what does the bible say about hell - our daily bread...

WHAT DOESTHE BIBLE SAYABOUT HELL?

WWhy did someone asgood and loving asChrist spend so

much time warning us about“the fire that shall never bequenched”— a place of“weeping and gnashing ofteeth”? Why did He talk moreabout the fires of hell thanabout the joys of heaven?

The subject of hell is sosobering that many are morecomfortable ignoring it. Butthere is no subject moredeserving of our honest concern. In the following pages, RBC senior researcheditor Herb Vander Lugt leadsus in a discussion that we hopewill reawaken those of us whoare living as if there is notomorrow for the lost.

Martin R. De Haan II

Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Design: Terry BidgoodScripture quotations are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by ThomasNelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.© 1990,2002 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

CONTENTSWhat Happened To The Subject Of Hell? . . . 2

What Does The Bible Say About Hell?

It’s A Place Of Choice. . . 4

It’s A Place Of Truth . . . 7

It’s A Place Of Fair Treatment. . . . . . . 12

It’s A Place Of Lost Hope . . . . . . . . . . 15

What’s The Fate Of Those Who Never Hear? . . . . . . . . 26

The Fire Of Hell . . . . . 28

Trust God To Do Right. . . . . . . . . 30

Defining Our Terms. . . 31

© RBC Ministries. All rights reserved.

WHATHAPPENED TO THE SUBJECTOF HELL?

CCountless peopleamong us seemobsessed with

the subject of hell. Evenirreligious individuals talkof “going to hell and back”for something they love.They speak of certainties as being “sure as hell,” orimpossibilities as occurring“when hell freezes over.”And bad experiences aresaid to “hurt like hell.”Many otherwise politepeople regularly inject color,emotion, and profanity intotheir conversation byadding a casual or angryreference to hell to almostany combination of words.

Yet ironically, the morehell shows up in casualconversation, the less it isactually thought about—even in religious circles.The more such a word is

used in an aggressive,profane way, the lessthreatening it seems to the user. Accordingly, thesubject of hell has becomeas prevalent in street talk as it is absent in Sundaysermons.

It wasn’t always thatway. Historically, mostreligions have held openlyto the idea of an after-deathjudgment followed bypunishment for evildoers.In the New EncyclopediaBritannica, we read:

The view that hell is the final dwellingplace of the damned after alast judgment is held bythe western prophetic

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The more hellshows up in casualconversation, theless it is actuallythought about.


religions: Zoroastrianism,Judaism, Christianity,and Islam. . . . Somemodern theologians haveagain questioned theliteralistic view but stillhold that hell is, at least,a state of separation ofthe wicked from thegood (Vol.5, p.814).Our present reluctance

to think seriously about thereality of future punishmentmay stem in part from aninadequate concept of God. We have forgottenthat He is a God to befeared. The Russiantheologian Berdyaev said,“It is remarkable how littlepeople think about hell ortrouble about it. This is themost striking evidence ofhuman frivolity” (TheDestiny Of Man, Scribner,1937, p.33). What he wrotemore than 50 years ago iseven more true today thanwhen he penned it.

We do not do people afavor when we remain silent

about the subject of hell.Jesus, the prime example of God’s love, spoke of hellrepeatedly. He said thatsome would rise from deathto “the resurrection ofcondemnation” (Jn. 5:29).He declared that those whogo to hell enter the horribleplace where “their wormdoes not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mk.9:44,46,48). He alsodepicted it as a place of“outer darkness,” wherethere “will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30).

Bertrand Russell said he decided to become anatheist when he read thewords of Jesus about hell.But did he act wisely? Atleast he was consistent. Herealized that hell deservesto be taken seriously. Heknew that it doesn’t makesense to say you believe inChrist while rejecting whatHe and His book say aboutan eternal “lake of fire.”

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WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAYABOUT HELL?

HELL IS A PLACE OF CHOICE

PPeople don’t choosehell with a full

understanding of what they are doing. Theydon’t have a clear picture ofthe eternal happiness theywill miss or the everlastingseparation and darknessthey will endure. Butaccording to the Bible, hell is a place of choice. As a result, the Biblerepeatedly appeals to itsreaders to choose the way

of life rather than the pathof death and judgment.Over and over, JesusHimself urged His listenersto make wise choices withquestions like:

What will it profit a man if he gains the wholeworld, and loses his ownsoul? Or what will a mangive in exchange for hissoul? (Mk. 8:36-37).Yet the same Bible

also reminds us that mostpeople will risk their eternalsouls rather than feelobligated or indebted to the love and mercy of God. In some cases, thisstubborn independence iseasy to see. Some will eventell you that if there really isa heaven and a hell theywould rather go to the placebelow because that’s wheretheir friends will be. Otherssay that heaven and Godand eternal goodness soundboring. Still others are soangry at God for the painand rejection that He has

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A Place of Choice


allowed them to experiencethat they have literallychallenged Him to sendthem to the devil and hisplace.

Most people, however,are merely ignoring thelong-term possibilities oftheir own choices. They areeither counting on the hopethat God is too loving tosend them to hell, or theyare assuming that theyaren’t bad enough to besent there. Many are sopreoccupied with trying tosurvive day-to-day strugglesthat they have chosen notto worry about the future.

