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Why Do People Go To Hell?
By: M. S. Shiflett
This message was preached at Calvary Independent Baptist Church in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
We will be taking our text from Revelation 20. Look with me at Revelations 20:11-15
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"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
I want to preach on this thought: "Some Reasons Why People Go To Hell." This has always been a very perplexing thought to me. I have no doubt that nobody in their right mind would admit to wanting to go there, but thousands go there every day! Why? Did you know that Jesus preached on Hell more than He did on Heaven? Did you know that Jesus spent more time during His early ministry warning people about the fierceness and the awfulness of Hell than He did about the glory and blessings of Heaven? We just read in Mark chapter 9 that Hell is a place that is real. Jesus, when He talked about Hell was not talking about some figment of His imagination. He wasn't talking about the grave. I have yet to see a grave where there is a fire that is not quenched. I have yet to see a grave where the worm dieth not. I have yet to see a grave where according to Luke 16 a man lifts up his eyes being in torments. Hell is a real place. And if you don't believe in Hell, you don't believe the Bible.
There are some theologians today that will stand and publicly declare that Hell is talking about the grave. There are no flames in Hell, there are no worms there. They haven't read the Bible. It's a real place and real people go there and really stay there. I believe that if we could open up the floor and get a glimpse of Hell, it would change our life. Those of us who are saved would be crying and weeping with a burden for our lost family and people that we work with that are not saved. Those of you that are not saved, if you could just get a glimpse of what is waiting for you, you would get down on your knees and you would get saved right now. There is no doubt about it.
Now unfortunately I can not show you what Hell is really like. Jesus tried to, and the Bible gives a lot if indications of what it is like. I can tell you this: it is a bad place, contrary to the Jehovah's Witnesses who teach and preach this doctrine of annihilation. When you go there, you don't just burn up like in a crematory and dissolve into nothing. You stay there for ever and ever. I hate to tell you this, but the people in the Bible that died and went to Hell are still there. The rich man that died and woke up in Hell, he is still there. Korah and his people that dropped down alive into the pit are still there and they know what is going on. They can see, they can hear, they can smell, they can feel, they can think and they can remember.
Jesus warned people day and night about Hell. So why do people go there? Why do people after hearing about Hell end up there? I have at least 5 or 6 reasons why people go to Hell. Let me say this to you. If you are lost, this message is for you. Those of us that are saved, this message is also for us, because we all know people that are going there and it is up to us to keep them out of there.
I think about the rich man as he woke up in Hell. He begged God and he said,
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"I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment." Luke 16:27,28
It's amazing that Hell makes soul winners out of people a whole lot quicker than the Word of God does. I can tell you one thing, if you go to Hell, not only will you wish to God that you had never gone, but you will pray to God that everybody you know doesn't end up there. You wouldn't want your worst enemy to go to Hell. And the Bible is filled with verses and warnings about Hell. So why do people go to Hell? Here's a few reasons why.
1. People Go to Hell Because of Doubt.
They do not believe Hell is really there. They do not believe that God would actually send them there. I've had people tell me, "But Preacher, how could a God of love do that? How could a God of mercy send somebody to eternal torment? How? I just don't see it. I just don't believe it." Guess what? Your unbelief does not change the fact one bit. The fact you don't believe it doesn't lessen the temperature in Hell one little bit!
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2 Corinthians 4:4 says, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." Satan delights in blinding the eyes of people that doubt so that the light of the Gospel cannot shine in."
They sit there and they reason with themselves. They try and reason with God. They try to explain it away. They doubt it. They don't believe. It's terrible, but it is true.
In Mathew 13:58 the Scripture is talking about Jesus, and it says, "And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." Guess what? God Himself can't save you if you don't believe Him. That's how strong doubt is!! That's how strong unbelief is. God himself can't keep you out of Hell if you won't believe Him. Jesus was ministering there and the Bible says that he could not do many mighty works, because they would not believe. He said that unless you come as a little child, believing, trusting, you shall not see the kingdom of God.
Somehow, we've gotten too smart. We've gotten so intellectual. We know it all. We doubt God's Word when it clearly teaches and warns us of a place called Hell. God ought to know about Hell, He created the place! The Bible says that he created Hell for the devil and his angels.
