Rev. David Holwick ZJ
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
October 16, 1988
2 Thessalonians 1:6-9
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I. The Dilemma of Hell.
A. Great theologian Karl Barth asked, "Do you believe in Hell?"
1) Answer - "No, I believe in Jesus Christ."
2) Good point - Our commitment is not to a doctrine of
eternal punishment, but to Jesus Christ, our divine
Lord and Savior.
B. God himself wants all to be saved:
1) 2 Peter 3:9 - "God is patient with you, not wanting
anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."
2) But God does not always choose to bring his divine wishes
into reality.
C. Hard to digest for modern people.
1) Testimony of great theologians: [ NOT USED IN SERMON ]
a) Paul Tillich - all humanity will eventually be
absorbed into God, "the eternal ground of being."
b) Nels Ferre - in the end, love must dissolve all evil.
c) Rudolf Bultmann - vague final triumph beyond human
history.
d) Emil Brunner - compromises with annihilation of
unsaved. (Jehovah Witnesses agree.)
e) Karl Barth - Bible verses on hell are only threats
from God to keep us from arriving at such a destiny.
2) Problems: What about non-christians? Good pagans?
a) We rub shoulders with non-believers every day.
b) Some of them are in our families, or close friends
II. Testimony of Jesus Christ.
He must answer the all-important religious question of
our eternal destiny.
A. He refers to hell more than any other person in Bible.
Typical passage - Matthew 25:31-33,41,46.
1) Even if the Gospels are only a dim reflection of
the life and teaching of Jesus (which they are
not), they show that hell is one of his deepest
convictions.
2) If the Gospels are wrong on this point, they are
wrong on everything.
B. But Jesus does not stress gory details.
1) Opposite approach: Jonathan Edwards -
"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", 1741.
"The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds
a spider, or some loathesome insect, over the fire,
he hates you, and is dreadfully provoked.
His wrath towards you burns like fire.
He looks upon you as worthy of nothing else but to be cast
into the fire.
O sinner, you hang by a slender thread, with the flames of
divine wrath flashing about it, and ready every moment to
singe it, and burn it in two."
2) Employer at Wheaton -
Heard hellfire at revivals as a youth.
Scared him to death.
C. Jesus preached hell to bring people to a decision.
1) Judgment is a fact, and it is coming.
2) Two destinies face all people.
3) We must decide to accept God's gift, or reject it.
III. Purpose of Hell.
A. Not God's glee at our suffering.
B. True love and freedom requires a choice.
1) God does not want any to perish - 2 Peter 3:9.
2) But his desire can be thwarted by people.
C. C.S. Lewis - if doors of hell are locked, they are locked
from the inside.
IV. When do we face Hell?
A. Hell is here on earth (pagans). [expand details on hard life,
due to bad choices, sin]
1) Some truth to it - condemnation can be a present reality.
B. We face Hell at death.
C. At the end of time, hell will be cast into Lake of Fire.
1) Eternal condition of condemnation, parallel to
New Jerusalem.
V. What is Hell like?
A. Variety of descriptions are used.
1) Place of darkness.
2) Fire, sulphur and brimstone.
3) Lake of Fire.
4) Outside of God's city.
B. Emphasis is on exclusion from God's Kingdom. Horrible.
VI. How long does Hell last? (Eternal Torment or Annihilation?)
A. Arguments for annihilation:
1) Biblical images suggest annihilation.
a) Fire.
b) Destruction.
2) "Eternal" may mean permanent results, not permanent
punishment.
3) Some Bible images go beyond literalness - Satan and people are
thrown into the Lake of Fire, but so is Death and Hell
itself.
B. Arguments for eternal punishment:
1) Plain meaning of the Bible passages.
a) Hell is eternal, just as heaven is eternal.
- Matthew 25:31-33,41,46.
b) "Destruction" in 2 Thess 1:9 means a state of
conscious ruin, not annihilation.
C. If not annihilation, then universalism?
1) Second chance for salvation, even in hell.
2) Hell exists, but is empty.
3) All are saved through cross.
a) Appealing to sensitive Christians.
D. Universalism is unbiblical.
1) Not taught in Scripture.
2) Bible teaches one chance:
a) Hebrews 9:27 - "It is appointed unto man once to
die, and then to face judgment."
3) God's justice requires an eternal sentence.
VII. Basis of Condemnation.
A. Wicked deeds: Selfish, unloving attitude in life.
B. Expressed in disregard for poor, needy people.
C. Ultimately signifies rejection of relationship with God
through Christ.
VIII. Conclusion.
A. If Jesus Christ is Lord of our life and thought, then we
who are Christians should be committed to what he clearly
believed and taught.
B. C.S. Lewis -
"There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove
from Christianity than the doctrine of hell, if it lay
in my power.
But it has the full support of Scripture and, especially,
of our Lord's own words; it has always been held by the
Christian Church, and it has the support of reason."
C. A belief in hell should motivate us to make our personal
salvation sure.
D. We should also witness to those around us.
Their eternity depends on it.
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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