God’s Eternal Hell

Transcript

GR 2035
God’s Eternal Hell
03/18/2018
Revelation 14:8-11
Gil Rugh

We’re going to the Book of Revelation, Revelation chapter 14 and remember in chapter 14 we’re getting a preview of what will come in future chapters of Revelation, particularly at the end. What we have in chapter 14 will really unfold in chapters 17 and following, but it’s brought here as something of a preview and a direct contrast with what has just gone on, particularly in chapters 11, 12 and 13. In chapter 13, we saw the establishing of the final world empire under the oversight of Satan with the establishing of the greatest, most powerful ruler, over a worldly empire that has been in existence. He will be Satan’s man, Satan establishing a kingdom, a world ruler. With that will come world religion, so chapter 13, verses 11 and following focused on the religious leader, of that empire going on in the 3½ years leading up to the return of Christ to the earth.

All the world will be required to join in worshiping that man who is the leader of the world, the one we call the Antichrist, he’s the first beast in Revelation 13. We met him in the opening verses of chapter 13. You won’t be able to buy or sell. Life will be almost unlivable if you will not agree to join in worshiping him. You have to get a mark on your forehead or his number on the back of your hand indicating you are a worshiper. Chapter 14 then comes in and carries us to the end, and it will be a reminder to those living during that time, and it is a reminder to us that in the end, God is always victorious, so chapter 14 opened up, we saw Christ standing on Mount Zion.

That carries us to chapters 19 and 20, when He returns to earth and stands on Mount Zion where Jerusalem and the temple are, and will be and sets up His kingdom. With Him, on Mount Zion are 144,000 Jewish men, who were sealed by God in chapter 7 of Revelation, to preserve them through the Tribulation and they indeed have been preserved by God, and they stand with Christ on Mount Zion.

Then with verse 6, we are given an insight that during this last 3½ years, the world will be covered with the gospel and for us it’s hard to put it all together. Between the disasters God is bringing upon the world, all kind of catastrophes that have killed over half the earth’s population, by the time we get to the middle of that seven year period and then the persecution going on with the Antichrist in an attempt to destroy every Jew. It doesn’t matter whether the Jew is a believer in the Messiah of Israel, Jesus Christ or not. Just by virtue of being a Jew, they are the enemy of the devil because God has chosen the nation, so he wants to destroy all the Jews and every non-Jew who will not worship him but is a worshiper of the living God and of Jesus Christ.

So verse 6 we had an angel, another angel in addition to previous angels we’ve seen flying in mid-heaven, having the eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, “to every tribe, nation, tongue and people” and this is what Jesus prophesized would happen in Matthew 24 in this time. The gospel will be preached in the whole world and then He will come. By the time we get to the end of that seven-year period in God’s plan, the gospel will have covered the earth. How that all is carried out is in His plan.

Perhaps those 144,000 men who were sealed from Israel will be key in that program; we’re not told all the details but what God says, will happen. You’ll note it’s an eternal gospel. The specifics are given in the commands of verse 7, “Fear God, give Him glory, worship Him.” We’ve looked into that, it’s the same gospel. It’s the only gospel, there is. You must recognize the living God as the only God. He alone is God. He must be worshiped. You fear Him. We noted when we studied this, in fearing Him, you recognize your guilt and sin before Him, you repent and turn to Him as your Savior that’s inherent in that.

You give Him glory; give Him glory because the hour of His judgment has come. We honor Him. He is to be worshiped and given glory, judgment is coming. For the believer that is a cause for giving Him praise because we see He will bring all things to their appointed climax. You’ll worship Him, He is the Creator. Now the Creator will bring all things to its completion, fulfillment with the establishing of a kingdom, the kingdom that will never end and involves a new heaven and a new earth. We’ll see that in chapters 20, 21 and 22.

Now this gospel, the gospel that we are preaching today, the gospel Romans 1 tells us “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” That same gospel will be preached around the world in these days but now we have a contrast. We see God is victorious with Christ standing on Mount Zion to establish His kingdom. We see the gospel has been preached around the world but it will be true in those days as it is today, many will not believe that gospel. Many will join in the false worship.

