Opinion
By Judge John Marshall Meisburg, Jr.
10-01-24
The most important question you will ever face in life is this: where will I go when I die? Life is very short and temporary, death is certain for all, and eternity is forever. So this is a very important question!
Jesus spoke more about Hell than he did about Heaven. He warned us about Hell in very graphic terms. He said “I will establish my Church, and the Gates of Hell will not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18. Jesus said that Hell was a very real place of separation from God and eternal judgment, agony and punishment.
Many pastors are afraid to talk about Hell and the Lake of Fire. They are afraid that that they will lose people from their congregation because it is a scary subject. But no, the people of the world are craving the truth about Heaven and Hell, and the Lake of Fire and are looking to the church for the truth.
Justice is one of the pillars around the Throne of God. Psalm 89:14. Justice and righteousness are foundational to His throne. God is a god of love and mercy. But He is also a god of justice and judgment. That is what makes Him God – he is holy and complete. He would not be holy without justice.
So what did Jesus say about Heaven and Hell and the Lake of Fire?
Jesus said that for our souls to go to Heaven and see eternal life with God, we must believe in Him, confess Him publicly, repent of our sins and turn away from them, and become born again spiritually. John 3:16. But Jesus also said that those who do not believe in Him, and reject Him, are “condemned already” and are destined for eternal punishment and separation from God. John 3:18.
In the book of Revelation, God says that sinners who do not believe in Him will never see Heaven and will end up in the Lake of Fire: “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murders, sorcerers, idolators and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death.” Revelation 21:7-8. Fire and Brimstone were also used by God to totally destroy the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah for the sin of homosexuality. Genesis 19. God’s wrath and divine punishment were evident there, and this was very similar to the Lake of Fire mentioned in Relevation. In Deuteronomy 29, God warns the Jews that the same punishment will fall upon them if they abandon their covenant with God.
Jesus quoted the Old Testament (which He wrote) by saying that Hell is a place of total separation from God in outer darkness, torment, where the “worm never dies”, and where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In Matthew 22:13, Jesus told a parable of a wedding feast where a man crashed the party without being invited and without a proper wedding garment. Jesus said the master of the feast would issue a command to “bind him hand and foot and cast him into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth”. Jesus told this parable to warn us about Hell and the Lake of Fire, which also would be a place of great sorrow, loss and eternal punishment. It would be in contrast to the celebration of the wedding feast, which was similar to Heaven. Matthew 8:12; 13:42; 13:50 and 24:30. Weeping and gnashing of teeth means that Hell will be a place of terrible and horrific spiritual agony and unending physical pain. Luke 16:23-28. It will be a place of anguish, heartache, grief, and unspeakable suffering for all those who reject Christ. John 3:18,36. Jesus said he was the “light of the world”. John 8:12. Conversely, those who reject Jesus will be cast into outer darkness forever.
In Mark 9:48, Jesus illustrated the reality of Hell by referring to the Valley of Gehenna, a terrible place in Jerusalem where Jews practiced child sacrifice to the pagan god of Molech. Molech had a fire in his belly where the babies were burned alive. The Valley of Gehenna was also used in the days of Jesus as a garbage dump where refuse was burned, and the corpses of animals and criminals were thrown. Jesus said that wicked sinners who do not believe in Him will go to a place “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.” He was quoting from Isaiah 66:24 which states “They will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me, the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.” In both verses, the word translated as “worm” literally means “grub” or “maggot”. A maggot would have an association with a garbage dump like Gehenna in Jerusalem where dead bodies were thrown. But the maggot Jesus spoke of will never die, and the fire will not be quenched. This is not a place you ever want to go. Jesus said that the Lake of Fire is a terrible place of eternal torment where the flames never cease, created for the Devil and His angels and all wicked unbelievers.
Jesus also told the parable of the rich man in Hell, who begged God for a drop of water on his tongue it was so terrible. Luke 16. A rich man who ignored God died and went to Hell, while a beggar named Lazarus who believed in God went to Heaven. The rich man begged for a drop of water to cool his tongue, saying that he was “in agony in this flame.” And he begged Father Abraham to warn his brothers about this place of torment.
Jesus also said that branches of a tree that do not produce fruit are cut off and thrown into the fire. This was an analogy of Hell and the Lake of Fire. Matthew 7:19: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” John 15: “If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” Jesus was using this analogy to warn us about the Lake of Fire for wicked unbelievers who do not produce good fruit.
