The Worst Thing About Hell

As God's men, we probably don't think about hell as much as we should. On some level, we might think, "I'm saved and I'm not going there" or "It's just too terrible a place to dwell on". We certainly have all the reason to praise God for his mercy and grace in allowing Jesus to pay our sin debt and save us from this worst possible place.

Scripture tells us that hell is an eternal lake of fire and sulfur where those there are tormented forever (Revelation 20:10). It is the second death and those who haven't accept Christ and whose names are not found in the book of life will be cast there (20:14-15). That's certainly enough of a description to make it a place to avoid; yet consider what is truly the worst thing about hell. Because God cannot tolerate sin in His presence, hell is a place that is completely, totally and permanently separated from the presence of God. Even the angels in Heaven who rebelled against God were not spared but cast into hell (2 Peter 2:4) and away from His presence.

A place without God is a place without love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. A place without God is a place that is void of every blessing that comes from His hand. A place without God is a place that is without the majesty and splendor of His creation. Just the mere thought of being apart from God, even for just a few hours, caused Jesus to literally sweat drops of blood as he prayed in Gethsemane prior to his arrest and crucifixion (Luke 22:44).

Knowing what we know about hell, knowing that God's desire is that all would be saved and come to knowledge of truth (1 Timothy 2:4) and knowing that hell cannot prevail against Christ's church (Matthew 16:18) should give us confidence, courage and a sense of urgency to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. So that no one has to experience the worst.