The subject addressed in this book is without question the most horrible and terrifying of any which can be imagined. When we speak of “Hell” we are talking about separation from God and all that is good, and that for all eternity. And yet, as dreadful as this is, its existence is as true as it is terrible. Of course, today, the very notion of everlasting punishment has come to be viewed as “theologically incorrect,” not because it is incompatible with the Scripture’s teaching, but simply because it is “offensive,” and therefore must be rejected prima facie. It does not even seem to matter to the theologically correct that Jesus Christ made a regular practice of describing this dread place in intimate detail and with a plethora of soul-startling imagery. In fact, He referenced and described the experience of Hell six times more frequently than He did the experience of Heaven. Quite apparently, theological correctness was of no concern to Him. For those who have the faith (and the courage) to accept Jesus’ teaching on this subject with the reverence it deserves, no portion of that teaching will prove more revealing than what we read in The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Most importantly, what Jesus’ Rich Man conveys about the experience of perdition provides us an insight into the nature of its sufferings which ought to awaken us to our need to avert this fate for ourselves and to pursue a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Jeff Becker is a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary (1985) and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America in 1989. He has served as pastor, educator, and music-director, to name a few of his ministerial roles. This is his fifth book published by Outskirts Press.