Hell
2. Words associated with hell in the Bible
3. Is hell a real, literal place?
5. Is hell a place of conscious torment and punishment?
6. Is the story of the rich man and Lazurus a parable?
8. Would a loving God send people to hell?
Hell is perhaps one of the most debated topics of religion. Who goes there, what's it like, and is it a literal place or torment are all questions which come with different answers from different people.
Hell is viewed by many as cruel, harsh, or even inhuman. I have even heard atheists refer to Christians as terrorists for proposing the idea that non-believers would spend an eternity in torment. Bertrand Russel once said that anyone who would threaten people with eternal punishment is 'inhumane'.
But, what man (Christian or non) say about hell, does not really matter. The debate rests with the Bible, and what the Bible says on the topic. So, what does the Bible say about hell?
No matter what context or description is used alongside it, one thing is consistent in the Bible: hell is a real, literal place of eternal torment, and many people are going there.
2. Words associated with hell in the Bible
1. Gehenna
The word Gehenna was used in the OT to mean 'Valley of Hinnom', which was place in southwest Jerusalem. At this place, some pagan kings practiced human sacrifice by fire. In the NT the word came to be associated with destruction by fire. The word 'gehenna' is found in the NT 12 times (all 12 by Jesus).
2. Hades
This word is used in the NT 10 times (4 times by Jesus, and 6 times by others). Hades was probably the "subterranean abode of all the dead until the judgment, which was divided into two departments, paradise or Abraham's bosom for the good, and Gehenna (hell) for the bad."
3. Sheol
Sheol, was probably derived from a root, "to make hollow". It is literally a place and is mentioned in the OT numerous times, including: Genesis 37:35; Numbers 16:30,33; Pslam 16:10; etc. In scripture, Sheol has meanings such as: grave, underworld, and state of the dead; and is supposedly below the earth (Ezekiel 31:15, Psalm 86:13, Job 11:8, Isaiah 38:18)
3. Is hell a real, literal place?
The Bible clearly teaches that hell is a real, literal place. The Bible makes many references to the location of hell. Psalm 40:2 says, "He brought me up our of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay." Isaiah 14:9 states, "Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come". Why would these verses refer to hell (or sheol) in terms such as 'beneath' or 'brought up' if it were not a place? Both of those phrases refer to location. And, if hell has a location, it must be a place.
Jesus also made references to hell as a place. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus says, "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both the soul and body in hell." Jesus used the phrase 'throw in' implying that hell is a place which we can be placed (or thrown) into. A similar reference was used by Jesus in Mark 9:43, "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire." Again, Jesus refers to use going 'into', referring to a real, literal place.
Those verses are not the only ones which refer to hell as having a location. Below is a partial list of other verses which reference the location of hell:
Deuteronomy 32:22
Job 11:8
Psalm 9:15
Psalm 55:15
Proverbs 9:18
Isaiah 14:9
Isaiah 38:18
Isaiah 57:9
Ezekiel 28:8
Ezekiel 32:21
2 Peter 2:4
Revelation 9:1
Hell will last as long as God
If hell is a real place (as shown above), how long does it last, and how long will those who go there be there? Many view the idea of people going to hell temporarily as punishment reasonable, but the idea of hell lasting forever and being eternal is 'unreasonable'. So, how long does hell last? Is hell eternal?
The Bible says that God will endure forever. Psalm 90:2 states, "...Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God." Revelation 1:8 says, "'I am the Alpha and Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.'" The Bible even says that God will abide even after this world is destroyed (2 Peter 3:10-12).
Clearly, God will last forever. The Bible also says that God can not tolerate evil (Isaiah 6; Habakkuk 1:13). Therefore, God must (by His very nature) be separated from sin. As long as God is God (which He will be forever) and as sin is sin, God must be separated from iniquity (forever). That would have to require hell to be eternal.
