Why are horror movies so successful? In the opinion of many
social psychologists, it’s because people want a distraction from their daily
life; they seek an adrenaline rush; they want to reclaim their youthful
imaginations! None of that so-called psychological gibberish makes any sense.
Who wants and enjoys fear, or obtains an adrenaline rush from watching people
suffer and die? Whose youthful imagination dwells on torture? Even more puzzling
is the fact that so many of the successful modern-day horror movies, even some
television programs, revolve around Satan, demons, life after death, hell. The
very things people scoff at and vehemently deny! Yet, when true born-again
Christians warn about a literal Hell with its agonizing pain, misery and
unending torments, we are labeled unfeeling, void of the truth, morbid, and
scaremongers, when, in fact, we eagerly want to share the saving knowledge of
Jesus Christ and alert of all the everlasting consequences awaiting those who
refuse God’s gift of eternal salvation! (Revelation 20:14-15)
Now…imagine sitting in a theater, the lights begin to dim;
the movie begins to roll. The camera slowly pans in on the ashen face of a dying
man. Fighting for breath, panic grips him as death instantly thrusts him into a
‘furnace of fire’ (Matthew 13:50). His ears pulsate with the bloodcurdling
‘wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:50)! He cries out as he attempts,
without success, to retreat from the “fire that never shall be quenched” (Mark
9:43,45)! He thrashes about for air as his nostrils fill with the stench of hell
fire (Mark 9:47)! In blind terror, he frantically spins about, eyes burning with
excruciating pain, straining yet unable to see in the “outer darkness” (Matthew
22:13). Suddenly he hears a loud trembling voice – his voice – screaming out,
begging for release from this terror, pleading for help from the very God he
vehemently denied! He sobs uncontrollably with the paralyzing knowledge that he
has lost everything: loved ones, joy, love, and laughter! He hysterically cries
out in a vain attempt to drown-out the ever-clinging memories of the pleas and
earnest prayers of those who many times told of God’s plan of everlasting
salvation. He trembles in agonizing pain as the “worm dieth not” (Mark 9:44,48),
and the “fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:46)!
Yes, this is a human’s perception of a lost sinner in Hell,
and some may think this description is just another over-the-top portrayal of a
fictitious afterlife by a Bible-thumping Christian zealot. Nevertheless, let’s
be truthful. If this were a horror move with all the gory effects, clever
editing, special lighting, and climactic music, such a plot would not bother
people, even slightly! They would simply exit the theater with the movie soon
forgotten. After all, Hell is just make-believe, right? WRONG! It is important
to note that in above scenario, all words placed within quotation marks are
words Jesus Himself used to describe the torments of Hell!
Still…if one considers the above story line too extreme, read
Jesus’ narrative in Luke 16:19-31 about a lost, rich man who died without the
saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We see a man tormented, begging for relief
from the flames. We see a man awake and completely aware of his surroundings,
fully conscious with a memory of his past life, and completely aware that he
could not leave his surroundings! He heard, saw, remembered and felt pain! In
his own words, this man found himself in “this place of torment”. Hell is a
literal place, not a state or a condition of our present life, and unlike the
horror movies, there will be no escaping or rescue from this place of
“everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46).
Jesus fully aware of the terrors of Hell put forth an
explicit warning in Mark 9:45-45-48! In these Bible verses, He strongly warns us
to control our every action: the deeds we perform (hands), the places we go
(feet), things we see and watch (eyes). Jesus is quite direct about our need to
escape Hell at any cost!
For those who believe Hell and eternal punishment are
contrary to God’s merciful nature, it’s imperative to understand God’s hatred of
sin, and sin’s damning consequences. Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2),
and, because man chose to follow Satan and disobey God in the Garden, sin fell
on all humanity! (Romans 5:12/I John 1:8)) For this reason God showed a profound
love toward each of us by His redemptive plan (salvation through the shed blood
of His Son Jesus Christ! (I Corinthians 15:1-8/Romans 5:8/John 3:16) But,
without acceptance of Jesus’ blood atonement, we will die in our sins (II
Thessalonians 1:8,9), and reside forever in the devil’s Hell (Matthew 25:41),
separated forever from God. “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of
temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
“ (II Peter 2:9) But God DOES NOT send people to Hell. People CHOOSE it when
they reject Jesus as their personal savior, ignore Calvary and replace Jesus’
sacrifice with various forms of religiosity. (Titus 1:16/Isaiah 64:6).
We must choose wisely! NO ONE will EVER exist Hell or the
Lake of Fire!
