Welcome to Hell .
what does the bible say?
People often speak of heaven as "up" and hell as "down." In the Old Testament the Hebrew word sheol was used for hell or the grave while the Greek word used in the New Testament, hades, referred to the unseen world of the dead and was often associated with judgment.
Gehenna was another Greek word used to describe hell, meaning the Valley of Hinnom.
This valley existed outside of the city of Jerusalem as a burning rubbish heap and was associated with judgment and fire (Matthew 10:28; Mark 9:43).
Where is hell? While some passages speak of hell or the place of judgment being below the earth or downward (1 Samuel 28:13-15; Luke 10:15), hell exists in a non-physical realm.
Similar to heaven, hell exists beyond our physical universe as a place where the souls of humans continue to dwell.
For unbelievers, hell includes ongoing torment (Luke 16:23) and is permanent (Luke 16:26).
Those in hell appear to be able to see at least parts of heaven (Luke 16:23) and remember earthly events (Luke 16:25-28).
This view is also consistent with Ephesians 6:10-12 that speaks of the battle between forces in the heavenly realms. In other words, the realms of angels and demons exist in a dimension largely unseen by humans.
Revelation 20 speaks in detail regarding the final state of Satan and unbelievers. Verse 7 notes that at the end of the thousand-year millennial kingdom, Satan will be released for one final battle along with the deceived nations of the world.
After he is defeated, "the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10).
Then all unbelievers will be judged before the Great White Throne. Revelation 20:15 declares, "And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
In the next chapter, Revelation 21:8 adds, "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death."
So where is hell? Hell exists in a non-physical realm in which Satan is present, along with demons and unbelievers.
Unbelievers experience ongoing torment and are unable to escape their judgment. At the end of time, Satan and unbelievers will experience the "second death" in which they will be in the lake of fire.
This dreadful situation is one no person would desire. This is why God has offered salvation through Jesus to anyone who will believe (John 3:16) and patiently offers this salvation still today
Those who reject Jesus Christ and continue in rebellion against God will go to hell.
The Bible clearly states that those who do not believe in Jesus stand condemned and face eternal separation from God (John 3:18). Hell was prepared as a place of punishment for Satan and his demons, but it is also where individuals who refuse to surrender and follow Jesus will end up (Matthew 25:41–46).
The Bible emphasizes that eternal life with God is available through faith in Jesus, but those who choose to reject this offer remain in sin and will face its consequences in hell (Romans 6:23).
from the old testament.
The topic of who will go to hell is found in the New Testament although the Old Testament provides a foundation for understanding God's justice and judgment.
It emphasizes God's perfect righteousness and moral standards, setting the stage for the New Testament's more explicit teachings about sin, separation from God, and the consequences of rejecting His offer of salvation.
from the new testament.
Hell is mentioned 167 times in the Bible. Sometimes it is named Gehenna, Hades, the pit, the Abyss, or everlasting punishment ( Proverbs 7:27; Luke 8:31; 10:15; 2 Thessalonians 1:9).
Jesus talked about heaven and hell being real (Matthew 13:41–42; 23:33; Mark 9:43–48; Luke 12:5). Once, Jesus told a story about a man named Lazarus in heaven and a rich man in hell (Luke 16:19–31).
John the Baptist warned of Jesus's treatment of those who do not believe: "His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12).
Hell is a real place for those who continue in their rebellion against God (Romans 6:23).
John 3:18 tells us who will go to hell: "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."
Apart from Jesus Christ, every human stands condemned and would go to hell.
When Nicodemus approached Jesus about being from God, "Jesus answered him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God'" (John 3:3).
Throughout His ministry, Jesus indicated that hell is a punishment that lasts forever.
Though it was prepared as a place of punishment for Satan and his demons, hell is also where those who fail to follow Jesus will go (Matthew 25:41–46).
In 2 Thessalonians 1:8–9, Paul writes that "…those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might."
Implications for today.
In modern times, the idea of hell has come under doubt, even among some popular Christian authors, teachers, and pastors.
We so badly want to believe that no one will have to suffer an eternal separation from God that we begin to develop our own ideas of what is true and fair and just.
However, this thinking simply puts us in the place of God.
It is He who determines what is true, fair, and just. And, in His Word, the Bible, He has made it clear that hell exists and those who continue in their rebellion against Him, who do not accept His way of getting out of rebellion through His Son Jesus Christ, will go to hell.
But hell can also be avoided.
We avoid hell by recognizing our sin, agreeing with God that we are guilty before Him, and then believing in Jesus.
We acknowledge that Jesus is God, that He paid the price for our sin by dying on the cross, and that He has risen victorious over death and sin (Romans 10:9).
We ask for His forgiveness and then seek to follow Him. Jesus took on and paid for our sin so that we might take on His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).
It is by His grace, through faith, that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8–9). We cannot earn our way out of hell. Instead, we receive God's free gift through Jesus (John 3:16–18).
For those who put their faith in Jesus, eternity will be spent in heaven, where God dwells (2 Chronicles 30:27) and where Jesus is preparing a place for those who love Him (John 14:2).
It is up to each of us where we will spend eternity.
God wants each person to choose His way and spend eternity with Him (Matthew 18:14; 2 Peter 3:9), but He will not force us to choose Him (John 4:14).
As John wrote, "He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:10–12).
C. S. Lewis said it this way: "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says in the end, 'Thy will be done.'"
Hell is where everyone who is separated from God will go.
Those who reject Jesus’s salvation, found by trusting in His death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins, will go to hell.
God Himself made the way for people to not go to hell.
reflect.
How does the reality of hell influence your understanding of the importance of making a personal decision about faith in Jesus?
How does the concept of God's justice shape your view on the consequences of rejecting His offer of salvation?
How does the truth that hell can be avoided by accepting Jesus's forgiveness impact your daily life and interactions with others?
engage.
Why is the concept of hell met with skepticism in modern times, even among Christians?
How does understanding God's love and justice together inform our understanding of who goes to hell and why?
What does God’s making the way for us to avoid hell reveal about His character and plan for humanity?
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