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Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"
He didn't create it for you, but if you don't get saved, that's where you are going. And He knew that, that's why Jesus preached on Hell. Romans 3:3,4 says,
Just because you don't believe it, doesn't mean it's not true. You say, "I can't comprehend it!" Well guess what? I can't comprehend it either. I cannot comprehend how a soul can live for eternity in flames, but the Bible says that they will. So I believe it, although I don't understand it. I don't understand how a fax machine works! I can't figure out how a big piece of paper can go through that little tiny phone wire!! Our comprehension of Hell has no influence on it's existence. It is real! Your disbelief will not change that. Your doubt will not make it go away.
I don't like thinking about Hell. It doesn't please me to talk about it. I don't like preaching on Hell, but people are going there. There is somebody here tonight going there. And that's why God sent me down here tonight to preach this message. I don't want you to go, but more importantly, He doesn't want you to go. He is putting a roadblock into your path. He is putting a preacher in your path to warn you so you will not go to Hell. But if you don't believe him, that's where you are going.
Doubt has sent more people to Hell probably than anything else. How many people are in Hell tonight saying "I just didn't believe it!" Jesus said in John 8:24,
Jesus said, "I'm standing here telling you that I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. And if you don't believe it, you are going to die in your sins." It is about as simple; it is about as plain as it can possibly get. You must not underestimate the importance of faith. Just believe what God said and do it His way. You might say, "Well I just don't believe that being an unbeliever is so bad - to doubt His word isn't such a sin." The Bible says,
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"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." Revelations 21:8
What about that? He puts unbelievers right in the middle of the sorcerers and the whoremongers and the murderers. It's serious business doubting God, doubting the word of God, doubting the will of God and doubting the plan of God. It's serious business. People are going to Hell because of doubt. They just don't believe. It's like a little child, when they get close to a stove and you warn them not to touch it because it is hot. They touch it, and they burn their little hands. They have blisters on their fingers and they are crying and screaming. You go and try to help them yet the whole time you are helping them, you are saying, "I told you it was hot!" It is just human nature to doubt authority. We see a sign that says, "Wet Paint." And what do we do? We stick our hand on there. We touch it. And what do you know, there is paint on our hand! We don't believe it, we are doubting people. The fact is, doubt will send many people to Hell.
2. People Go to Hell Because of Denial.
The second reason that people will go to Hell is they are in a state of denial. They deny that they are going there. Did you know that the first step to salvation is admitting that you are lost? Since I've been in South Africa, I have to say that I notice the same problem here that I had in the Bible Belt in America. Getting people saved is not a problem. Getting them lost is the hard part. Getting them to admit that they are not saved is the hard part. Once they realize that they are lost then getting them saved is no problem. Getting people to quit denying that they are not going to Hell is nearly impossible. They don't want to admit it. They think that because they deny it that it makes it go away. That is not true. You can wish it away, you can cover your eyes, and you can stop up your ears. You can do whatever you want to do, but until you stop denying that you are a sinner on your way to Hell, you are going to go there.
People deny that they are lost. I've seen people sitting in the church and at invitation time I will say, "Bow your head and close your eyes. If you are here this morning, if you are here this evening and you have never been born again, raise your hand." People that I know for a fact are lost will not raise their hand. I want to go to them and say, "Listen, why don't you get saved? Why don't you admit that you are a sinner, and that you have never been born again?" For me to tell them that they are lost isn't going to help until they tell themselves they are lost.
There have been a few times when we have been on vacation or in a new town, and have somehow gotten lost while driving. My oldest daughter, Marissa asked me yesterday how many times had I been lost. I can't remember! We'll always remember the time in Johannesburg when we got lost! I drove like crazy to get up there before dark. We were going to our friend's house and this was the first time that we had ever been up there and I didn't know where they lived. So we left early and drove like mad to get up there before dark because everybody said, "You don't want to be in Johannesburg after dark if you don't know where you are at. It's the most dangerous city in the world." Well, I didn't know where we were. We got up there and the sun and gone down and I had no clue where we were! I walked into a service station and said, "Can you please tell me how to get to Orange Grove?" The guy didn't know where Orange Grove was. I guess he thought I was talking about some farm in Florida! I said, "What about Linksfield Clinic? If you can get me to there I can find my way." He didn't know where Linksfield Clinic was, and I suddenly realized that he was lost too! After making some phone calls, I finally found my way. The important thing was I admitted that I was lost before it was too late!
