A Place of Fire, Torment, and Damnation
The word “Hell” is mentioned at least 54 times in the King James Bible. So even if people would like to avoid it, if you just read your Bible, Hell is there. People like to change the definition of the word Hell, but as we will find out, Hell is a place of fire, torment, and suffering.
In verses 23 and 24, the Bible says of the rich man, “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments.” If you are not saved, you are going to that same place where the rich man went, and that place is a place of eternal torment. The rich man cried, “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.” In Hell, if you are an adult today, I believe you understand the kind of pain caused by fire. But what more in Hell? A few days ago, it was 42 degrees in Metro Manila, and it was hot. What more in Hell?
In verse 25, Abraham answered him, “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.” By the way, this is not about being rich or poor; it is about you either having Christ or not having Christ. The worst thing about this torment is what Abraham said in verse 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.” There is no way out.
We often talk about grace, and praise God for grace. But when you talk about Hell and understand the gravity of the punishment that a person will suffer, it should help you understand how God is so merciful that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for your sins so that you do not have to go there.
Hell is also a place of damnation. Once you are in Hell, you are damned, with no more opportunity to be saved. The doctrine of purgatory, along with indulgences and prayers for the dead, are just man-made imaginations. One of the main reasons we hold this camp meeting is because people are going to Hell, and we take this opportunity to share the message of God’s love and the Gospel—how Christ died for you so that you do not have to go there.
The pains of Hell are real. King David spoke of them multiple times. In 2 Samuel 22:6, he wrote, “The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me.” In Psalm 18:5, he said, “The sorrows of hell compassed me about.” And in Psalm 116:3, he wrote, “The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.”
People are so intent on removing the idea of a place of punishment from the consciousness of men that they have even attempted to remove it from the Bible. If you look at Mark chapter 9 in the NIV, you will see verses removed. But in the King James Bible, Mark 9:43-45 says, “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched.” The devil wants to deceive you by sending false prophets and teachers who will tell you there is no such place as Hell, or that Hell is just the grave. No, Hell is a real place, and there is fire in Hell.
The Location of Hell
If Hell is a real place, it must have an address; we should be able to locate it. And the Bible tells us where it is. It is down. In Luke 10:15, Jesus said, “And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.” Matthew 11:23 says the same thing.
In Isaiah 14:12, the Bible speaks of Lucifer, who said in his heart, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God… I will be like the most High.” But verse 15 declares, “Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” Hell is down. As Magellan discovered, you can circumnavigate the earth. So wherever you are on this spherical earth—North Pole, South Pole, east, or west—the Bible says Hell is down. That tells us that Hell is in the core of the earth.