Reading some material this week on a different subject but the person made the comment, an observation on our evangelism. He says, you know the sin most mentioned in the world that brings the wrath of God, you search out the Scripture, by far the sin most mentioned that necessitates and brings God’s wrath, it’s not murder, it’s not immorality, it’s not lying and they’re all sins. The sin that by far that is most mentioned to bring the wrath of God is idolatry and all the other sins come out of the failure to worship God as God. To honor Him. To fear Him and that’s what we have going on in these final days of earth’s history with a worldwide religious system and a worldwide ruler.

The gospel is being preached but for many, for most, they will choose not to believe it, so what we see is the judgment of God that will come. First, on the Babylonian system of this world. Now the details of this will be given in chapters 17 and 18 of the Book of Revelation. Babylonian has both a religious dimension, the worship that we talked about in chapter 13 and a political and commercial dimension that will be part—the religious dimension in chapter 17, the political and commercial dimension of Babylon in chapter 18. This satanic system comes to its fullest realization with the establishing of this satanic kingdom. Remember “the whole world lies in the evil one,” 1 John tells us, chapter 5 and in chapter 2 of 1 John we’re told that “all that is in the world, is the lusts of the eyes, the lusts of the flesh and the boastful pride of life.”

It is a world and world system in rebellion against the living God so judgment comes, so verse 8 “and another angel, a second one followed, saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.’” We’re seeing the destruction of the world in the judgments we’ve seen so far, the seal judgments, the trumpet judgments. We are on the brink of the bowl judgments and then the return of Christ in chapter 19, so judgment is announced, another angel. Following up, we had six, we had another angel, now verse 8 another angel and he gives an announcement, “fallen, fallen is Babylon the great” and Babylon the great is this earthly system centered in Babylon.

We’ll get into the details of chapters 17 and 18 when we get there but you remember Babylon started back in chapter 10 of Genesis and then chapter 11 tells us about the attempt to establish a unified world with a unified religious system. All people brought together around a central worship system. That’s foundational to what will develop and come to its ultimate realization during this seven-year period leading up to the coming of Christ, particularly in the last 3½ years. Babylon is fallen and you’ll note that double emphasis. “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.” The world rejects the proclamation of the gospel that we had in verses 6, and 7. The judgment of God proceeds and this world comes under the judgment of God.

Fallen, fallen, that is to emphasize and give intensity to what is being said, we have come to its destruction. We won’t turn back there but Isaiah chapter 21 verse 9. This is where this expression comes from. “Fallen, fallen is Babylon” and in a future study we’ll look at something of Babylon through the Scripture. There are two major cities in Scripture and prophecy, the city of Babylon and the city of Jerusalem. Babylon being the center and capitol of the devil’s system. Jerusalem being the center and ultimate capitol of the kingdom that Christ will establish and they are in opposition to one another down through Scripture coming to culmination in the Book of Revelation.

Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. As I said, we’ll see it in its religious dimension and its political and commercial dimension in chapters 17 and 18, which are devoted to the details of that fall of Babylon, its destruction. It’s called Babylon the great and six times moving on from this verse, Babylon is referred to as Babylon the great because this is the epitome of the satanic system. Come back to the Book of Daniel. This is mentioned many times, there are hundreds of references and illusions to the Old Testament. We’re going to Daniel chapter 4. No direct quotations so we cannot take the time to look at all the illusions and background like we just had one in Isaiah chapter 21 verse 9, “fallen, fallen is Babylon” but in Daniel chapter 4 we are in the context where Nebuchadnezzar—Babylon is ruling the world.