Until you realize that you are lost, you are not going to try to find directions. I could have driven around the whole night denying that I was lost. Everybody in the car knew the truth: Daddy didn't know where he was! People that deny that they are lost can't get found. It' sad but true.
The Bible also says,
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"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
Romans 3:10-12
As long as you keep taking yourself out of that word: ALL then you will never be saved. His death on the cross will not help you one bit! Notice these verses in Job 33:26-28,
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"He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness. He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light."
It's that simple. Just say, "Lord I'm a sinner!" The Philippian jailer said to Paul, "What must I do to be saved? I'm lost. I'm at the end of the road. I have nowhere else to turn. I don't know what else to do, help me!" Job says that if you just go to the Lord and say, "I've sinned", He will deliver you from the pit and put light into your life. It's a pretty fair deal if you ask me. I am a pretty fair person. If you came to me and said, "I need same money, I am having a hard time. Will you help me?" I will probably help you. However, I am not going to walk up to you and say, "Do you want some money?" If you ask me, I will give it to you. Jesus said:
Then he stood there waiting and said, "Come unto me, I'm here. I'm standing right here. I've got what you need, but it is up to you to come get it."
3. People Go to Hell Because of Disappointment.
You might say "Disappointed at what?" Well, I am thinking specifically about that rich young ruler in Mathew chapter 19. The Bible says, "... and when he heard that, he went away sorrowful." He was disappointed in what he had to do. He was disappointed at the cost. I understand salvation is free; it won't cost you a penny. Jesus knew that, but he also knew that the rich young ruler was a materialistic person. So in essence, here is what He said, "You want eternal life? Give everything you have to the poor and come follow me." The Bible says he turned and went away sorrowful. Guess what? Jesus didn't chase him down either. Many preachers would have chased him down saying "Oh come back, come back, come back. I didn't mean to offend you! You know I would love to have you in my church. Oh man, look at that tithe check every month..."
The truth is, people do not get saved because of what it is going to cost them - their lifestyle, their sin that they love, their friends, their family, and much more. Believe it or not, I have met people who wouldn't get saved because of their smoking. Now nowhere in the Bible does it say that you can't get saved if you smoke. Stay with me now. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that smoking will keep you out of Heaven. But I've seen it keep people out of Heaven, because they didn't want to give it up. Drinking, fornicating, gambling, whatever it was that they were involved in, they didn't want to let go and so they just kept holding back. You can't get saved until you repent, I don't care what the liberal theologians say. I do not care what all the big preachers say. Jesus himself said,
You must to be willing to turn and leave it all or you can't be saved. That fact alone disappoints a lot of people, because they want to hang on to the world and hang on to God. You ca not do it because they are too far apart. They are disappointed at the cost of salvation.
Secondly, they are disappointed at the conditions. You might be saying "Preacher, I really do want to go to Heaven. Just tell me what I've got to do." Well first of all, you don't have to do anything. It has already been done. When Jesus died on the cross, He said, "It is finished." So the first thing is that realize that you ca not do anything to earn or deserve Heaven; everything has already been done. "Oh, but surely Preacher! Surely it can't be that simple! I mean, come on!" No friend, it IS that simple. He paid for it, it's done. People want to work their way to Heaven. They want to do something. They want to add works to grace, which is nothing but a slap in the face of God. For people to try to work their way to Heaven is an insult to God. He gave His only begotten Son. Jesus, the perfect Sacrifice was nailed to a cross so that you could go to Heaven. And you say "Thank you, but I think that I can add to that." Well, you can't. You can't improve on that, not one little bit. People die and go to Hell because they are disappointed that they can't do something.
People are trying to pay their way into Heaven by coming to church every week. They are trying to buy their way into Heaven by dropping money into the plate every month. Come on, who do you think you are fooling? You can't buy your way into Heaven! It's by faith alone.
People go to Hell because of doubt, because of denial, because of disappointment and:
4. People Go to Hell Because of Darkness.
The Bible says in Proverbs 4:19:
You say, "What are you talking about Preacher? Here is what I am saying. Many people go to Hell because they do not know the truth. Let me say this before I go any further. You won't go to Hell for that reason, because you have heard the truth. There are people in the surrounding villages, there are people up in the mountains, there are people in the jungles that have never heard the Gospel. But you can't pull that excuse out when you stand before God. People that are not saved are in darkness. The Bible says:
Those of us that are born again believers can say "He hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of God's dear Son!" Amen!
