Thesis 05/36: Hell

DOCTRINES OF FAITH
Doctrine 5 / 36: Hell

One of the most difficult doctrines of the Bible for a man to accept is the doctrine of Hell. This is not because the Bible is not clear on the subject, but rather it is because man simply does not want to believe it. Man does not think that he is bad or wicked enough to deserve to be sent to a place of torment for all eternity. However, this train of thought simply adds to the merit of Hell. When he says this, he is saying that God's judgment is not right. When he says this, he is saying that his wisdom is greater than God's. This pride just adds to the righteousness of God's judgment. The doctrine of Hell gives a greater picture of God's holiness more than any other, with the possible exception being the Cross. That is, the severity of God's disdain of sin demands a punishment that is greater than any that man could have imagined, and to add to it, the only appeasement of God's wrath was the brutal death of His own Son on the cross. God abhors sin.

One way in which man tries to rid himself of the doctrine of Hell is by claiming that the Bible simply refers to the grave when speaking of hell. The original language words of Sheol and Hades are simply words meaning the grave. He may claim that man does not die and go to a place of eternal fire, but rather just the grave and basically goes to sleep forever. This explanation does not line up with the way that Jesus spoke of it. Jesus, when speaking of hell, describes it using the following terms: fire, everlasting fire, damnation, fire that never shall be quenched, and a place of torments (Matthew 5:22; Matthew 18:8; Matthew 23:33; Mark 9:43; Luke 16:23). These terms are nonsensical if He was referring to the grave. Again, it is not that the Bible is unclear on this subject, but rather that man simply is not willing to accept it. Paul adds this description of the return of Christ when He comes to pass judgment: "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power" (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).

Luke 16 sheds much light on the doctrine of Hell. This account, told by Jesus, is of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man had a great life on earth, while Lazarus was poor and suffered. When they passed into eternity, the rich man found himself in Hell and Lazarus in a place called "Abraham's bosom." The rich man is said to be "in torments." He begs Father Abraham to have mercy on him. He begs that the poor beggar Lazarus would even dip his finger in water and touch his tongue, because of the torment of the flame. The passage describes that there is some "great gulf" that is fixed between these two places. It appears that Hell was separated by Abraham's bosom only by this great gulf. To add to the description, Jesus said to the thief while on the cross, "To day thou shalt be with me in paradise." In other places Jesus is said to be going to Hell for the three days while His body laid in the grave. Jesus then "led captivity captive" and later on Paul is said to have been caught up into paradise.

It seems based on those passages, that Hell is in the center of the earth. That would explain the title of "the bottomless pit" in Revelation. If a man is in Hell in the center of the earth, every way would be down to him. Hell was in the center of the earth with a gulf fixed between it and Abraham's bosom, also known as paradise. After Jesus spent the three days in the "belly of the earth" like Jonah, He then was able to take those Old Testament believers to Heaven with Him when He ascended to the Father. They were not able to go to Heaven nor be in the presence of the Father as of yet, because Jesus' blood had not been shed, and all the animal sacrifices in the world were not going to take away their sin. They were held in paradise until after Christ's sacrifice.

Not only was Abraham's bosom a temporary holding place, but Hell also is a temporary holding place. In the same way that a guilty criminal is held in a jail until his trial, after which he is cast into prison to serve his sentence, so it is with God and His judgment. The sinner is kept in Hell until the time of the great white throne judgment of Revelation 20. At which time, the sea, death and Hell will give up the dead people that are in them. They will stand before God and will be judged. Then they are sentenced, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14-15). What a sobering thought that last judgment should be to Christians. It ought to inspire fervent witnessing.

"Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men."