Hell is a Place of Lost Hope

We have seen that people choose hell by rejecting the light they have received from God.  We have seen that everyone is a sinner whose selfishness and pride call for divine punishment -- even the nice non-Christian who has so many fine qualities.  We have seen that Jesus Christ is going to judge every person individually and will sentence him/her to receive exactly what he/she deserves.  Now we are ready to develop the solemn fact that hell is a place of lost hope.

We who believe on Jesus Christ and therefore are confident that we will go to heaven would like to see everyone get there eventually.  We would very much like to find evidence in the Bible that the lost will get another chance to be saved after death.  And there always have been teachers who have held the viewpoint of another opportunity after death.  As much as we would like to think that ultimately all will be saved, we cannot honestly use the Scriptures to build a case for it.  The Bible does not promise or even imply that the lost will have another chance for salvation after death.

In summary, the future of those who die as unbelievers or rebels is not pleasant to contemplate.  When Jesus talked about hell, He spoke of  "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 8:12), of "the fire that shall never be quenched" (Mk. 9:43, 45), and of a place "where their worm does not die" (Mk. 9:44, 46, 48).  Even if many verses are inconclusive regarding the eternal conscious suffering of the lost, Revelation 14:11 and 20:10 indicate that at the very least, some of the lost will suffer conscious torment for all eternity.

The biblical doctrine of hell is designed to warn sinners.  It is designed to motivate believers to do all they can to reach people with the Gospel.  It is designed to show us how terrible sin is in the sight of an awesomely holy God.  Therefore, although we cannot visualize the timelessness of eternity or the exact nature of hell's suffering, we can be moved to godly fear and proper action.  And we can ultimately trust God to do what is right by friends and relatives who for one reason or another refuse the Gospel.  With Abraham of old we ask the rhetorical question, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18:25), and leave the matter to Him.

The Fate of Those Who Never Heard

Many people have gone through this life without even once hearing about Jesus Christ.  Even among those who live in cultures where Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter are observed, there are multitudes who never really hear the gospel.  And some who have had contact with professing Christians never give Jesus Christ serious consideration because of what they see in the lives of people who claim to be His followers.

What about such people who will die without ever having heard a clear presentation of the gospel?  Can we assume that God will find some way to open the doors of heaven to them?  We would like to believe that.  But the Scriptures make it clear that those who haven't heard the gospel are lost just as surely as those who refuse to believe on Christ.  Jesus declared that He Himself is the only way to God (Jn. 14:6).  Peter boldly told the Jewish rulers who had arrested him "Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).  Paul referred to all who don't know Jesus as "those who are perishing" (2 Cor. 4:3) and described the Gentile world before the time of Christ as "having no hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12).  The heartbreaking fact is that people who have never heard the gospel are on their way to a Christless eternity.

God will hold those who never heard the gospel responsible for what they did with the light that they had in this world.  Paul said of the pagans that God had revealed Himself to them in nature (Rom. 1:18-21) and in conscience (Rom. 2:12-16).  They must give an account of what they did with this light and will be punished accordingly.

Hell is a Place of Fair Treatment

We have seen that hell is the place people chose, even if unknowingly, when they go their own way instead of listening to God.  We have also noted that hell is a place that will forever tell the truth about the real character of those who have rejected and resisted God's provision for their salvation.

Hell will be a place of fair treatment.  Before anyone goes there, that person will stand at a final judgment to determine the exact degree of punishment he or she will receive.  God will be perfectly fair.

The final judgment is depicted graphically in Revelation 20:11-15.  This is the great white throne judgement.  The Judge is none other than Jesus Christ (John 5:24-30).  All the unsaved will receive new bodies and will stand to be judged.  Then the books containing the life record of every person and the one special Book of Life will be opened.  The opening of these books shows that those who rejected God's gift of salvation will receive perfect justice.

The awesome picture of final judgment in Rev. 20: 11-15 led Thomas Carlyle to exclaim:  "What a magnificant conception is that of a final judgment!  A righting of all the wrongs of the ages."  The Lord Jesus Christ will take into account every circumstance overlooking nothing.  He will be the Supreme Court of the universe.  No one will be able to appeal His decisions.  In fact, no one will feel the need to do so.  Every person will acknowledge Him as Lord and admit that His verdict has been absolutely fair and right.  It is at this time, that everyone will recognize Him to be all He claimed to be, fulfilling the words of Philippians 2:9-11.

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Hell is a Place of Truth

The second point we need to see is that hell is a place of truth.  Even though it is sometimes described as a place of outer darkness, it is a place of the light of truth.  Hell will finally expose the true nature of all who have consistently rejected the love and grace and mercy of God.  In the meantime, the true nature of human hearts is often buried under deceptive appearances.