It is the dominate world power and Nebuchadnezzar is the king of Babylon yet God has given a revelation that he is going to be judged for his pride and arrogance. He is going to lose his sanity and become like a wild animal eating grass for seven years, after which he’ll recognize who is sovereign and who is not and he’ll be restored to his throne. So we come in Daniel chapter 4 verse 28. We’re ready for this fulfillment. “All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king.” Twelve months later, so after that revelation was given, a year goes by and nothing happens. I guess we’re good, “No!” Now God’s ready to implement what He said He would do.

He was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon and you’re familiar with those kind of structures in those days, and on the roof of his palace, he gets a view of Babylon and its splendor, and all he has accomplished. The wonder of this kingdom and verse 30 says, “the king reflected and says, ‘Is this not Babylon the great’” and that’s where that expression, used these six times in Revelation as God is ready to finally deal with Babylon the great. Now more immediate judgments come on Babylon but that expression is picked up because Babylon the great will experience its final judgments in Revelation 17 and 18 and just reading on in verse 30, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power for the glory of my majesty.

You see here, we talked about the eternal gospel. “Fear God, give Him glory worship Him.” Here’s Nebuchadnezzar. “I, myself have built this, the might of my power for the glory of my majesty” and that’s what Babylon is. It is representative of that rebellion against God culminating in Babylon in Revelation. We find out who really is sovereign because all God does verse 31, “while the word was in the king’s mouth, walking along the roof look at this mighty Babylon, which I have built.” He just gets the words out, a voice came from heaven, saying, “King Nebuchadnezzar to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you.”

You know God doesn’t have to work out a plan. Well I have to get somebody to do this and then if I get an army to come up, and maybe if there’s intrigue in the palace, I have to get this guy out of—all He has to do is speak the word from heaven. Immediately Nebuchadnezzar has gone insane. He’s mentally deranged. His mind no longer works; he thinks he’s an ox. He’s running out of the palace so he can eat some grass. This mighty glorious king and now he has to be put in a Babylonian zoo so to speak. We realize God is sovereign we never lose sight of that. He will be insane, eating grass like an animal, like cattle, for seven years at the end of verse 32, “until you recognize the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever he wishes.”

There’s not a ruler in the world today who hasn’t been put there by God. That doesn’t mean they’re godly people. That means they are there for God’s purpose and it may be judgment but we, as believers, need to remember that. Sometimes in our conversation and conduct, as I remind you, we end up denying it. That’s why we submit ourselves willingly and readily unless it is contrary to what God says we must do like when the Antichrist requires worship. Other than that, Romans 13 says we submit to those rulers because we recognize God put them there so when we rebel against them, we’re rebelling against God.

So, come back to Revelations chapter 14. This is Babylon the great coming up now for its ultimate destruction, which just began in Genesis 10 and 11, and resulted in the scattering of the people that spoke one language and were one people into a divided world. Because the devil’s plan always has been to bring the world together under his rule, thus to frustrate God’s plan to bring it all together under His ruler.

So in chapter 14 verse 8 of Revelation, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality,” so you see this is a pattern here. She is the one, this Babylon, who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality. This is what has been going on. We’ll see this when we get to chapters 17 and 18 but it comes to culmination in its fullest expression during this last 3½ year period. It has always been a world system in opposition to the living God.

We sometimes wring our hands and say, “look at how bad the world is getting. Look at what is going on” and there are perhaps more open expressions of rebellion against God, but the world—all that lies in the world. John wrote it 2,000 years ago under the inspiration of the Spirit, “all that lies in the world, the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the boastful pride of life.” We’re going to talk in Galatians tonight, “by faith in Christ, we have been crucified to the world and the world has been crucified to us.”

God’s intention is not to clean up the world with us. God’s intention is to cut us off from the world. Sometimes there are those, who profess to be believers, who criticize that. It’s the very thing God says He’s doing. We have to come out from them, not partake of their sins of this corrupt system. That doesn’t mean we’re not good citizens of the land in which we are. We honor the rulers but we recognize where it’s going and it’s not where we are going.

