Luke 16: 23
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
--NIV In the name of the Seed of Abraham, amen.
Recently, in an article on Rolling Stone magazine's news site, Marilyn Manson commented, "You can always escape hell by not believing in it, but you cannot escape death and you cannot escape prison."1 There are many people today who believe that hell is a figment of an overactive imagination. Jehovah's Witnesses even claim that the account of the rich man and poor Lazarus is merely a parable and therefore not true. If it is indeed a parable, and many contend that it is not, it still remains that it testifies to the existence of hell. All parables describe common, real-life events. None of them are imaginary stories. The parables all describe events that can have taken place, and some argue that they all did take place.
Still, unbelief runs rampant in our world. "If you believe it, it's true for you," has become the empty credo for many. But hell, like heaven, is a place that really exists. It is spoken of many time in Holy Scripture. It is the place where all evil beings are sent, including those who do not have faith in Christ Jesus. It is down, whatever that means. But the fact that it is down, and the fact that it even exists, is a comfort for Christians. It is a comfort that it is below us like a dungeon. It limits the view and the authority of those held in it. Since it is a prison, it keeps the evil beings from escaping and harming God's children. Since it is down, the gates of hell are not able to overcome the Church.
Glory be to our heavenly Father who established locations even in the Spiritual world which we do not see. His wisdom guards our salvation so that we may glorify His holy name forever. Amen.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for separating heaven from hell in such a way that hell is a strong prison and heaven a home of happy rest. Grant us Your Holy Spirit and increase our faith so that we do not find ourselves suffering torment in hell. Free those whose minds are held in the grip of unbelief so that they do not find themselves suffering there either. Take us to heaven when we die so that we may sing praises to Your holy name forever. We ask this in our Savior Jesus' name, amen.
1 You can read Marilyn Manson's article dated May 28, 1999 at http://www.rollingstone.com/sections/news. Whether or not he believes in hell, he will not escape it if he continues his self assumed "role of Antichrist." While he cannot be the Antichrist, he is an antichrist and will suffer the consequences of his unbelief.