Now, most people don't think of themselves as deserving of everlasting punishment.  Many who have chosen to live their lives apart from God don't look any different from others who openly admit their need of the forgiveness and mercy of  Christ.

But present appearances are deceiving.  While the Bible says that most people are headed for the lake of fire, many of them don't look as though they deserve a fire reserved for the devil and his angels.  Evil men like Stalin or Hitler or serial killers might seem to qualify, but not the rank-and-file of people who seem to live basically decent lives.

Yet, from the Bible's point of view, such evaluations are extremely misleading and even deceptive.  The Bible shows us that the fires and blackness of hell will make eternal statements about (1) the true wickedness of public enemies and (2) the true wickedness of good people,

The Wickedness of Public Enemies

In some respects, human wickedness is terrible to contemplate.  Think of what God sees as He looks down on the world of mankind.  He watches the murders, adulteries, thefts, fights and physical and emotional torment that occur day and night in every part of the world.  He sees the child abusers -- their lust, cruelty, and heartlessness.  He sees wives crying, children abandoned, friends and partners betrayed, governments oppressing, and religious leaders fleecing their trusting flocks.  

It is the moral and spiritual condition that God has been patiently tolerating ever since man's fall into sin.  Read the Apostle Paul's timeless and universal description of the human condition:  

(Rom. 3:12-18)  They have all turned aside, they have together become unprofitable, there is none that does good, no, not one.........their feet are swift to shed blood, destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known.  There is no fear of God before their eyes.

This is a striking picture of the dishonesty, the greed, the profanity, the deceitfulness, and the cruelty that continues to produce rapists, child molesters, embezzlers, and pornographers.  When the judgment of God falls, and when such persons are sentenced to the lake of fire described in Revelation 20: 11-15, the fire will make an eternal statement of truth about those who have lived their lives at the expense of others.

What we need to realize, however, is that Romans 3 was not written merely to tell the truth about those public enemies who will one day find their rightful place in hell.  It also describes:

The Wickedness of Good People.

A closer look shows that Romans 3: 10-18 doesn't just describe the judgment-deserving character of those we call public enemies.  Verse 10 expresses the inclusive argument of the first three chapters of Romans, when it says of mankind, religious and non-religious alike:

There is none righteous, no, not one, there is none who understands, there is none who seeks after God.  They have all turned aside, they have together become unprofitable, there is none who does good, no, not one (3:10-12).

We don't like to think that good people deserve to go to hell.  But our good impression of decent law-abiding neighbours is not a real reflection of the truth.  We think naturally in man-centered ways rather than in the God-centered measurement described in Romans 3.  Man wasn't made to be a decent public servant.  He was made to glorify his Maker and to enjoy Him forever.  We weren't made to live decent, self-serving lives.  We were made to depend gratefully on the love and goodness of God.  We weren't made just to abide by the external requirements of civil and religious law.  We were made to worship God from our hearts and to love one another as He has loved us.

When we measure ourselves by that evaluation, the threat of hell becomes more of an issue.  The irresistible fire of judgment will expose the enormous deception that now hides behind social and religious courtesies and proprieties.

We have good reason to shudder at the thought of standing in God's presence on our own merits.  If we're honest, we must admit that apart from Christ we deserve to hear Him sentence us to hell.  In God's sight, no-one is really a good person.  (Romans 2: 12-16).

All people, at one time or another, sense that there is a God to whom they are morally accountable, that they have sinned, and that they need divine forgiveness.  But most men and women stifle these disquieting thoughts.  Some do so by denying the existence of a personal God.    Some do so by saying that what we call sins are merely weaknesses.  Others affirm that God is so loving that He will never punish anyone on the other side of death.  They don't want to acknowledge their sin and believe on Jesus Christ.  But the day is coming when they will stand before God for final judgment.  There they will see themselves as they really are.  Stripped of all their self-righteousness, they will recognize their guilt before God.  And nothing less than the lake of fire will ultimately tell the truth.

Hell is a Place of Choice

People don't choose hell with a full understanding of what they are doing.  They don't have a clear picture of the eternal happiness they will live or the everlasting separation and darkness they will endure. But according to the Bible, hell is a place of choice.

As a result, the Bible repeated appeals to its readers to choose the way of life rather than the path of death and judgment.  Over and over, Jesus Himself urged His listeners to make wise choices with questions like:

What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  (Mk. 8:36-37).