In the process, suchpeople make personal

choices for which they will be held accountable.Certainly they fail tounderstand the full weightof their choices. They fail to realize that just as thefirst man and woman madechoices that resulted inenormous loss, so also wewho are made in the imageof God continue to be heldaccountable for the choiceswe make. With suchchoices and consequencesin mind, the apostle Paulwrote:

The wrath of God isrevealed from heavenagainst all ungodlinessand unrighteousness ofmen, who suppress thetruth in unrighteousness,because what may beknown of God is manifestin them, for God hasshown it to them (Rom. 1:18-19).As God’s creatures,

we owe Him glory andthanksgiving. God has aright to expect that we as a

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The choices maybe underrated, but the choices are still there.


race and as individualsrecognize His lordship, giveHim thanks, and live ingrateful obedience to Him.But in our pride, we haverefused to glorify God asGod. Instead, we havebecome preoccupied withourselves and our ownhappiness. We have chosen to love ourselvesrather than God—to glorifyourselves rather than theLord. This is why “thewrath of God” (Rom. 1:18)rests upon the human race.This divine wrath is aterrible reality. It is God’srevulsion against the thingsthat contradict His holybeing. It is God’s reaction to those who choose evilwhile rejecting His love.

Some accuse God ofvindictiveness. But wewould be wise to withholdour criticism and respond asquickly as we can to God’sinvitation to escape theeternal fires. It was ChristHimself who urged us:

Enter by the narrow gate;for wide is the gate andbroad is the way thatleads to destruction, andthere are many who go inby it. Because narrow isthe gate and difficult isthe way which leads tolife, and there are fewwho find it (Mt. 7:13-14).Proportionately, this is

still true. While religion iscommon all over the world,how many people do youknow who actually andconsistently love God andexpress their gratitude toHim? If you think carefullyand honestly, you will haveto admit that no one does.But Christians freely admitthis and have placed theirtrust for salvation in JesusChrist, believing that Hepaid for their sins when Hedied on the cross. Whenpeople refuse to believe onHim, they are choosing tostand on their own merits.To be placed on the road toheaven, we must

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acknowledge our sin, admit that we can’t saveourselves, and place ourtrust in Jesus Christ. John3:16 states:

For God so loved theworld that He gave Hisonly begotten Son, thatwhoever believes in Himshould not perish buthave everlasting life.If you haven’t chosen

to believe on Jesus Christ,you are choosing the pathto hell. Don’t listen to thebehaviorists who suggestthat you have no realchoices of your own. Reject the New Agethinking that says you aregoverned by a non-moralForce. Accept the teachingof the Bible. If you rejectChrist, you will have noright to blame anyone butyourself when you somedayfind yourself in hell. Youwill have to admit that you made the wrong choice. You won’t be able to blame God.

HELL IS A PLACE OF TRUTH

TThe second point we need to see isthat hell is a place

of truth. Even though it issometimes described as aplace of outer darkness, it isa place of the light of truth.Hell will finally expose thetrue nature of all who haveconsistently rejected thelove and grace and mercy of God. In the meantime,the true nature of humanhearts is often buried underdeceptive appearances.

Now, most people don’tthink of themselves asdeserving of everlasting

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A Place of Truth


punishment. Many whohave chosen to live theirlives apart from God don’tlook any different thanothers who openly admittheir need of the forgivenessand mercy of Christ.

But present appearancesare deceiving. While theBible says that most peopleare headed for the lake offire, many of them don’tlook as though they deservea fire reserved for the deviland his angels. Evil menlike Stalin or Hitler or serialkillers might seem to qualify,but not the rank-and-file ofpeople who seem to livebasically decent lives.

Yet from the Bible’s pointof view, such evaluations areextremely misleading andeven deceptive. The Bibleshows us that the fires andblackness of hell will makeeternal statements about (1) the true wickedness of public enemies and (2) the true wickedness of good people.

The Wickedness Of Public Enemies.In some respects, humanwickedness is terrible tocontemplate. Think of whatGod sees as He looks downon the world of mankind.He watches the murders,adulteries, thefts, fights, and physical and emotional

torment that occur day and night in every part ofthe world. He sees the childabusers—their lust, cruelty,and heartlessness. He seeswives crying, childrenabandoned, friends and partners betrayed,governments oppressing,and religious leaders fleecing their trusting flocks.

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Think of the pain,the anxiety, thetears, and the

countless victimsthat God sees.


It is the moral andspiritual condition that Godhas been patiently toleratingever since man’s fall into sin.Read the apostle Paul’stimeless and universaldescription of the humancondition:

They have all turnedaside; they have togetherbecome unprofitable;there is none who doesgood, no, not one. Theirthroat is an open tomb;with their tongues theyhave practiced deceit; thepoison of asps is undertheir lips; whose mouth is full of cursing andbitterness. Their feet areswift to shed blood;destruction and miseryare in their ways; and theway of peace they havenot known. There is nofear of God before theireyes (Rom. 3:12-18).This is a striking

picture of the dishonesty, the greed, the profanity, thedeceitfulness, and the

cruelty that continues toproduce rapists, childmolesters, embezzlers, andpornographers. When thejudgment of God falls, andwhen such persons aresentenced to the lake of firedescribed in Revelation20:11-15, the fire will makean eternal statement of truthabout those who have livedtheir lives at the expense ofothers.

