A Prayer Meeting in Hell — Reginald Cranston

Our dear Lord and Heavenly Father, we bless Thee indeed for the Word of God. We thank Thee, our Father, for Thine own infallible truth, this God-breathed Word. And O Lord, it's a living Word. We thank Thee for the Word that became flesh, our blessed, blessed Saviour, the Lord Jesus.

Indeed, Lord, we pray that this morning Jesus Christ will be seen. We pray, Lord, that our own hearts will be touched and challenged. We pray also that any gathered here today who know not the Lord will indeed immediately fall in love with Him, whom to know is life eternal.

Come, Lord, and give us the power that the Holy Spirit is able to give. Help us, Lord, to preach Christ and to make much of His precious blood. In the Saviour's name we pray. Amen. A few months ago, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II, made some declarations upon the subject of hell.

Hell as a Real Place of Divine Judgment

He stated that hell was not a physical place. He further stated that, quote, hell is not a punishment imposed eternally by God, but the condition resulting from attitudes and actions which people adopt in life.

The Pope described hell as the pain, frustration, and emptiness of life without God. Millions today live their lives without God. The words of Pope John Paul conflict with the teaching of Scripture on the subject.

He said that hell is not a punishment imposed externally by God. Well, Pope John Paul would have a hard time convincing soul of that who will on the judgment day hear the words of Jesus Christ when He shall say, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels, Matthew 25, verse 41.

We often say that heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. We might add that hell is a prepared place for an unprepared people. To say that hell is only, quote, a condition resulting from attitudes and actions which people adopt in life is contrary to the teaching of Scripture.

The Lake of Fire in Luke and Revelation

Luke chapter 8 and verse 33. The Lord Jesus is in the land of Gadara. He has cast out the demons from legion and he has cast those demons into the swine that were grazing on the hell side. And we are told there in Luke 8 .33 that the swine ran violently down a steep place into the lake.

So they ran down a steep place into a lake, a literal lake filled with water. We are surely going to say that these swine did not really go into a lake. We are not surely going to say, Oh, it's only a condition of the mind.

It wasn't really a lake. It wasn't really a literal lake. They didn't really drown in the lake. Because the word that is used for lake in Luke 8 verse 33 is exactly the same word that is used by the Holy Spirit inspiring John to write the book of the Revelation.

Revelation 19 and verse 20. And what do we read there? And the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles. There is an interesting statement. False prophets do work miracles.

Quite a few false prophets up and down the length and breadth of this land and indeed throughout North America. And they are claiming to have the power to work miracles. And we know from their message they are false prophets.

And many people are fooled and taken in by these false prophets believing they are sent from God. And the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshipped his image.

These both were cast alive into a lake. Same word that described the lake into which the swine had run and were drowned. Same word. Now if it was a real lake in Luke 8 .33 it must be a real lake in Revelation 19 and 20.

Must be. What is this lake filled with? Most certainly it is not filled with water. They both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. A real lake. Hell is not a condition. Hell is a place.

A real place. Real fire. Real brimstone. It is the lake of Gadara. All probability the lake of Gennesaret or the lake of Tiberias. There the swine ran into that lake and were drowned. Now this must be a real lake.

The lake of fire and brimstone. Look at verse 14 of chapter, verse 10 rather of chapter 20 of Revelation. Verse 10. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. Same word.

Where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. Strange how some people get a hold of the scriptures and they look at simple words like tormented and they say oh it does not mean that.

I have heard people, a man told me once that he did not believe in eternal security and I told him that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

He will be audacity to say it does not mean everlasting life. Well if you adopt that attitude, well then the Bible just does not mean anything at all. You can make it mean anything. But if the Bible says that the devil and the beast and the false prophet would be tormented, tormented day and night forever and ever, I believe that.

Look on down the chapter. Verse 14. We have the beast and the false prophet and the lake of fire. We have the devil and the lake of fire. Now verse 14. And death and hell was cast into the lake of fire.

This is the second death and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Is your name written in the book of life? Cast into the lake of fire. Remember it is a real place, a real lake.

The lake of fire in Brimstone. A few weeks ago, for a number of weeks in our prayer meeting, we were looking at unusual prayer meetings. We considered, I believe in our morning worship, the prayer of Solomon.

He prayed in his sleep. We considered the prayer of Samson who died praying. There is also the prayer of Jonah. That was an unusual prayer meeting in a fish's belly. Here is another prayer meeting, an unusual prayer meeting.

The Rich Man and Lazarus: A Prayer Meeting in Hell

Here is a prayer meeting that was held in hell. Here is a prayer meeting, here is a man who prayed out of the bowels of hell. I want to consider this matter this morning, this prayer meeting. I want to consider this place where this rich man was praying.

Do not let the devil tell you this is only a parable. Because the Jehovah's Witnesses will tell you that. This is not a parable. Because when the Lord Jesus told parables, in telling the parables He never mentioned anybody's name.

Jesus mentions three names, Abraham, Lazarus and Moses. So the Lord is speaking about real people, talking about a real place. He is talking about Lazarus, He is talking about a real person. And when He spoke about the rich man, He is talking about a real person.

I don't usually indicate the number of points I have in my sermon, but it is unavoidable this morning. Because when you get to the second one, people say, oh dear, there is another one to go. Well, here there are three points in this message.

Because I want to consider the three prayers of the rich man in hell. First of all, his first prayer, verse 24, we read verse 23. And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

The Rich Man's First Prayer: A Cry for Mercy and Relief

You notice the rich man had all his senses. He could see, he could feel, he could remember, no doubt. He could smell too, the sulfur rising from the brimstone. And in hell he lifted up his eyes, he could see, being in torments, he could feel, and seeth Abraham afar off.

You know those words struck me, afar off from Lazarus, far off from Abraham, he is far off from heaven. And he seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Here is his first prayer. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.

There is his first prayer, is a prayer for relief. Notice how he prayed, he cried. This man crying, I thought to myself, what crying? Must go on in hell. Cry as you are, you will hear. Bring the days of your life and life.

Because when you cry in hell, nobody will wipe away your tears. You have his terrible lament. The rich man's first prayer, and it's a cry for relief. He begins by crying for mercy. The fact that the rich man cried for mercy, indicates to me that this rich man realized burning hell.

He prayed three times, not once did he pray for a way of escape. Not once did he ask to be released. He obviously realized there was no escape. Word to God that men and women and young people today would realize the same truth.

Nicholson who said, if a soul spent a thousand years in hell and then was released, he says I could preach that there is hope in hell. But he says there is no hope. Or did we read in Revelation 19 and Revelation 20?

They shall be tormented, tormented. Day and night forever. The rich man cries for mercy. He wanted a drop of water to relieve his thirst. Ask for mercy. The one thing he should have asked for before he died into hell.

The one thing he could have received was mercy. Come to Christ and say Lord, be merciful to me a sinner. And he would have obtained mercy. He would have received mercy in an instant. My unconverted friend today, are you going to seek mercy?

Are you going to seek? Then he cries not only for mercy but for mercy. Isn't it interesting? The man that he had no time for, when he lived in that house and fared sumptuously every day, dressed in fine linen and purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day and it said in verse 21 that Lazarus the beggar led his gate desiring to be fed with the crumbs.

The poor beggar man desired, asked the rich man to give him the crumbs that fell from his table. The rich man had no time for Lazarus. When we look at the three prayers of the rich man, in each of the three prayers he mentions Lazarus.

He had no time for before. And he pleaded for mercy and he pleaded for a ministry. He wanted Lazarus to come and minister to him. He didn't want Lazarus to come and minister to him before. He wanted Lazarus to come and minister to him by giving him a drop of cold water.

The one man whom he ignored when he lived among his riches was Lazarus. Now he wants Lazarus to minister to him. And now he counts the precious. Thousands of souls today ignore the preaching of the gospel.

And they ignore the one who distributes a gospel tract. They stamp along their feet the prayers of those that are interceding for them at the throne of grace. Count all these things as nothing. They ignore them.

Whenever they die and pass into God's eternity, suddenly that gospel tract, all that gospel tract, if only I was given it again, turned a deaf ear to, sermon, if only I could hear it again. That Christian that invited me to church, asked me to come and hear the gospel and I refused.

Oh, if only I had that invitation again. Friend, what you're hearing today is perhaps the most valuable thing. And that is the gospel that is able to save from joining the rich man. You will notice also not only his terrible lament but his terrible loneliness.

The Loneliness of Separation from Christ

Now, the Lord here is telling the story about that place called hell and the rich man dying. He died. He just didn't finish everything in the grave. There's always an after. The rich man died and in hell he lifted up his eyes.

Now, there would be many, many, many souls. I shudder to think of them. But there are many souls in hell. There would have been many souls in hell at the time the Lord Jesus told this story. But there's only one name mentioned.

Does that not draw our attention to this man's loneliness? It's like he was in a crowd. Something else struck. When we come here to pray, we often quote the words of our Saviour. For the Lord said, Where the two and threes are met together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

When we have only a handful of people, we know for sure the Lord is in our midst. Where two and three, the Lord said are, there am I in the midst. There's no two or three mentioned here. The rich man's praying alone.

He's not met there in the Lord's name. He's praying alone. You die without Christ. You're going to a place without Christ. There's no saviour. None of us, I'm sure, can comprehend or describe the loneliness or the loss.

We often say you go to a strange city. There may be millions walking with you. There may be and probably are millions in hell today. But every individual feels. My unsaved friend Christ is here today.