Babylon the great has made all the nations and it will culminate with a worldwide global realized system that always includes worship because what the devil wants more than anything is worship. He told Christ, we can short circuit the cross. Fall down and worship me, and I’ll give you ruler ship over all the kingdoms of the world. That’s what he desires, more than anything else, worship. She’s made them drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality. This Babylonian system has its truth through Old Testament prophets. The spiritual unfaithfulness to God, the spiritual rejection, rebellion against God is pictured as immorality. It corrupted the world with this immorality.

Come over to chapter 17. We can’t go into details but you’ll see the connection. Chapter 17 verse 1, again this system and He begins with the religious aspect of this system so it’s like the Old Testament prophets. You’ve committed harlotry, immorality but keep in mind the greatest of sins that God has to deal with is spiritual adultery and that rejection of Him, rebellion against Him is reflected in all the other sin that goes on. Chapter 17 verse 1 and we are here in the context of the seven bowls that bring the final judgment. The angel says, “Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters,” ruling over peoples with whom the kings of the earth committed immorality. Those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.

We’re not talking about primarily sexual immorality He’s talking about spiritual religious activity and so it carried and he sees the woman sitting on a scarlet beast and who is she. Verse 5, “on her forehead a name written,” a mystery, “Babylon the great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth, a woman drunk with the blood of the saints, with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.” We get into the details but you see, here this religious part and this Babylonian system. It is one system all woven together, the religion at the heart of it, the worship of the devil, which as we noted, all false worship is the worship of the devil. We looked into that earlier. It is fellowshipping with demons something we must not be part of in any way. So here you have this spiritual immorality that carries over into the commercial and political side when you come to chapter 18.

Look at verse 2 you have, “he cried out with a loud voice saying, ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!’” She’s become a dwelling place of demons, a prison of every unclean spirit a prison of every unclean and hateful bird. “For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the passion of her immorality, the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, the merchants of the earth have become rich by the wealth of her sensuality.” This false religious system has been the devil’s greatest success from the world’s perspective. You have worldwide commerce. You have success but at the heart of it is this idolatry, spiritual adultery.

Down to verse 9, “the kings of the earth who committed acts of immorality” lived sensually with her, “will weep and lament when they see the smoke of her burning.” I mean it’s a disaster when this whole system collapses and is destroyed in this great city under the judgment of God. Oh my, just like now we see. If our country is as a country-destroyed people will be, Oh what is happening, everything we lived for, all of our hopes, all of our possessions. This will be worldwide at this point because in chapter 19, Christ appears from heaven to bring final judgment at Armageddon, ready to set up His kingdom.

Come back to chapter 14. That destruction’s going on, on this world and the system that has ruled in this world. Ruled since the fall of man back to the opening chapters of Genesis and then coming together in Genesis 11. That’s been the characteristic of earthly empires. What do you expect? What are we looking for? That is the disaster of so much eschatology taught in churches today, who fail to realize the seriousness. Where are we going but we’re not done.

The worst subject from a human perspective in all the bible is what we come to now, the subject of hell. People don’t want to believe in hell and if they do say they believe in it, it’s someplace where only the worst of the worst people go. Maybe an Adolf Hitler, maybe someone who is so grossly vile could go to hell but I’m a good person and I don’t think God would send people to an eternal hell.

So we have another angel, a third one in this series. The first one brought the gospel. The second one announced the judgment on the earth. The third one now followed them, “saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,’” so that’s the consequences of those who follow through with what is required at the end of chapter 13 verses 11 to 18.

They declare themselves worshipers of the beast they get the mark that is irrevocable. No erasures on their forehead or on their hand but there’s a lot of pressure to get it. You either get it or die. You can’t buy food, you can’t sell anything, you can’t go to the store, you can’t let your neighbors see you don’t have the mark. You’re hiding someplace, eating whatever crawls by I guess and there will be people survive, but it will be the worst time the world has ever seen. By the time we get to the end of this 3½ year period, Jesus said, “If I didn’t come from heaven” in chapter 19, “no one would survive” but He’s coming back in chapter 19 so that some of those who have believed survive but that’s how bad it gets on this earth.