What we need to realize,however, is that Romans 3was not written merely totell the truth about thosepublic enemies who will oneday find their rightful placein hell. It also describes:

The Wickedness Of Good People. Acloser look shows thatRomans 3:10-18 doesn’tjust describe the judgment-deserving character of thosewe call public enemies.Verse 10 expresses theinclusive argument of thefirst three chapters ofRomans, when it says of

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mankind, religious andnon-religious alike:

There is none righteous,no, not one; there is nonewho understands; there is none who seeks afterGod. They have all turned aside; they have together becomeunprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one (3:10-12).We don’t like to think

that good people deserve to go to hell. But our goodimpression of decent law-abiding neighbors is not areal reflection of the truth.We think naturally in veryman-centered ways ratherthan in the God-centeredmeasurement described inRomans 3. Man wasn’t madeto be a decent public servant.He was made to glorify hisMaker and to enjoy Himforever. We weren’t made tolive decent, self-serving lives.We were made to dependgratefully on the love andgoodness of God. We weren’t

made just to abide by theexternal requirements of civiland religious law. We weremade to worship God fromour hearts and to love oneanother as He has loved us.

When we measureourselves by that evaluation,the threat of hell becomesmore of an issue. Theirresistible fire of judgmentwill expose the enormousdeception that now hidesbehind social and religiouscourtesies and proprieties.

We have good reason toshudder at the thought ofstanding in God’s presenceon our own merits. If we’rehonest, we must admit thatapart from Christ we deserveto hear Him sentence us tohell. In God’s sight, no oneis really a good person.

As many as have sinnedwithout law will alsoperish without law, andas many as have sinnedin the law will be judgedby the law (for not thehearers of the law are just

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in the sight of God, butthe doers of the law willbe justified; for whenGentiles, who do not have the law, by naturedo the things in the law,these, although nothaving the law, are a law to themselves, whoshow the work of the lawwritten in their hearts,their conscience alsobearing witness, andbetween themselves theirthoughts accusing or elseexcusing them) in the daywhen God will judge thesecrets of men by JesusChrist, according to mygospel (Rom. 2:12-16).All people, at one time

or another, sense that there is a God to whom they aremorally accountable, thatthey have sinned, and thatthey need divine forgiveness.But most men and womenstifle these disquietingthoughts. Some do so bydenying the existence of apersonal God. Some do so

by saying that what we callsins are merely weaknesses.Others affirm that God is soloving that He will never

punish anyone on the otherside of death. They don’twant to acknowledge theirsin and believe on JesusChrist. But the day is comingwhen they will stand beforeGod for final judgment. Therethey will see themselves asthey really are. Stripped of alltheir self-righteousness, theywill recognize their guiltbefore God. And nothing less than the lake of fire willultimately tell the truth.

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All people, at onetime or another,sense that there

is a God to whom they are morallyaccountable.


HELL IS A PLACE OFFAIR TREATMENT

WWe have seen thathell is the placepeople choose,

even if unknowingly, whenthey go their own wayinstead of listening to God.We have also noted that hellis a place that will forevertell the truth about the realcharacter of those who haverejected and resisted God’sprovision for their salvation.We are now ready toconsider a third fact—thathell will be a place of fairtreatment. Before anyonegoes there, he will stand at afinal judgment to determine

the exact degree ofpunishment he will receive.God will be perfectly fair.

The final judgment isdepicted graphically inRevelation 20:11-15. This is the great white thronejudgment. The Judge is noneother than Jesus Christ (Jn.5:24-30). All the unsavedwill receive new bodies andwill stand to be judged. Thenthe books containing the liferecord of every person andthe one special book of lifewill be opened. The openingof these books shows thatthose who rejected God’s gift of salvation will receiveperfect justice.

In Romans 2:1-16, Paulpointed out that God willlook at what people havedone with their privilegesand opportunities, and thatHe will be completelyimpartial and fair (vv.5-11).Those who possessed HisWord, the law of verses 12-14, will be held accountablefor their response to it.

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A Place of Fair

Treatment


Those who never receivedspecial revelation will beheld accountable only forwhat they knew (vv.14-16).

Jesus taught this sameprinciple when He said thatthe servant who knew hismaster’s will and disobeyedwould be beaten with“many stripes,” but that

the servant who had lessknowledge would be beatenwith “few” (Lk. 12:47-48).

No judge or jury fullyunderstands the person ontrial. No human being canevaluate the exact degree of accountability in himselfor anyone else. We are all profoundly influenced by hereditary andenvironmental factors

beyond our control. Yet wemake choices after weighingoptions. Therefore, we areall accountable—at least tosome degree. And Godunderstands to what extent.He also knows how muchwe need His mercy.

