The Fires Of Hell - Soul Choice Ministries

There are a great many people who claim there is no fire in hell yet Jesus told us about the rich man in the current hell.

From Luke 16:23, “And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”

Jesus told us the man was tormented in the flame and he wanted one drop of water. If it were not literal fire, then why would water suffice?

Jesus also used these words about the fires of hell. He described everlasting fire, eternal fire, fire that never shall be quenched, where the fire is not quenched, and unquenchable fire. He said in regard to people they will be tormented in the flame, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

The Bible uses words and phrases like devouring fire, everlasting burnings, fire that consumes, fire as an oven, furnace of fire, burn like the chaff, fiery indignation, lake of fire, fire burning with brimstone, raining fire and brimstone, coals of fire, burning coals of fire, and fire burning to the lowest hell.

Can it be said any clearer that the Bible describes literal fire?

Revelation 9:2 “And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.”

Believer’s Bible Commentary, page 2366, “The bottomless pit. When he opened the entrance to the abyss, billows of smoke poured forth, as if from a huge furnace, veiling the landscape in darkness.”

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, page 2475,“Upon the opening of the bottomless pit there arouse a great smoke, which darkened the sun and the air….” It had to be literal fire coming up out of hell, since metaphorical smoke could not darken our sky.

Holman’s Bible Dictionary, page 745-6, “The parable of the tares in Matthew 13, which mentions eternal judgment says, The Son of man, the world, children of the kingdom, the children of the wicked one, the devil, the end of the world, the angels, the gathering—all are literal figures in the parable. It is then natural to conclude that the burning of the tares should also be taken literally.”

Bible verses that tell us about the fires of hell:

Revelation 19:20, These two were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 21:8, The lake which burns with fire and brimstone.
Revelation 14:10, And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone.
Revelation 20:10, the devil was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.
Revelation 20:14, and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:15, And whosoever was no found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Matthew 13:40-42, As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be.
Psalm 11:6, Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest.
Psalm 21:9, You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger; the Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them.
Psalm 140:10, Let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the fire, into deep pits, that they rise not up again.
Isaiah 33:12-14, The people shall be as the burnings of lime: As thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire…who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Matthew 3:12, He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Mark 9:45, into the fire that never shall be quenched.
John 15:6, If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Hebrews 6:8, Whose end is to be burned.
Jude 7, Suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Charles Spurgeon, “Hell Under Fire” page 28, “There is a real fire in hell, as truly as you now have a real body; a fire exactly like that which we have on the earth.”

John Wesley, “Essential Works of John Wesley” page 761, “Indeed, if there is any fire, it is unquestionably material. For what is immaterial fire? …Either, therefore, we must affirm it to be material, or we deny its existence…”

A W. Pink states, “Personally, we believe that when God says ‘fire’ He means ‘fire.’ We refuse to blunt the sharp edge of His Word. “

The Bible uses twenty-one different phrases to describe the fires of hell. It couldn’t be stated more clearly. We either believe the Bible, and heed the warning, or we ignore it and find out the terrifying truth for ourselves later.