Why It Matters
Everyone must be prepared and know the truth about Hell because the REAL concern is, what happens AFTER death, and is there any way to determine the future? Dying on earth is not the END of your story; it’s actually the BEGINNING of the story of the rest of your life.
- Your life will last trillions and trillions of years, and where you are going to spend those trillions and trillions of years in eternity matters.
- There are no do-overs or second chances to change your destination.
It doesn’t matter what political party or religion you are: no one escapes dying a physical death on earth. Whether someone believes in a real hell or not, we are all still going to die.
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How to Know the Truth
Fortunately, the word of God tells us exactly what to expect – no if’s or maybe’s. What a person regards as the source of truth will directly impact their beliefs about hell. The sole authority for all wisdom and discernment should be the inerrant word of God, the Holy Bible. Opinions don’t matter. Only the word of God matters. The illumination of God’s word is given to all believers by means of the Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirit who is the divine agent doing the work on illumination.
- 2 Peter 1:21 (NASB) says “…for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
Jesus Describes Hell
In Matthew 13:42 (NASB) Jesus said, “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.”
- This verse emphasizes the consequences of disbelieving God’s truth as well as the justice of His judgment. The furnace of fire referred to is the same as hell. Sin and evil cannot co-exist with the righteous in Heaven.
- The righteous are those who accept Christ as their Lord and Savior, and that instant they are made righteous, not by anything they have done but by what Christ has done. Christ paid for every Christian’s sins – past, present, and future – and He did that by dying on the cross because as scripture says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Wages being referred to in this verse means payment, and payment has to be made for sin.
Jesus spoke more about Hell than He did heaven. That shows every person how important it is to know about Hell and why no one would want to go there because once there, there’s no escape.
The Purpose of Hell
So if God is such a good God, why would there be Hell? We must acknowledge the inseparable link between God’s justice and God’s love. Hell exists because God is just and holy, not because He is a harsh God. Hell exists to preserve God’s justice and righteousness. It’s a realm where the wicked are held accountable for their transgressions and where evil is ultimately stamped out.
Four Common Misconceptions About Hell
- #1: Hell is just a metaphor, or symbol, but not a REAL place, but that’s not what scripture says. Hell is a real and physical location of punishment, even though some biblical representations of Hell may also use symbolic language.
- #2: Everyone is rescued. This belief is known as universalism, which holds that Hell is empty and that everyone will eventually be rescued. Universalism is a myth because such belief defies the Bible’s unambiguous teaching, which states that the evil ones, versus the virtuous or righteous ones, are distinguished from one another.
- Jesus says in Matthew 25:46 (NASB), “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
- That verse emphasizes how Hell is real and how its effects are forever.
- Jesus says in Matthew 25:46 (NASB), “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
- #3: Hell is a passing place. Some people think that Hell is merely a passing place and that the wicked people’s souls will ultimately perish…but the Bible says that Hell is eternal.
- Revelation 14:11 (NASB) – “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
- It’s evident from this verse that there is never-ending punishment in Hell.
- Revelation 14:11 (NASB) – “And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
- #4: Only really bad people go to Hell. There are those who believe that only the most evil people—murderers and the like – go to Hell, yet the Bible says that everyone who rejects Christ is doomed.
- John 3:18 where Jesus says, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
- This shows us that a person’s eternal future is determined either by acceptance of, or rejection of, Jesus Christ.
- John 3:18 where Jesus says, “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Hell Is Real.
Hell represents the ultimate consequence of a life lived in rejection of God’s grace and mercy and rejection of the free gift of his Son, Jesus Christ for salvation. If you or someone you know has not already accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and you feel a prompting in your heart, invite Him into your heart now before it’s too late. Only God can save you. No preacher. No recital of magic phrases, no baptism can save you. Not even you can save you.
- Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB) says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”