Whatever happens to those then who join in false worship? He will also “drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger. He will be tormented with fire, and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb and the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever and they have no rest day and night. Those who worship the beast and his image and whoever receives the mark of his name.” This is eternal hell.

Now I want to be clear. He’s focusing here on particularly the people who will be living in that last 3½-year period but I want everybody here to understand that the destiny of every person who does not trust in Christ is the same. We’ll see that when we get further on and get to the end of Revelation chapter 20 and every person who has ever lived who has not placed their faith in the living God, repenting of their sins and trusting Him to be their Savior is cast into this very same place. Remember there is an eternal gospel that is the only way of salvation. Well we say I don’t, I just can’t, but hell is too terrible.

We have many who claim to be evangelicals, as they’ve thought about it, one very prominent man, I won’t go into—it’s not important who he was. He died here not too long ago. He’s written some good commentaries on the Scripture. He finally came to the place, says “I’ve decided that I don’t believe in hell. I can’t believe in it, not because of anything I’ve found in Scripture. It’s an emotional thing, it’s just too terrible to believe in that.” Well, I agree if it just depended on my emotional response. I don’t believe in it either but the eternal God has said there is a hell, there is a heaven. Now we can choose to make this Alice in Wonderland and you can be what you want and pretend what you want but you can’t make reality disappear.

This is why the eternal gospel of verses 6 and 7 is so important. If you don’t believe in that eternal gospel, you are going to endure the wrath of God. Now the wrath of God is poured out on the world but now we have moved. What about then anything follow? Well yes, every one of these false worshipers will “drink of the wine of the wrath of God.” Now note the contrast at the end of verse eight, the Babylonian system has required all the nations to drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality. To drink of the wine is that picture of partaking of it.

There are Old Testament backgrounds for that expression too but we didn’t take time to go there. It means you share in it. You know we still use similar kinds of expressions in having a drink of wine. That denotes something of being bound together, so you drink of that cup they give. That means you’re partaking in what she offers so the picture of the Babylonian system has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality, of her rejection of the living God, of the immoralities spiritually of worshiping the devil instead of the living God.

Well, if you join in drinking that cup, there’s another cup, the second cup you will drink. You will drink of it also and you note these are individual. He will drink, that individual person will drink of the wine of the wrath of God. The cup, now that you have to partake of and experience is the wrath of God. What do you say about that, the wrath of God and it’s like, it’s hard to express it. The wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength. It’s not diluted in any way. We see the wrath of God manifested from heaven against an unbelieving world today in a variety of ways. Romans 1 talks about—but we don’t see the fullness of God’s wrath. Now it is mixed with mercy. There is grace, there is patience but when you come to this point there is none of the mercy, the grace, the patience, the kindness, the love that is manifested.

It is undiluted, mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger. Maybe we didn’t think seriously enough about the wine of the wrath of God. We’re talking about the cup of His anger and He uses two distinct words but obviously related, for His wrath for His anger undiluted, unmixed. Remember we looked back in Luke 12 in a previous study. “Jesus said to the people, ‘my friends I tell you, don’t fear those who can kill the body but not hurt the soul. I’ll tell you whom to fear: you fear the One who, after He has killed the body can destroy both body and soul in hell.’” That’s where we are here, that person; he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

It’s an awful subject! Think about that, tormented, the full brunt of God’s wrath and anger, not softened by any mercy, not softened by kindness. The full brunt of His wrath, that’s what hell is; they’ll be tormented with fire and brimstone. It will be a place of awful infinite pain! Pain and suffering like a person has never experienced. You say, “I don’t want to think that God is like this.” You know what that is. Romans 1 says that when people refuse to worship the living God, they create their own God, that’s what we do.

When we say I don’t want my God to be like the God of the bible; I’ll create my own God, that makes you a worshiper of the devil. You reject God. you reject the God of the bible. This is consistent with His character. You understand a God who pours out His wrath on sin, that’s consistent with His holiness. We like to emphasize the love of God and it is an infinite love but I tell you. What did the angels declare in heaven the seraphim? “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God.” He is a holy God and He has to punish and judge sin.

