Is hell real? Is hell really forever?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Many people love the idea of heaven but hate the idea of hell. The Bible clearly and explicitly teaches that hell is a real place to which the wicked/unbelieving are sent after death. Hell is not simply, as many would have it, a place where only people like Hitler wind up. The truth is that all of us deserve hell because we have all sinned against God (Romans 3:23). All of our sin is ultimately against God (Psalm 51:4), and since God is infinite and eternal, sin deserves eternal punishment. Physical death, then, can't be a sufficient payment for eternal sin. The payment must also be infinite and eternal.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Since all of our sin is ultimately against God (Psalm 51:4), and since God is an infinite and eternal Being, then sin against an eternal being deserves eternal punishment.
• Daniel 12:2 describes hell as a place of "shame and everlasting contempt" for those who are resurrected to judgment. This verse contrasts the eternal destinies of the righteous and the wicked, emphasizing the unending disgrace awaiting those who reject God.
• Verses like Isaiah 66:24 describe the place for the unrighteous as where "their worm shall not die" and "the fire shall not be quenched." This imagery aligns with later New Testament descriptions of judgment in hell.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Hell is a dreadful place. The conditions in hell are described throughout the Bible as "eternal fire" (Matthew 25:41), "unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12), a place where "the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44-49), a place of "torment" and "fire" (Luke 16:23-24), "eternal destruction" (2 Thessalonians 1:9) where "the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever" (Revelation 14:10-11), and a "lake of burning sulfur" where the wicked are "tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10).
• Jesus Himself indicates that punishment in hell is just as everlasting as life in heaven (Matthew 25:46).
• All of us deserve hell because we have all sinned against God (Romans 3:23).
• God has declared that the just punishment for that sin is death (Romans 6:23).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Everyone lives forever. The only question is where we will live after we die. The righteous, those whose sin has been exchanged on the cross for the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), experience neverending bliss in heaven. The wicked are forever subject to the fury and the wrath of God in hell, where they will acknowledge the perfect justice of God (Psalm 76:10). Those who are in hell will know that their punishment is just and that they alone are to blame.

Hell is a very real place of torment and punishment that lasts forever. The only escape from the reality of hell is to run to the cross to gain forgiveness for sin. Only an infinite sacrifice can pay the penalty for infinite sin against an infinite God. Either the infinite God in flesh, Jesus Christ, pays for our sin in the one-time sacrifice on the cross, or we pay for it infinitely in hell. There is no other option. Those who deny the reality of hell should carefully ponder this. Hell is real, it's a horrifying place, and eternity is a long, long time.

UNDERSTAND

• Hell is a real, eternal place of punishment for those who reject God.
• All of us deserve hell because we have sinned against an eternal God, and only an infinite sacrifice can pay for our sins.
• The only escape from hell is through Jesus Christ, who took the punishment for our sins on the cross.

REFLECT

• How do you respond to the Bible’s teaching that hell is a real and eternal place?
• What does Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross mean to you personally, knowing it is the only escape from eternal punishment?
• How does the truth of eternity challenge the way you live and the priorities you set each day?

ENGAGE

• Why is it important to believe that hell is both real and eternal according to Scripture?
• How do we reconcile the idea of God’s love with the reality of eternal punishment in hell?
• How should the truth of an everlasting hell influence how we live and how we engage with others spiritually?