Hell - Not Just A Word

Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Last night's sermon, to say the least, was Spirit filled. A subject not mentioned in most churches was discussed, Hell. Our scripture reading was 2 Peter 2:4-11. Last Tuesday I read a book titled 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese. It blew me away. He recounted his journey to Hell. The Holy Spirit was moving in me as I read. Now, I don't like to read, but this book kept my attention and I completed it in two and a half hours. It was my inspiration for this weeks sermon. Hell is one of the most talked about subjects in scriptures. Most of us don't realize it but, in fact, it's true. There are over 200 verses in reference to the subject of hell. That is one of the reasons I felt the need to speak about it. I quoted several Pastors that spoke on this subject. Statements form how horrible a place it is to the torment that is there. We focused on the fact that in hell one will be eternally separated from God (2 Thessalonians 1:9). Hell is a place of darkness and one is completely cut off from God's Holiness. (Psalm 88:5-6 & Matthew 8:12) It is a place reserved for the wicked and for those who do not have Jesus Christ in their hearts, a place of deep darkness (Jude 13). It is a massive "Pit" filled with corruption (Psalm 55:23), and destruction (Isaiah 38:17-18). Bill described the pit as such: "There were people in Hell who were contained in a massive pit. Horrible creatures surrounded the perimeter. There was no way of escape. Any attempt to do so was futile. Human strength was no match for the demons. I felt such anguish for these hopeless people, but at the same time I realized that I could be next." (Pg. 22, 23). Hell is a place of fire and burning where the wicked and un-saved will be in agony, with no peace of mind or body (Job 18:15, Psalm 11:6, & Matthew 18:8-9). There will be no rest from the torment, they will not have peace, haunts of violence will fill this dark place (Isaiah 57:20, Revelation 14:11, Isaiah 57:21,& Psalm 74:20). Why did I feel the need to talk about Hell? We all know someone who is destined for that horrible place. Hell is real, God has set aside this place for those who refuse to accept Him. I, as Bill, felt the need of urgency to get the message out to everyone because I don't want to see anyone take up residence in that horrible place. I left everyone with this final quote from Bill as he spoke to Jesus: "I asked Him, "Why didn't I know you when I was there?" He said, "I kept it from you." In order for me to experience the hopelessness of those souls in hell, the fact that I knew Jesus had to be hidden from my mind. If I knew Him there, as I have since 1970, I would have had hope that He would rescue me. To experience the feeling of being lost forever was by far the worst part of Hell. On earth, we always have some form of hope. Even amidst the most direful situations, we have hope that we'll escape, even if it's only through death. But there you know positively there is no hope whatsoever; you will never get out. Your soul cannot die, and you are lost in torment forever. Finally He said, "Tell them I am coming very, very soon." In my spirit, I felt an urgency to warn as many people as possible, as time is running out. He sternly said it again: "TELL THEM I AM COMING VERY VERY SOON!" Repeating Himself tells me His coming truly is getting very very close (23 Minutes in Hell, pg. 37-38). If you have Jesus Christ in your heart, I pray that you will take this message and run with it, tell everyone you know that yes, Jesus is returning soon. Till next week, I pray all will have a blessed one.