Revelation 9 Lesson

HELL

1. What does the Bible say about Hell?
2. Who will go there?
3. Can it be avoided?

It is imperative for our salvation that we think about and answer these three questions. Therefore, that will be the focus of today’s lesson.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT HELL?

The Bible does not sugarcoat what is going to happen to most people. They are going to Hell.

We know that because of what it says in the Bible.

In Luke’s Gospel, he tells the story of a person that approached Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. This person asked Jesus:

• “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” - Luke 13:23.

Jesus responded:

• “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ” - Luke 13:24.

During His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had this to say about the ratio of the number of people going to Heaven compared to the number of people going to Hell:

• “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. ” - Mathew 7:13-14.

These Bible verses need to serve as a wakeup call to all of us to make sure we are part of the few that go to Heaven and not part of the many that go to Hell.

Hell is a horrible, painful, miserable place. Listen to the way these Bible verses describe the horror of Hell, and then ask yourself if you have done everything that you need to do in order to be saved on the Day of Judgment.

• Revelation 21:8 describes Hell as, “the lake that burns with fire and brimstone!”
• Revelation 20:10 says, “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
• Revelation 20:15 says, “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
• Revelation 14:11 says, “And 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, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
• In Mathew 13:49-50, Jesus said, “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous,  and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ”

The darkness of Hell is something that we cannot describe. That is why God inspired the writers of the Bible to write what they wrote. And the verses that we just read should compel us to act and make sure we have done everything that we need to do to be saved.

You may be asking yourself, “What exactly do I have to do to be saved?”

Or “I believe in Jesus, is that enough?”

In our lesson, we will let the Bible speak for itself by reviewing what it says about the five matters of salvation.

FIVE MATTERS OF SALVATION

According to the Bible, these five things are necessary for salvation.

1. Believe in Jesus. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” – Acts 16:31, 
2. Confess our belief in Him. “For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” – Romans 10:10, 
3. Repent (turn away from) of our sins. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:3, 
4. Be baptized. “Baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ .” – 1 Peter 3:21 and “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” – Mark 16:16, 
5. Obey God’s commandments. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” – Mathew 7:21. 

If we are missing any of the five items listed above, we need to put together a plan to accomplish whatever it is we need to do. It is a matter of eternal life and eternal death. If we need help, we need to ask for it. Our soul’s survival is at stake.

CONCLUSION

The Book of Revelation, more than any other book in the Bible, gives us a picture of just how horrifying Hell will be for those who are condemned to go there by God.

And while we are saved by grace through our faith in Jesus, this is not the end of the discussion when it comes to what we need to do for our salvation.

Being a Christian is not a passive thing. The Bible teaches us that we are to be “doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” (James 1:22)

All the commandments in the Bible are important, but the commandments that are tied directly to salvation in the scriptures deserve our highest level of attention.

Today’s lesson highlighted these five matters of salvation:

1. Believe in Jesus. – Acts 16:31, 
2. Confess our belief in Him. - Romans 10:10, 
3. Repent (turn away from) of our sins. – Luke 13:3, 
4. Be baptized. – 1 Peter 3:21, and Mark 16:16, 
5. Obey God’s commandments. –Mathew 7:21.  

If we learn that we are lacking in any of these five matters of salvation, the time to obey the Gospel is right now, as none of us are promised another day.

We will end today’s lesson with the following scripture:

• “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.  But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” – Mathew 24:42-44.