I am not one to preach fire and brimstone because I don't think fear is a very good motivator. If you scare someone into doing what's right, they will eventually lose their fear and they will no longer follow what they were following due to fear of the consequences if they didn't. I think love and reward are much better motivators because love and reward will never lose their attraction and each and every one of us desires love and reward. But, that being said, I do think we, as Christians, have made a huge mistake in leaving out the talk of fire and brimstone, entirely. I cannot recall the last time I heard a preacher speak about hell in straightforward language and described as the Bible describes it. We've somehow taken hell off the table because we're afraid people will either not believe it or because we think it's too harsh.
Whatever the reason, we just don't really talk about what the future holds for those who will be left behind. That's where we leave off the conversation: left behind. Left behind to what? To continue living as people have been living for thousands of years? No, not at all. Yes, there will be a time when mankind is left on the earth after the saints are ascended to heaven with Jesus through the clouds. But that situation will not last. The anti-christ will be allowed to rule this earth for a time, but then will come the battle between good and evil. When that battle is concluded those who did not choose to follow Jesus will face judgment. If their name is not found in the Book of Life, they will be cast into outer darkness where the flame never dies and their soul will suffer torment along with the devil and his demons. To spend eternity in an unquenchable fire and in utter darkness where light cannot live. But the worst part of that situation is that there will be no presence of God: no goodness, no love, no hope. Jesus said there would be gnashing of teeth due to the extreme torment.
We've all heard people joke about the partying and fun they will have when they get there, and maybe some of us have even joked about it, too. But, hell is no joke and it's not going to be a party. But, please don't say that God will send people to hell. God will not send a single human soul to hell. There's only 1 who will be sent to hell by God, and that's Lucifer, Satan, the devil. Every other soul that will be in hell will be there because they chose to be there. No, they may not have consciously chosen to spend eternity in a lake of fire, but when they chose to not accept God and Jesus, His Son and they chose to not obey the commands of Jesus, they chose to send themselves to hell. And the saddest fact of all, to me, is that there will be far more souls in hell than there will be in Heaven. That's such a tragic thing for me to comprehend. How anyone could or would reject the loving God who gave His One and Only Son to die in order to take away our sin so that we could spend eternity with Him in His glory. The requirements for Heaven aren't even difficult. Accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and repent (turn away) from sin, while feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, visiting the sick and incarcerated and taking care of widows and orphans. Love each and every person on this planet as God loves us. After all, they are also His children, whom He loves just as much as He loves you and I.
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