HELL – SHEOL

“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Psalm 9:17.

It’s true, there really is a Hell. I know because I’m standing in the midst of the most horrible place anyone could imagine. Truth be told, no human being could ever come close to imagining what I am seeing and experiencing without experiencing it personally for themselves. Hollywood could not do justice to the immense hideousness of this place. What I am seeing cannot be described in human terms. Why am I here? I rejected God’s free gift of salvation, and if you keep reading you might just avoid spending eternity with me.

You see, I died and instantaneously there I was in Hell. I knew immediately where I was and that I was surrounded by others who I perceived knew exactly where they were also. “Hell and destruction are never full;” Proverbs 27:20. There is no denying the truth any longer. All of us standing in this most unholy realm of godlessness were instantly confronted with the overwhelming truth of our failure to acknowledge the one true and living God of all Creation.

I see a huge cave-like chamber so immense it’s beyond my ability to describe it in size. It seems as vast as the universe itself but without stars, it is pitch black like a huge black hole, and yet I can see through the blackness into a deeper blackness. From a human standpoint this place defies explanation, yet I see it. I feel the presence of multitudes all around me but no one speaks, and as I reach out to touch another person there is nothing but blackness. I also feel that each person, including myself, knows that enduring this chamber of horrors is only temporary. I can feel that there is something else coming something that will be even more horrible and impossible to endure, something which will ultimately be our self-imposed punishment for eternity.

As I stand here I’m weighed down with fear and sorrow. My very first thought is that I had been given every opportunity, while I lived on earth, to avoid such a place. Before I died I was an intelligent man. Not given to believing in fables and myths, and I had a good grasp on what I thought was reality. There is no denying the fact of the matter that I had allowed the world to deceive me and convince me that there was no God. The evolution of pond scum into living beings keeps coming to mind as a major satanic deception.

Interestingly, as I stand here silent in all this blackness I understand fully why I had allowed myself to be so completely deceived. A life of denying God is laid before me. Everything I had ever done on earth is vividly playing back across the recesses of my memory. All the evil I was responsible for torments me, even all the good deeds I had ever accomplished are laid before me as a proof that all the good deeds one can perform mean nothing to God unless they are done through the born again experience of believing and trusting in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. These scenes are exploding out from all the blackness as though being played on a huge theater screen that only I can see. Excluded from all this playback is any semblance of happiness. There is to be no further joy for me for eternity now that I am in this Hell, and I know it.

Horrible, horrible misery and wretchedness is all I can sense as I stand here. It is not just my own wretchedness but that of those who occupy space with me. It is as though all the unhappiness in the universe is now easily sensed as it floods the caverns of my mind. Remorse and guilt also inundate my being. The permanence of Hell is relentlessly affecting my mind. The unshakable and overwhelming obstinacy of the reality of my situation is now extreme. And the more I linger and try to somehow deal with my new surroundings, the more severe become my anguish and sorrow. I realize that this place which was created by God as a future eternal dimension of torment for Satan and his angels is, along with all its awful horribleness, now mine also. “Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure:” Isaiah 5:14.

I realize that my torment is never to depart but is only going to get worse as more and more join us in our new eternity. I have no clue as to just how long I’ve been here because time is not a factor in this particular dimension, but that awful playback continues for what seems like millennia. One thing I know for sure, eternity has no end. Dread and sorrow fill every fiber of my being as I stand here remembering the opportunities I had been given as they are piled one upon another to remind me of what I had rejected while I was alive on earth. Over and over again it plays in my mind that people – friends and family – brought the truth to me explaining about Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on that cross. Each time the scene plays, further and further into the depths of Hell I slide. The deeper I slide the stronger my dread grows while I anticipate the next flash of memories depicting my refusal to accept the truth of the Gospel of Christ. The misery, sorrow, and grief is unbearable. I know I cannot deal with this horrible place for very much longer, yet this undeniably torturous eternity remains steadfast staring me in the face.

My new existence is just as real and vivid as all the time I had lived and ignored the plight of my fellow man while I enjoyed all the pleasures I could on earth. Only now there will never be happiness and joy again. My worldly depravity comes screaming back at me while I stand here in all this seemingly empty blackness. It is alive and overwhelming as it sinks deep into the recesses of my eternal consciousness. All the evilness I had dabbled in throughout all those years as a living being, along with all the sorrow I had effectively dealt out to my fellow man, is now mine to endure for eternity. The tables have been everlastingly turned and as all this continually rolls across the screen of my thoughts, the clarity of extreme sorrow fills me to a point that I think I will explode. Even as much as I long to explode, to disintegrate into a billion specks of nothing, I know I will never escape Hell, never.