Tormented with fire and brimstone. I’m not very scientific I don’t remember how I did in science class because I have a selective memory. I choose not to remember but I looked up sulphur, the word translated brimstone here, theion is the word sulphur. You probably have that in the margin of your bible. Sulphur burns with a blue flame with formation of sulphur dioxide, which has a suffocating and irritating odor. It is the odor that they put in natural gas so that you will know if you have a natural gas leak. It smells something like rotten eggs. I just went to a dictionary, rotten eggs, skunk scent. You know what it smells like? It’s putrid, it’s nauseating.

Interestingly Sulphur, when burned, sulphur melts to a blood red liquid and emits a blue flame best seen in the dark. Sulphur turns deep red, turns into a liquid at 392?F. Now think about how hot hell is, it burns with fire and brimstone and keep this together because we’re going to see this. You know what Jesus said about hell? We’ll look at a couple of verses in a moment, it’s a lake of fire, fire and brimstone. Interesting, at almost 400? this fire and brimstone--well sulphur turns to liquid and burns as a liquid, 400?. How hot is hell?

I don’t know but what He’s saying here and now we talk about a lake of fire where people will be sent and tormented. Come over to Revelation; let’s pick up a couple of verses. Come back to Revelation chapter 20, verse 15. Just an example of the lake, we’ll be picking up some of the other verses as we move through Revelation but verse 15. This is the great white throne where everyone from all those histories from Adam and Eve down who have not trusted Christ comes before the great white throne of Jesus Christ to be sentenced to an eternal hell and you’ll note verse 15 of Revelation 20. “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

I’m not trying to describe how hell is made up but it’s interesting the language. You have a lake of fire, it is fire and brimstone and brimstone is sulphur. Sulphur turns to a liquid and burns at 392?F. I don’t know but the language of Scripture is very clear, very graphic. While you’re here, chapter 21 of Revelation down in verse 8. “But for the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, immoral persons, sorcerers, idolaters, liars, whatever that manifestation of their sinful rebellion against God, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.”

An awful place, how can I conceive of this, the odor, the smell and then I’ve shared with you, I don’t know if it’s true or not. Some of you would know more than I would, but years ago something I never forgot. I was watching a program on one of those channels like the history channel. There was a fireman and he talked about when they had put on those suits they wear when they go into a burning building and how they sent them into fire in the test. He said, “I thought it would be bright and light. It was pitch dark when I walked into that fire” and what did Jesus say about hell, “its outer darkness, a lake of fire and brimstone.”

Hell will be the most lonely place a person has ever been in all their existence. People say, well if I’m going to hell my friends will be there. I don’t doubt that may be true but they’ll be no fellowship in hell. It will be that intense isolation in a lake of darkness, burning with fire and brimstone. It’s a place of torment! Come back to chapter 14. They will be tormented, it’s God’s intention they suffer and let me tell you what God does.

With the eternal gospel, He says to you, “you’re a sinner deserving of an eternal hell. Here’s a pardon! If you accept this pardon by saying, yes I believe what You say about me is true, I’m a sinner deserving of hell. I’ll trust Christ. I’ll mark your account paid in full, wipe it clean. You’ll be on your way to an eternal heaven not an eternal hell but if you say no to that pardon, you’ve made a decision. I may withdraw it tomorrow I may not offer it to you again.”

Now why is God to blame because people are going to an eternal hell? They choose to worship the devil and remember Jesus said in Matthew 25, “hell was prepared for the devil and his angels” and now you decided to follow the devil and then you say, Oh, I can’t believe I ended up in an eternal hell and God was so gracious. He said let me tell you how it all ends, let me read to you and could I put it any more clearly? If you do not accept the pardon I offer, “you will drink of the wine of the wrath of God mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger. You will be tormented with fire and brimstone,” now note this—“in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.”