When the young manwho died in a gang warstands before Jesus Christ,he will find that the Lordunderstands all thecircumstances of his short,violent, and troubled life—his absent father, hisimmoral mother, hisdisadvantaged peers, hiscomplete ignorance of thegospel message, and hisdespair. The Lord Jesus willtake all these factors intoconsideration. He knowsexactly the degree ofresponsibility of this youngman and will give him asentence that perfectly suitshis offense.

The rich, respectablelandlord who died withoutChrist may receive a far

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God’s love will be just, and

His justice will be loving.


more severe sentence thanmost of his tenants, eventhose who had manybrushes with the law. TheLord Jesus will take intoaccount their respectiveprivileges. He will seeperfectly the underlyinggreed, selfishness, and pride of this man. He willunderstand the sense ofdespair that was a factor insome of the wrongs done bythe tenants. All will receivefair treatment. God, theholy moral Governor of the universe, will dispenseperfect justice to allwrongdoers.

The awesome picture offinal judgment in Revelation20:11-15 led Thomas Carlyleto exclaim: “What amagnificent conception isthat of a final judgment! Arighting of all the wrongs ofthe ages.” The Lord JesusChrist will take into accountevery circumstance,overlooking nothing. He willbe the Supreme Court of the

universe. No one will beable to appeal His decisions.In fact, no one will feel theneed to do so. Every personwill acknowledge Him asLord and admit that Hisverdict has been absolutely

fair and right. It is at thistime that everyone willrecognize Him to be all Heclaimed to be, fulfilling thewords of Philippians 2:9-11.

Therefore God also hashighly exalted Him andgiven Him the namewhich is above everyname, that at the name ofJesus every knee shouldbow, of those in heaven,and of those on earth,

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God, the holymoral Governor ofthe universe, willdispense perfect

justice to allwrongdoers.


and of those under theearth, and that everytongue should confess thatJesus Christ is Lord, to theglory of God the Father.

HELL IS A PLACE OF LOST HOPE

WWe have seen thatpeople choosehell by rejecting

the light they have receivedfrom God. We have seenthat everyone is a sinnerwhose selfishness and pridecall for divine punishment—even the nice non-Christianwho has so many finequalities. We have seen thatJesus Christ is going to judgeevery person individually

and will sentence him/her toreceive exactly what he/shedeserves. Now we are readyto develop the solemn factthat hell is a place of losthope. We must take thelove-filled, tear-marked Jesusseriously when He warned:

Do not fear those who killthe body but cannot killthe soul. But rather fearHim who is able todestroy both soul andbody in hell (Mt. 10:28).We will consider the

final and irreversible natureof this loss in three steps:First, we will examine theso-called “universalist” or“second chance” passagesin the Bible. Second, wewill consider the passagesthat speak of hell as a placeof “destruction.” Third, wewill study the implicationsof the fact that the termseverlasting or eternal oftenappear in reference to hell.

The “SecondChance” Passages. Wewho believe on Jesus Christ

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A Place of LostHope


and therefore are confidentthat we will go to heavenwould like to see everyoneget there eventually. Wewould very much like to find evidence in the Biblethat the lost will get anotherchance to be saved afterdeath. And there alwayshave been teachers who

have held the viewpoint of another opportunity after death. Some Biblestudents refer to themselvesas universalists becausethey believe that eventuallyeveryone or almost everyonewill end up in heaven. Theybelieve that 1 Peter 3:18-20and 4:6, and 1 Timothy

2:5-6 imply the hope of another chance afterdeath. They view Acts 3:21,1 Corinthians 15:22,Philippians 2:9-1l, andColossians 1:20 as verseswhich imply that almost allwill eventually be among theredeemed. Let’s take a lookat these passages.

First Peter 3:18-20.These verses declare that“Jesus preached to thespirits in prison,” specificallyto contemporaries of Noah.Some Bible interpretersbelieve that Peter wasreferring to the preachingdone by Noah while he wasbuilding the ark. Othersteach that between Hisdeath and resurrectionJesus went to the realm of the unsaved dead andannounced what He haddone. Still others believe Hewent to the prison house forfallen angels and announcedHis redeeming work to them.We may choose any of theseinterpretations. It is a

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It is extremelydangerous to use

a few difficultpassages to try

to override manyclear ones.


difficult passage, to be sure.Just as certain, however, isthat we should not take adifficult passage like thisand use it to overrule otherpassages like Hebrews 9:27,which states, “. . . it isappointed for men to dieonce, but after this thejudgment.”

First Peter 4:6. This is another verse often usedto prove that people willreceive another chance.Peter wrote:

For this reason the gospelwas preached to thosewho are dead, that they might be judgedaccording to men in theflesh, but live accordingto God in the spirit.This verse refers to the

proclamation of the gospelto living people who laterdied. The preaching wasdone while these individualswere alive. They were judgedharshly by the world, butthey now enjoy the bliss ofheaven. They are far better

off than those who gainedthe praise of the world butmust face God’s judgmentafter death.

