Apr 2, 2009

What Does the Bible Say about Hell?

7 Min Read

This topic very important. But it is also very uncomfortable. My subject is what the Bible teaches us about hell. You may respond with fear. You should respond with fear if you are not a Christian. But my prayer is that God will replace your fear with faith in our Lord Jesus. He is God’s Son who saves sinners from hell. If you are a Christian, my prayer is that you will praise God for Jesus who has saved you from hell. And so let me ask two questions to begin. Do you know what the Bible teaches about hell? Do you believe what the Bible teaches about hell?

It is very important that we take seriously what the Bible says about hell. The Bible, you see, is the revelation of God’s will to man. The Bible is the word of the only living and true God. The Bible is the only rule of faith and practice. What the Bible says, God says. You and I must, therefore, take the Bible seriously. God speaks to us in the Bible about hell. We must take seriously what the Bible teaches about hell. We must believe what the Bible says about hell.

And what does the Bible mean when it speaks of hell? What does God mean by hell? He means the punishments for sin in the life to come. He does not mean the punishments for sin in this life. Hell does not refer to the miseries of suffering and death that we experience now, in this life, because we are sinners. No, hell refers to the punishments for sin in the life to come. If you know yourself to be a sinner as I do, you must take seriously what God says about hell.
We shall consider five points that the Bible teaches about hell.

Hell Is a Place Far More Frightful Than We Could Ever Imagine

Consider, first, that hell is a place far more frightful than we could ever imagine. The Bible uses many very graphic pictures to describe hell. Each image is terrifying. But the combination is even more horrifying than you can imagine.

  • Hell, God tells us, is a place of “black darkness” (2 Peter 2.17).
  • It is a place of “outer darkness” where “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is all that will be heard (Matt. 25.30).
  • It is “a lake that burns with fire and sulfur” (Rev. 21.8).
  • Hell is a prison of everlasting chains from which there is no hope of release (Jude 6).
  • It is a furnace of conscious torment where the fire never goes out (Matt. 13.49-50).
  • It is a place of excruciating misery where the worm does not die (Mark 9.47-48).
  • Hell is a place of agonizing thirst that can never be quenched (Luke 16.22-24).

The suffering in hell is beyond all comparison to the suffering found in this world. And the variety of images for hell in the Bible tells us that the reality of hell is much more frightful than any one of the Bible’s images considered by itself. Hell, you see, is far worse than we can ever imagine.

Does the reality of hell horrify you? Does it terrify you? If you know yourself to be a sinner, it should terrify you; it should horrify you. The reality of hell should cause us to seek a place to hide. The reality of hell should cause us to look for a way of escape.

Hell Is a Place Where God Is Present

Consider, second, that hell is a place where God is present. Yes, as odd as it sounds at first, God is present in hell. We are not to think that hell is a place from which God is absent. No, hell is not a place where sinners are forever separated from God. Rather, hell is a place where sinners are forever separated from God’s comforting presence.

You see, the Bible teaches us that God is present in hell in His holy wrath and just punishment. The punishments of sin in the world to come will include everlasting separation from God’s comforting presence. God’s wrath against sin in the life to come will include the most grievous of torments. These punishments will afflict soul and body. These torments will occur without interruption. These punishments will take place in fire forever.

Who, then, in the Bible teaches us the most about hell? The answer is Jesus.

If you are a sinner, do not think that hell is a place from which God is absent. No, hell is a place where God is present in His holy wrath and just punishment. Hell is a place much more frightful than you or I could ever imagine. Does the truth about hell horrify you as it does me? Does it terrify you as it does me? If you know yourself to be a sinner, it should terrify you; it should horrify you. This truth should cause us to seek a place to hide. This truth should cause us to look for a way of escape, an escape that only God can provide.

Hell Is a Place of God’s Perfect Justice

Third, consider that hell is a place of God’s perfect justice. We are not to think that hell is a place of “cruel and unusual” punishment. The God of the Bible always does what is right. He always pays His creatures the wages that are due to them. He always rewards the obedient and punishes the disobedient. So, if you are a disobedient sinner, do not think that the punishments for sin in hell are cruel and unusual. No, those punishments are thoroughly just.

