1. Welcome to our service Teaching the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) Please visit our website: www.livingstonesnewforest.org.uk

2. Sodom: A Model of Hell What does the Bible tell us about Hell 1 A real place created by God Not an idea or imaginative way of describing difficult life A place of eternal conscious punishment for the wicked Imprinted on the conscience – Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism all have a hell Hebrews 6 move away from milk – eternal judgement was one of them However, neglected and overlooked Sartre said Hell is people – wrong Life can be hell - wrong

3. Sodom: A Model of Hell We don’t know where it is, but it is ‘Outside’ Luke 16 v 28 – “this place of torment” Gehennah – The valley of Hinnom A place of child sacrifice to Molech A place of desecration A rubbish dump in Jesus’ time A place of worms and uncleanness Rev 4 v 11 God created ALL THINGS

4. Sodom: A Model of Hell 2 A place of punishment which is Just, Terrible and everlasting Not reformative or remedial Not to teach others to fear the consequences - preventative Of no benefit to the sufferer Entirely retributive Matt 25 v 46 & 2 Thess 1 v 9 Punishment because it is right and just to punish evil His judgements are right and true Measured to each individual Luke 12 v 47 Not punished to the same degree or extent Matt 11 v 21 the towns that rejected him – more tolerable for these towns than Sodom and Gomorrah

5. Sodom: A Model of Hell Mark 12 v 38 – Scribes here will receive greater condemnation We don’t know what this will look like But will be just – no one will be able to complain Terrible – The wine of the wrath of God poured out full measure into the cup of His indignation Weeping and gnashing of teeth Worm does not die – fire not quenched Tormented with fire and brimstone Smoke of their torment ascending forever and ever with no rest day or night Revelation 14 verse 10 and 11

6. Sodom: A Model of Hell Everlasting punishment Same Greek word used of everlasting life Just as eternal as heaven Jude speaks of the blackness of darkness forever Calvin said there is no doubt that God intended to confound our faculties with horror. 3 Hell is for the devil, his angels and the unsaved George Bernard-Shaw said all the interesting people will be in Hell He could not have been more wrong

7. Sodom: A Model of Hell Demons cowered before Jesus – Luke 8 v 26 and following Gadara, they pleaded not to be sent to the abyss before time Jude – reserved in chains unto the great day (13) Rev 21 v 8 lists those who have their part in the lake of fire George’s interesting people! Hell also for those who are outwardly good and upright, but have not received Christ 2 Thess 1 verse 8 Don’t refuse to obey the Gospel

8. Sodom: A Model of Hell Only the elect escape John 5 v 24 4 Hell is where the souls of the wicked go at death and where they are re-joined with their bodies at the final judgement No neutral place between heaven and hell No purgatory No Waiting room There is this world followed by heaven or hell (Hebrews 9 v 27) The souls of believers go immediately to be with Christ To the thief – “Today you will be with me in Paradise” Luke 23 v 43 Paul said that to be absent from the body is to be present with The Lord – 2 Cor 5 v 8

9. Sodom: A Model of Hell The wicked reserved in torment awaiting the judgement of the great day Sheol and Hades refer to the grave as well as to Hell so sometimes contextually difficult Rich man and Lazarus Luke 16 v 23 Body in the ground but tormented 2 Peter 2 v 9 delivers the godly from temptation and the unjust to punishment Literally to keep them continually under punishment Even God cannot help them – no masses or purgatory or indulgences

10. Sodom: A Model of Hell 5 Hell is ruled by God and exists for His glory Not distant from God Not a place where the Devil rules The Devil will suffer the most extreme punishment in Hell Separation not one of distance but one of relationship Revelation 14 v 10 – suffering in the presence of the Holy Angels and The Lamb God will be glorified by his righteous justice Rev 11 v 13 giving thanks for His wrath Rev 16 v 5 magnifying His wrath

11. Sodom: A Model of Hell Problems Is it not disproportionate to the offence in both severity and duration No adequate understanding of the enormity of sin Gravity of offence depends on the dignity of the one offended Worm Cat or dog Human GOD!! Psalm 51 – “against you only have I sinned” No connection between severity of sin and its duration E.g. murder and Smoking Smoking and abortion – society accepts the latter but vilifies the former

12. Sodom: A Model of Hell Rev 22 v 11 – sin continues in Hell Let him who is unjust be unjust still etc. Dagg If sin and damnation had been trivial things the sacrifice of Christ and the shedding of his blood would be an inappropriate payment for it. He says that the magnitude of God’s anger is beyond what the human mind can conceive The doctrine of Christ’s vicarious atonement stands or falls with the doctrine of eternal punishment If we lose Hell we also lose the cross Hell is extreme because sin is extreme

13. Sodom: A Model of Hell Is it not contrary to God’s character? God is love How could he bear to send those he loves to eternal punishment? He is both love and justice He cannot be indifferent to sin – He must hate it He expresses his love – He should also express other attributes of his character Would it be virtuous to be indifferent? We do not accredit it as virtue in a human

14. Sodom: A Model of Hell Having paid with the blood of His Son, would it be acceptable then to accept those who reject that precious gift. The fact that he was prepared to die for sin shows He was not indifferent to it in any way He has not inflicted the misery – we have signed up for it when we reject Christ If He has to forgive, then grace and mercy have become compulsory How can He be merciful and also condemn to hell? He has not – He has loved unto death and those who are unresponsive condemn themselves

15. Sodom: A Model of Hell God has shown the depth of His love in the cross The existence of Hell does not call into question His love His Gospel is a gracious and merciful warning If there is no Hell this is callous and mean and deceitful If there is a hell it is a most loving thing to keep warning us louder and louder until we either come to Him or until it’s too late He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked The one who warns us is He that can (has) deliver(ed) us Next week what is Hell like and how does Gen 19 model this?

16. Welcome to our service Teaching the “whole council of God” (Acts 20:27) Please visit our website: www.livingstonesnewforest.org.uk