Hell and the Lake of Fire are different places. Hell or Sheol is where unsaved people go now when they die. They are waiting there for the Great White Throne Judgment. Revelation 20. Hell is a terrible place, but is a waiting place. The Lake of Fire was created by God before the creation of the world for the AntiChrist, the false prophet, and Satan, who will be “cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.” Revelation 19:20. “The devil was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Revelation 20:10. It is a place of perpetual suffering and misery. And, “anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.” Revelation 20:15. Finally, God says that both death and Hades/Hell will also be cast into the Lake of Fire, which is the second death. Revelation 20:14.
Some people ask how could a God of love send people to Hell and the Lake of Fire. The answer is this: God does not send anyone to Hell; they choose Hell and separation from God by choosing not to believe in Him, refusing to submit to His authority, and going their own way to death and destruction. God is “pro choice!” God gives us a choice to choose Him and eternal life, or the Devil and Hell and the Lake of Fire. We have free will! What a choice! God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus into the world to save us from our sins. To reject Jesus and this wonderful plan of salvation is a sin that God cannot forgive.
So should we get saved in order to avoid Hell and the Lake of Fire? Absolutely! Hell and the Lake of Fire are more terrible than anything we can even consider. And the Lake of Fire is much worse than Hell. The fear of Almighty God is very wise. When you go into a courtroom, you have fear and respect of the judge due to his or her power over your life. God Almighty is the ultimate judge of our eternal soul. He is entitled to tremendous reverential fear, honor and respect. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 9:10.
But Jesus also said that Heaven was a real place, where believers would be rewarded with paradise with God forever. Jesus spoke of heaven as a place of spectacular beauty with streets of gold and walls adorned with precious jewels. Revelation 21. It is place of perfect peace and eternal happiness. The first words spoken by Jesus in his ministry were “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”. Matthew 3:2. Jesus said to pray “Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10. He told us to “store up treasures in Heaven.” Matthew 6:19. Jesus said “I go to prepare a place for you. In my Father’s house are many mansions.” John 14:2. Jesus also said that He was the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but by me.” John 14:6. And, Jesus also said “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me will live even if he dies.” John 11:25. In Heaven, there will be no death, pain, suffering or sorrow, and we will always be at peace and joyful in the presence of our loved ones, and in the presence of the Lord. God says he “will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow nor crying, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4 and 7:15. It is a place of great joy and happiness where we will worship God for all eternity.
Many Christians have no real understanding of Heaven, Hell and the Lake of Fire. Jimmy Swaggert wrote a book called the Great White Throne Judgment in the 1970s, but in 70 years as a Christian I have never heard a good sermon from the pulpit on this important topic, which is tragic. The liberal churches of our nation fail to preach the full Gospel and the truth of the Word of God, and that is one reason why they are failing and people are leaving the church.
So, what must we do to insure that we go to Heaven and not Hell and the Lake of Fire? Fall in love with Jesus Christ (the Messiah) today, believe in Him and his Father, gain the great gift of salvation and eternal life in Heaven with God, and you will never have to worry about Hell and the Lake of Fire. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish (in Hell or the Lake of Fire) but have eternal life (in Heaven). John 3:16. Amen!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR- JUDGE JOHN MARSHALL MEISBURG JR.
Judge John Marshall Meisburg, Jr., was a U.S. Administrative Law Judge with the Social Security Administration for 26 years in Jacksonville, Florida. He retired as a judge in 2021 and is now living in Fernandina Beach, Florida with his wife of 43 years, Dr. Denise Meisburg. They have six children and 11 grandchildren. Prior to being a judge, he was a lawyer with the Federal government for 23 years, serving in all three branches of the government, with the U.S. District Court, EEOC, Justice Department, Congress, FDIC and Office of Special Counsel (MSPB). He was in private law practice one year in Washington, D.C. and filed the lawsuit that became the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case on sexual harassment. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Kentucky, and a Juris Doctor law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law. He is a lifelong Christian, being raised in the Baptist faith in Louisville, Kentucky. He was an Elder at New Life Christian Fellowship in Jacksonville where he taught Sunday School, the Jewish Roots of the Faith and the Christian Heritage of America. He was a leader of both the National Day of Prayer and the House of Prayer in Jacksonville for over ten years. He has published ten books relating to Christian and legal issues. He is now a member of Living Waters World Outreach Center in Fernandina Beach, where he serves in the prayer and home group ministry, and is a member of the Board of Directors for Faith Christian Academy.
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida
