A few days ago a nationally known radio broadcaster made the following statement: "There is no Hell, there never has been a Hell, there is not now and there never shall be a Hell." Poor, proud, deluded man! No doubt the wish is father to the thought. Without a shred of proof to substantiate his bold words, he calmly tramples upon the Word of God. He scorns the Word of God for the sake of which unnumbered thousands of martyrs have cheerfully gone to the stake to be burned alive, have suffered the fiendish tortures of the Spanish Romish inquisition, have stepped into the arena to be torn to pieces by wild beasts - "Butchered to make a Roman holiday", and even to this day, missionaries are willing to risk and give their lives among heathen savages. How deceived they must have been according to these armchair critics.

We can at least give the broadcaster referred to the credit of honesty in publicly proclaiming himself to be an atheist. But what shall be said of the dishonesty on the part of the so called "Christian" leaders of modernism, who pay lip loyalty to the Bible and then proceed to tear every fundamental truth out of it. Truly it shall be more tolerable in the day of judgment for the atheist than for them.

The whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation bears testimony to the fact of the reality of Hell, but, for the sake of brevity, let us notice a few statements made by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, relative to the reality of Hell.

In the Gospel according to Mark, chapter 9, three times over the Lord warns of Hell, "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched", verses 44, 46 and 48. "Where", there is a place of punishment. It is a place of unquenchable fire. These are the words of the Saviour of the World Who wept over sinners, Who suffered for sinners, Who died for sinners, so that a way might be opened for the deliverance of sinners, from the wrath of God of which He so solemnly warned them.

In Luke 16:19-31, (which is not a parable but a solemn narration of facts), our Lord said, "The rich man also died, and was buried; and in Hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments." This rich man cried, "I am tormented (in anguish, R. V.) in this flame". In verse 28, he prayed that his brethren might be warned, "Lest they also come into this place of torment." If this be true, and with all our souls we believe it so to be, how men will curse the "blind leaders of the blind" who have led them to Hell.

Dear unsaved reader, will you not be warned while yet there is room and time for repentance. God commands you to repent, Acts 17:30 and believe the Gospel, Acts 16:31. "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh (or beareth) away the sin of the world." Confess your lost and guilty condition, trust alone in the finished work of Christ on Calvary, and prove the truth of God's Word, "The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanseth us from all sin."

Dear Christians, what are we doing to win precious souls to Christ? To younger men whom God has given some gift to preach the Gospel, the writer would pass on words of counsel which he received as a young preacher over 46 years ago, from an aged servant of Christ long since gone home to glory. "Luke 16 is not a parable. Never attempt to speculate as to what kind of fire is in Hell. Stick to the plain words of Holy Scripture; that is the safe path." When anyone attempts to explain Divine mysteries, which the Scripture itself does not explain, they are in danger.

Let us then lovingly proclaim the glorious Gospel of Christ and tenderly warn men and women of the judgment to come. Let us ever remember that, if we fail to warn the sinner faithfully, we are failing to carry out the last part of the commission of the risen Saviour in Mark 16:16, "He that believeth not shall be damned."