Hell is a place of God’s perfect justice, just as it is a place where God is present in holy wrath. Hell is a place far more frightful than you can ever imagine. Does the truth about hell horrify you? Does it terrify you? If you know yourself to be a sinner, it should terrify you; it should horrify you. This truth should cause you to seek a place to hide. This truth should cause you to look for a way of escape.

Hell Is a Place of Eternal Punishment

Consider, fourth, that hell is a place of eternal punishment. That is, we are not to think of hell as a place of temporary punishment. The torments of hell are everlasting. The suffering in hell does not come to an end. Some teachers these days are saying that the miseries of hell do come to an end. They preach that unbelievers are annihilated; they teach that unbelievers cease to exist. But Jesus teaches us otherwise.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us about the Day of Judgment, the day when He will appear as Judge of all the world. That day, Jesus teaches us, will bring about two contrasting futures, one future for the sheep, the other for the goats.

Please note this fact: according to Jesus, both of these futures are eternal. The sheep will enter into life that is eternal. The goats will go away into punishment that is eternal. Clearly, the agonies of hell last as long as the glories of heaven.

Hell, you see, is a place where the fire never goes out. It is a place where the worm does not die. Hell is a place of eternal punishment, just as it is a place of God’s perfect justice. It is a place where God is present in holy wrath. It is a place far more frightful than you or I can ever imagine.

And so we should ask the Spirit of God to press these questions upon our souls, upon our consciences: Does the truth about hell horrify you? Does it terrify you? If you know yourself to be a sinner, it should haunt you, hound you. This truth should cause you to seek a place to hide. This truth should cause you to look for a way of escape.

Consider the Person in the Bible Who Teaches Us the Most about Hell

Fifth, consider the person in the Bible who teaches us the most about hell. Do you know who in the Bible teaches us the most about hell? Perhaps you would say,”It is Moses. Ah, yes, that OT prophet Moses.” No, it is not Moses. Perhaps you would say,”It is Paul. Or maybe Peter? Or how about John?” No, it is none of these.

Who, then, in the Bible teaches us the most about hell? The answer is Jesus. The Bible tells us that it is Jesus, the Judge of all the world, who has the most to say about hell. It is He who will usher the sheep into eternal life. It is He who will send the goats to eternal punishment. Have you listened to His teaching about hell? Will you be a sheep or a goat? Jesus will be your Judge on the Last Day. You do well, therefore, to listen to all that Jesus teaches about hell. It is Jesus who teaches us that hell is a place of eternal punishment, even as it is a place of God’s perfect justice, a place where God is present in holy wrath, a place far more frightful than we can ever imagine.

You know, don’t you, that all of us sinners go to hell unless we find a place to hide? You know, don’t you, that all of us sinners go to hell unless we find a way of escape? Have you found that place to hide? Have you found that way to escape? If not, won’t you let us make known to you the good news that God has made known to us in the Bible?

You see, God Himself has provided the place for you to hide. God Himself has provided the way of escape for you. The place to hide from hell is in Jesus. The way of escape from hell is through Jesus. How can this be? Read on with care. On the cross, our Lord Jesus Christ died as God’s substitute for sinners. There God poured out His holy wrath on Jesus. There Jesus endured the anguish and agony of hell. There God afflicted the body and soul of Jesus with His just punishments. There Jesus endured the terror and torment of hell. On the cross our Lord Jesus Christ delivered from hell any and all sinners who will trust in Him alone.

As ambassadors of Jesus Christ, we beseech you, trust in Him alone and in Him you will find the place to hide from hell. Rest on Christ alone and through Him you will find the way of escape from hell. Let all sinners who trust in Christ praise Him. It is Christ who saves you from hell! Let all sinners who rest in Jesus praise Him. It is Jesus who gives you the assurance of eternal life!