Hell, among those who follow Jesus, is understood as a place of future punishment for the wicked deceased. Scripture also uses the term to describe the grave, the realm of the dead, or a location for disembodied spirits. Satan and his angels will not rule or deliver punishment in hell. They will be tormented like all who enter there. And the most heartbreaking fact about hell is once there, it is forever.
Hades, Sheol, and Gehenna
The Greek word translated as hell refers to a place of torment situated below Hades. The Hebrew term for hell, Sheol, signifies hell, the pit, or the grave. Gehenna, taken from the Valley of Hinnom south of Jerusalem, is a burning, worm-infested city dump. Before the exile, it was where child sacrifice was practiced. Like hell, it refers to the eternal destination of the wicked and always denotes a place of damnation.
Jacob, heir of the Abrahamic covenant and the father of the people of Israel, and Korah, who opposed Moses’s leadership, went to Sheol. Consequently, many believe it comprised two compartments: one for the righteous dead and the other for those awaiting punishment for unrighteousness. Some believe Jesus went to the one for the righteous after his crucifixion to deliver them (Ephesians 4:9-10 and 1 Peter 3:19). Those who reject that theory believe Sheol refers to the grave.
Post-Resurrection of Jesus
Since Christ’s resurrection, the rules have changed. Those who trust Jesus for eternal security will be with Jesus. Those who rejected him will go to Hades to await the final judgment. After judgment, they will be cast into the lake of fire to receive lasting torment.
And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20 13-15 | ESV)
Hell, a common topic in Jesus’ ministry, has largely disappeared from modern Christianity. It is a real place where those who reject Jesus will face eternal torment. One could speculate about the reasons no one preaches about hell. However, the fact remains that it is an unpleasant subject that often drives people away. Hell is the bad news of the gospel, while heaven is the good news.
Jesus and Hell
Notably, Jesus mentioned hell more than anyone else in the Bible. Estimates range from 12 to 20 times, depending on who you trust for the counting. We will briefly examine several of those references below. If you believe Jesus is God and the accounts of history and Scripture are accurate, then his views on hell are essential. They carry eternal significance; otherwise, they likely won’t matter much.
It is not uncommon to hear people say that a loving God would not send anyone to hell. This is more true than they realize. A loving God grants people what they desire. If they choose to reject His plan for them in this life, He will give them an eternity apart from Him in the next. But it is more than living forever apart from His expectations. It is punishment for sin forever. The greatest sin is rejecting His grace—his gift for all willing to accept it.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (John 3:16-18 | ESV)
Cheap Grace
God wants people to accept forgiveness by trusting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. (John 3:36 | ESV) Submitting to Him by doing what He says makes Him Lord. Believing He is God’s Son, who died for you, makes Him Savior. It is all or nothing.
Grace, apart from repentance, confession, and obedience, is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace.” “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. –Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
Sin Leads to Hell
Sin will not enter heaven. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ (Mark 9:43-48 | ESV)
Not a Party
Sin resulting from rejecting God’s grace merits His wrathful judgment. Hell is not an eternal party with like-minded people who prefered to be God in their lives rather than trust in Jesus. It is a place of eternal torment. Jesus said, “So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:49-50 | ESV) In one of his many parables, Luke 16:19-31, Jesus indicates that the way to avoid hell’s torment is to follow him in this life.
Some churches have adopted a universalist belief that everyone will go to heaven. However, that is wishful thinking, not sober exegesis. It is a feel-good lie the Father of Lies hopes people will believe.
Paul explained how easy it is to escape the punishment for sin. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10 | NIV)