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"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light."
1 Peter 2 :9
As the old hymn says, "I once was lost, but now I'm found. Was blind but now I see." People go to Hell because they don't know about it; they've never heard about it, but you don't have that excuse. That is why soul-winning, that is why missionaries, that is why gospel tracts are so important. People do not know how to get saved, a lot of people do not even know that they are lost. We have to tell them. That is why we have a printing ministry. That is why we spend thousands printing and preaching and spreading the gospel so that people can hear the truth. We do all that just so the light can shine into their heart and into their life and they can be saved before it is too late.
Let me give you reason number five why people go to Hell:
5. People Go to Hell Because of Delay
Millions will go to Hell because of delay. They know they are lost, they know Jesus is the only way. They know if they do not get saved that they are going to fry in Hell, but they keep putting it off. They keep saying to the Lord, "Not now, not now, not now." Agrippa said to Paul, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." One of the saddest verses in the Bible to me is Acts 24:25. Paul the Apostle; a man of God; a man that was anointed with the power of God stood before Felix and preached unto him and the Bible says that Felix trembled. He trembled!
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And as he (Paul) reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. Acts 24:25
He knew he was lost! He knew he needed God! He was under deep, Holy Ghost conviction and he just sat there and said "Later. Not now. Later. I'll do it later. Go away Holy Spirit, go away God, quit knocking at the door. I don't want to get saved right now." And he never got saved.
There is going to be a whole lot of people who show up in Hell surprised that it happened so quickly. "I never dreamed somebody would run that stop sign! I never dreamed they'd break into my house and shoot me! I never dreamed I'd get that disease...." Delay; putting it off; procrastinating has put many a soul in Hell.
The Bible says that those who are not saved are going to stand at the Great White Throne Judgment. Only the unbelievers are going to be there. Small and great, it doesn't matter who you are, it don't matter how rich you are, it don't matter what your last name is, it don't matter who your parents were. If your Dad was a pastor or a missionary, it won't matter if your Dad translated the Bible! It won't amount to a hill of beans to God. You are going to stand before God and He is going to look in the Lamb's Book of Life and if your name is not in there, He's going to bind you hand and foot and He is going to cast you into the lake of fire. And that's where you are going to stay, and He is going to forget about you and you are never coming out. You had your chance, and you made your decision.
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And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:12-15
You say, "I don't like it!" I don't either. That is why I am warning you about it. And there is somebody here that needs to be saved. God didn't put this message on my heart to preach to saved people. Somebody here is lost and you know it. I'm not coming to you and tell you that you are lost because I don't know who is lost and who is not. But I can tell you one thing. You know! What you do with it is up to you. You say, "Brother Stacey there is no way I can kneel right here and get saved. It would embarrass me, it would embarrass my Mom, it would embarrass my Dad, it would embarrass my family." Forget that! I wouldn't go to Hell for anybody. If you are under conviction and God is speaking to you and the Holy Spirit of God is drawing you, then now is the time to get saved. The Bible says:
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(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 2 Corinthians 6:2
If He is convicting you, and if He is drawing you, and tugging at your heart - listen to me - all the mules in Texas couldn't hold me back from giving my heart to the Lord.
People are going to Hell and they will never come out. You might say, "Preacher, I think that you are being a little bit too serious about this." If you could lean over and look into Hell, it would sober you up too. If you are not saved, you need to get saved. Don't reject him. Don't push him away. God is not obligated to keep standing at your heart's door and to keep knocking till you get ready to open it. He doesn't have to keep standing there. You've heard the truth; that's more than a lot of people can say. Today might be the last opportunity you have to get saved. ~
If you have read this booklet, and God has made you aware of your sin and your need for salvation, please contact us if you need to know more about it. We'll be glad to help you. All you have to do is pray right now and admit you are a sinner and ask Jesus to save you and to wash your sins away and to forgive you, and He will. Make Him the Lord of your life. Give Him full control. Turn your life over to Him today. Don't wait until it is too late! Hell is real!
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