First Timothy 2:5-6.This passage is also quotedas a proof of a secondchance after death. It tells us:

There is one God and oneMediator between Godand men, the Man ChristJesus, who gave Himself aransom for all, to betestified in due time.Those who view this

passage as offering anotherchance for salvation afterdeath point out that theransom price was paid for all, and that it will be“testified” to all “in duetime.” Some people in this world never receive an opportunity to hear the gospel, and many who do, hear it under veryunfavorable circumstances.Therefore, “in due time,”under conditions morefavorable after death, thegospel of salvation will be

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offered to all. The context,however, eliminates such aninterpretation. Paul madethis statement in connectionwith his injunction thatGod’s people pray for allmen (not just for a smallselect company), and withhis declaration that Goddesires all people to besaved (not just Israelites).He asserted that Christ’sransom was universal inavailability and that thegospel testimony is to go out everywhere. There is noindication here of anothergospel offer after death.

Acts 3:21. Peter spoke of“the times of restoration ofall things,” and this to someBible scholars implies theidea that in the end all willbe saved. But a careful studyof this verse makes it clearthat Peter was speakingabout the restoration ofIsrael as predicted by theOld Testament prophets.They spoke of Israel’s returnto the land and the

restoration of the theocracyunder David’s Son, but theynever predicted a day whenthe unsaved dead would beconverted and translated toheaven.

First Corinthians 15:22.Paul’s words “For as inAdam all die, even so inChrist all shall be madealive” are sometimes takento mean that all willeventually be saved. Butthat isn’t what Paul said. He declared the simple truththat just as every persondies because he is unitedwith Adam as a member ofthe sinful human race bynatural birth, so everyperson who is united withChrist shall experience aglorious resurrection. Wedid nothing to become amember of the human race, but we must believeon Christ and be born again to enter Christ’s family. Wewho have done this are now“in Christ” and thereforerecipients of eternal life.

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Colossians 1:20. Pauldeclared that God’s purposeis “to reconcile all things toHimself . . . through theblood of His cross.” Standingby itself, this seems to teachthat eventually everycreature will be brought into

a saving relationship withGod. William Hendriksenquotes a minister who usedthis verse as the basis for thefollowing statement: “In theend everybody is going to besaved. I have hope even forthe devil.”

But when we interpretthis verse in the light of themany passages that clearly

distinguish between a resurrection tocondemnation and aresurrection to blessedness,we see Colossians 1:20 asteaching that through theblood of the cross Godprovided for the restorationof the whole universe to theharmony He intended forit—the harmony that wasbroken through sin. The day is coming when allcreatures will be brought intosubjection to God. They willacknowledge the authority ofthe triune God and submit toHim. They will confess thelordship of Christ to the gloryof the Father (Phil. 2:10-11).In the case of the evil spiritsand unredeemed humanbeings, this subjection willbe imposed, not welcomed.On the other hand, the goodangels and redeemed peoplewill submit joyfully andrejoice in the fact thatrebellion has ceased and a new harmony exists inGod’s universe.

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As much as wewould like to thinkthat ultimately allwill be saved, wecannot honestly use the Bible to

build a case for it.


No, as much as wewould like to think thatultimately all will be saved,we cannot honestly use theScriptures to build a casefor it.

The “Destruction”Passages. Having pointedout the solemn fact that the Bible does not give usreason to look for a secondchance for salvation afterdeath, we are now ready toconsider the implications ofthe word destruction whenused to describe the destiny of the wicked and unbelieving. In 2 Thessalonians 1:9, forexample, we are told thatthose who refuse to knowGod and to obey the gospel“shall be punished witheverlasting destruction from the presence of theLord.” The word here isolethros, the same wordused in 1 Corinthians 5:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:3, and 1 Timothy 6:9.

Jesus made the solemn

declaration, “And do notfear those who kill the bodybut cannot kill the soul. Butrather fear Him who is ableto destroy both soul andbody in hell” (Mt. 10:28).The Greek word here for“destroy” is apollumi. Itoccurs scores of times in theNew Testament. Jesus usedthis term when He said thatnew wine would “ruin” anold wineskin (Lk. 5:37) andwhen He referred to thefood we eat as “the foodwhich perishes” (Jn. 6:27).

The fact that the Greekterms sometimes rendered“destroy” or “perish” canmean “to bring to an end” or “cease to exist” has ledsome Bible students to saythat the unsaved will be resurrected, judged,punished according to theirworks, and then annihilated.They point out that thedoctrine of humanimmortality comes fromGreek thought rather thanthe Hebrew or Greek

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Scriptures. Paul declaredthat God “alone hasimmortality, dwelling inunapproachable light, whomno man has seen or can see”(1 Tim. 6:16). These Biblescholars are well aware ofour Lord’s statement that the unredeemed go into“everlasting punishment”(Mt. 25:46). But they seeeternal extinction as eternalpunishment, pointing outthat Jesus didn’t say eternalconscious punishment.

These teachers, however, are not simpleannihilationists. They take seriously the Bibleverses that speak of theresurrection, judgment, andappropriate punishment ofthe lost. But they believethat the eventual destiny of the unsaved will beextinction. They view hell asa grim reality. They recognizethat the terms destroy anddestruction can mean morethan annihilation. Theydeclare that “the fire will

not be quenched” until Godhas vindicated His holinessin the punishment of all sin.However, they look forwardto a point in eternity afterwhich nothing sinful orpainful will exist in the entire universe.

