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Where Does The Bible Talk About Hell

What Happens To The Wicked In Hell

Does the Bible teach that Hell is Eternal?

This may surprise you, but the Bible says in several places that the wicked will be burned up and completely destroyed in hellfire. You heard right, the wicked will not burn forever. Malachi 4:1-5 says that on the day of the Lord, All the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up, Says the Lord of hosts, That will leave them neither root nor branchYou shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet. Psalms 37:10, 20 also states that the wicked will be no more, they will be carefully looked for but not found. Verse 20 adds that the enemies of the Lord will die and vanish away into smoke. All that is left of the wicked is smoke and ashes, there will not be any part of them left to be tortured forever. All wickedness will be removed from the earth. The root as well as the branches will become ashes with no more life left in them.

Does The Bible Talk About Hell The Complete Answer

Our culture seems to have an obsession with Hell and what it is like. It works its way into books and movies. Even non-Christians wonder what hell is like.

Does the Bible talk about hell? The Bible does talk about Hell. However, our current cultural understanding of Hell comes from bits and pieces of leftover Medieval theology, epic poems, and people like Dante Alighieri and is not true to the Biblical understanding of this place. We do know that it exists, it is not a good place, and it was designed as a place of punishment for Satan and his followers.

With this deep obsession with Hell and the demonic in our culture, it is important that we have a strong understanding of what the Bible actually has to say about it, and that is what we will explore in this post.

Key Passages About Hell

Hell was designed originally for Satan and his demons .

Hell will also punish the sin of those who reject Christ .

Hell is conscious torment.

  • Matthew 13:50 furnace of fireweeping and gnashing of teeth
  • Revelation 14:10 he will be tormented with fire and brimstone

Hell is eternal and irreversible.

  • Revelation 14:11 the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever and they have no rest day and night
  • Revelation 20:14 This is the second death, the lake of fire
  • Revelation 20:15 If anyones name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire

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The Unquenchable Fire Of Hell

In Matthew 18:8-9 Jesus teaches on temptations to sin and that it better for a person to go without the limbs that allow them to give into sin, then for their whole body to be cast into hell. And in Matthew 25:41-46 the unrighteous will depart from God into eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels for eternal punishment. In conclusion, in The Gospel of Matthew, hell is described as the place of fire, which is unquenchable, containing suffering, weeping and gnashing of teeth. Those who will inhabit hell are the devil and his angels. Also, all those who do not bear fruit because of their unbelief, those guilty of murder and lust in their hearts and those who do not believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. They are the ones guilty of the sins of omission and commission.

In the Gospel of Mark, hell is mentioned Mark 9:45-49. Jesus is teaching again on how it is better to lose a limb then for ones whole body to be cast into hell, as seen in Matthew 5:29-30 and 18:8-9. But where it differs is in verse 48, where Jesus says that hell is the place where the worm never dies and the fire is not quenched. Hendriksen explains that, The torment, accordingly, will be both external, the fire and internal, the worm. Moreover, it will never end. He also writes,

He also writes,

So, in the book of Jude, hell is described as the place where unbelievers and rebellious angels will experience a more extreme fire, and devastation, than Sodom and Gomorrah experienced.

Bibliography

What Is Hell In The Bible

Did Jesus go to Hell between His death and resurrection ...

There is possibly no biblical concept that is more abhorred by unbelievers and believers alike than the idea of hell. No teaching of Scripture terrifies our mind more than the possibility of one day ending up in a place called hell. Now, the question becomes what is hell and why do people loathe the idea of it?

Hell is the place where those who reject Christ will undergo the fierce wrath and justice of God for all of eternity.

This next statement is something that weve all heard before. Hell is total, conscious, eternal separation from the Lord. Weve all heard this before but what does it mean? It means this, those who end up in hell will be cut off from God forever. Luke 23:43 teaches us that believers will end up in the presence of God, but 2 Thessalonians 1:9 reminds us that unbelievers will end up away from the presence of God.