We see these pictures of the devil with his pitchfork ruling over hell. When we get to Revelation chapter 20, the devil is cast into hell. It was made for the devil and his angels. He doesn’t rule in hell, God rules over hell. He’ll be in the presence of the Lamb. He’s the One who provided the sacrifice. He didn’t have to go to hell. You don’t have to suffer torment forever and ever. You can be forgiven it’s a free gift and you say, “No,” and you say, I don’t deserve to go to hell. You do! I do! It’s only God’s mercy and grace. He’s offering a pardon.

He didn’t provide a Savior for the devil and the angels who rebelled. He doesn’t have to provide a Savior but in holiness, He has to deal, punish and judge sin. He says that deserves eternal suffering. We’re coming up on Easter. Why in the world did Jesus Christ come to this earth if you could be saved by getting baptized? If you get saved by doing good works, if you can be saved . . . He had to come and die to pay the penalty for our sin.

We won’t go back to Luke 16 but you’re familiar with it. If you’re not, write it down and go read Luke 16. The man who lifted up his eyes, tormented in the fires of Hades and you know what he said? “Oh, send somebody from the dead back to tell my brothers. I have five brothers; I don’t want them to come to this terrible place.” You know what he’s told? “If they won’t believe the word of God, they won’t believe even if someone is raised from the dead.”

The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. Do you believe in Him? That’s the salvation. They’re tormented in the presence of the holy angels in the presence of the Lamb. It’s a fit punishment. Well, won’t God relent? Move on verse 11, “the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever.” The smoke of their torment, being tormented with fire and brimstone, forever and ever, so it is unfathomable torment, forever and ever. Relentlessly, they have no rest day and night. There’s no break.

You know like sometime you’ve had a terrible day or you’ve had a lot of pain. Somethings gone on and you take something the doctor gives you. You say, “ah, if I just could close my eyes now and go to sleep.” There’s no break, day and night, forever and ever. Some people try to get around this expression “forever and ever,” into the ages of the ages. As we’ll see, an age is a period of time, so this is bound by time. It’s the Greek way of saying eternity. We try to change it. I might make a slide for you next time on the different uses of this word so you’ll have it.

This expression, “eternity” in the ages of the ages, just in the Book of Revelation but just come back to chapter 4, verse nine. It’s used of God. This expression occurs 11 times in the Book of Revelation and I just want to look with you quickly. When it’s used of God resolves any doubt about what into the ages of the age’s means. In Revelation chapter 4 verse 9. When “the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives into the ages of the ages, the ages of the ages, forever and ever.” The same expression.

Down in verse 10. “The twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, will worship Him who lives into the ages of the ages.” You think God has an end, a limit. “No!” He’s forever, that’s what the expression means. Chapter 5 verse 13. “Every created thing in heaven and on earth, under the earth, I heard them saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, to the Lamb, be blessing, and honor, and glory, and dominion forever and ever.’” The same thing in chapter 10 and verse 6, chapter 15 verse 7 used of God, so come back to chapter 14.

When it says forever and ever, I can’t grasp that. You mean in a hundred billion years God won’t relent? I hate to say it this way. I hope not because it’s the same thing He says about my eternal future in His presence. It’s forever and ever. I hope He’s not going to relent and then decide, well I think I blessed you enough. You know I had my Son die for you, you had your seventy, eighty years and I’ve given you a hundred million, I think I’m done now. What does forever and ever mean? We just don’t want to face reality and you know what happens with this.

Soon we don’t think about hell so you know we tone down the gospel. Then we lose something of our concern. You realize every person who dies today dies without hope on their way to hell unless they’ve trusted Christ. You know how terrible that is? There’s no purgatory. There’s no second chance. Luke 16, when that rich man died he lifted up his eyes, being in torment. There’s no stop on the way and hell is torment forever and ever.

