"And in Hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence." Luke 16:23-26.
This is the story of the rich man and Lazarus (the beggar), both of them died, the rich man went to Hell, and Lazarus went to Heaven. The rich man asked to be comforted, and was told he could not be comforted, because once someone is in Hell, no one can get out, and no one can get in, to help them.
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." Hebrews 9:27.
We will die once, physically speaking, in the body, but we have souls that will live forever. If we are saved, when we die in these earthly bodies, we will receive new, heavenly bodies, fit for eternity in Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:35-58). But, if we die being unsaved, not having received forgiveness of our sins, we will spend eternity in Hell.
"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Mark 9:43,44.
This is not saying to literally cut off your hand, it is saying to turn away from anything that is causing you to sin, and that is keeping you from turning to the Lord and living in obedience to Him. This verse is also saying that, in Hell, the conscious never dies, it will continue to haunt the sinner forever, and the torment of Hell will continue for the sinner throughout eternity.
"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." Matthew 25:41.
Hell is very real, but it was not prepared for man, it was prepared for the devil and his angels. Although Hell was not prepared for man, that is where we will end up, if we choose not to turn from our sinful ways, and believe on the Lord Jesus.
"Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn (repent) from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" Ezekiel 33:11.
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9.
God loves you! He does not want you to spend eternity in Hell! He loves you so much, He sent His only Son, the Lord Jesus, to pay the price for your sins, so that you would spend eternity with Him in Heaven!
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.
The devil is a liar and a deceiver. Just like from the very beginning, with Adam and Eve, the devil is still lying, and deceiving as many people as he can.
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." Revelation 20:10.
Do not believe the lies of the devil, do not be deceived by any of his tricks. One of the greatest tricks the devil uses is to try to make us feel that we are good enough on our own, that we don't need to believe on Jesus to save us. But the bible says we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God, and that no one comes to the Father but by Him (Jesus). Romans 3:23 and John 14:6.
The devil is going to spend eternity in Hell, do not let him drag you down with him!