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Whos Going To Hell According To The Bible

The cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and sexually immoral persons, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death .

Maybe youre looking at that list and thinking, Oh no! Ive lied! or Ive had sex outside of marriage. The good news is that Jesus paid for all our sins through His death on the cross. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness .

The primary item on that list above that will send you to hell is unbelief. If you fail to receive Gods wonderful gift of salvation through believing in Jesus, you will burn in eternal torment in the lake of fire.

What Is The Purpose Of Hell

Hell was not a place intended for humans. In fact, death wasnt even part of the original design but a result of the fall when sin entered the world.

Hell was created as a place to punish Satan and his followers after he was cast out of Heaven. When the final judgment comes, God will banish Satan, his demons, the beast, the false prophet, sin, and death to dwell there forever. This is their reward for their rebellion against God.

When people reject God and refuse to give their loyalty to him, they are automatically choosing loyalty to Satan, and at the final judgement they will also be banished to Hell as one of his followers.

and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Revelation 20:10 ESV

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Those Who Trust In Jesus As Their Savior Have New Life In Christ And Dont Have To Endure Eternal Punishment For Their Sins

19. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

20. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

21. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

22. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgmentthen the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. .

How Can I Avoid Hell

What Does the Bible Say About Hell?

If you were an all-powerful God who ruled the universe how would you deal with sin? How would you remove pain and heartache fairly for eternity? God wants to destroy sin, but at the same time lovingly save the sinner. If we continue to hold on to sin we will be destroyed along with sin. If we let go and confess, sin alone will be destroyed. If sin is not completely eradicated it will infect every part of earth. There can be no peace with sin in existence. Lets look again at Ezekiel 33:11, which says, “Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel? God is calling you, not out of fear of hell, but out of love. He is pleading with you to get rid of every sin in your life so some day you can enjoy an everlasting heavenly home where no pain or suffering exists. Why not listen to a fair, compassionate God who loves you and doesnt want anyone to suffer, but come unto Him.

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Does The Bible Speak More About Hell Than Heaven

Ive heard and read the same statement a number of times, but have never troubled myself to look up each passage.

Im not surprised that looking up heaven and hell in a concordance would give you contradictory results. This is probably due to the fact that what we refer to as heaven and hell is often spoken of in different terms in the Bible . In John 14:2 Jesus speaks of His Fathers house, which we would call heaven. The same is true for hell. There are terms like the kingdom of heaven in Matthew which occur frequently, and change the statistics considerably.

Another factor is that the statement, Jesus talked more about hell than about heaven, probably refers to the total number of verses devoted to the subject, and not just the number of references to the words hell or heaven.

It may be worth noting that in Deuteronomy 28 , the blessing section is a great deal shorter than the cursing section .

You may wish to read the lessons I have done on heaven and hell on the BSF Website:

The New Bible Dictionary has these words about heaven :

What The New Testament Really Says About Hell

There is no place quite like it.

Hell is mentioned in the New Testament numerous times, including in Matthew 8:12, which says, The children of the kingdom will be driven out into the darkness where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Hell is also mentioned related to internal destruction in 2 Thessalonians 1:9, which says, These will pay the penalty of eternal ruin, separated from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power. Hell is also described in great detail in Revelation 14:11, which says, The smoke of the fire that torments them will rise forever and ever, and there will be no relief day or night for those who worship the beast or its image or accept the mark of its name. From these descriptions of hell in the Bible, we know that it is a place of final judgment and anguish. Here are five questions about hell answered.

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Description Of Hell In The Bible

Almost every description of hell in the Bible is hell is like and not hell is The Bible refrains from telling us exactly what hell is. Anyone that gives absolutes about hell has to input a hefty dose of their own opinions. Rather, the Bible paints a picture and tells a parable. But it never breaks down in detail what hell is.

That doesnt mean we know nothing about hell. Theres still plenty of truth about hell in the Bible. Heres 7 truths we can know about hell.

