Is Hell Real, and Why Does God Want to Send People There?

I find it interesting that many people who deny there is a hell are not afraid to reference hell in numerous ways.  According to such people, hell is the definitive answer to many areas of life.  I’ve heard that it can be hot as hell, cold as hell, hard as hell, mad as hell . . . You get the idea.

In our modern world where we are too enlightened to accept such things as demons and devils, we certainly have no need for hell, do we?  And yet, it is a vital part of our culture.  It plays an important part in literature, cinema, music and other arts.  The second largest money maker for businesses in our country is Halloween, second only to Christmas.  We love to celebrate our spooks and the place where they will all assuredly reside someday.

But what if hell is real?  What if hell really is a place where “bad” people go?  And what do we mean by “bad” people?

Hell is a Place of Faith

Oddly enough, the best place to find out about hell is in the Bible.  The Bible is a book of faith.  I can no more empirically prove to a person that the Bible is the written Word of God any more than someone can prove to me that it is not.  The Bible is taken by faith and, by extension, everything the Bible says and teaches must also be taken by faith, including hell.  Still, we can learn about hell by looking also at ancient texts and beliefs.

Granted, there are places of demons and eternal punishment in most ancient myths and lands, and part of what we now know as hell can be traced to some of these places, particularly Greek and Hebrew culture.  It is in ancient Greek culture that we find out about Hades and in the Old Testament that we learn about Sheol.  Both are places of the dead, and both contain places of eternal punishment as well as reward.

Sheol, Hades & Hell

In the Bible, there are three places mentioned that refer to the afterlife.  In the Old Testament, the term “Sheol” is used to describe the place where dead people go.  In the New Testament, the word used is “Hades.”  “Hell” really isn’t used that much, but it is distinct from Sheol and Hades.

Sheol is a place, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia (www.jewishencyclopedia.com), “connotes the place where those that had died were believed to be congregated.”  Sheol is beneath the earth, furthest from heaven, God’s abode.  The description of Sheol is a land or a place with gates and divided into compartments.  It is a place where all the dead are sent, regardless of their former position in life.  According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, “The dead continue after a fashion their earthly life  . . . yet they are mere shadows, where silence is the norm.”  Other references seem to indicate that Sheol is a place of eternal sleep or suspended animation.  Even here, God reigns supreme.

Hades, which is often used for Sheol when the Greek is substituted for the Hebrew language, is named for the Greek god of the dead.  According to Ancient History Encyclopedia (www.ancient.eu), Hades is the place where Hermes led the dead to their final place of rest.  Souls were divided according to how the newly deceased had lived his or her life while on earth.  It, too, is located below the earth.

Another Greek word for the afterlife that is used in the New Testament is Gehenna, used 11 times by Jesus to describe the place of the dead.  It refers to a place just outside Jerusalem, the Valley of Hinnom, where garbage and refuse were dumped and burned.  The fires are constant in the valley, and the picture it presents is one of eternal misery and pain.

When considering these terms, it always helpful to turn to the Bible, and to what Jesus has to say about life after death.  In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus tells about Lazarus and the rich man.  The passage deals with a rich man oblivious to the suffering of those around him, including Lazarus, a beggar “covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table.  Even the dogs came and licked his sores” (v. 21).

In Jesus’ telling, both Lazarus and the rich man die.  Lazarus is carried to Abraham’s side, while the rich man is taken to hell.  Here the word “hell” is Hades, and Jesus confirms the belief about Hades—it is a place where the dead are taken, with the good people rewarded (Lazarus) and the evil are tormented (the rich man).  According to Jesus, part of the torment is that those like the rich man are able to see into the part of Hades where the good people are.  There is also a great gulf that separates the two parts of Hades.

I find it interesting that Jesus describes Hades in such graphic terms.  Because He is the creator of all things (cf. John 1:3; Colossians 1:16), He would be the absolute authority on all things created, seen and unseen, including the place where we go upon our deaths.  For this reason, I find this passage in Luke to be a final authority on what Hades is like.  It presents a picture of where we will be once we die.

But that isn’t Hell.

In Revelation, the time of judgment comes for all humanity.  There is the Great White Throne found in Revelation 19:7-15.  In verses 7-10, the final defeat of Satan is recorded.  “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where his beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 19:10).  This judgment is then further described in verses 13-15:

“The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.  Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  The lake of fire is the second death.  If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

This passage suggests that Sheol and Hades are not permanent places as abodes for the dead.  Rather, they seem to be holding areas until the final judgment takes place.  It seems unlikely that God would bring people out of Hell simply to send them back.  It would also seem redundant for God to take Hell and throw it into Hell as described in vs. 13-15.  No, Hell is the eternal place of torment and anguish that is the lake of fire.  Hades will end up there; death will end up there; those whose names are not written in the book of life will end up there.

Again, because the Bible is the place where we learn about Hell, then it stands to reason that the Bible should give the definitive answer about what Hell is.  Hell is a lake of burning sulfur and of fire.  Given this description, I think the phrase, “It’s cold as hell” is woefully wrong.

So Why Would God Send Someone to Hell?

That’s a good question.  The Bible tells us that it is God’s desire that no one end up in Hell.  “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise; as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).  “This is good, and pleases God, who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3b-4).  “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).  The invitation is for all who are weary, the desire is that everyone come to repentance.

God provides the means of being saved through Jesus:  “What must we do to do the works God requires?  Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this:  to believe in the One He has sent’” (John 6:28-29).  God makes salvation available through Jesus Christ, the One God sent to demonstrate the depths of His love for us (cf. John 3:16; 1 John 4:7-21).

