Hell

Today, we come to the end of the book of Isaiah. It seems appropriate that the book ends with a look at the destinies of the two groups that were the primary focus of this prophecy: those who were faithful and those who were not. Someone might even say that this is what the whole Bible is about.

Please listen as I read Isaiah 66.22-24.

Isaiah, once again, points to the new heavens and new earth as the destiny of the faithful. I won’t say too much about this since I spent a sermon on it not that long ago. It is worth noting, though, that what is singled out here is worship. This is a good reminder that the highlight of the new heavens and new earth is the joy of worship. It’s about enjoying Jesus. So, this destiny has joy and its happiness at its core. And it’s good that Isaiah includes this here. It not only is a good reminder of our destiny, it also stands in stark contrast with the destiny of those who were not faithful. Putting these two fates side by side helps us to understand each.

The rest of our text is not particularly difficult to understand. There are three aspects about the fate of those who were not faithful that stand out. I’m going to spend a little time dealing with those three aspects. After doing that I’ll connect our text with something that Jesus said in the Gospels. And then, I want to relate all of that to a question.

First, God talks about the dead bodies. ‘And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched…’ This is the destiny of those who were not faithful. These bodies are not buried but are strewn about. And the faithful look upon them. Isaiah’s image of the fire and worm is drawn from the day to day life of Jerusalem. Isaiah is describing the city dump just outside the walls. This was a place where garbage was always burning and the rest was decomposing. And the bodies of the unfaithful rot there. This is an image of shame and disgust. And, according to our text, this was to be the fate of the unfaithful.

Now for the second aspect of our text. Why is this? Why are these people there? The text is quite clear and straightforward. They rebelled against their God. This is here to remind us of that basic difference between those who were the faithful and those who were not. There were those who submitted their lives to Jesus. They were all about worshiping Him day by day. The rest refused to do that. Instead, they gave themselves to rebellion and idolatry. They were still appropriately religious. They thought of themselves as good Jews. And, to all appearances, they were getting away with it. Their rebellion and idolatry seemed to be working. This is the same situation that the Psalmist wrote about in Psalm 73. ‘Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.’ But the turning point of that Psalm is the same as in this text. ‘But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.’ You need to interpret the middle of the story by understanding the end. Those in Isaiah’s day who seemed to be doing so well would not end up so well. In the end they would be rotting corpses for the fires and the worms.

Third aspect: how will the faithful respond once they see the end of the story? What will they think and feel as they see the degraded bodies of these people? Will there by sympathy and its sorrow? No. What does Isaiah write? ‘… they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.’ The faithful will look on their bodies and will despise them, detest them. And, as you will see, there is good reason for this kind of response.

Now it’s time to connect this to Jesus’ words. He quotes from our text, and He does it in a context that shows what He thinks Isaiah is writing about. ‘And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ Jesus is talking about hell. Of all the people in the Bible, He talks about hell the most. And He uses Isaiah’s words to describe it. This is the fate of those who were not faithful. They will endure punishment for their sins, a punishment that does not end.

You may or may not know this, but hell is quite the popular topic these days, at least among many who consider themselves evangelicals. Books are being written, reviewed, praised and condemned. And who knows how many blog posts have been written about this? If it hasn’t already, this debate will affect you. So, I want to take advantage of the opportunity that our text gives me to deal with the topic. I actually don’t want so much to talk about hell itself. I want to use it as a context to raise an important question that is related to this topic. And this is a question that many who are talking about hell miss. What does the fact of hell have to say about the character of God? It’s more important that you understand God than it is that you understand hell. But clearer thinking about hell will lead to clearer thinking about God. And there is a paucity of clear thinking on either topic these days. So, I want you to consider some answers to that question.

Let’s start with this. The fact of hell shows that God loves and God hates. You can see that in our text. His love is obvious when it comes to those who are the faithful. They get to enjoy the new heavens and new earth. But what is not always so obvious to many is that God also extends His love to those who end up in hell. Let’s go back to the beginning of Isaiah. What does Jesus have to say to those who were rebelling against Him, those who were being unfaithful? ‘Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.’ What is this? It is an appeal to rebels. Jesus entreats them. He offers them forgiveness for their rebellion. And you can hear the plaintive tone in the words themselves. The picture of God as tyrant casually tossing people into hell has to go. It is not true. Actually, it is slanderous. He loves the rebellious and patiently calls to them.

Other Scriptures fit here as well. From Ezekiel: ‘As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?’ Paul includes the same theme. ‘Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?’ And then there is this from 2 Peter: ‘The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.’ God loves the rebellious and appeals to them over and over that they might repent so that they might enjoy the new heavens and new earth.

And yet, it needs to be said that there comes a point when appeal and entreaty must stop. Listen to the rest of that quote I read from the beginning of Isaiah. ‘Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword… .’ If the appeals are repeatedly ignored, they will stop. And then God shows His hatred. And it is not just a hatred of sin, but also a hatred of the sinner. Thus our text with its strewn bodies. And that makes sense in light of this from Hebrews. ‘For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.’ You will never really understand the love of God until you understand His hatred of sin and of sinners who ignore His entreaties and refuse to repent.