Hell will last as long as Heaven does
The Bible also states that Heaven is everlasting. But, the same Greek word (aionion) which is used for 'everlasting' when referring to Heaven is also used to refer to hell. Matthew 25:41 says, "then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels'" (emphasis added). Also see 2 Thessalonians 1:9 and Revelation 20:10. Scripture clearly teaches that heaven is eternal, and so is hell. There is no scriptural explanation for saying that hell is temporary.
The Bible also teaches that no one can get out of hell. Judgment takes place immediately after death (John 8:21; Hebrews 9:27) and a gulf is fixed to prevent escape from hell (Luke 16:26). Clearly, entering hell is a permanent, irreversible action. This is not unlike certain things in life on earth. For example, if someone commits suicide, they can not change or reverse that decision, it is permanent. There is no escape once judgment is set and somebody enters hell, they will be there for eternity.
5. Is hell a place of conscious torment and punishment?
Are people conscious after death?
A very common belief today is that after death, the human soul ceases to exist. After death, people are not conscious. However, what does the Bible say on the topic? The Bible clearly teaches that people are conscious after death:
Numbers 16:30 states, "...and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the Lord." Note the use of the word 'alive'. This does not suggest that people and unconscious or simply cease to exist at death.
Matthew 8:12 states, "...but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." If people are literally weeping, they would have to be conscious and alive.
Perhaps none of these verses are as blatant as Revelation 14:10-11: "...he will also drink of the win of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb." If someone is being tormented, they must be conscious of what is going on, they must be aware.
Verses used to support the idea of no consciousness at death
Acts 13:36; 1 Corinthians 15:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13; Ecclesiastes 9:5; and Psalm 146:4 can all be used to try to argue for the idea that the dead are not conscious after death. However, most of these verses compare death to sleep, they do not say that the dead are literally not conscious.
The numerous verses which describe hell and consciousness make it very clear that the dead are conscious after death and when in hell. Although verses can be picked out and used as a counter argument, the verses must correspond and support the same idea. When taking the Bible as a whole, it is clear that the dead are conscious after death, and when in hell.
Is hell a place of torment, punishment, and fire?
Again, people debate the idea that hell is literally a place of torment or punishment. However, we must always turn to the Bible as our source of information, not the views of the majority of men.
Some phrases and comparisons used in the Bible to describe hell refer to it as: a wandering star (Jude 12), like being left in the dark forever (Matthew 8:12), a burning dump (Matthew 9:43-48), a bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1,3), and a place of anguish and regret (Luke 16:28). None of these phrases of descriptions make hell sound like anything less than a place of misery.
There are many other verses which reference hell as a place of torment. Matthew 25:46 says, "There will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Other verses which talk of hell as a place of fire and torment are: Jude 7; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 5:22).
6. Is the story of the rich man and Lazurus a parable?
In the Bible, one of the most compelling stories of scripture which proves the existence of hell is the story of the rich man and Lazarus. However, critics of hell argue that the story is nothing more than a parable (a fictional story told by Christ to illustrate or make a point).
However, in Luke 16:19-31; Jesus refers to both Abraham and Lazarus by name, something done in no other parable in the Bible. Why? Because the story is not a parable or an illustration, it is history.
Despite the fact the Jesus uses specific names; some still argue that it is a parable, and not literal truth. If so, what is the intent or point of the illustration? If hell is a false doctrine, and there is no life after death, that would have to mean that Christ is using false doctrines to teach a truth, something which is not done in parables, which illustrate truth. The only rational explanation is that the story of the rich man and Lazarus found in Luke 16 is a true, historical event.
Despite the numerous scriptures which describe and refer to hell, many still refuse to acknowledge it as a literal place where sinners are punished for eternity. It is argued that a loving God would not send somebody to a place of eternal torment. A verse commonly used to justify this is 1 John 4:8, which states that God is love. How could a loving God send people to hell? Isn't the doctrine of hell far too extreme to be reasonable?
God's Justice Requires a Hell
Romans 2:2 says, "And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things." The Bible is very clear that God is so pure and holy that He cannot, by His very nature, look at sin (Hab. 1:13). The Bible also says in Psalm 73:3 that "I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked".
