What is Hell? Mark 9:43-50

Text: “And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against Me, for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.”

Isaiah 60:24.

Good morning, God-fearing Christian!  Your fear of God is not the dread of the Spiritually dead, but the reverence, awe, and respectful love of one who, through Christ’s Cross at Calvary, has escaped the fearful wrath to come, and by His precious Blood has been made ready to go to Heaven.

But what is YOUR perception of Hell?  What does the word ‘Hell’ conjure up for you and for me?  Let us meditate for a while on this vital question.

Hacked Off Hands: (V.43) Would suddenly having our hands hacked off give us a glimpse of what being in Hell means?  Think about it, friend.  Engage your mind!

That itch halfway up ones back that cannot be scratched because we have no longer got hands to scratch it.  The inability to hold a child or a loved one ever again.  Utter and complete frustration at not being able to lift an object, or indeed to undo a button of one’s clothing for oneself.  Loss of ability to ever again reach out and tenderly touch another person.  Surely this would be an experience of sheer ‘Hell’ for you and for me?

Yet, our Bible reading this evening employs the metaphor of hacked off hands, and reveals that it would be better to be thus afflicted than to commit the deeds that consign Christ-rejecting sinners to Eternal Hell.  (Luke 16:22-28)

Filleted Feet: (V.45) How would we like it if someone were to suddenly fillet our foolish feet?  Would that seem like ‘Hell’ to our minds?

Feet are rather unsightly parts of our lower extremities - I don’t think I have ever seen what could be described as a beautiful pair of feet, have you?  Yet, just you try to walk, run, play games, stand up, or go anywhere without them!  The are, to the able-bodied, so much taken for granted, yet so utterly necessary for full physical participation in life.

Many of our disabled brethren/sisters know the ‘Hell’ of being unable to use their feet.  Yet, the Scriptures admonish us not to use our feet to walk into sin, or to wander far from the One who saved us from an infinitely more horrible Hell’s torments.  (Galatians 5:13-26)

Expelled Eyes: (V.47) Oh the loss of our ability to see!  Anyone who has lost an eye, or becomes partially or totally blind, could surely describe their experience of suddenly being cast into a ‘Hell’ of partial vision or, worse still, complete and utter darkness. 

Think of that poor afflicted Samson of the Old Testament, grinding, unloved and alone within the prison house, the consequences of his sin.  The terror of never seeing a loved one’s face ever again.  To cease to see the beauty of a sunrise each morning.  To have the gift of colours, and God’s Creation of natural beauty suddenly, and without remedy, taken from us.  Surely that would be a type of ‘Hell’ for us?

Undoubtedly so, but our Bible reading today sets forth even that tragic loss as preferential to lusting our way into the real Hell, through misuse of our God-given sight.  The Scriptures give us many such dire warnings against this type of sin.  The eyes are aptly called, ‘the windows of the soul’.  (1 John 2:15-17)

J.C. Ryle Comments:

“We see, in the last place, in these verses, the reality, awfulness, and eternity of future punishment. Three times the Lord Jesus speaks of “hell.” Three times He mentions the “worm that never dies.” Three times He says that “the fire is not quenched.”

“These are awful expressions. They call for reflection rather than exposition. They should be pondered, con­sidered, and remembered by all professing Christians. It matters little whether we regard them as figurative and emblematic. If they are so, one thing at least is very clear. The worm and the fire are emblems of real things. There is a real hell, and that hell is eternal.

There is no mercy in keeping back from men the sub­ject of hell.

“Fearful and tremendous as it is, it ought to be pressed on all, as one of the great truths of Chris­tianity. Our loving Saviour speaks frequently of it. The apostle John, in the book of Revelation, often de­scribes it. The servants of God in these days must not be ashamed of confessing their belief in it. Were there no boundless mercy in Christ for all that believe in Him, we might well shrink from the awful topic. Were there no precious blood of Christ able to cleanse away all sin, we might well keep silence about the wrath to come. But there is mercy for all who ask in Christ’s name. There is a fountain open for all sin. Let us then boldly and un­hesitatingly maintain that there is a hell, and beseech men to flee from it, before it be too late. “Knowing the terrors of the Lord,” the worm, and the fire, let us “per­suade men.” (1 Corinthians 5:11) It is not possible to say too much about Christ. But it is quite possible to say too little about hell.” (J.C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels 1816-1900)

Therefore, God-fearing Christian, with the horrors of Hell renewed somewhat in our Christian minds, let us go forth afresh praising the Lord God Who, by His grace and His grace alone, has delivered us from such a truly horrible destination and has, by His Son, the Living Lord Jesus, pointed our souls toward Heaven.

Thank you, Lord God, for delivering us from the torments of an Eternal Hell.

Thought:  A healthy thought of Hell should help keep us from Hellish thoughts.