What Does The Bible Say About Hell?

You can find many people today who believe in the existence of heaven, but don’t believe in the reality of hell. The Bible is clear when it says that hell is just as real as heaven. Hell is a real place where the wicked, unrepentant, and unbelievers are sent after death. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Every single one of us were sinners, and deserve to be sent to hell. The punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23). Sin entered through one man, Adam, and death through sin (Romans 5:12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.).  God is holy and there is no sin in Him. Therefore, it is His right to punish whatever goes against His nature or attributes. Our infinite and eternal God punishes sin because it is just. The punishment for sin is not only death, but also infinite and eternal damnation to hell.

The Bible describes the punishment of the sinner or the wicked in hell. It says that hell has an “unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12) or “eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons). There is also shame and contempt that last forever in hell, as described in Daniel 12:2. Hell is a place where heat and fire are not quenched (Mark 9:44-49). It is a place of torment and fire (Luke 16:23-24) and everlasting destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:9). The wicked suffer from the smoke of torment that rises forever and ever (Revelation 14:10-11).

Pictures of Hell

According to the Word of God, there are three pictures of hell. These three key depictions of hell can be found in the New Testament. First of all, hell is a place of punishment (Luke 16:24). This is the chief image of hell. Since God is just and upright, it is crucial that He exercise His judgment, and Hell is the place where God pours out His Holy Justice. The second picture of hell is that it is a place of destruction. The Bible talks about hell as a second death. The first death is the death of the physical body, which every living believer and non-believer will experience. The second death is where the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and the liars are sent (Revelation 21:8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”). Hell is a place of destruction with an eternal fiery lake that burns sulfur. The third picture of hell is banishment. God fills heaven and earth (Jeremiah 23:24), but in hell, He is away. Remember that God is still the King and Ruler of hell, but His love, grace, and mercy cannot be found there. The saddest part of Hell is that God will not be able to answer any of your requests. No matter how much you pray and beg Him, you stay in hell forever.

We can all agree that hell sounds like an ugly and very unpleasant place. When the Bible says that hell is full of sorrow, suffering, and torment, then we must believe it. The most difficult part of hell is that these brutal agonies, sufferings, and sorrows last forever. The punishment in hell is just as eternal as life in heaven (Matthew 25:46). Sinners in hell are everlastingly subject to the fury and the wrath of our Holy God. Hell is the worst place to receive the perfect justice of the Almighty (Psalm 76:10 Human defiance only enhances your glory,    for you use it as a weapon.). God cannot be blamed for the suffering in hell, for it is sin that sent the residents there. Every single creature in hell will know that the punishment that they are receiving in hell is just, and that there is no one to blame but themselves (Deuteronomy 32:3-5).

The Horrors in Hell

Perhaps the most graphic portrayal of hell in the Bible is found in Revelation 14:9-11 (NIV), where it says, “Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.” Imagine eternal sorrow and torment that has no rest. Hell is the worst place that human beings could ever imagine.

The Good News

We all deserve hell, since all of us were sinners, but there is good news! Christ has given His life for us. He endured for our own sake so that His righteousness becomes our righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” Jesus Christ made us righteous, so we are no longer called sinners. Therefore, all true believing Christians are destined to heaven instead of hell. Rejoice in your faith in Christ, for in Him, there is no condemnation! Here we can make things clear: God does not put people in Hell. They voluntarily choose that path.