What does the Bible say about Hell? What a great question! We are so glad you asked. Before we dive in and find our answer, we want you to know that you can know that you will go to Heaven when you die. God loves you so much that he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price for all of your sins. He died for you because he loves you. He offers you love, forgiveness, hope, joy, and an abundant and eternal life. You can find out all about that by clicking here!
Satan will be Thrown into Hell
“And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence (during the seven-year tribulation time), by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse (Jesus), and all the birds were filled with their flesh (Revelation 19:20-21).”
Terrifying words. People object to a literal Lake of Fire, which people usually think of when they use the word Hell. In the Old Testament, the King James Version of the Bible translated the word Sheol as Hell. Sheol refers to the grave, not to a Lake of Fire. King David said if he made his bed in Sheol, God would be there, so Sheol can’t be a Lake of Fire (Psalm 139:8). What does the Bible say about Hell?
Weeping and Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth
“I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom (Jews of Jesus’ time without faith) will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:10-12).”
Like every detail about the fate of the unbelievers in eternity, i.e., after the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11), there’s debate about whether to take this literally. Some suggest the weeping and gnashing of teeth may be a metaphor for regret. Being cast into the outer darkness doesn’t seem like a literal description of being thrown into an eternal lake of fire. So, this might not be a description of Hell (the Lake of Fire).
A Burning Lake of Fire
And they (rebels at the end of the Millennium) came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city (New Jerusalem), and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:9-10).
Some people believe in annihilationism. This teaching is that the unbelievers will be removed from existence. This is a response to the horrible suffering beings would experience spending eternity in a Lake of Fire. They believe a loving and just God would not sentence anyone to this fate.
But what does the Bible say about Hell?
However, the beast and false prophet were sentenced before the Millennium (the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth). And they are still there when the devil is thrown into the Lake of Fire. So, they still existed and were not annihilated.
Is Hell Fire Eternal?
According Revelation 20:11-15, Hell fire is eternal punishment for sins that lasts forever. The GREAT NEWS FOR YOU is that Jesus provided eternal life in heaven by dying for your sins (and mine). He rose again from the grave and lives forever! All we have to do is believe in him and follow him as our lord and savior. We can have eternal life in heaven with him and be saved from eternal death in hell.
The Final Judgement Before the Great White Throne
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And…they were judged….Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15).”
All of the unbelieving dead appear at this final judgment. And because God judges unbelievers according to their deeds, and God is holy, no unbeliever will survive this judgment. No one can stand before God with their deeds. And their name won’t be found in the book of life.
For just as the new heavens and the new earth Which I make will endure before Me,” declares the LORD,
“So your offspring and your name (Israel) will endure.
“And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath,
All mankind will come to bow down before Me (in eternity),” says the LORD.
“Then they will go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me.
For their worm will not die And their fire will not be quenched;
And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind (Isaiah 66:22-24).”
How Could a Loving God Send Someone to Hell?
Isaiah adds the narrative above, and it again sounds like unbelievers will continue to exist in conscious suffering. Some say, again, this is a metaphor and can’t be real. How can a holy, loving, and just God sentence someone to this suffering for eternity if it is literal?
There is an issue that hasn’t been revealed to us. Sin, rebellion against God, for some reason, must be worse than we think and have worse consequences than we know. Consider what Jesus suffered to provide us with salvation, and He was innocent of sin. When Jesus was in Gethsemane, He prayed to the Father–three–times, asking if there was any other way to accomplish His mission. If there was, He asked to be spared the torture He’d go through before and on the cross (Mark 14:32-42).
What did Jesus Say about Hell?
But because Jesus did suffer in our place, we who believe in Jesus’ Name can be saved from Hell. Those who don’t believe are without the protection Jesus gives and will face the consequences. Unbelievers will be sentenced to the same type of experience Jesus had to endure on the cross. What does the Bible say about Hell? Scripture contains the Great News that we do not have to experience hell thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ.
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