1. Hell Is Separation From God

The most basic principle the Bible teaches about hell is that it is separation from God. Hell is a place where people who refuse to follow God are separated from those who choose to follow him.

This truth about hell in the Bible is found in almost every instance Jesus talked about hell. His parables and illustrations of what hell is like often contain this imagery of separating the good from the bad. The Bible is clear that hell means separation from God.

What does the Bible say about hell? Hell is separate, removed.

2. Hell Is Outside, Not Underneath

I think this is an important distinction. Death in the Bible is often portrayed as below, but hell is portrayed as outside. Again the Bible never gives anything concrete, but this is what the majority of passages point to.

This imagery is brought on strongest by the New Testament, and Jesus word of choice for hell: Gehenna. A literal place where people went to practice idolatry. To worship things other than God.

4. Hell Is Our Choice

Who Is The Ruler Of Hell

15 Important Bible Verses About Levels Of Hell

Not the devil! Far from it! In fact, the devil is subject to Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell . God will throw Satan into the lake of fire , along with anyone whose name is not found written in the book of life .

Hell is the wrath of the Almighty God. Jesus rules over hell. Jesus said, I have the keys of death and of Hades . Jesus holds the power and authority. Every created being even those under the earth will give Him glory and honor and proclaim His dominion . At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth .

16. Revelation 1:18 I am the Living One I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

17. Revelation 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

18. Revelation 14:9-10 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of Gods fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.

No sleep in Hell

20. Isaiah 48:22 There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.

Saying hell is not real is calling God a liar.

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The Lock Is On The Inside

Most people think that hell is the place that God tortures those for not following him. A better picture is that hell is a place of self-torment. They arent there to be tortured for their sins. They are there because they refused healing for their ailment and now they live in self-torment.

The best parable to illustrate this is The Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. If you havent read this story you should. Its fascinating. In this story Jesus paints a picture of two men that lived drastically different lives. First a rich man, that remains unnamed, is living a life of luxury. He has everything the world has to offer. And then theres Lazarus. A lame beggar with sores covering his body. He had nothing, but interestingly enough he gets a name in Jesus story.

One day they both die. Lazarus goes to Abrahams side, aka Heaven. And the rich man goes to Hades, aka hell. This is where it gets interesting

While in torment, an important distinction here, not torture, the rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus to him so that Lazarus could dip his finger in the water and cool his tongue. In other words the rich man wants Lazarus to serve him. He hasnt changed one bit. He still thinks hes better than Lazarus.

Hell is a place that is locked up. But the lock is on the inside. Gods not keeping people in hell they choose to stay there. They would rather reign in hell than be a servant in Gods kingdom.

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Objections To The Biblical View Of Hell

A loving God would not send people to a horrible hell.

Response: God is just .

  • God has provided the way of salvation to all .
  • Even those who havent heard of Christ are accountable for Gods revelation in nature . God will seek those who seek Him .
  • Therefore God doesnt send people to hell, they choose it .

Hell is too severe a punishment for mans sin.

Response: God is holy-perfect .

  • Sin is willful opposition to God our creator .
  • Our sin does merit hell .
  • What is unfair and amazing is that Christ died for our sin and freely offers salvation to all .

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If You Havent Already Done So Humble Yourself Before The Mighty Hand Of God And Receive Jesus Christ As Your Savior Today

It is far better for Jesus to pay for your sins on your behalf so you dont have to spend eternity doing so. Let the perfect righteousness of Jesus, the God-man, be your righteousness, because it is something you can never attain on your own. Dont wait to believe in Christ, because he is your one and only hope. Furthermore, you dont know how long youll be here on earth to receive him as your Savior:

For he says, In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the favorable time behold, now is the day of salvation.

There is no better offer that has ever been madeor ever will be madethan the one God has made to the world in Christ. God became man and died on a cross not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him . Trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior today.

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

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