A short time ago I said something that I apparently should not have said. It was on a Sunday morning and I was preaching a sermon, and without thinking I blurted out a “cuss” word. I used profanity, vulgarity, a bad word, a dirty word. At least I assume I did, based on the reaction of many of the children in the assembly. During the invitation I said, “Those who do not obey the Gospel will die and go to hell.” No sooner than the words came out of my mouth children covered their mouths, turned to their parents and made it obvious to me they believed they had just heard the preacher cuss in church. It dawned on me then, evidently it was so rare that they heard the word “hell” in the biblical context, they thought it was a bad word. They thought this way because they hear it used as profanity more often than as Scripture.

 

Go with me now, if you will, into a time machine. Let us fast forward to the year 2030, when these little children will be adults, parents, preachers, elders, deacons, Bible class teachers, etc. For thirty years they have scarcely heard sermons or Bible class on the reality and horrors of eternal hell! A lake of fire and brimstone (Rev. 21:8) will be no more real to them than El Dorado (the mythical city of gold), Atlantis or Nevernever Land. They no more believe in the Devil than they do Santa Claus, the Boogeyman or Puff the Magic Dragon.

 

Polls indicate that right now, not thirty years in the future but now, over half of Americans surveyed do not believe in the Biblical hell. This problem is only perpetuated by the false teaching about hell in the religious world. The numbers are almost identical among preachers in “Christendom”! The pope, who is a false teacher on most Bible subjects but also revered by hundreds of millions as an authority on the Bible, no longer believes in the “old fashioned” view of hell. Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists and even false teachers in the churches of Christ teach people to have no fear of eternal suffering in a lake of fire; at worst you will be quickly burned up and cease to exist. Only making matters worse, far too often faithful and sound preachers rarely teach and preach about hell. If we do not begin to take this neglected subject seriously, today’s problem will be tomorrow’s epidemic. Don’t neglect this subject of eternal importance or else you may find yourself accused of cussing in church.