And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. – Revelation 20:10

Today's Scripture Reading (July 30, 2024): Revelation 20

A few years ago, I took a Sunday and taught about our misconceptions about hell. And there are a few. I remember starting that morning by playing AC/DC's hit song "Highway to Hell." Yes, I knew I was pushing the envelope a little that morning. But I felt the song fit, and there were a few misconceptions about hell contained in the lyrics.

Now, just as an attempt to be transparent, because I know that someone will want to remind me, "Highway to Hell" is not actually a song about hell. The song is about life on the road and the trials you face when you are in a rock and roll band, living away from family, and sleeping in a different bed every night, trying to make a name for yourself.

And, of course, it is also about the partying that happens on the road. When you are young, you can do it, maybe. Many older rockers have admitted that they have had to curtail their extracurricular activities as they have gotten on in age. I say maybe because the sad reality is that Bon Scott, AC/DC's original singer, died from what the coroner called acute alcohol poisoning a short six months after this song was released. Bon Scott was only 33 at the time.  

One of the misconceptions I discussed that morning was the suggestion that "Hell is fun and Heaven is boring." It was reflected in the lyrics of "Highway to Hell." In the song, Scott sings.

Don't need reason, don't need rhyme
Ain't nothing I would rather do

(Angus Young, Malcolm Young, and Bon Scott

Highway to Hell)

I love the way Mark Twain described it. "Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company" (Mark Twain). We get this idea in our advertising. The angels often look bored, while the rule-breakers, destined for the other place, eat chocolate and drink cocktails on the beach. And I have admitted that it was the message I felt I got from the church when I was younger. As I listened to preachers when I was growing up, they often made it sound like Heaven was an endless church service. And while I hope you enjoy attending church, I don't want to spend eternity there.

The Psalmist writes this:

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless (Psalm 84:11)

And Paul writes these words to Timothy -

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer (1 Timothy 4:4-5).

And here, in Revelation, John writes this –

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever … Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10, 15).

If torment is your idea of fun, then I think we have some other problems we need to discuss. But in the end, we need to remember that hell is about torment and punishment, while Heaven is designed to be our reward.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Revelation 21