If the wicked prosper on earth, but God can not have sin in His presence, a place of punishment for iniquity is required to maintain the justice of God. Instead of the severity of a place such as hell, we must instead consider the severity of our sin, which is enough to prevent us from being in the presence of almighty God. The only way we will be able to stand in the presence of God is through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
God's Love Requires a Hell
As stated above in John 4:8, God is love. However, this love which so many people use to argue against hell is actually a very reasonable argument for its existence. In today's world, can love really be forced? Norman Geisler wrote that, "love cannot act coercively, only persuasively." In other words, love cannot be forced. When love is forced, it is not love, but rape.
If man truly wishes to reject God's love, God must allow him to make that choice. Otherwise, God would be a dictator, not a God of free will. Those who wish to reject and be separated from God must be allowed to do so. Hell provides that separation from God.
God's Supremacy Requires a Hell
The Bible states that God will ultimately conquer over evil (1 Corinthians 15:24-28; Revelation 20-22). Unless there is a hell, there can be no final victory over evil. For good to truly conquer over evil, there must be an ultimate separation of the two.
The same principle can be applied in today's world. When a man murders somebody, the law requires (and demands) that the man be punished for his action. If it were not for punishment of evil or wrongdoing, evil would be excused, and therefore not dealt with justly.
For God to be the ultimate victor over evil, hell must act as the separation of evil from good (sin from God).
The Death of Christ Requires a Hell
The point on which Christianity turns is Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice He made so that our sins might be forgiven by repentance and faith in the savior. The Bible even refers to the cross as "the power of God" in 1 Corinthians 1:18. Without the cross of Christ, there can be no salvation (Romans 4:25; Hebrews 10:10-14) or deliverance from sin (Romans 3:21-26).
The Bible even says that Christ came specifically to die on the cross. Mark 10:45 states, "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Jesus suffered unthinkable physically pain and spiritual agony on the cross.
Luke 22:44 says, "And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground." That pain and agony took place even before Christ was actually beaten and hung upon the cross. To add to His physical torture, Jesus was also forsaken by his Heavenly Father: "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?)'".
Why all of this death, pain, and suffering unless there is a hell? If hell is nonexistent, Christ's death is undermined, and robbed of its eternal significance. Unless, there really is an eternal separation from God from which people need to be saved.
8. Would a loving God send people to hell?
This objection is raised from people of every religion, walk of life, and belief system. After all, a loving God would not send people to hell, would He? This objection is common simply because people do not want to admit they might face punishment for their sin when they die. Below is a simple, easy way to show them that a loving, just God must punish lawbreakers.
God is all loving. But he is also just and cares about right and wrong. Think about it this way: a man has tortured, brutally murdered, and raped a young woman. He is arrested, convicted, and is about to be sentenced. Before sentencing, the judge asks the man, "Do you have any last words before your sentencing?" The man responds, "I know I brutally and ruthlessly murdered that young woman, but I am really sorry. And I have changed, and I will never do it again. And if you will just let me go I will try to do better." Would a good, just judge who cares about right and wrong say, "OK! he is really sorry, and he will not do it again!" And let the man go? Of course not! The man must be punished for his sin.
It is the same thing with God's law. Although he is all loving and wants more than anything for us to obey His laws, He must punish man for his sin. So, an all loving, all powerful, all just God, who does care about right and wrong, must punish those who have transgressed His law.
I once heard a man say, "It is because God's wrath is real, that His mercy is relevant." The reality of a literal hell is what makes the saving grace of Jesus Christ so incredible. Instead of turning and saying, "If God would send people to hell, He is not loving" why don't we praise His name for dying on the cross so that we can escape that fate which we deserve?
Despite the controversies which surround the topic of hell, the Bible clearly teaches that hell is a real place, is eternal, is a place of torment, and is reasonable. Jesus taught two times as much about hell as he did about heaven. If hell was simply a state of unconsciousness or if it was temporal, there would be no reason for such a strong warning. The Bible is also very clear that the only way to escape an eternity in hell is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. If you are not 100% sure that you are not going anywhere near hell when you die, please click here.