Now the beautiful thing, the pardon God offers is free, it’s forever and ever, covers all sins. I paid it, will you sign for it, will you place your faith in what I’ve provided, My Savior? Well, I’m going to give it some thought, maybe tomorrow. Well maybe it won’t be offered to you tomorrow, I don’t know. Maybe you will say no for the final time. What then, verse 11. You can’t talk about hell and not cry, it’s sad beyond measure.

There are people who have sat here who are in eternal suffering now. I’ve talked to them personally. One I had lunch with, the last time I did, he said, “well, I’m not ready Gil but maybe later.” Later never came for him. It’s terrible. I hope you’re not one of those. Look at verse 11, “the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever.” They have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, who receive the mark of his name.

Let me summarize this with you, the points on Revelation chapter 14 verses 8 to 11.

1. The eternal gospel calls men to salvation. That’s what you’re offered today. Jesus Christ came. “I came to give My life a ransom for many.” “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son in order that whosoever believes in Him might not perish.” We sing the song, “Rescue the Perishing” but have everlasting life.

2. This world system will be destroyed by God. Don’t get caught up in it. Read 2 Peter chapter 3 this afternoon. We didn’t have time to go there. God is patient; that’s what’s going on today. He’s patient. Why hasn’t this happened already? He’s patient not willing that any should perish but all should come to the knowledge of the truth. You understand, believer, that’s what this time is; it’s the time of God’s salvation. We’ve been entrusted with the gospel, which is the power of God. We don’t care that they’re going to hell. Well I don’t know if they’d want to hear about that. I didn’t want to hear about it either. Nobody wants to hear about hell but I can tell you how you can escape hell. There is forgiveness.

3. God’s wrath will come on unbelievers. Don’t think because it’s delayed it will not come. God’s wrath will come.

4. In the day of wrath, there will be no mercy…the ultimate day of wrath. There’s wrath today but it’s not what it will be like when it comes to sentencing people to hell. Well I understand you meant ….good you were thinking about it. You were saying, “I may do it tomorrow that’s close enough.” No mercy! No mercy, it’s hard to think of God not showing mercy but we see examples. When He decided to send judgment on the world with the flood, the only mercy was for Noah and his family. Judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, only mercy on those He claimed for Himself.

5. The sufferings of hell will be forever. Believer don’t forget it when you think, “do I want to tell my kids, do I want to tell my parents, do I want to—“ What’s the alternative. We pray for them every day, we live a life that manifests this is our passion. One thing that our kids ought to see in us, our family members, is they are passionate about their love for God, His truths, what He has done for them. This is what moves them, what drives them what they live for. The sufferings of hell will be forever.

6. The sufferings of hell will be unrelenting. I didn’t say it God did. I’ve never experienced heaven; I’ve never experienced hell. I take it by faith that God means what He says and I claim His promise. He has pardoned me because of faith in Christ. I can’t earn it, I can’t work for it, but I receive it by faith.

I want to put up eternity.
There is a heaven.
There is a hell.
There is a Savior.
That becomes personal. Where will you spend eternity?

The first three are realities. Now put yourself where you’re going to be.
There is a heaven.
There is a hell.
There is a Savior that enables you to escape hell and go to heaven.
What is your response to the Savior? The pardon God offers.

Let’s pray together: Thank You Lord for Your word. Thank You for telling us the truth. You’re the God who cannot lie and Lord; we claim Your promises of salvation in Christ because You’ve promised. You’ve promised to bring salvation that any and all who place their faith in You and Your salvation will never perish. Lord, we believe that. That is our hope for time and eternity. We believe there is an eternal heaven but Lord we have to believe there is an eternal hell and You have graciously made clear the awful reality of an eternal hell. The hopelessness there is in an eternal hell and we are reminded this is a day of salvation. This is a day of grace. This is a day when You are withholding the judgment that will come that others might repent upon hearing the truth of the gospel. Believe and be saved. May we who have trusted in Christ be bold and clear in sharing with others this great truth that they may come to trust You? Any who are here Lord who haven’t trusted You may this be the day of their salvation we pray in Christ’s name. Amen.









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