Well, my apologies for taking so long to get to this posting. It is not due to lack of interest, but merely due to a busy schedule.
I thought this chapter on hell was good. It needs to be part of any discussion of heaven. So many people just believe that they are going to heaven because they think they are good enough. I don't think most people believe in a real hell. This is tragic. I also have observed that many pastors are hesitant to preach on hell. Not a popular topic, to be sure, but very necessary.
I have a couple of observations from the chapter.
First, Alcorn has done a great job giving the Biblical perspective on hell. If there is no hell, then what did Jesus die to save us from?
Rather than repeat many of Alcorn's excellent points, I would like to contribute a couple of additional thoughts.
I believe hell is a literal place and it is a place of literal burning. Many people have tried to make hell into some ethereal place where the torment is the mental anguish of separation from God. This certainly is true, but the greater anguish is going to be the intense flames on a resurrected (but not glorified) body. Remember that Jesus said that all will be resurrected, some to eternal life, some to eternal damnation. I think that a person who is in the anguish of a raging hot inferno will not be concerned about the mental regret of separation from God's love. He will be screaming in pain. "Wailing and gnashing of teeth."
This last week, Matt and I were asked to help Grandpa Stewart with his "burn pile." This was a big pile of waste twigs and logs that were piled high and set on fire to dispose of them. It turned into a raging bonfire with flames 20 feet high. We needed to toss branches around the edge into the center to make sure everything got burned. The heat was so intense that we could not even stand to go near the flames. It was incredibly HOT. The thought occurred to me that if I were to fall into this flame, the pain would be unimaginably intense. Such is going to be the pain of the flames in hell. It is real flame, real heat, real burning. Screaming, writhing in pain...never ending. Sober to contemplate.
Such is the nature of sin and its just punishment.
Alcorn makes a good point on page 25 that I want to comment on. "In the Bible, Jesus says more than anyone else about hell." This is correct. I have often heard a similar statement which is , however, incorrect. Some have said that Jesus said more about hell than He did about heaven. Not so. The Kingdom of Heaven was Jesus' favorite subject. How do I know? I actually counted the passages. Heaven wins over hell in frequency. I am so glad.
For me, as a believer, I need to seriously consider the horror of what I have been saved from, then rejoice in what has become my eternal destiny (by the grace of God).
Love to all , Dad
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