Closing Thoughts About Hell In The Bible
I think Tim Kellersums hell in the Bible concisely Hell, then, is the trajectory of a soul, living a self-absorbed, self-centered life, going on and on forever In short, hell is simply ones freely chosen identity apart from God on a trajectory into infinity.
The Bible gives us a picture of hell thats much different than what is commonly held in churches across the country. We should let the Word direct our view of hell and not what culture tells us.
Lets hear from you! What do you think about this teaching of hell in the Bible?
How Hot Is Hell Bible Verse
Here are a couple of verses from Scripture related to how hot hell is:
Revelation 21:8
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
Revelation 14:10
He also will drink the wine of Gods wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
Isaiah 30:33
For a burning place has long been prepared indeed, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.
Revelation 20:14-15
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyones name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The Bible lets us know that hell burns with fire and sulfur.
The same two elements that God used for destroying the sinful cities Sodom and Gomorrah.
This means one thing hell is one truly HOT place.
Jesus Adds More Insight About The Day Of Judgment
Jesus made other statements that give us more insight into this coming judgment on non-Christians.
While speaking to Pharisees who were demanding a sign from Him, Jesus said: The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and indeed a greater than Solomon is here .
Christ was again speaking about the day of judgment, but not in the way its popularly thought of. This judgment isnt a quick condemnation. There will be ancient Assyrians from Nineveh, the queen of Sheba, Pharisees from Christs time, and those from Sodom and Gomorrah all alive at the same time!
Notice they rise up at this timemeaning they are resurrected from their graves and given physical life.
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What Are Paradise And The Third Heaven
Paradise
ParadiseParable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
Jesus also told the thief on the cross, Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise. ” rel=”nofollow”> Luke 23:43). That suggests that Paradise is the same as the intermediate state where souls are taken immediately after death. Paradise is also mentioned in .
Third Heaven
“third heaven,”
Bible Verses About Hell
Here are 100 verses from Scripture about the horrible place that hell is:
Revelation 21:8
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
Matthew 25:46
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Matthew 10:28
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.
Revelation 20:10
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.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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.
Revelation 20:15
And if anyones name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Matthew 5:22
But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council and whoever says, You fool! will be liable to the hell of fire.
Revelation 14:11
2 Thessalonians 1:9
Matthew 13:50
2 Peter 2:4
Jude 1:7
Revelation 20:14
John 3:16-18
Revelation 19:20
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How Will God Judge Suicides
One question that we receive quite frequently is whether or not a Christian who commits suicide will go straight to hell once they actually do it. If you google this question, you will see a wide variety of opinions on this issue.
Since we do receive this question so frequently, I thought I would do an article on this topic so we could lead people right to it when they do ask for our opinion on it.
If someone decides to take their own life for whatever their personal reasons may be at the time, there are three basic opinions as to what will happen to them once they die and cross over to the other side.
As you can see, you have two extreme positions, and then one position that is in the middle of the road.
Since the Bible is silent on this issue, then only one of the above three opinions is going to be the correct one. The Bible tells us that we will only know in part while we are down here upon this earth.
And I am afraid this is one of those questions that we will have to wait until we get to heaven to see who had the correct answer.
Once we get to heaven, Jesus Himself will be answering these types of tough questions for all of us, along with us finding out what happened to all of the people who did commit suicide in this life.
Are You Condemned Because Of What Your Parents Did
Our parents were responsible for bringing us into this world. They are supposed to love us, care for us, teach us right from wrong, and guide us toward a healthy and responsible adulthood. And some of us were fortunate enough to have parents who did a fine job.
Unfortunately, some of us were born of parents who fell far short of the mark. Maybe they just werent ready to have children. Maybe they were too focused on money or power or pleasure to really care about their children. Maybe they were just plain evil and destructive types who used and abused their children at will. Bad parents can cause great damage to their children.
If you were one of those unfortunate children, does this mean your life is ruined from the start, and you might as well just throw in the towel?
In ancient times, it was common for whole families to be condemned and executed for the offenses of the head of the household. For example, when three men named Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rebelled against Gods commandments to the ancient Hebrews about the priesthood, not only they, but their wives and children died as a result of their disobedience. You can read the story in Numbers 16.
However, in course of time, God pronounced an end to the practice of children being judged guilty for the crimes of their parents. This pronouncement comes in Ezekiel 18one of the most beautiful chapters in the Hebrew Bible. Heres how the chapter begins:
Sounds reasonable, doesnt it?
Its not true.
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What Does Weeping And Gnashing Of Teeth Mean
Jesus foretold the fate of evildoers: In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves being thrown out .
In Matthew 13:41-42, Jesus said: The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The weeping and wailing in hell are from bitter grief and utter hopelessness. People in hell will be shrieking in uncontainable psychological pain. Likewise, gnashing or grinding the teeth like a wild beast snarling and snapping its teeth portrays extreme anguish and absolute despair.
Gnashing ones teeth also is a sign of anger those suffering in hell will be angry for bringing condemnation on themselves especially those who heard the good news of salvation but rejected it. Many in hell will think to themselves, why didnt I listen?
10. Matthew 8:12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
11. Matthew 13:42-43 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Fathers Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
The Word Hell Isnt Even Found In The Bible
Well it might be found in your Bible. Let me elaborate.