Most orthodox Biblescholars have not acceptedthis teaching. They havedifficulty equating “eternalpunishment” with “eternalnonexistence.” They alsothink of mankind in God’simage as created for aneternal conscious destiny ineither heaven or hell.

The “Forever andEver” Passages. Wehave shown that the Bibledoes not promise or evenimply that the lost will haveanother chance for salvationafter death. We have alsoobserved that the Greekwords translated “perish” or“destroy” in relation to hellcan either denote eternalconscious ruin or eventualextinction of being. So it’s

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important for us to considerthe Greek terms that areusually translated“everlasting,” “eternal,” or “forever and ever” in theBible. In relation to hell, do they really denoteendlessness? And do they indicate that the lost will endure consciouspunishment throughout alleternity?

In view is the Greek word aion (usually rendered“forever” or “eternal”) andthe Greek expression tousaionas ton aionon (normallyrendered “forever andever”). In and bythemselves, they do notnecessarily denote eternity.When Jewish scholarstranslated the Old Testamentfrom Hebrew to Greek, theyused the term aion to denotethe “everlasting hills” ofGenesis 49:26 and to depictthe servant who voluntarilyhad his ear pierced toindicate that he wished to remain with his master

“forever” (Dt. 15:17). Paulcounseled Philemon toreceive Onesimus back ashis slave “forever” (Phile.15). In all of these cases,

the word aion relates to thisworld only, not to eternity.But the same term was alsoused to depict God as theeternal One, “from ever-lasting to everlasting” (Ps.41:13; 90:2; 106:48). It isobvious that the contextmust determine when this

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In relation to hell, do the

terms translated“everlasting,”“eternal,” or

“forever and ever”really indicate an endless conscious

punishmentthroughout all eternity?


term denotes a span of time and when it denotesabsolute endlessness.

Kittel’s TheologicalDictionary Of The NewTestament tells us that whenaion is used in any of itsforms in relation to thisworld, it denotes the “timeor duration of the world.”But when used of God orthe world entered at death, it denotes “timelesseternity.” The Greek mindbasically thought in terms of two ages—the present agethat will end and the futureage that is timeless. TheNew Testament writers“borrowed” this usage.Whenever they used theword aion in relation to God,spiritual realities, or life afterdeath, they had absolutetimelessness or never-endingeternity in mind (see Vol.1,pp.197-209).

The words aion andaionion are used severaltimes in relation to the fateof those who die in unbelief

or rebellion. Jesus declaredthat after His judgment ofthe nations the lost will “go away into everlastingpunishment, but therighteous into eternal life”(Mt. 25:46). Of the peoplewho will worship theAntichrist and his image,we read, “And the smoke of their torment ascendsforever and ever; and theyhave no rest day or night”(Rev. 14:11). In addition,the beast, the false prophet,and Satan will be cast intothe lake of fire, where “theywill be tormented day andnight forever and ever”(Rev. 20:10).

The Greek wordtranslated “tormented” in these last two verses isbasanizo which, accordingto the lexicons, denotesphysical or mental distress,torture, or harassment. Onlyconscious beings can sufferthis way. Therefore, we mustconclude that eternalconscious suffering is

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denoted in these passages.In summary, the future

of those who die asunbelievers or rebels is notpleasant to contemplate.When Jesus talked abouthell, He spoke of “weepingand gnashing of teeth” (Mt.8:12), of “the fire that shallnever be quenched” (Mk.9:43,45), and of a place“where their worm does not die” (Mk. 9:44,46,48).Even if many verses areinconclusive regarding theeternal conscious sufferingof the lost, Revelation 14:11and 20:10 indicate that atthe very least, some of thelost will suffer conscioustorment for all eternity.

We must be careful thatwe do not go beyond theScriptures and portray hellas a place where all the lostwill scream in pain foreverand ever. This picture givesa wrong impression of God.He is not only perfectlyholy and just, but He will be absolutely fair in

punishment. Jesus pointedout that on the day ofjudgment the inhabitants of ancient Sodom would betreated with more mercythan the people in Judeawho had deliberatelyrejected Him and Hisapostles (Mt. 10:15). Healso spoke of the servantwho would be punished

lightly because he had littleknowledge of God’s will (Lk.12:48).

C. S. Lewis, in his bookThe Great Divorce, picturesthe lost as having to livewith themselves and oneanother unchanged fromwhat they were on earth. He portrays them as movingslowly and inexorably

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We are wise toassume no more—and no less—than

the Bible saysabout hell.


farther and farther fromreality through eternity. Headmitted that his work wasnot a theological treatiseand didn’t want it to beinterpreted as such. But hewanted to make us realizethat even if there were noextreme physical pain, hellwould be a terrible place. Itis a fact that actions formhabits and habits developcharacter. Unless a personhas been born again throughfaith in Christ, he will gointo eternity with a naturethat has been fixed in thislife. He dies a sinner andwill be a sinner forever, buthe will be unable to carryout his evil thoughts orinclinations. He will be intorment, but his nature willbe so twisted by his evildesires that he will preferthe misery of hell to the kindof activities that occupy thesaints in heaven.

