Hell's Bells or Bell's Hell?

The story of Lazarus and the Rich Man found in Luke 16, verses 19 thru 31 is proof enough for me that Rob Bell’s claim that we have another chance at redemption and salvation in the post-mortem is against the words in red as Jesus spoke them. In the words of Christ, Himself:

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. AND BESIDES ALL THIS, BETWEEN US AND YOU, A GREAT CHASM HAS BEEN SET IN PLACE , SO THAT THOSE WHO WANT TO GO FROM HERE TO YOU CANNOT, NOR CAN ANYONE CROSS OVER FROM THERE TO US.’

“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

There are several points made here in this scripture. I chose to post the scripture in it’s entirety to avoid being mistaken as being taken out of context.

First point is that the rich man is in Hell where he is suffering in agony under Hell’s torment. Should he be able to repent and be within Abraham’s bosom, he would have gladly accepted the chance. The Second point is where Abraham explains to the rich man, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony”. In your lifetime, you had your chance. He chose his way and to ignore the ways of the Lord. The third point is the rest of what Abraham had to say which is key, “AND BESIDES ALL THIS, BETWEEN US AND YOU, A GREAT CHASM HAS BEEN SET IN PLACE, SO THAT THOSE WHO WANT TO GO FROM HERE TO YOU CANNOT, NOR CAN ANYONE CROSS OVER FROM THERE TO US.” There is no second chance even if Abraham wanted there to be. It’s a one way ticket that was purchased with how he chose to live his life and there was no turning back at that point. He was there and there he would stay. The fourth and final point is that he then begged Abraham to send the Lazarus to warn his family so that they may repent and not come into this place. At this point Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them. If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” I take this as meaning that if the word of God presented by the Bible and the witness of others cannot reach them, they are truly unreachable. They have the same fair chance as anyone, but what they do with it is strictly up to them. May God have mercy on their souls and they see the light.  

Rob Bell has said that people are living Heaven and Hell here on earth. I agree to an extent, but in a much different way. My view is that this world SEEMS like heaven compared to what Hell has in store for the lost and at the same time, this world SEEMS like Hell compared to what Heaven has in store for the redeemed. I believe that Hell is worse than anything you can describe and that Heaven is more glorious than anything that you can describe. There is no comparison of either to this world as we know it.

Bell has described Hell as “Not being the wrath of God but as a correction of a loving father.” My father did not raise me without correction with hopes that later in life, someone or something else will. My parents love me and between the “rod of correction” and their love for their child, they groomed me into what I am today.

God does the same thing with us. He loves us far too much to let us just go about our own ways and then to let Hell be what “corrects” us when we die. Instead, He corrects us as we go. As we grow. He is there every step of the way with justifiable blessings and punishment. He is also there to receive us with open arms when we have fought the good fight, finished our race and reached our destination as any good father would be.
 

I think as any good father, He also is also heartbroken when we have drifted and gone astray. He wants us to want Him, to love Him and to choose Him. He has given us all the free will to choose. It is up to us whom and what we will serve. Life is about the choices that we make. We can live and die from our choices. In this case it could be eternally living or dying and therefore, we have everything to lose or everything to gain.

Bell claims that in Revelations 21:25 it states “On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there”. This means that the gates never shut in the New Jerusalem. That the opportunity for salvation is never closed, but he fails to give the verses that immediately follows “The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Revelations 21: 26-27. He also totally fails to mention in the preceding chapter of Revelations 20:14-15 that it says, “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” To be clear, first comes death, then comes judgment and finally comes the second death of Hell.

What we believe is totally going to affect our final outcome. The words in red of the Bible are that of Christ’s. Will you choose to believe the words in red or Rob Bell’s interpretations? If you choose Bell’s Hell you could wind up hearing Hell’s bells. Choose wisely and God bless!