But loving us also means that God will not force His will on anyone.  He allows us to choose whether we will follow Him or not.  God is a holy God, and He despises sin.  Sin is at once the most horrible thing and also a seemingly insignificant thing (see my blog on “What Is Sin?”).  Simply put, sin is rebellion against God.  It is us telling God that we don’t agree with His ways and want to go our own way.  As I write this, the Kurds in Iraq and the Catalans in Spain are learning the consequences of telling someone we want to go our own way.  The consequences of such a statement can be catastrophic, particularly if our declaration is to be apart from God.

Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and Romans 6:23 tells us “the wages of sin is death.”  The result is that, if we choose to rebel against God—if we choose to sin—it is our decision, and we suffer the consequences.

The sending of Christ to die on the cross as an atonement for sins, redeeming us from the consequences of our sin, is God’s way of saying we do not have to spend eternity in Hell.  It is His way of making it possible for us to be freed not only from the consequences of sin, but also allows us to have genuine fellowship with Him now.  It is our rejection of God’s offer of redemption that places us in Hell.  God’s love makes it possible to escape Hell; but it is also God’s love that allows us to reject that free gift of salvation.

“Well, that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.  Who, in their right mind, would willingly go to Hell?  That’s preposterous.”

And that’s a valid question.  No one in their right mind wants to go to Hell, even though some people say they would prefer Hell to Heaven.  Here are some of the reasons people “willingly” allow themselves to be sent to Hell.

1. “I’m a good person. I’m basically honest, decent.  I love my spouse and children; I don’t kick puppies.  I’m a good person.”

I have no doubt that most people are “good” in the eyes of themselves and their neighbors.  But the issue isn’t how I or society sees me.  It’s how does God see me?  Romans 3:10-18 gives us a good idea of how God views humanity:  “As it is written, ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. . . . There is no fear of God before their eyes’” (vs. 10-12, 18).  The fact is, we all fall short of God’s expectations.  His standards are so high that they are impossible to meet on our own.  That’s why He sent Jesus to be the substitution for our sins.  His death on the cross was the price God paid for our sins.  And it is through Jesus Christ alone that we can enter into fellowship with God.

2. “I don’t believe in hell.”

Perfectly understandable.  Most people who don’t believe in hell don’t believe the Bible is the word of God, otherwise they would accept that there is a hell, since the Bible is explicit in that truth.  And it’s hard to believe that the Bible is the word of God.  Other religions claim their books are the true word of God.  But look at one item of consideration.  The Bible was written over a period of 1400 years by 40 different authors from various professions and viewpoints.  Yet, there is a remarkable uniformity to it.  For a book to be written in such harmony and consistency when the only thing in common is that it was written by men is beyond understanding and explanation.  The most plausible answer is that each of the writers had a commonality among them.  And that commonality is the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  Still, accepting the Bible is a faith issue, and I can’t argue into believing it to be so.  Only God can convince someone otherwise.

3. “I’ve seen and/or known some ‘Christians,’ and I want nothing to do with them.”

I know what you mean.  There are a lot of people who equate Christianity with church attendance or affiliation.  They assume their weekly/regular attendance at a place of worship is what God expects of us.  My position has been:  If the only difference between a “Christian” and a non-Christian is that the Christian goes to church, two things arise.  Why would the non-Christian want to be a Christian when the only difference is a person has to give up sleeping in late on Sundays?  And, for the person who equates church attendance with being a good Christian, it’s time to reconsider your position.  Jesus expects obedience and conformity to His teachings if we are to be His followers.

One of Jesus’ first parables is that of the sower and the seeds.  Jesus tells of a farmer who is scattering seed into a field.  Some of the seed falls on hardened ground; some falls into shallow soil; still others fall into weed-infested soil; and finally, some seed fall into good foil.

The first group of seed is quickly consumed by the birds of the field; they have no chance to take root.  The second group grows quickly and seemingly shows great promise.  But the shallowness of the soil prevents good root depth, and the crop quickly wilts under the heat of the sun.  The third group begins to grow, but it gets choked out by the weeds and dies.  Only the seed in the good soil grow and produce good fruit.

The parable is a depiction of those who truly accept the word of God.  There are some that will never hear the word or accept it; they reject it out of hand.  They are the hardened soil. There are others who will accept the idea of the gospel message, but their interest is superficial, a fad in their lives.  When something comes along to challenge that faith, they quickly move on to the next fad.  That’s the shallow soil.  The third group have more stamina in the gospel, but these people are still consumed with the ways of the world, and allow the world’s ways to lead them away from what they claim to believe.  The faith of such people is a convenient one, not one rooted in the true message of Christ.  Only the ones who take root and bear fruit are the true believers in Christ.

The point of the parable is to remind us that there will be a lot of people in the world who profess Christ, but they don’t really know Him.  Such people will be a deterrent to others.

But the bottom line is, everyone is responsible for their own response to the gospel message.  On the Day of Judgment, I won’t be able to use my faulty Christian neighbor as my excuse for not accepting the opportunity to be reconciled to God through Christ.  And that’s what will send someone to Hell.  It may seem harsh, but that’s the rules God has set.  It isn’t as if He hasn’t warned us.  After all, He sent us a book and He sent us a Savior.  And all we have to do is believe.

Conclusion

When we talk about Hell, we have to go to the one source that not only introduces us to the concept but also defines it and tells us how to go there and how to escape there.  The Bible is that source, and the Bible is clear.  Hell really does exist, and it is not God who sends us to Hell; it is our decision on whether we will accept His gracious gift of salvation or we will reject the gift offered.  To turn away from Christ is literally a hell of a decision to make.

© 2017 Glynn Beaty