It’s important that you understand that there is a good reason for this hatred. Hell is not about some divine temper tantrum. It’s about justice. Think about it. Can a king allow rebellion against his rule, turn a blind eye to it, and still be considered just? Bear in mind that this rebellion is not just against that king. It is also vented against his loyal subjects. Before he became an apostle, Paul was in rebellion against Jesus’ rule. Do you remember how it had showed? The murder of Stephen. In fact, Paul was on his way to Damascus to collect more loyal subjects so that he could do similarly to them. As those who are in rebellion continue that rebellion by persecuting and killing the loyal subjects, what do those loyal subjects do? They cry out for justice. They appeal to their sovereign for protection from these evil people. Now, how long can a good king let this go on without responding? God’s hatred of sin and sinners is about His own honor as ruler of creation and His concern for those who are suffering because they are loyal to Him.

So, you see, a careful look at the fact of hell helps you to understand God’s love and His hatred in a way that shows something of their depth.

Let’s move on. Who killed these people referred to in our text? Why are they in hell? Who put them there? Jesus put them there. I think that that’s worth pondering. It helps us to understand Him better. Do you remember that parable about the sheep and the goats? There is Jesus on His glorious throne. And what does He say to the goats on His left? ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ He, as king, utters His decree and these are sent into hell. Those who end up in hell are there because Jesus sends them there.

And yet, that isn’t the whole picture. It is so very important to also understand that these people chose to be there. Listen to Moses as he speaks to the Church of his day.

See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live…

Moses is quite clear. The people have a choice to make. He sets before them: life and death, blessing and cursing. He urges them to choose life, to choose to obey and thus be blessed. But it is their choice to make.

Jesus puts before us all a choice. Will it be submission to Him or will it be rebellion; the way of life or of death; heaven or hell? So, when we ask why these people are in hell we need to say two things. They are in hell because Jesus put them there. They are in hell because they chose it.

I pointed out earlier that those who were faithful will not sympathize with the dead. Do you remember how Isaiah put it? ‘They shall be an abhorrence…’ Why? Reacting in this way makes no sense unless love for Jesus is supreme. If hell is just about failing to keep the rules just so, then sympathy makes a lot of sense. But if hell is about rebelling against Jesus, the One whom we love above all others, then abhorrence, contempt, is right. This universe is Jesus-centered. He is our chief treasure and the reason for our lives. So many miss that today. The popular notion is that life is about people’s needs and rights. It’s all about us. But, to put it crassly, what about Jesus’ rights? What does it mean that He is Lord? The point of our existence is not that we have a good time. It’s not about us choosing some fine goals and then achieving them. The point of our existence is all about Jesus. It’s about serving Him. There are those who refuse to do that. Should we feel bad for them if they find themselves in hell as a result? Revelation 19 pictures Jesus coming on a white stallion to war against and to conquer His and our enemies, rebels all, and to send them all to hell. What do we do when we get to that part of the story? We cheer! Finally, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. We will do that gladly in the new heavens and the new earth. They will do that reluctantly in hell. But all will do that. To be sure, there is a time for sympathy, just as I told you last week that there is a time for compassion. But there comes a time when there is to be no more sympathy. There comes a time for contempt, to view with abhorrence. That’s what Jesus says in our text.

All of this has lots to say about the Cross. God became flesh so that He could live on this earth and then die on a Cross. That is, God became flesh so that He could endure hell for any who would accept His offer of forgiveness. Our God knows all about hell. He has experienced it. So, when He puts someone there, He knows what’s going on. This is the love of Jesus for rebels, for sinners, for you. What does this say about those who despise His offer?

Moses spoke to the Church of his day. Isaiah spoke to the Church of His day. And I am speaking to you. Everyone in this room will end up in one of two places. Which one depends on the choices that you make. This is not something that you don’t have to consider anymore because of some choice you made in the past. Those in our text who ended up as dead bodies had similar pasts. Their day by day choices still mattered. Your choices still matter. Don’t limit that to the big choices. Big choices are simply the result of lots of little choices. Do you really think that Judas went from loyal disciple to greedy betrayer in one big step? Your choices, even the little ones, matter. I know and you know that left to ourselves we will choose poorly. None of us is that good or that wise to choose well. Left to yourself you will become one of those dead bodies in the garbage dump. So, I’ll tell you what you need. You need Jesus. You need Him as your Savior and you need Him as your Lord. You need Him as Savior so that you can be forgiven for all your foolish choices, all the different reasons that you deserve hell. You need Jesus as Lord so that you can be guided into wise choices, choices that you will never figure out on your own. You need Jesus. And if you think that you can get all you need of Jesus by coming here one day a week, I’m here to tell you that that is a very foolish choice. You need Jesus every day. Your sense of your need of Jesus is tied to your sense of the danger of hell. The danger is real for sinners like us. But Jesus has come to rescue sinners like us from the just consequences of our very foolish choices. Look to Him so that you will be kept safe.