Is Hell for Real?
In a recent article I maintained that there is sufficient evidence in scripture for believing that our souls live forever. If you haven’t read the article you might want to go back and read it because it set the table for what I am going to say about the subject of hell. Obviously, if our souls live on after death instead of being annihilated, they must exist somewhere in eternity. That “somewhere” is the subject of this message.
Let me make two points about the subject of hell. First, it is useless to try to describe the afterlife because God has not revealed it to us. All descriptions of heaven, for example, are presented using metaphors such as those we see in the book of Revelation (see chs. 4, 5, 19, 21, 22). Second, there are varying degrees of punishment based on the level of sin. Hell is not a place where all sinners suffer equally but are punished “according to what they had done” (Rev. 20:12).
King Solomon used the term “under the sun” to refer to our existence in this natural realm on earth. The eternal realm consisting of Heaven and hell can never be fully comprehended in this life “under the sun”(Eccl. 1:3; 3:11). He expresses what we all know about eternity: “Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end” (3:11). Eternity, that realm of existence beyond this world “under the sun,” is evident in all of our hearts because God put it there to awaken our seeking hearts to the eternal realm. And yet we are unable to discover, despite our seeking, a precise understanding of eternity. For us to try to fully grasp what heaven or hell are like is futile because God has not granted the ability to fully know it. It is too big and wonderful for our earthly minds to grasp.
Of course, the word gives us poetic pictures of heaven speaking of mansions, majestic worship, drying of our tears, armies riding on horses, precious stones, streets of gold and much more (John 14:2, 3; Rev. 7, 19, 21). These pictures whet our appetite for eternity but cannot fully express what “God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9). Almost all people who have had near death experiences say they cannot put into words what they saw and experienced.
Likewise, our attempts to explain hell are misdirected and limited. A key passage is found in Matthew 25:41: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” This place called hell with its eternal fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. Satan and other angels are supernatural beings who cannot be harmed or hurt by natural phenomena. They can experience some level of torment as we see when the demons in Legion said to Jesus “Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (Matt. 8:29). What that torment is like to a supernatural being is beyond us.
Keep in mind that this verse says that the wicked who are judged will face the same place of “eternal fire.” HUmans who are dead, like the angels, can no longer experience the same kind of pain that they could experience when alive in their natural bodies. The pain or suffering must be an experience of the eternal realm. The expressions of Jesus or writers of the New Testament use language that can be understood by our “under the sun” minds. The fire, darkness, worms that don’t die, gnashing of teeth etc. all speak of spiritual realities that we cannot comprehend because God has not given us the ability to do so. These are all metaphors speaking of incomprehensible spiritual punishment.
This is not to say that this place of final judgment is not real and that it does not go on forever, for as we saw in my last article human souls are forever. We might have a clue about this from the experience of Jesus on the cross when He experienced the absence of His Father and cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). A three-hour time of darkness had appeared during which time no doubt God pulled away from His Son who was at that time bearing the sins of humanity. Jesus was experiencing the pain of the world’s sin without communion with His Father and it was excruciatingly painful, perhaps even more painful than crucifixion. In His entire ministry He had stayed in intimate fellowship with the Father but that fellowship was broken as God pulled away from His Son bearing the sins of humanity on Himself. Those who suffer the ultimate penalty for sin will experience the same suffering — the absence of God and the subsequent spiritual suffering.
Is that what the eternal punishment is all about? We cannot say for sure because God has not given us that understanding of eternity. We can, however, say that it is characterized by the absence of God and all the pain sin can inflict on spiritual beings. It corresponds to our knowledge of darkness, fire and all things evil. Life without God is the ultimate punishment.
Paul cannot describe what awaits the righteous in this eternal realm: “But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.’” (1 Cor. 2:9). Hell, Gehenna, Sheol, Hades all speak of the same eternal destiny of humans when they die. After the victory of Christ on the cross the righteous were rescued from this place of detention and now rest in the presence of the Lord (Eph. 4:8–10; Col. 2:15).
The unrighteous await the final judgment that is promised to all people (Rev. 20:12, 13). We do people a terrible disservice when we try to describe what this judgment will be like. Our limited vocabulary and understanding paint a picture using “under the sun” expressions limited by our ignorance of the spiritual realm.
Scripture makes it clear that there will be degrees of this punishment for rejecting Christ. Many passages show that the punishment will fit the level of sin (Matt. 11:20–24; Luke 10:12; Heb. 2:2; John 19:11). Notice these verses use the expression “according to what they have done.” Hitler will not be judged the same way as an unrepentant thief, murderer or rapist. God’s justice will prevail and no one will be punished beyond what God’s righteousness demands. This is not our call and it is God who will sort out judgment in His great wisdom.
Our problem often is that we try to understand God and His ways with a mind that cannot fathom eternity. I hear people say things like, “How could a merciful, loving God allow eternal separation from Him and the resulting torment?” People are losing their faith because they apply natural understanding to supernatural experiences instead of taking God at His word.
God has done more to keep us from eternal separation from Him than we can ever realize. He created all things and put His imprint on the miracles of creation. He put eternity in our hearts so we would always be searching for it. He inspired a book to be written clearly unveiling His eternal purpose. He allowed His Son to be crucified so we could spend eternity with Him. He sent His Holy Spirit to guide us in our search for truth and reveal the Father to us.
He has done all He can do to assure that we live eternally with Him and then He asks one simple thing — that we get to know His Son Whom He sent to bring us everlasting life with Him (John 17:3; 10:10). The rest is up to us.