Most Biblical translations dont contain the word Hell even a single time.
The King James Bible, which is widely considered to be one of the most inaccurate translations, while also being a fixture in traditionalist Christian circles, contains the most mentions of hell at 54 occurrences. More accurate translations like the NASB and even the highly popular NIV show the word hell occurring between 1314 times, ALL of which are found in the New Testament.
Were going to look at each of these occurrences, but before we do, Id like to put these numbers into perspective. Lets look at how often more commonly used words are mentioned in the Bible:
- Heaven 644 mentions
- Kingdom 384 mentions
- Sin 441 mentions
So just to review, we have Judgement mentioned 344 times, Sin mentioned 441 times, and Death mentioned 456 times, and yet we only see Hell mentioned 14 times in accurate translations.
Doesnt that seem weird?
If hell is such a central part of sin, judgment, and death, wouldnt it get talked about at least half as often as these associated words? At this rate, Google wouldnt even know to associate hell with these other words.
Furthermore, IF the common Evangelic view of Hell as a place of eternal, conscious torment is accurate, wouldnt that warrant significantly more discussion than something like poverty, which is talked about over 2,000 times?
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Hell Is An Overreaction
The first objection is that hell is an overreaction.
Often heard like this: Why cant God simply forgive? How can any sin deserve everlasting destruction?
The problem here is that sin is far more serious than we realize. We get glimpses of its seriousness when we see its consequences. Its why we get so upset when we watch shows like When They See Us.
But we get desensitized to sin too. Remember the outrage and shock and horror of Columbine? The entire nation seemed to shut down for weeks. Now weve got school shootings every week or so, and we just press on.
God doesnt. God cant and wont just look the other way at wickedness. Because the heinousness of sin is not measured by the sin itself but by the value and dignity of the one being sinned against. Which makes it a very big deal.
Every emotional reaction you and I have to the doctrine of hell is a direct reflection of our view of Gods holiness and glory. Well only believe hell to be an overreaction if we have a small view of God. The more we know the depth of our sin, the more well appreciate the wrath of God against it.
Imagine walking out of this building passed a little boy sitting on the curb pulling the legs off of a grasshopper. What would you do? Itd be strange and bizarre.
Now imagine if you walked out of the building and the same little boy were pulling the legs off of a frog, that would be a bit more disturbing.
Now imagine if it were a bird, you would scold him and go find his parents.
Terms For Hell In The Bible
The Hebrew word Sheol occurs 65 times in the Old Testament. It is translated “hell,” “the grave,” “death,” “destruction,” and “the pit.” Sheol identifies the general abode of the dead, a place where life no longer exists. According to the Hebrew Bible, Sheol is specifically “the place of the unrighteous dead:”
This is the path of those who have foolish confidence yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah. Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol death shall be their shepherd, and the upright shall rule over them in the morning. Their form shall be consumed in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
Hades is the Greek term translated “hell” in the New Testament. Hades is similar to Sheol and often associated with a place of torment for the wicked. It is described as a prison with gates, bars, and locks, and its location is downward:
‘For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. You have made known to me the paths of life you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.”
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Is Hell Burning Right Now In The Center Of The Earth
Many people ask, “Are there people suffering in hell right now?” Job 21:30-32 gives us a picture about hell and when its fires will burn. Job says, “For the wicked are reserved for the day of doom they shall be brought out on the day of wrath. This text along with 2 Peter 3:7 shows that hell is not burning now, but at some date in the future the wicked are reserved and brought forth out of their graves for the day of wrath. John 5:28-29 also conveys the same message, Do not marvel at this for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forththose who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. Again this outlines that the hour is coming in the future, but is not yet, when final condemnation and destruction happens. You can rest assured, that right now, at this moment, not one person is burning in hellfire.
Erroneous Views Of Hell
The second chance view After death there is still a way to escape hell.
Answer: It is appointed unto men once to die and after that the judgment .
Universalism All are eternally saved.
Answer: It denies the truth of salvation through Christ which means that a person decides to either trust in Christ or else he/she rejects Christ and goes to hell .
Annihilationism Hell means a person dies like an animal ceases to exist.
Answer: It denies the resurrection of the unsaved . It denies conscious torment .
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Have You Committed Terrible Sins
What if it wasnt your parents who did a number on you? What if you yourself have done terrible, horrible things? What if you dont deserve to go to heaven because of what youve done?
If thats the state of mind youre in, then Ezekiel 18 has a message for you as well:
But if the wicked turn away from all their sins that they have committed and keep all my statutes and do what is lawful and right, they shall surely live they shall not die. None of the transgressions that they have committed shall be remembered against them for the righteousness that they have done they shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that they should turn from their ways and live?
Based on his experience in the spiritual world, Emanuel Swedenborg tells us that this is precisely how it works after we die. In Heaven and Hell #509, he writes:
No one suffers any punishment for evil things done in the world, only for current evil deeds. . . . Good spirits are never punished, though, even though they have done bad things in the world. This is because their evils do not come back.
If you have done something terrible, there is no way to undo it. You and those you hurt will still have to live with the repercussions of your actions. But one of those repercussions is not that you must go to hell for it.
As the old saying goes, Every saint has a past, and every sinner a future.