Hellfire and Brimstone

by Travis L Quertermous

From The Reminder, August 14, 2011

It’s no secret how hot the weather has been lately! Heat indexes of over 120 degrees have been reached in recent days. During a heat wave a few years ago, I saw a church sign that said, “You think it’s hot here?” Of course, the implication was obvious. During the dog days of summer, my dad used to quip, “If hell’s any hotter than this, I’m going to cancel my reservation.”

Of course, hell is no laughing matter. The predominant image used to describe the place of eternal punishment is hell fire. In Matthew 25:41, Jesus said, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” In Mark 9:45-46, the Lord declared, “45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— 46 where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’” In Revelation 20:10, hell is referred to as “the lake of fire and brimstone.” Brimstone is another name for sulfur which produces the hottest kinds of fire. Also, in Revelation 20:15, we read, “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Those are frightening images, are they not? Why would anyone choose to go to hell? And yet, all those who refuse to obey the gospel are choosing just that. Having just recovered from the worst sunburn in my life, I cannot even imagine wanting to be cast into hellfire forever. What about you?