Yet the same Bible also reminds us that most people will risk their eternal souls rather than feel obligated or indebted to the love and mercy of God.  In some cases, this stubborn independence is easy to see.  Some will even tell you that if there really is a heaven and a hell they would rather go to the place below because that's where their friends will be.  Others say that heaven and God and eternal goodness sound boring.  Still others are so angry at God for the pain and rejection that He has allowed them to experience that they have literally challenged Him to send them to the devil and his place.

Most people, however, are merely ignoring the long-term possibilities of their own choices.  They are either counting on the hope that God is too loving to send them to hell, or they are assuming that they aren't bad enough to be sent there.  Many are so preoccupied with trying to survive day-to-day struggles that they have chosen not to worry about the future.

In the process, such people make personal choices for which they will be held accountable.  Certainly they fail to understand the full weight of their choices.  They fail to realize that just as the first man and woman made choices that resulted in enormous loss, so also we who are made in the image of God continue to be held accountable for the choices we make.  With such choice and consequences in mind, the apostle Paul wrote:

The wrath of God is revealed  from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them (Rom. 1:18-19).

As God's creatures, we owe Him glory and thanksgiving.  God has a right to expect that we as a race and as individuals recognize His lordship, give Him thanks, and live in grateful obedience to Him.  But in our pride, we have refused to glorify God as God.  Instead, we have become preoccupied with ourselves and our own happiness.  We have chosen to love ourselves rather than God -- to glorify ourselves rather than the Lord.  This is why "the wrath of God" (Rom. 1:18) rests upon the human race.  This divine wrath is a terrible reality.  It is God's revulsion against the things that contradict His holy being.  It is God's reaction to those who choose evil while rejecting His love.

Some accuse God of vindictiveness but we would be wise to withhold our criticism and respond as quickly as we can to God's invitation to escape the eternal fires.  It was Christ Himself who urged us:

Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matt. 7:13-14). 

Proportionately, this is still true.  While religion is common all over the world, how many people do you know who actually and consistently love God and express their gratitude to Him?  If you think carefully and honestly, you will have to admit that no one does.  But Christians freely admit this and have placed their trust for salvation in Jesus Christ believing that He paid for their sins when He died on the cross.  When people refuse to believe on Him, they are choosing to stand on their own merits.  To be placed on the road to heaven, we must acknowledge our sin, admit that we can't save ourselves, and place our trust in Jesus Christ.  John 3:16 states

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

If you haven't chosen to believe on Jesus Christ, you are choosing the path to hell.  Don't listen to the behaviourists who suggest that you have no real choices of your own.

Reject the post modern thinking that says there is no established truth.  Accept the teaching of the bible.  If you reject Christ, you will have no right to blame anyone but yourself when you someday find yourself in hell.  You will have to admit that you made the wrong choice.  You won't be able to blame God.

What Happened to the Subject of Hell?

Countless people among us seem obsessed with the subject of hell.  Even irreligious individuals talk of "going to hell and back" for something they love.  They speak of certainties as being  "sure as hell," or impossibilities as occurring "when hell freezes over."  And bad experiences are said to "hurt like hell."  Many otherwise polite people regularly inject colour, emotion, and profanity into their conversation by adding a casual or angry reference to hell to almost any combination of words.

Yet ironically, the more hell shows up in casual conversation, the less it is actually thought about -- even in religious circles.  The more such a word is used in an aggressive, profane way, the less threatening it seems to the user.  Accordingly, the subject of hell has become as prevalent in street talk as it is absent in Sunday sermons.

It wasn't always that way.  Historically, most religions have held openly to the idea of an after-death judgment followed by punishment for evildoers.

Our present reluctance to think seriously about the reality of future punishment may stem in part from an inadequate concept of God.  We have forgotten that He is a God to be feared.  The Russian theologian Berdyaev said, "It is remarkable how little people think about hell or trouble about it.  This is the most striking evidence of human frivolity."  (The Destiny of Man, Scribner, p. 33).  What he wrote more than 70 years ago is even more true today than when he penned it.

We do not do people a favour when we remain silent about the subject of hell.  Jesus, the prime example of God's love, spoke of hell repeatedly.  He said that some would rise from death to "the resurrection of condemnation" (Jn. 3:29).  He declared that those who go to hell enter the horrible place where "their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched" (Mk 9:44, 46, 48).  He also depicted it as a place of "outer darkness," where there "will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 8:12; 12:13; 25:30).

Bertrand Russell said he decided to become an atheist when he read the words of Jesus about hell.  But did he act wisely?  At least he was consistent.  He realized that hell deserves to be taken seriously.  He knew that it doesn't make sense to say you believe in Christ while rejecting what He and His book say about an eternal "lake of fire."

- from "Portraits of Eternity" by Herb Vander Lugt