RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDENTS MANUAL

(LESSON FIFTY-ONE)

SUNDAY 20TH AUGUST 2017

TOPIC: THE REALITY OF HELL

MEMORY VERSE: "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” – Psalm 9:17

BIBLE PASSAGE: Luke 16:19-31

INTRODUCTION:
Is there an everlasting hell? The Bible declares in very certain terms that there is. There are 162 texts in the New Testament alone that speak of the doom that awaits the unrepentant sinners. The Lord Himself uttered 70 of these. Hell is a reality, an awful fact to be realised. It seems that the angels that sinned with Satan are even now in hell waiting for judgment (2Peter 2:4). The Bible makes it abundantly clear that the wicked and anyone that finally rejects Christ will be turned into hell (Psalm 9:17).

LESSON OUTLINES
1. How real is hell?
2. Other questions about hell

HOW REAL IS HELL?
Hell is a place of torment and punishment, of unquenchable thirst, of suffering and agony at its worst (Luke 16:23). Hell is banishment from the presence of God (2Thessalonians 1:9). It is a sort of prison where the wicked are punish forever (Matthew 25:46). The heat of hell-fire is unbearable (Isaiah 33:14; Matthew 13:42). The justice of God demands degrees of punishment; therefore, some parts of hell are hotter than others (Deuteronomy 32:22).
Hell was originally prepared for the devil and his wicked angels (Matthew 25:41). Hell was never intended for man but if men insist on rejecting Heaven through the Saviour, Jesus Christ, then they must accompany Satan forever (Psalm 9:17). The original size of hell is not known but because of man’s insistence on going there, hell has enlarged itself (Isaiah 5:14).
The worst part of it is that just as those who go to Heaven will recognise themselves, those who go to hell will also recognise themselves (Luke 16:23). They will even be able to pray but their prayers will never be answered (Luke 16:27). The torment there is everlasting.

OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT HELL
1. Who will go to hell? All persons, of all ranks, ages, and conditions whose names are not found written in the book of life (Revelations 20:15).
2. Where is hell? The Bible says it is ‘’down’’ (Isaiah 14:9).
3. Does ‘’hell’’ not mean ‘’grave’’ where both the good and the bad must go? No. In Luke 16, both the rich man and Lazarus died and went to the grave, as both were buried. However, their souls went to different places. One was in a place where he was comforted, the other in a place of torment and the two were separated by a great gulf to prevent travel back and forth.
4. Will the doomed repent in hell, seek the Lord, and then be forgiven? No. Salvation is limited to this life. There is no repentance in the grave. All prayers of the doomed are denied (Luke 16:24-27).
5. Is there a place of probation, purgatory, after death? Certainly not. Once a person dies, he either goes straight to paradise or the place of torment (Hebrews 9:27).

CONCLUSION
How does one get to hell? It is simply by neglecting the salvation purchased for us by the Blood of Jesus (Hebrews 2:3). How does one avoid hell? By receiving Jesus as one’s personal Saviour, and Lord (John 3:16; Proverbs 15:24). What is your choice?

QUESTIONS:
1. Who are those who will go to hell?
2. How can someone miss going to hell?