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Christ in Hell Part 4 of 9
By Bro. Cheek | October 18, 2007
Table of contents for Christ in Hell
Christ in Hell
Part Four
Why Was Hell Created?
By Pastor Robert L. Cheek Jr.
Victory Baptist Church
Why was hell created? This is a good question to ask. Why would God create hell; a place of torment, pain, and suffering? Many lost people ask that question. In fact, many say that they don’t believe a loving God would create such a horrible place called hell. Those same people also choose not to believe that a loving God sent His Son to the world to die in their place. First, let’s establish the fact that God never wanted people to go to hell.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
That word “perish” refers to something other than physical death. We know this because even Christians die physically and if hell were just death, we would all partake of it. God is longsuffering to us, not willing that any should die and go to hell, but rather, that all should repent and be saved. The same word is found in John 3:16.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
These verses show us that the Calvinists are completely wrong in their assumption that God predestined some people to be damned to hell and others to heaven with no condition attached. God has never predestined people to hell. Rather, He has predetermined that those who reject His Son will go to hell. There is a big difference in predestination (God chooses to send a person to hell) and predetermination (God chooses to send a person that rejects salvation to hell).
1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
If there are those who are predestined to go to hell, why did Jesus pay for their sins as well? Jesus paid the price for the sin of every person, saved and lost. If there are some that are automatically predestined to go to hell with no hope of heaven, there would be no need to pay for their sins. Why then was hell created? I find three major reasons for the existence of hell. There may be other minor reasons, but these are the most apparent reasons for the creation of hell.
1. Hell was created as a prison house of lost souls, to be kept there until the great day of judgment.
Since God does not desire to put any person in hell, no one can blame God for placing sinners there. He did everything He could to keep sinners from that awful place. However, God in His infinite wisdom and foreknowledge knew that there would be some who would reject the salvation He offers in Jesus Christ His Son. Since a soul is eternal, God had to prepare a place to house these eternal souls of lost men until that great day of judgment when God will judge every lost sinner and consign them eternally to the lake of fire. They cannot enter heaven, so God created a place to keep them called hell.
Revelation 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
2 Thessalonians 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2 Thessalonians 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
It is very apparent that hell is not the place where lost people pay for their sins forever. The Catholic church teaches a doctrine they call purgatory. In that doctrine, they claim that souls are temporarily sent to hell to pay for sin with a hope of being released from hell’s torment to be given a chance at sainthood and heaven later on. The Bible nowhere teaches this doctrine. The Webster’s 1828 definition of purgatory is this:
“Among Catholics, a supposed place or state after death, in which the souls of persons are purified, or in which they expiate (pay for) such offences committed in this life, as do not merit eternal damnation. After this purgation from the impurities of sin, the souls are supposed to be received into heaven.”
There are some small bits of truth to all of the devil’s doctrines. Satan quoted the Bible to Christ but twisted God’s truth into a false design and purpose. That is what Satan has done in the Catholic doctrine of purgatory and almost every other doctrine they teach. Hell is an intermediate place in between the death of a lost person and the day they stand before God to be judged. The difference is, the lost do not pay for their sins in hell, nor do they have a hope of heaven after they die. In the purist sense, hell is simply a prison for lost souls. But it is not a place where their sins are atoned or paid for. Consider this:
Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Revelation 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
If hell were the place where lost people pay for their sins, there would be no need to cast them into the lake of fire, which God calls the second death. Hell is real, it is hot, it is full of torments, it is a horrible place, but it is not the place where lost people pay for their sins eternally. Furthermore, there is a place more horrible than hell. That place is called the lake of fire.
In Luke 16, we have a graphic picture of hell. This picture was taken before the resurrection of Christ. Before Christ was resurrected, lost souls went to hell and saved souls went to a place in the center of the earth next to hell called paradise. Between the two was a bottomless pit (something that has been described as a doughnut-shaped cavity in the center of the earth without gravity and which gives the sense of eternally falling).
Luke 16:22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luke 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
Luke 16:25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Luke 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Notice the rich man’s condition in hell. He can see, hear and hold a conversation. Abraham states that he was in a place of torment. This is a glimpse of hell. The rich man can obviously move around, talk intelligently, hear afar off, etc. Now let’s consider some facts about the lake of fire.
Matthew 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
Matthew 13:37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
Matthew 13:38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
Matthew 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
Matthew 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
Matthew 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Matthew 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
This is a reference to a time immediately after the 1000 year kingdom of Christ.
Revelation 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Revelation 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Revelation 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
We have seen that hell is in the center of this earth. After the kingdom, Satan will be bound and thrown into the lake of fire. Then, God will judge the lost of all ages and cast them into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is described as being a place of much more torment than hell was. Let us read Matthew 13 again.
