High school students Josh and Zack were best friends. They played soccer together, had classes together, and pretty much did everything together. But then, one fateful night, after a few too many beers and tragic drive home, there was a crash, killing Josh.
Then came the unexpected, though no one was quite sure how. Zack got a letter from Josh. In the letter, Zack lets Josh know that he is writing it after his death. But the afterlife was not at all what Josh expected. Josh always thought that death would bring him to a world that is foggy and hazy. But this world is crystal clear. In fact, it was even more real than Josh's life on Earth. It was a place where he could talk, think, and feel. Then, right after the wreck, Josh could feel his spirit leaving his body. It was the weirdest feeling.
The next thing Josh knew, he was standing in a long line. To him, it seemed like some kind of a registration queue. He was asked for his name, which was searched for in the Book of Life. Unfortunately for Josh, they couldn't find it. Then the angel standing next to Josh grabbed him and dragged him away. He was terrified, having no idea what was going on. Josh asked where the angel was taking him, but the angel didn't respond. So Josh kept asking until the angel finally answered. The angel told Josh only those whose names were written in the Book of Life would enter Heaven. The rest, including Josh, would be condemned to Hell forever.
Josh was so scared when the angel threw him into a holding cell. Josh had a lot of time to sit and think, but what he thought about the most was his friend Zack. Josh knew that Zack was a Christian because Zack told him. In fact, the subject had been brought on the day of Josh's death. Their friend brought it up, and Zack laughed it off. Finally, their coach brought it up, and Zack changed the subject. This all happened right before the wreck, which left Josh wondering why Zack hadn't told him how to become a Christian. Zack said he was Josh's friend, but if he really was, he would have made sure Josh knew how to accept Jesus and avoid the terrible place he was now headed for.
Josh's heart was pounding in his chest. The angels whose job it was to cast people into Hell were coming down the hallway. Josh could hear their footsteps. He had heard of Hell before. Someone called it the Lake of Fire, but no one told him how to keep from going there. He was so terrified he couldn't stand it as the angels got to the door. They came in, grabbed him, and carried him out of the room. He could already smell the fire and brimstone. He could see the edge of the cliff where Hell burns. So this was it, and Josh was without hope as he got closer and closer. His heart burst with fear as he was held over the flames because he knew he would be damned forever. All that followed was fire, pain, and Hell forever.
Josh's letter to Zack ended this way: "Why Zack? Why didn't you tell me about Jesus?
Your friend,
Josh
Josh
P.S. Wish you were here."
This letter is fictional, a made-up story. However, Hell is not fictitious or made-up. It is very, very real. God doesn't force anyone to go there because it is each individual's choice. Then he warns you where you will go if you reject Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, refusing to repent of your sins. That's why Jesus said your words will either declare you justified or condemned. If you say you don't believe Jesus is the only way to Heaven, then your own words condemn you. All people are automatically on the road to Hell. We're all born in sin and therefore already condemned. We're already on that road to
Hell because we are sinners. Jesus came to get us off that road.
Governments aren't mean for constructing prisons because no one has to go there. When the first leaders came to the United States, they didn't have prisons in mind. They had in mind the great opportunities that were ahead. It's the same way with God. When God created Earth, he saw how beautiful it was and was happy to give it to us. He didn't have Hell in mind for us because he prepared Hell for the devil and his demons. But if you reject the only way to Heaven, Jesus Christ, there is nowhere else for you to go. You are an eternal being because you are made in God's image.
Sin must be punished because God is a just God, but he took out that punishment on Jesus on the cross. But if you reject the pardon for your sins that Jesus purchased for you, then you must take the penalty. That's not God's fault because it would be your choice, and you would condemn yourself to Hell by your own words. God is just and deems Hell a justifiable place for someone who rejects the provision he made through his sacrifice for your sins. You may not believe the Bible, but God says the unbelieving will have their part in the lake, which burns with fire and brimstone. Anyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire. You have been warned in advance. So you have no excuse if Jesus says to you, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." You will be without excuse because your own words will condemn you. You will either obey God and trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sins, or you will abide by the father of lies (Satan) and dwell in the place made for him. It is your choice.
SOURCES
- Letter from Hell
- Why would a loving God send people to Hell? by Bill Wiese
- John 3:36
- John 14:6
- Acts 4:12
- Luke 13:3
- Revelation 21:8
- Matthew 12:37
- Psalm 51:5
- Psalm 143:2
- Romans 3:10, 12, 20, 23; 5:12
- John 12:47
- Matthew 7:13-14
- John 6:40
- Matthew 25:41
- Genesis 1:26
- Romans 6:23
- Deuteronomy 32:4
- Psalm 96:13
- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
- Galatians 1:4
- Deuteronomy 30:19
- Psalm 86:5
- Psalm 145:8-9
- John 3:16
- Romans 5:8, 18
- 2 Corinthians 5:21
- Psalm 9:17
- Proverbs 11:19, 21; 2 Peter 2:9; Revelation 20:13-15
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