Hell Fire & Brimstone Preachers

I was raised on hellfire and brimstone preaching, and left the church because of it. I NEVER felt comfortable with it, and hated it. (I DO, however, really enjoy attending a black church where the preacher gets into his sermons. That is just awesome!)

Come to find out, I was right about this so-called "man of God," preaching, when he left his wife for a middle-aged woman with two kids, who worked in a shopping mall or something.

I agree with your heart John, and I personally always preach of God's Love. Nevertheless there are times when preaching of hell fire and brimstone is called for. From what you have said of your Pastor this is not his main diet but perhaps does it on occassion.

True Jesus did preach of love but he did warn of hell also. And in the little Book of Jude, which deals with apostasy and heresy we are told to save some that way.

22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

So, please don't be too hard on your Pastor. Love and Grace are real: So are Judgement and Justice!

JESUS DID GIVE WARNINGS:
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.



The wages of sin is not life in a ceaseless burning hell. The wages of sin is death - the second death in the lake of fire from which there is no resurrection.

Sodom and Gomorrha an Example of Hell Fire
"And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly" (2 Pet. 2:4, 6).

"And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude 6, 7).

[Sodom and Gomorrha are used as an example of what the great white throne judgment and the lake of fire will be like. Eternal fire reduced them to ashes.]

What the Fire Did to Sodom
"For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it. And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city."

"Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city."

"Escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed."

"Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground" (Gen. 19:13-15, 17, 24, 25).

The Wicked to Be Consumed
"But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away" (Ps. 37:20).

"Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more" (Ps. 104:35).

"And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed" (Is. 1:28).

The Wicked to Be Reduced to Ashes
"I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire."

"Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee" (Ezek. 28:16, 18).

"And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts" (Mal. 4:3).

"And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly" (2 Pet. 2:6).

Fire Destroys Both Soul and Body
"Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day; And shall consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body: and they shall be as when a standardbearer fainteth" (Is. 10:16-18).

"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Mat. 10:28).

You know, I think that it is important that people know the wages of sin. Of course, this does not in any way mean that I care for "fire and brimstone" preaching. Being scared into submission is not loving God with all of one's heart and soul. I think that he wants more from us than to work out of a fear of punishment, or even the wanting to aquire heaven. God shows love and wants what is right and good, in recieving love in return. This doesn't mean that preachers should avoid pointing out what is expected and what punishment IS, but to dwell on it and not make the focal point about love, well, it is missing the entire point of the message.

Originally posted by Gerry
I agree with your heart John, and I personally always preach of God's Love. Nevertheless there are times when preaching of hell fire and brimstone is called for. From what you have said of your Pastor this is not his main diet but perhaps does it on occassion.

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i agree with that.  in some instances...it is needed.

i feel that there are christians who need to wake up.  i mean, some won't return with that kind of preaching.  but some do need something like that.  i don't know...for me...i guess it depends on the person you're preaching to.

Until about 4yrs. ago, I had grown up in a church were the hellfire and brimstone was never preach, all I heard was how good God Is, and how loving we needed to be toward others, It lead me to think that there was a catch to all this,I wonder what if we do not own up to these standers, then what happens. It made me think I did not need to take this so seriously, after all, what,s the worst that could happen? I think people need to at least know the consequences of rebillion against God, I don,t think that we need to hide something cause we are afraid we might hurt someones feelings or run them off, Jesus never hid anything from us, and as much as he want,s us to be saved, he still did not hide the fact that if we become christians we will have troubles and pecercuteion  even unto death. he did not just tell us only of the good times we would have by following them, but also all the hard times that come with it. to be honest we should not have to have hell scared out of us to come to Jesus, we should come to him out of our love for what he did for us, and not what can happen if we reject him.

I completely agree with you, george. People get so caught up in the reward or the punishment, and don't focus on the real reasons that we should do anything for God.