It is perhaps wise for us to avoid excessivespeculation about the

suffering of hell. We can’tunderstand the concept ofeternity. And we don’t knowjust what the bodies of theunredeemed in hell will belike. The biblical doctrine of hell is designed to warnsinners. It is designed tomotivate believers to do allthey can to reach peoplewith the gospel. It isdesigned to show us howterrible sin is in the sight ofan awesomely holy God.Therefore, although wecannot visualize either thetimelessness of eternity orthe exact nature of hell’ssuffering, we can be movedto godly fear and properaction. And we canultimately trust God to dowhat is right by friends andrelatives who for one reasonor another refuse the gospel.With Abraham of old wecan ask the rhetoricalquestion, “Shall not theJudge of all the earth doright?” (Gen. 18:25), andleave the matter to Him.

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WHAT’S THEFATE OF THOSEWHO NEVERHEAR?

MMany people havegone through thislife without even

once hearing about JesusChrist. Even among thosewho live in cultures whereChristian holidays likeChristmas and Easter are observed, there aremultitudes who never reallyhear the gospel. And somewho have had contact withprofessing Christians nevergive Jesus Christ seriousconsideration because ofwhat they see in the lives of people who claim to beHis followers.

What about such people who will die withoutever having heard a clearpresentation of the gospel?Can we assume that God willfind some way to open thedoors of heaven to them? Wewould like to believe that.

But the Scriptures make itclear that those who haven’theard the gospel are lost justas surely as those who refuseto believe on Christ. Jesusdeclared that He Himself isthe only way to God (Jn.14:6). Peter boldly told theJewish rulers who hadarrested him, “Nor is theresalvation in any other, forthere is no other name under

heaven given among men by which we must be saved”(Acts 4:12). Paul referred toall who don’t know Jesus as“those who are perishing” (2 Cor. 4:3) and described

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Can we assumethat God will find a way to open thedoors of heaven

to those who havenever heard the gospel of Jesus Christ?


the Gentile world before thetime of Christ as “having nohope and without God in theworld” (Eph. 2:12). Theheartbreaking fact is thatpeople who have never heardthe gospel are on their way toa Christless eternity.

God will hold those who never heard the gospelresponsible for what theydid with the light that theyhad in this world. Paul saidof the pagans that God hadrevealed Himself to them innature (Rom. 1:18-21) andin conscience (Rom. 2:12-16). They must give anaccount of what they didwith this light and will bepunished accordingly.

Sir Norman Anderson, a respected evangelical, haspointed out that some whonever hear the gospelbecome conscious of theirsinfulness, abandon allefforts to earn God’s favor,and cry out for forgiveness.He contends that they are tobe viewed in the same

situation as most of the OldTestament believers whowere saved by God’s gracethrough faith even thoughthey had only a vagueconcept of Christ. He writes,“The believing Jew wasaccepted and blessed notbecause of the prescribedanimal sacrifices he offered,nor even his repentance and abandonment to God’smercy, but because of what God Himself was going to do in His only Son at the cross of Calvary”(Christianity And WorldReligions: The Challenge Of Pluralism, 1984, p.153).

It’s not imperative thatwe accept Anderson’ssuggestion, because theBible doesn’t tell us aboutthe fate of these “noble”pagans. But we can becertain about one thing: Wecan trust God to do right byall those who die withouthaving heard the savinggospel of Jesus Christ. Andthat is all we need to know!

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THE FIRE OF HELL

TThe term fire is oftenused in connectionwith the punishment

of the lost. In Revelation20, the expression “lake offire” occurs three times todenote the final destiny ofGod’s enemies.

Fire is also associatedwith hell because of theGreek word gehenna, theterm most often employedto denote the place wherethe lost will go after deathand judgment. It occurs 11 times in the gospels andonce in the rest of the NewTestament (Jas. 3:6). Theword itself referred to “thevalley of Hinnom,” justsouth of Jerusalem. It wasthere that the Israelitesunder Ahaz and Manasseh(2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6) placedchildren on a fiery altardedicated to the godMolech. The specific placewhere this was done was

called Tophet (literally “fireplace”). There is a strongtradition that the valleybecame a city dump whererefuse and the bodies ofcriminals were burned. Theterrible reputation of thisvalley plus its associationwith fire and judgmentmade it an apt symbol for the place of finalpunishment for the wicked.

So should we portrayhell as a literal furnace offire where all the lost willscream in pain throughoutall eternity? The ChurchFathers, Luther, Calvin, all the classical theologians,and present-day evangelicalleaders like FrancisSchaeffer and J. I. Packersay an emphatic no. They point out that Godwill lightly punish thosewho did not know muchabout His expectations (Lk. 12:48). A hell in whichall burn in a literal fire doesnot allow for significantdegrees of punishment.