It seems as though tears are falling down my cheeks, but not really. It’s more like flames of fire licking at my face. And then fear of more visions of my life on earth coupled with the full sinking awareness of where I am and how long I will be here gives way to the most bewildering sense of failure I would ever know. But the worst thing about being in Hell is knowledge. All the knowledge of who God is and what He had done for me is perfectly and completely apparent. I now fully understand that it was He who sustained me through all my joyous yet very selfish years on earth. Just knowing that while I was on earth I was in God’s hands, and that I was never completely apart from Him, makes my current sorrow even worse. And now I know there is never to be another chance to be with Him. Spending eternity without God is like experiencing death over and over again – never to stop. Realizing God will never be present with me again gives way to the most fearful concept that could ever attack my consciousness. Lonesomeness that is indescribable in human terms is now gripping me as I stand in my eternal isolation.

Even though God was responsible for my very existence and for all the good things that entered my life while I was alive, I never once gave Him what He wanted from me, acknowledgement of God and love for Jesus Christ was the farthest thing from my mind. The simple yet totally obvious fact that relates to my current situation is that all I had to do was believe in the One who God sent to earth to save mankind from their sins. That all sounds so simple now and yet impossible for all those who, like myself, have crossed the plane into this new dimension called Hell.

Senses and perceptions are all still in place. Although from your humanistic view point I’m dead, I’m actually very much alive, more so than I had ever been on earth. I did not understand anything relevant to eternity while on earth, but now standing in this vast horrible darkness I understand with crystal clarity. I will never have another chance to believe and confess the truth and be saved. This Hell is now to be my present and this present never ceases. Explaining this existence further could never sufficiently give a true view of Hell. Hell cannot be explained in human terms, it has to be experienced to fully grasp. For anyone who thinks they are currently living a life of Hell on earth, and who’ve rejected Christ their whole life – let me conclude with – you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

The above scenario is a fictional presentation of Hell. The supernatural cannot be explained in human terms, and certainly not with our limited cranial abilities. No one who places themselves in Hell for eternity will ever return to give testimony to the rest of humanity as to just what transpires there, so I contrived a plausible, yet fictional, adaptation of Hell, one that most readers should be able to grasp.

Jesus gives a great example of what hell is all about in Luke chapter 16 beginning in verse 19. Jesus is not speaking in parables in this situation, He’s giving us a factual set of circumstances, in other words the conversation between Abraham and the rich man really happened.

Jesus tells us that it really wouldn’t matter if He were to send one back from the grave to explain what Hell was all about. Just like the fictional example given above, people who are deceived into believing the lies of the enemy will not be persuaded even if someone was to rise from the grave, show up on the world stage, and proclaim what was truly going on down there. “And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” Luke 16:31.

Jesus was nailed to a cross some 2,000 years ago, and He, just a few hours later gave up the ghost. He was then buried in a tomb with a huge rock rolled across the entrance. Yet in just three days Jesus arose from that grave and was seen by His disciples and the women that followed Him, even to 500 others. He remained on this earth for some 40 more days. All of this is recorded in the most historical book of all time, the Holy Bible, yet most refuse to believe this truth. Thus the above fictional scenario will become factual for all those who continue to reject Christ as Savior and Lord.

Hell is a real place and the Bible speaks of it often, which of course tells us the opposite is also a real place. Heaven is equally shrouded in the scriptures whenever we seek a clear and full explanation about that awesome place. But be assured both are accessible and both are eternal. Hell, being a place God created to house His rebellious angels, is also available for anyone who so chooses to spend their eternal existence there.

To avoid that horrible place for eternity is quite simple. God made it simple for His Creation because of His great love for us. Although He had to watch while evil men put His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, through the most horrible of punishments He still gives us every opportunity to come to the realization that we must believe in what He did so we can avoid that eternal punishment of Hell. We humans can either believe the truth and live, or we can say no to that truth and reject His free gift of pardon. Those who say no to God’s offer of salvation are telling Him they would much rather endure eternal punishment themselves instead of relying on Jesus Christ as the propitiation of all sin.

Given the above scenario and the possibility that that just might be at least somewhat similar to what Hell is actually like, wouldn’t it be better to try and avoid that place? Here’s all you have to do to avoid Hell: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Admit you’re a sinner and that you believe Jesus Christ died for your sins. Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that God raised Him from the dead. Believing and understanding go hand in hand. Once you believe this simple truth, studying your Bible becomes a walk through the most awesome experiences life will allow. Once you have God given biblical discernment the Bible becomes the most exciting book of all time and you will never get tired of reading and studying God’s truth.

Hell, or Sheol, is real and if you’re a believer in Christ you’ll never know what that horrible place actually consists of. Everyone who rejects Christ will end up in Sheol where they will await the White Throne Judgment of God and from there all those Christ rejecters will be cast into the Lake of Fire which burns forever. Not a very pleasant thought for your eternal existence. Ultimately, it’s your choice. So, which of the two ultimate and eternal destinations have you chosen? Heaven or Hell.

