 From illustrations in the far-side comics and TV's South Park to centuries-old books like Paradise Lost and Dante's Inferno, humanity has always wanted answers about hell. Lots of people have theories, some based in fact, and some based on fiction. Here are a few common myths about hell. First, that hell doesn't really exist. If hell was not a literal place, then neither is heaven. Why did Jesus talk about hell like he did? Hell is a real place, just not the kind that most of us imagine. Hell is not a city that you can drive in and out of. It's not a furnace beneath the surface of the earth. It is an eternal destination of suffering and separation from God for those who reject Jesus. Matthew 7, verses 21-23. Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Another myth is that hell is a party and the devil is your wingman. There is more evidence in the Bible that heaven will be a party, not hell. For example, Matthew 22, verse 2. The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, or Luke 15, verse 7. Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. The Bible describes hell as a place of suffering and disconnection from God. Satan isn't your friend. He's an enemy who tries anything to destroy you and your relationship with God. The next myth is Satan rules hell and God rules heaven. And I have to admit, this is one that I believed for many years. But God controls heaven and God controls hell. Satan does not run hell, but he will be imprisoned there when God makes the final call for those who obey Jesus versus those who oppose him. Jesus is the highest authority over all things and all places. Colossians 1, verses 15-18. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. And Psalm 139, verses 7 and 8. Where shall I go from your spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in shul, you are there. Shul, by the way, being the Hebrew word for grave or place of the dead. Next, hell is only for really bad people. One sin is enough to deserve hell. I was even talking to my dad about this the other day. We were talking about everything that is going on in the world right now, specifically about racism. And how even if the white-black thing is finally resolved and we finally get past that, there's going to be something else that we all struggle about. Because we're all sinners. There's going to be something. There's going to be the homosexual versus heterosexual thing. Or there's going to be the Americans versus the Koreans thing. Or there's going to be the brunettes versus redheads thing. Hey, it actually used to be that way. We used to hate the Irish. Remember? Of course you don't. But it was a thing at one point. We always seem to find something to pick on about people and then hate them for it. Why? Well, because we all are bad people. We all sin. We're all sinners. Sin is so bad because it's destructive to us and other people. And God takes sin seriously because he doesn't want us to be harmed. And sin separates us from him. We would all go to hell if it weren't for Jesus. We all deserve it. Everyone's bad. You, me, your next door neighbor, your mom, your son or daughter. We're all bad because everybody has sinned. Have you ever told just even a slight little white lie? That makes you a liar. Have you ever taken a pen home from work without asking? That makes you a thief. I know that's harsh, but it's the truth. You stole something that doesn't belong to you. That makes you a thief. And you can't get into heaven unless you have a perfect life, which none of us have. But Jesus did live the perfect life, and he offered salvation from all sins and a way to live with him forever in heaven. What matters is not how evil our deeds are because they are all evil. Some may be more evil than others, but even the slightest amount of evil still is enough to keep us out of heaven. But how we respond to Jesus' offer of forgiveness, that is what matters the most. Romans 6 verse 23 says, For the wages of sin is death, talking about spiritual death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The next myth is that people go to different levels of hell based on how bad of a person they are. There is no evidence in the Bible that there are different levels of punishment according to how bad a person is. Sorry, Dante. What it does make clear, though, is that we are all bad people who have rebelled against God. I've already touched on that, no sense on dwelling on it. But Jesus took our place and accepted the punishment that we deserved for us. He took the punishment for the sin that we should have received. Isaiah 53 verse 6 says, All we like sheep have gone astray, and we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. And finally, myth number 6, God would never let a good person go to hell. Well, since everyone has sinned, there are no inherently good people. Just forgiven people changed by Jesus. When people reject Jesus and don't want to be connected to God, He allows them to make their choice and experience the consequences of the life they choose. We are not automatons. We do have free will, so we get to choose whether or not we want to go to heaven or hell, and the door to either is open to us. The door to heaven is Jesus. The door to hell is not Jesus. God never stops pursuing us, though, because He does want us to spend eternity in heaven with Him. John 6 verse 40 says, For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day. Hell and heaven are both eternal destinations. Throughout our lives, God graciously gives us countless opportunities to choose Him over sin. He is patient enough to keep His offer open all the time. 2 Peter 3 verse 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. Following Jesus isn't only about avoiding hell, but being with Him both now and for eternity. There is no reason to wait. You can decide what you will do with Jesus today, and it will change the rest of your days. For me, it has changed my life completely. I gave my life to Christ back in 1990, and I have never looked back. I have started and stopped a lot of things in my life. There was a time I wanted to be a stand-up comedian for a living, and I gave that up. I wanted to be a rock star for a while. I wanted to be a radio personality for the rest of my life, and well, I spent 30 years and am still in radio, but I am slowly moving out of that. Now I am a podcaster, and I will probably be a podcaster for a long time, but who knows what is coming up, but I will be a follower of Jesus the rest of my life, because I have found my home in Him. I know He will never leave me, and He will never forsake me, and I have that assurance that when He does bring me home, whenever that happens to be, I know that I am going to be with Him in heaven. I would encourage you to just think about it. You don't have to do anything right now unless of course you are feeling led to, then by all means do something now, because that could be God tugging on your heart. But if you are not feeling that tug, just think about it. It is called salvation, and it is more than what happens when we die. It is the way to experience a full life right here and now on this mortal coil. In deciding to follow Jesus, you are just acknowledging that your way isn't working anymore. And isn't that the truth for a lot of us? I know a lot of people who listen to Weird Darkness have actually admitted that to me. My way just isn't working. I fail so many ways in this or that. I am in pain here, or I fail at this over here. I am worthless because of such and such. You are not worthless. You are a child of God, but maybe your way just isn't working anymore. You are done flying solo. You can't do it on your own. Maybe give Jesus control. Once you do, you are never alone. Jesus is the friend who never leaves you, never forsakes you. He gives you his spirit to guide you and access to God who loves and cares for you. So, if you want Jesus to come into your life, I will give you an opportunity right now. Romans 10 verse 9 says, If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. So really all you have to do is confess and believe. That's it. That's all it takes. Just confess to Jesus in your own words that you believe in him and pray the following with me and that will make it easy. Are you ready? Dear Lord Jesus, I admit that I have fallen short. I have sinned and I need your forgiveness. I believe that you lived, died, and rose again so that I could be connected to God. I confess you as my Lord and commit my life to you. I give you my past, present, and future. Take my life and use it. I give it to you. Amen. Not only are you in the weirdo family, you are now in the family of God. Welcome.