The Bible Truth about Hell

4 Hell Introduction W hat have you heard about hell? Throughout the centuries, billions of humans have been terrified of being cast into a fiery pit, a place where their flesh burns and their worst fears are realized forever and ever—and all for the sins of a comparatively brief lifetime. They picture unspeakable scenes of never-ending terror and torture, sometimes at the hands of a horned devil who laughs maniacally at their suffering. Of course, some think that hell is nothing more than dramatic medieval fiction that unscrupulous televangelists use to scare people into giving them money. Either way, this concept of hell is the very reason many people—maybe even you—reject the Christian faith altogether. After all, if God is love (1 John 4:8), how could He burn His own creation for all eternity? If that’s what the Bible says, then maybe it is easier to just delete the idea that God exists. But do these long-held notions about hell actually match up with the Bible? Do all the movies and TV shows accurately depict what Jesus believed about hell? Is what you’ve heard from other Christians the truth? Take, for instance, this most famous speech, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” delivered by 18th-century minister Jonathan Edwards. Preached in 1741 in Northampton, Massachusetts, the sermon is full of terrifying imagery aimed at turning people from sin: [Hell] is everlasting wrath. It would be dreadful to suffer this fierceness and wrath of Almighty God one moment; but you must suffer it to all eternity. There will be no end to this exquisite, horrible misery. When you look forward, you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your thoughts, … and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all. You will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages, in wrestling and conflicting with this almighty merciless vengeance. Sound familiar? Does it cause your pulse to rise? Your heart to pound? Your forehead to sweat? Wait—there is some good news you need to know. This whole picture—all that you’ve heard about hell— is not true . None of it comes from Scripture, but instead is an unseemly brew of beliefs cobbled together from other religions, superstitions, and tall tales. In fact, the Bible teaches something entirely different. That’s why in this magazine, we’ll look at the whole landscape of the truth about hell. We won’t rely on what others have said about God and hell; we won’t take Bible passages out of context. Instead, we’ll help you see what the Bible says and decode the many symbols or puzzling words so that you—at long last—can make perfect sense of it all. And by the time you turn the last page, we’re certain that you will find more confidence in the Scriptures and complete peace with a God of love, mercy, and justice. Are you ready? Good. Then let’s get started … The Myth vs. the Bible