The Bible talks about a dreadful place called hell. Jesus affirmed it a number of times during His public ministry. Still, some churchgoers and Christians don’t believe hell exists or will exist. But what you or I believe or don’t believe about it does not change the facts about it. Our denial or unbelief does not negate the realness of hell.
Some people struggle with the fact that on the one hand, we say God is love. On the other hand, we say He created this horrific place where some people will spend eternity.
So, how do we reconcile these two? The Bible teaches that God is love. But also it teaches that He judges all the earth. We tend to emphasize the love of God and downplay the judgment of God. Understandably, we prefer the former over the latter. But this in no way makes the judgement of God any less a reality.
What the Bible Reveals about Hell
Countless opinions about hell exist. But the Bible is the only reliable source for the truth about this horrible place. Here are three biblical truths relating to hell:
Hell has been prepared for the devil and his angels; not for people. Referring to the eternal fate of some people, Jesus said they will hear these words: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41, KJV). The clear message here is that some people will end up in hell. But that’s not the reason for which hell will exist. God sent His Son so people could go to heaven. He has been prepared hell for the devil and his angels.
It’s not God’s will for any person to go to hell. God is “longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, KJV). Two key phrases exist in this verse: none to perish and all should come to repentance. This is as clear as it gets. God currently directs his patience toward humanity for this reason. He has made provision for salvation through the death of His only Son. Each person is free to accept or to reject Christ. All who refuse to repent and believe on Him will go to this terrible place called hell.
The Bible mentions no place such as purgatory. Some people believe in a place between heaven and hell called purgatory. Supposedly, it is occasioned when the soul is not bad enough to be sent to eternal damnation in hell, but not good enough to go to heaven. Adherents believe the soul is sent to purgatory temporarily where the person suffers and becomes purified so he can go to heaven.
But the truth is that when we die, we are either totally prepared for heaven through faith in Christ or totally unprepared due to rejection of Christ. No middle ground exists. There is no second chance. If one dies without Christ, his eternal fate is sealed and cannot be altered. “It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, NASB).
Caring about the Eternal Fate of Others
Most people tend to shun talking about hell. Such a terrible place. We should not want anyone to go there. But that’s exactly why we do need to talk about it. God sent His Son to save men from the horror of hell. It is for this cause that He has made us stewards of the gospel. This involves us being ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Thank God that through His Son Jesus Christ, He has delivered us from hell. But what about those whom we know and who can’t say the same? For them, we must be more committed to them going to heaven with us than the devil is to taking them to hell with him.
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.