Everybody's existence rests on a knife edge. Most folks assume they'll live to see another day.

If you have called out to The Lord Jesus Christ for Repentance and Salvation, and Believe in your heart that He died & rose from the grave for you then you have nothing to worry about. Your inheritance is with Him.

For those who delay with the decision (the devil's best tactic), or flat out reject Jesus - there will be a day of reckoning. I'm reminded of how my WWII Vet Grandfather died. His last words as he withered away from lung cancer were "I feel hot". With those words my Grandmother conveyed that his facial expression completely changed and had a look of unbelievable terror in his eyes. He died that moment.

Hell is not something to play with. Eternal Life is a free gift from The Lord.

Romans 10:9-13 lays out the formula for Eternal Salvation:

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Hell is not something to play with. Eternal Life is a free gift from The Lord.

I think a lot of people are living in their own hell on earth, and will not find peace until they die. They also won’t find eternal life without the lord.

But regarding your comment aboutnot knowing when we will die, I agree. I started saying, about a decade ago, that everyone lives the exact same lifespan, and we even have a word for it. We call it “today”. And when you go to sleep you don’t know if you will be given another “today”.

As a 68 year old, I’ve learned that the older you get, the faster the days, weeks, and years go by, but a “day” seems to last as long as it did when I was a kid. And because I embrace Paul’s words, “to live is Christ and to die is gain”, I find it easier to shrug off the “things of this world” and focus on the commandments of Christ. Frankly, if I wasn’t “in Him”, knowing what I know about the world and the human condition, I would need a truckload of Xanex just to function.

:: If you have called out to The Lord Jesus Christ for Repentance and Salvation... ::

Augustine would thoroughly disagree with you.
Chrysostom didn’t deal in “If” when teaching.

There is no IF/AND dialectic in God’s plan of salvation.

Thankfully I’ll never experience hell. I accepted Jesus Christ in my heart in 1977 have been in this wonderful relationship with Him ever since. Also grateful my husband and my adult children know the Lord as well.

Hell is a terrible place. I pray the lost will accept Christ as their Savior before it’s to late.

Augustine could never have been a proponent of Calvin.
Augustine lived centuries before Calvin.

Calvin simply corrupted Ephesians 2: 8-10.
Augustine has held that those verses have always supported his doctrinal teaching of Faith Alone (Sola Fides).

Ephesians 2:8-10 English Standard Version
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Chrysostom taught that to insert any human cooperation was to make one’s self equal to Christ’s work.
(CF; Your “cry out to God for repentance” and “those who delay the decision” is to insert human ability into the equation.)

There was a catholic that did a study on hell- i posted it in my profile page- not sure where he got all his info- but yeah, hell is a terrible terrible place (Note- i had an NDE and “went to hell” (though my beleif is NDE’s are simple mis-firings of neurons at the point of death which cause vivid visualizations— My visualizations were unbliblical {ir god gave me a ‘test to get out’ ie count the sounds, when i couldn’t keep up- the voice said ‘Don’t worry, there is no hell, you don’t exist’ only at that point i was let ‘out of hell’, and i went into a ‘space’ where there was nothing but somehow i was conscious of being all alone- it was weird, frightening, [the aloneness was the most frightening], and most definately not biblical- i attribute it to the brain having gone wonky under massive stress from very high fever=-

anyways- the short article in my profile describes some truly horrible conditions in hell- why anyone woudl chance ending up there i dunno why- Even if only a portion of the article’s points are is true- it’s gonna be hell-

Everybody's existence rests on a knife edge. Most folks assume they'll live to see another day.

The issue is with the fact that you are a sinner, you have fallen way, way short of God's standards, Hell is real and Hell is where you will go, you need deliverance from Hell, and Jesus is the only way. He is the "Narrow Way."

Wide is the way that leads to destruction.

Chrysostom taught that to insert any human cooperation was to make one’s self equal to Christ’s work. (CF; Your “cry out to God for repentance” and “those who delay the decision” is to insert human ability into the equation.)

If this is so, then I reject Chrystostom.

Jesus requires a choice.

We are all faced w/ that choice, like it or not.

To say the human has no part in the choice he must make is ... choose your label.

Calvin agreed with Augustine. Calvin took a lot of cues from him.

We all have the freedom to choose Christ or reject Him. God/Christ did the work - but we make the choice. It’s available to everybody.

1 Timothy 2:4
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Ezekiel 18:23
Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Lord GOD. Wouldn’t I prefer that he turn from his ways and live?

Ezekiel 18:32
For I take no pleasure in anyone’s death, declares the Lord GOD. So repent and live!

FWIW: I’ve never even heard of Chrysostom.

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