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Then too, it’s importantto remember that the Bibleoften uses fire as a symbol.In 1 Corinthians 3:12-15,our works (or doctrines) are portrayed as “wood,hay, straw” that will beconsumed by the fire ofjudgment or as “gold, silver, precious stones” that will endure the fire. In James 3:5-6 the tongue is a “fire,” causes “fire,” and is itself “set on fire by hell.” Hebrews 12:29declares that “our God is a consuming fire.” Jude 23speaks of people who havebeen doctrinally misled and are in need of beingsnatched “out of the fire.” In all of these references,the fire is symbolic.

The Bible presents aliteral hell as the place ofeternal punishment for allwho die in unbelief orrebellion. Unscriptural andrepulsive overstatementsabout hell have turnedsome people away from the

gospel. Such excesses have also caused some true believers to ignore thebiblical teaching about hellor to develop false doctrines

like universalism. But a sensitive and accuratetreatment of this truth can be used by God tostrengthen Christians and to awaken sinners to their need of Christ.

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Should we portrayhell as a literalfurnace of fire

where all the lostwill scream in

pain throughout all eternity?


TRUST GOD TO DO RIGHT

TThe woman wasconvinced that shewas a sinner who

needed God’s forgiveness.She also believed the goodnews that Jesus died on the cross for her sins and destroyed the power of death through Hisresurrection. But she balkedwhen I suggested that shereceive Jesus as her Savior.She said she wasn’t sureshe wanted to go to heaven if her parents were in hell. They had beenchurchgoing, loving, honestpeople. But she didn’t thinkthey had ever heard thegospel clearly presented.

Sensing her resistance, I said, “Neither you nor Iknow for sure where yourparents will spend eternity.It’s possible that theybelieved Jesus died for their sins and trusted Himto save them. But we can

be sure of one thing—God will do right by them.Trust Him and do what Hesays. Receive Jesus as yourSavior.” She did, and todayshe is a strong Christianwoman.

We don’t like the idea of eternal punishment. Wemay even find ourselvesrepulsed by the concept.But we need to be careful.God sees and understandsinfinitely more than we do.

He has proven His lovein so many ways, especiallyproviding salvation throughJesus Christ (Jn. 3:16; Rom.5:8). He wants you to placeyour trust in His Son. Listen to Him, accept Hissalvation, and trust Him todo what is right to you andto all mankind. Accept Hiswarning to escape “the fire that shall never bequenched—where ‘theirworm does not die, and the fire is not quenched’ ” (Mk. 9:44,46,48).

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DEFINING OUR TERMSAnnihilationism—the ideathat people will not suffereternal conscious torment inhell but will eventually beconsumed or obliterated injudgment, ceasing to exist.Beast—the violent andaggressive endtime person,also known as the Antichrist,who will deceive the nationsbefore being sentenced byGod to everlasting torment.Damned, condemned—the terrible state of thosesentenced to eternalseparation from God.Destruction—to be ruinedor consumed. The word isused repeatedly in the Bible todescribe God’s plan to bringHis enemies first to the graveand then ultimately to thefires and darkness of hell.Devil/Satan—the powerfulpersonal spirit being whothrough pride and hatred hasbecome the chief adversary ofGod and will lead countless

fallen angels and humans to rebellion and a destiny of eternal punishment.Evangelicals—a labeldescribing those who acceptthe good news that Jesus isthe Christ, the only Son ofGod, who lived a perfect life,died for our sins, was buried,and rose again on the thirdday to offer eternal life to allwho would believe in Him.Evil—the absence or oppositeof good, love, and godliness; a condition of spiritualindependence that resistsGod’s plan for us.False Prophet—theendtime person who will usesupernatural power to bringhonor to the Antichrist beforejoining him in a place ofeverlasting torment.Fear Of God—a healthydread of resisting or rebellingagainst God, with the result ofmoving toward God ratherthan away from Him. Properlyunderstood, it is reverentialawe that results in trust andlove for God.

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Gospel—the good news thatChrist died for our sins, thatHe was buried, and that Herose from the grave to save allwho will trust Him.Hell—the place of finaljudgment created for the devil,his angels, and all who diewithout making peace withGod. Described as the lake offire and a place of outerdarkness where the torment ischaracterized by weeping andgnashing of teeth.New Age—a current world-view that sees man as beingone with the spiritual life-forceof the universe, capable ofshaping his own destinythrough the development ofmind and potential.Soul—the immaterial part of man that includes theintellect, emotion, and will. It exists with or without the body.Pagan, Sinner, Wicked,Lost—terms describing thosewho, for lack of faith in Christ,are outside the circle of Hisforgiveness and life.

Salvation—the rescue Godoffers us. It may refer todeliverance from temporaryphysical harm, but in thehighest sense it speaks ofGod’s loving offer to save usfrom the past, present, andfuture effects of sin. It isavailable only in the name ofChrist, who gave His life tosave all who trust Him todeliver them from eternalseparation from God.Self-righteous—a term thatdescribes one who thinks he isgood enough to merit heavenby personal effort rather thanby believing that goodness is agift of God received throughfaith in Christ.Universalist—one whobelieves that everyone willeventually be saved andbrought into a rightrelationship with God.Wrath Of God—theperfect and patient anger ofGod that will consume allwho persistently and finallyrefuse to acknowledge Hisrightful place in their lives.

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