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Camp Quest, a nationwide chain of atheistic
summer camps for kids and families, advertises
one of its family camps as "A Weekend in Hell."
They don't understand how close to the truth
this is.
Satan's
Family Camp for the Godless
Camp Quest has campgrounds in six
locations (and counting) in the United States
and Canada, and recently announced plans to
expand into Europe. Modeled after church camps
for kids and families, Camp Quest offers a
godless alternative to traditional church summer
camps and vacation Bible school programs. Camp
Quest's advertising slogan is, "It's Beyond
Belief!"
One of Camp Quest's facilities is
located, appropriately, in the town of Hell,
Michigan. (Yes, there is such a place, about 60
miles west of Detroit. There is considerable
debate but no conclusive evidence about the
origin of its name.)
Of course, professed atheists
don't believe in the Biblical Hell. And so the
people who run this camp for the godless think
they can locate their camp in a town of the same
name, and sardonically advertise their weekend
of atheistic indoctrination as "A Weekend in
Hell" without fear of divine retribution. People
can be led to think that "A Weekend in Hell" is
simply a fun time for the family in a town that
bears the same name as a place of eternal
punishment for unbelievers, that doesn't really
exist.
Authentic Christianity in Contrast
In contrast, the
Word of God gives us the true picture. A rich
man whose only interest was in living this life
to the fullest heard this verdict from God: "Fool!
This night your soul will be required of you;
then whose will those things be which you have
provided?" (Luke 12:20). Jesus also spoke
of another man who died after having lived only
for the present: "And in Hell he lifted up his
eyes, being in torments..." (Luke 16:23).
 Scripture teaches the
consciousness of the soul after death
(Ecclesiastes 12:7; Luke 16:19-31, 23:43) and a
literal
Hell in which the Devil, fallen angels, and
unbelieving men shall suffer punishing torments
forever (Psalm 9:17, Matthew 25:31-46,
Revelation 20:11-14, 21:8).
The souls of the unjust are cast
into Hell and experience darkness and torment,
awaiting the final judgment, and their final
consignment to the Lake of Fire for eternity
(Isaiah 5:14, 14:9, 14:15; Psalm 9:17; Matthew
10:28, 11:23, 23:33; Mark 9:43-48; Luke
16:23-24; Acts 1:25; Hebrews 9:27; Jude 6-7;
Revelation 20:10-15).
Hell is as literal as Heaven.
Scripture speaks of the conscious torment of
those in Hell (Matthew 8:12). The rich man of
Luke 16 was in such torment. Scripture speaks of
the “shame and everlasting loathing” of those
condemned to Hell (Daniel 12:2). The punishment
of Hell is eternal. The fire of
Hell is spoken of as eternally unquenchable
(Matthew 3:12, Mark 9:43-48, where Jesus quotes
Isaiah 66:24); an unquenchable fire would be
unnecessary if the damned were annihilated.
Jesus Himself speaks of the punishment of Hell as
eternal (Matthew 25:46). The lost will share the
condemnation of the Lake of Fire with the Devil,
the Beast, and the False Prophet, and “will be
tormented day and night forever” (Revelation
20:10-15).
Our Scripture-Driven Responsibility
It is the responsibility of the
Gospel minister to preach these awesome
realities.
But sadly, both the doctrine of Heaven and the doctrine of
Hell are greatly neglected truths in our day. As
they seek to avoid offending peoples'
sensibilities, many Evangelical churches offer no Biblical
answer to the scoffings of the atheist regarding
eternal punishment. A man-centered focus on the
“here and now” has supplanted fervent preaching
about a Heaven to be gained and a Hell to be
shunned. A Scripture-driven church will preach
the great and awesome truths of Heaven and Hell,
and salvation from the wrath to come through
Jesus Christ alone,
with fervency and without apology.
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