Does Hell exist?

1. Does Hell Exist –15th
November 2015
Does Hell Exist – 15th November 2015
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the
One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
The popular image of Hell is demons gleefully poking pitchforks in to the posteriors of
unrepentant people who happen to be there… Hell is “the state of definitive self-exclusion from
communion with God”. Some people cannot fathom how Hell could be a reality if God is truly
an “all-loving” and “merciful God.” Yet, Hell could be said to be both the definitive expression
of God’s justice and of the calling that we would be ultimately answerable for our own actions.
In His infinite wisdom, God deigned and created man with the immeasurable dignity of a free,
rational, spiritual, and therefore, an immortal soul. He did not create us as robots that can only
"choose" the good. Man has been gifted with the incredible gift of being free to either accept or
reject God and God’s plan for that person. The ultimate reason for God allowing us “free reign”
is love. Without freedom there is no real life - like a slave - because one may be forced or
coerced to what one may “not want to do” and therefore created man as a free rational being.
God has given to man his entire lifetime on earth to make that decision... to believe in God;s
plan and live in keeping with His directives or the alternate option to live a life embroiled in sin.
Therefore Christianity teaches us that the “time” for choosing is now in this life, and that the
choice we make will have eternal consequences. Indeed, not only is this the “time” for
choosing, but this is the only “time” as we live through our lives. Hell in the Bible is a place of
future punishment and the final destination for unbelievers. It is described in Scripture using
various terms such as eternal fire, outer darkness, a place of weeping and torment, the lake of
fire, the second death, unquenchable fire… The most terrifying reality of hell is that it will be a
place of complete, unending separation from God…damnation for eternity!
It is very interesting to discover that there are more Bible verses about Hell than there are
about Heaven. Here are a few verses in the Old Testament about Hell. We can read in Daniel
12:2 - "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others
to shame and everlasting contempt." Hell is described here as everlasting. We can also read in
Isaiah 66:24 -"And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled
against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome
to all mankind." In this Scripture, hell is described as a place where the fire is not quenched. We
can read where Psalm55:15 illustrates hell as a realm of the wicked: "Let death seize them; Let
them go down alive into hell, for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them."
The New Testament has much to say about Hell. We can learn from 2 Thessalonians 1:9 -"These
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory
of His power" Jesus gives us a vivid understanding in Mark 9: “And if your foot causes you to
stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown
into hell”(Mark 9:45). We can also understand that Hell is described as a lake of burning fire, as
described in Revelation 20:14-15 - "Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is

2. the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of
fire."
We come across people who argue that hell does not exist on the basis of their understanding
that Jesus taught love, peace, and forgiveness - and that He did not teach about an eternal
place of fiery punishment for non-believers. As Christians we must know that the exact
opposite is true. In actuality Jesus taught more about hell than anyone else in the Word of God.
Jesus described hell as a place of eternal fire as we can learn in Matthew 25:41- “Then he will
say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for
the devil and his angels”. Jesus also stated hell as a place of eternal punishment again in
Matthew 25:46 - “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal
life.” We can learn more where Jesus taught specifically about hell many times in His ministry
(Matthew 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33 Mark 9:43-47; Luke 12:6; 16:23).
One may inquire: ‘If Hell does exist, how it can be fair? God is just and righteous and He will not
allow sin to go unpunished. For those who do not believe of the existence of Hell we can learn
that God did not spare even His Angels who sinned: “For if God did not spare angels when they
sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness[b] to be held for judgment;(2
Peter 2:4). Yes, God loves us and wants all people to be saved and that is the reason why He
sent is son Jesus Christ to be the atoning sacrifice for our sin: We can learn: "The Lord is not
slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not
wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
As believers in Jesus Christ we are offered the option of salvation through our belief in Him.
That is why God sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins. Jesus Christ's death was an infinite
death, paying our infinite sin debt - so that we would not have to pay it in Hell for eternity
which we can learn: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might
become the righteousness of God"(2 Corinthians 5:21). To avoid this damnation all we have to
do is put our faith in Him and we can seek His forgiveness and the promise of an eternal home
in heaven with Him. God loved us so much to provide for our salvation. If we reject this free gift
of eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ, we will have to face the eternal consequences of
that decision - an eternity in a fiery hell.
“Do not be afraidof thosewho kill the bodybut cannotkill the soul. Rather, be afraidofthe One who
can destroy bothsoul andbody inhell”(Matthew10:28).