The Truth About Hell - Soul Choice Ministries

People have many opinions and viewpoints about hell, and we will look at three of those today and three more in the next broadcast. We will compare these beliefs to the Bible. Many people invent a belief based simply on their own opinion, or they draw information from various false teachings and philosophies. In doing so, they completely misinterpret the Scriptures.

The first viewpoint is that hell does not exist because God is a loving God.

The second is that hell is only temporary—intended to punish people long enough to purge them of their sins or to spiritually improve them in some way—after which they may enter heaven. This is actually a form of Universalism and aligns with the belief in a temporary place of punishment such as purgatory.

The third view is that there is no need for hell because people are already experiencing “hell on earth.”

Fourth, some believe that hell is merely the absence of God’s love and not a place of pain and torment.

Fifth, others say that no one is in hell now. They believe some people will be sent to hell on Judgment Day, but they will be annihilated rather than punished eternally.

Sixth, some say that Jesus did not come to condemn the world and therefore everyone is redeemed and goes to heaven. This is also a form of Universalism.

Let us look at the first view:

1. “Hell Could Not Exist Because God Is Loving.”

There are those who say that hell cannot exist because God is a loving God and would never allow such suffering. However, in forty-six verses, Jesus mentioned hell and those who will suffer in it for all eternity. He also gave a very clear, true account in Luke 16 of the rich man in hell who was in torment in the flames. The man knew he could never escape, and he knew his five brothers would end up there if they did not repent. He was in the current hell, called Hades. There is also a future hell at Judgment Day called Gehenna, or the lake of fire.

The Bible contains at least one hundred fifty verses about hell, the pit, destruction, eternal fire, eternal damnation, eternal punishment, weeping and gnashing of teeth, prison cells, and the absolute hopelessness experienced in hell. Twenty-three of the forty authors of the Bible mention hell.

We know God is a loving God, but He is also a God of justice and judgment. True justice demands judgment.

Besides, if there is no hell, would it be fair to allow the Hitlers of the world, child abusers, murderers, and rapists to go free? Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” Spiritual death does not mean “cease to exist.” It means separation from God in a corpse-like state—like the living dead—and apart from all good. God says in many verses that our sin does deserve eternal punishment. The fact that God is loving does not mean His love overrides His justice.

A. W. Pink wrote in Hell, page 278:
“To argue, then, that because God is love, He will not inflict eternal torment on the wicked, is to ignore the fact that God is light, and is to attack His holiness… Moreover, to deny the justice of eternal punishment is to fly in the face of Christian consciousness.”

Holman’s Bible Dictionary, page 745, states:
“The Word of God teaches that the suffering of the lost in hell is eternal… The assertion that God would be unfair to punish eternally a temporal sin underestimates the seriousness of sin, the spiritual nature of sin, and the supreme holiness of God.”

Dr. Christopher W. Morgan, in Hell Under Fire, page 216, wrote:
“God’s love does not drive His justice. The implementation of God’s justice does not undermine His love. God’s love and justice cohere.”

Hell is eternal just as heaven is, as Jesus said in Matthew 25:46. God proved His love for us by dying in our place on the cross. However, true love allows a choice. You cannot force someone to love you, and neither does God force you to repent and come to Him. Love gives free will. You decide. Your poor decision does not make God mean or diminish His love for you.

2. “Hell Is Only Temporary.”

Others say that if hell exists, it is only temporary since God is loving. They believe hell will be emptied on Judgment Day and everyone will be reunited with God. This is a form of Universalism, which was founded by Origen. His belief was deemed heretical in A.D. 540. Universalism teaches that everyone will end up in heaven. Yet God said that the person who disobeys and denies Him will die (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23).

In Hell on Trial, page 139, British evangelist John Blanchard wrote:
“Universalism originated in the Garden of Eden when Satan brushed aside God’s warning and assured Eve, ‘You will not surely die’ (Genesis 3:4).”

John 3:36 says:
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
To “abide” means His wrath continues to remain.

In John 8:21, as Jesus was preparing to return to heaven, He told the Pharisees:
“I go my way, and you shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: where I go, you cannot come.”
Jesus said again in John 8:24:
“You shall die in your sins: for if you do not believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins.”

If a person does not believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, as the Pharisees did not, they will die in their sins, and if they die in their sins, they cannot enter heaven.

Some claim hell is temporary and exists to cleanse or improve a person—what they call redemptive punishment. But the punishment is not meant to be redemptive. It is deserved—retributive.

Thomas Aquinas wrote in Hell on Trial, pages 108–109:
“We set aside the error of those who say that the punishment of the wicked will end at some time… A sin that is against God is infinite; the higher the one against whom it is committed, the graver the sin—and God is of infinite greatness. Therefore, an infinite punishment is deserved for a sin committed against Him.”

Punishment or time in hell could never accomplish what the blood of Jesus accomplished. If time in hell could cleanse us, why would Jesus have needed to die? Why shed His blood if people could simply be purified by spending time in hell? That idea suggests that our time has enough value to pay for our sins—works-based salvation. But Ephesians 2:8–9 says we are saved by grace through faith, not by works.

Hebrews 9:22 says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission.”
Therefore, “time served” in hell is the wrong premise.

We are justified only by His shed blood:

Romans 5:9 — “Being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”
1 Peter 1:18–19 — “You were not redeemed with corruptible things… but with the precious blood of Christ.”
Romans 3:24 — “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

It is through our faith in Christ and what He did for us that we are saved from hell.

We must be given a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). We cannot earn a new spirit. When we trust in what Jesus did for us on the cross, God counts that as righteousness. He forgives us when we repent. We must also recognize whom we have sinned against—the Almighty, Perfect, Eternal, All-Powerful, Holy God. Our sin deserves eternal punishment because we have sinned against an eternal God.

3. “People Already Experience Hell on Earth.”

Some say that many people experience “hell on earth,” so why would there be a need for hell?
While it is true that many suffer terribly on earth, their suffering does not compare to the actual place called hell.

Furthermore, many of those who experience suffering—especially unjust suffering—are innocent victims harmed by wicked people. The truly wicked person is often not the one suffering. This belief suggests the opposite of justice. It is usually the poor, the needy, children, persecuted Christians, or hostages who suffer—not the powerful, evil oppressors. Where is the justice in that? There would be none.

If a person believes in God and heaven, then they should understand why God would prepare hell for the evil and rebellious. Hell is a deterrent against sin.

Many world religions believe in some form of hell besides Christianity. Denying hell contradicts not only the Bible and Almighty God, but also many religions and cultures throughout history. These false religions heard the concept of hell passed down from Adam, Noah, Moses, many Old Testament prophets, and of course, Jesus Himself. So even many false religions acknowledge the existence of hell.

Therefore, we suggest that those who hold false beliefs about God and hell should read the Bible before posting their opinions, which carry no real authority. The Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ make it absolutely clear: hell is eternal for all who refuse to repent, receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and acknowledge that He is the Son of God and the only way to heaven.