as David Berkowitz who was the Son of Sam in
1976-77. I know him personally and he is a very vibrant Christian.
Then there is Tex Watson who was involved with Charles Manson in the
Tate-Bianca murders in 1969 who is also a strong Christian.
Cole Younger who rode with the Jesse James gang, in 1912 became a
Christian and a preacher. Let us
not forget Moses who killed the Egyptian (Exodus 2:11-12) and yet God used him
to bring Israel out of Egyptian bondage.
Purgatory is biblically refuted by: Hebrews 8:12; Hebrews 10:17-18
2.
Annihilation – Annihilation is taught heavily by groups such as the Jehovah’s
Witnesses which teach that once a person dies in an unsaved state they are
instantly annihilated and just cease to exist.
This teaching is held onto by those who have unsaved relatives that have
died and if they are annihilated, then they will not suffer any of the fires of
hell. A noble desire but a false
one. Annihilation is biblically
refuted by: Matthew 18:8;
Revelation 14:11; Revelation 20:11-15
What
Hell is
A
place of torment – Revelation 20:10
A
place of separation – Matthew 25:41
A
place of remembrance – Luke 16:25
A
place for Satan and his angels – Matthew 25:41
A
place of hatred – Matthew 13:50
A
sealed place where no one gets out or plea bargains – Revelation 14:10-11
A
place of God’s wrath – Colossians 3:6