Matthew 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
When someone gathers tares to burn them, they are bound together into bundles.
Matthew 13:41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
Matthew 13:42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Notice that lost people will wail and gnash their teeth in the lake of fire. This is unlike hell in that the rich man could hold a conversation. In the lake of fire, not only will he be bound hand and foot, but he will be in so much pain that he will only be able to gnash with his teeth and scream out in pain crying out to God. There will be no strength to have a conversation with others. No one will be listening anyway.
Hell is never spoken of as a place where men are bound hand and foot, but they will be bound in the lake of fire. Hell is never spoken of as a place where men will be in so much pain they will scream and gnash their teeth, but they will in the lake of fire. Hell is dark, but the rich man could see the light of paradise that radiated across that bottomless pit so that Abraham could see and speak to him. The lake of fire is said to be “outer darkness”.
Matthew 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
All these things show that hell, even though it is an awful place, is not the worst place a lost man will live. It is certainly not the place where he pays for his sins for all eternity. It is simply a prison house for lost souls awaiting their day in God’s court with no chance of bail.
2. God created hell to be the place where Satan and his angels shall be kept until the end of Christ’s kingdom, after which they shall be judged.
There is a common misconception that Satan lives in hell. Believe me, he has no more desire to go there than you or I, nor do his angels or devils wish to go there.
Matthew 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
The devils that were in the maniac of the Gadarenes, when they saw Jesus coming, were afraid that He would command them to depart from the man and go to the center of the earth. That is what they meant by torment. This is clearly proof that they have no desire to go to hell. According to Scripture, some of Satan’s angels are now chained in hell (or perhaps the bottomless pit - I am not exactly sure which) awaiting judgment for what they did in Genesis chapter six when they mated with the daughters of men. That is another subject entirely. Again, this fits our definition of hell as being a prison.
Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
According to Paul, we will have some part in the judging of these fallen angels, perhaps because they sinned against humanity.
1 Corinthians 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
According to Revelation 20, Satan will be imprisoned in the bottomless pit, which is next to hell, for 1000 years during the kingdom.
Revelation 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
When Michael and the heavenly angels fight Satan and his angels in Revelation 12, Satan is no longer able to enter the third heaven to accuse the brethren. His angels are also cast out to the earth. It is logical but speculative to assume that if Satan is bound for 1000 years in the bottomless pit, his angels are placed there as well during the kingdom. It would not be logical that they should remain free during the kingdom.
Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Revelation 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
So hell is a prison for lost souls. It is also a prison for Satan’s angels, devils, and eventually Satan himself.
3. God created hell to be the place where Christ would be the burnt offering for sin.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The death referred to in Romans 6:23 is not just speaking about physical death. If it were, then when we die, the wages of sin would be paid and we would be allowed to go to heaven. The death referred to is the second death, which is a spiritual death of separation from God (which is what death means - death is by definition “separation”). Throughout the O.T., offerings to God for sin were always made with fire. Remember that Cain attempted to offer the fruit of his hands to God for a sacrifice but God would not accept it. Why? Because it was not burned and it was not the right sacrifice.
Exodus 29:14 But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.
Leviticus 6:30 And no sin offering, whereof any of the blood is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withal in the holy place, shall be eaten: it shall be burnt in the fire.
Leviticus 16:27 And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung.
The Bible says that the passover lamb is a picture of Christ.
1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
1 Peter 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
Notice what the requirements of the lamb were in Exodus 12.
Exodus 12:7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it.
Exodus 12:8 And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Exodus 12:9 Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.
Exodus 12:10 And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
Exodus 12:11 And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’S passover.
All of this is a picture of the lamb of God, Jesus Christ. We know that He died, just like the lamb. His blood was shed, just like the lamb. But as for the fire part, nothing physically was burned in the death of Christ. The reason is because He was to be resurrected. His soul was the thing that was burned with fire. The fire that burned Him was in hell. Jesus could not have been the fulfillment of a sacrificed lamb had he not been roast with fire as the picture was given in the Old Testament.
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
When Abraham went to offer his son Isaac, notice what he said to Isaac:
Genesis 22:7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
Those were prophetical words. In the case of Isaac, we see the wood and the fire, but where was the lamb? In the case of Christ, we see the lamb and the wood (i.e. the cross) but where is the fire? With Isaac, the lamb was found in the bush. With Christ, the fire was found in hell.
Hell, in the heart of the earth, was the place God chose to make His Son a burnt offering for sin. These are the three primary reasons why hell was created. In our next lesson, we will answer the question, “Did Jesus Christ go to hell?”
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