He's not with the rich man in hell, but he's here today in this meeting. And here's the opportunity you have of receiving him and receiving his mercy. It's terrible loneliness. Abraham informed this tremendous soul that there was no relief from his suffering.

Because verse 26, there is a great gulf fixed so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot. Neither can they pass to us that would come from thence. Rich man's praying. Rich man, you're lost.

The Urgency of Salvation Before It Is Too Late

Opportunity of getting saved today. It need not be. The Lord Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. You're lost now. At times whenever you're invited to preach in our churches and take services, the brethren will say you can be sure there was some loss.

What they're saying is you can be sure there are unsaved in the nation. There will be unsaved in the nation. Pray that God will save them through your preaching. But they say there are lost souls. See my friend, you are already lost.

You are already lost if you know not Christ. And I would say that now is the accepted time. It's the day of salvation. Don't start praying when it's too late as the rich man did. He prayed for relief.

The Rich Man's Second Prayer: A Warning for His Relatives

Second prayer, he prayed for his relatives. We come down to verse 27. Abraham has given the rich man his answer. Telling him beside all this between us and you there is a great gulf fixed so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us that would come from hence.

Verse 27. Then he said, his first prayer concerned himself. He wanted some relief for himself. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, Father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house. Here's his second prayer.

First of all, he prayed for relief. Now he prays for his relatives. When he learned that there was going to be no relief for him from his misery, he prayed that somehow, someone would go and speak to his relatives and keep them from ever coming into this same place of misery.

And so he says, I have five brethren. For I have five brethren that he may testify unto them lest they also come into this place of torment. He wanted Lazarus to go and sound a warning. He wanted his relatives to be warned.

The rich man requested that Lazarus would be sent and speak to the five brethren still living in his father's house and warn them. Warn them about the way ahead. Warn them about the road they were travelling.

Warn them about the hell they were facing. Isn't that what we're doing today? I believe that if this rich man could communicate with us this morning, he would say, creature, warn your people. Warn them.

They that know not the Savior, warn them about this awful place of torment. Friend, that's what we're doing today. Sinner, heed the warning voice. Make the Lord your final choice. Then all heaven will rejoice.

Moses, the Prophets, and the Testimony of Scripture

Be in time. Come from darkness into light. Come, let Jesus make you right. Be in time. For if in sin you longer wait, then you will find no open door. So he wanted Lazarus to warn them. Next we have not only the warning but the witness.

The rich man had no time for the beggar who for so long had lain at the rich man's gate. Now his prayer is, send Lazarus to my father's house for I have five brethren. Listen to this. Send Lazarus to my father's house for I have five brethren that he may... Lazarus to give his testimony.

He has five brethren all about him. No, he wanted Lazarus to go and give his testimony. Unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. He didn't want his five brethren to join him there. Two hells for the rich.

His five brethren did join him there. Now he wants his brethren to hear the testimony of Lazarus. How often have you heard a testimony of saving grace? You said in your heart, I want to see what this world is all about.

That rich man wished he prayed. He prayed. Lazarus could go and testify to it. Suddenly he placed a great value on Lazarus. My friend, what value do you place on this gospel message today, on this testimony?

Unworthy of your attention? Then you say to me today, lead me to it. Then you have the word. In his reply, Abraham said, they have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. Abraham said, five brethren.

When the Lord Jesus met with the two travelers on the road to Emmaus, he opened to them the scriptures. And beginning, I'm saying here, he was saying, your five brethren have Moses and the prophets. It's not Lazarus they need, it's Christ they need.

If they were to read Moses and the prophets, they would find Christ coming into this place of torment. It's Christ they need. It's the word you need. And you're receiving the word today. And through the word, you're learning about Christ.

Faith cometh by hearing. Hearing by the word of God. You're hearing now about Jesus Christ. He's the one. He's the one who will save you today and save you now. Why not come and settle? You've been troubled before.

Why not get it settled right now? Better to be troubled about your sin now. Of the worry. Worry than hell. He worried about his five brethren. But on the sea of peril, he did right with God. Worry about their children's spirits.

So they worry over their children and their children regarding whether they perish without God. Why didn't I set them in? Why didn't I exhort them to come to Christ? To this rich man's torments. And finally, his last prayer.

The Rich Man's Third Prayer: Repentance

He prayed for relief. He prayed for his relatives. Now he prays about repentance. 29 Abraham saith unto him they have Moses and the prophets let them hear him. And he said, here's his third prayer. He said, Nay, father Abraham.

But if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. Repentance of hell. His brethren repenting. He knew all about repentance. Here's his acknowledgement. He acknowledged the need of repentance.

If the five brethren of the rich man were to escape the torments of hell, they had to repent. That's what he's saying. They need to repent. Friend, if you are to escape the torments of the rich man's hell, you must repent of your sins.

First message Jesus Christ preached in his ministry. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. It's the first message John the Baptist preached. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. It's the message Peter preached.

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins might be blotted out and summed it up.