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One Path Research Publishing

Is "Hell" Real? And What Do We Know About It?

We receive hundreds of emails a day and it is difficult to answer even a small fraction of them but one email that was forwarded to me caused me to tear up as it was sent by a Christian, so instead of the normal newsletter, I felt compelled to post my response in case others had the same question. His question was simply “I have heard that the souls of unbelievers go to Hell after death, is that true?”

On the surface, I can understand that there is confusion about this topic as people use various names interchangeably to identify this place. In fact, there is not just one place but multiple places that people may or may not unknowingly be referring to. Also, various “Christian” denominations have created other “hells” that have no basis in the Word of God at all but were created as a means to coddle their congregation.

Despite the above, the scriptures make it very clear that heaven and hell are very real and physical places, and after you die you will go to one place or the other based on whether you accepted and took up your cross and followed Jesus Christ to your death or not. The scriptures also make it abundantly clear that those who simply “believe” in Jesus Christ and don’t follow Him will not go to heaven. Even the demons “believe” and tremble.

Logically, why must there be a Hell?

It is surprising how many people have this question and yet the scriptures describe the absolute necessity for a place that we refer to as “hell” and why. Books could be written about this question; however, we’ll keep it as short as possible by defining hell as a single-word descriptive adjective, and that word would be “separated”. The purpose of Hell is to forever separate those who are not part of the Kingdom of Light away from God and Heaven. Everyone has a choice as to where they will spend eternity. They make that decision here on earth to either be part of our Lord’s kingdom ruled by God, or the kingdom of darkness ruled by their own lusts and desires.

The scriptures tell us from the very beginning that we were created in God’s image and have eternal spirits that have a beginning and live forever. Nowhere in the scriptures does God destroy a created being with a spirit once created. Not even Lucifer nor the fallen angels are destroyed but will also be permanently separated in the same place that all those who don’t follow God will go. Heaven is perfect and no sin can be allowed into heaven. This is why even those who follow God must be given new bodies not capable of sin to join our Lord in the air. Our present bodies war with the spirit and can’t be allowed into heaven.

Logically, the only feasible solution is to create a place of eternal separation for those who have chosen to be God’s enemy. That may seem harsh, but it is scripturally correct (James 4:4).

Man-Made Views of “Hell” that have No Scriptural basis:

Annihilation View: there is no existence in the afterlife. You have no consciousness as you simply cease to exist. People want to believe this as they can then lives their life any way they desire.
Conditional View: You will start in hell, but God will not let you sit there forever so you will be annihilated later (Clark Pinnock, “Free Will Theism”). People wish to believe this for the same reason they desire to believe the Annihilation view.
Purgatorial View: It is a place that you go to temporarily to “purge” the remainder of your sins for your purification of those who die at peace with the church (Catholics). Catholics divide sins into “Venial” and “Mortal” sins. Purgatory is the place where you go to pay penance for the Venial sins so they can be erased so you can then enter heaven. It’s the Mortal sins that can kill you and have you sent to hell for eternity. During the Reformation (1500s) a Catholic man rattled a coin in a cup and said, “As soon as you hear the coin in the cup ringing, a soul from purgatory will be springing” (in other words: give me money to have people let out of purgatory). Martin Luther wondered why “money” was required to get souls out of Purgatory. People want to believe this view as it ultimately gets them to heaven (unless they are “really bad”) so they also can live their lives any way they want without eternal fear.
Metaphorical View: There is a real place of conscience torment however it is not real in terms of literal flames, literal worms, etc. Those are only metaphors to describe something else. This view, as well as the above appeal to those who wish to sin as it removes them from any punishment or ultimate responsibility for their actions.
What Exactly does the Scripture tell us about “Hell”?

Everyone's ultimate abode will either be in Heaven with Christ or in Gehenna (the Lake of Fire). The Scriptures define Hell as a literal place reserved for those whodo not go to heaven. But like the penal system, we have today, there are also temporary holding cells (jail) that hold criminals before their trial and after their trial, they are then cast into prison. Unlike today’s penal system, God’s justice is perfect, and everyone who goes to the holding cells will later be found guilty by trial and then cast into prison. The scriptures refer to this judgment by God as the “Great White Throne Judgment” (Rev 20:7-15) followed by being cast into Gehenna, or the lake of fire (Rev 19:19-20; 20:7-10) as the “Second Death” (Rev 2:11; 20:6,14; 21:8). [The first death is the death of your physical body (but not your eternal spirit) and the second death for those that do not go to heaven and are to be eternally separated from God.]

The terms "hell" and "hades" are used interchangeably (Sheol is the Old Testament equivalent, Ps 16:10, Acts 2:31). This place is associated with being "under the earth" and a place that the scriptures refer to as having two compartments; the first called "Abraham's Bosom" and the second "Tartarus" (or the abussos - ie, abyss or bottomless pit or shaft leading to Tartarus). Hell, or Hades is a place of the departed souls, a grave, and a place of temporary torment, as eventually it, and all within it, will be thrown into the lake of fire (Rev 20:14).

Hell/Hades' (similar to a temporary holding jail) has two compartments:

Abraham's Bosom: Those who followed God and were saved by their faith before Jesus' resurrection were held in "Abraham's Bosom" under the earth. When Jesus died many believe that He descended into the lower parts of the earth, into a section of hades known as Abraham’s Bosom to preach to and release all those people who had died in faith and to bring them to heaven with Him. (Luke 16:19-31, 1 Pet 3:18-20, Heb 11:39-40, Eph 4:8-10). These people would have included Abraham, the prophets, and those in the Old Testament who followed God above all else.
Tartarus: The second compartment of hell is referred to as Tartarus where the fiercest of the demonic beings are locked away and held. 2 Peter 2:4 describes this as a prison where “angels who sinned” are reserved in chains for judgment. Jude 1:6 tells us that these same angels are the ones who “abandoned their own home” (ie, the 1/3rd of the angels that followed Lucifer and were cast out of heaven, their original home). God uses the bottomless pit as a holding place for those who tried and failed before the Flood to thwart God’s plan to bring the Seed of the woman into the world (Genesis 3:15). [Luke 16:24 tells us that Tartarus is a place of flames and hot, as the rich man Lazarus begs for even a drop of water from his prior servant whom he sees in Abraham’s Bosom.]
The Ultimate Prison: Gehenna, or “The Lake of Fire”:

Gehenna is a place of everlasting punishment (Mt 5:22, 29, 30) and is described as outer darkness where the antichrist, false prophet, and all those who do not make Jesus Christ their Lord are cast into after the judgment. “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged … then death and hades were cast into the lake of fire.” (Rev 20:13-14). All those who are cast into Gehenna, or the Lake of Fire, will be separated from God (Matt 25:41, 2 Thes 1:7-9) into outer darkness (Matt 8:12) and all will be tormented forever (Matt 25:41, John 5:24) with perpetual torment by burning (Mark 9:44-48).
The words in the Scriptures are extremely precise regarding Hell and eternal separation for those who don’t follow Christ. Gehenna is a place of perpetual torment. Note that it is not “torture” in which another inflicts pain upon you, but “torment”, which is the infliction of pain within the individual as a reflection of their will by your actions here on Earth choosing to live for temporary carnal pleasure living in sin, instead of following and obeying the Holy Spirit (God).
Those that Don’t go to Heaven are Cast Into the Lake of Fire

Jesus said, "Don't be afraid of those that kill your body, and after that have no power. But rather fear Him, that after the body is killed, has power to cast your soul into Gehenna.” (Matt 10:28). If there was no “hell” then there would be no reason for Jesus to save us from anything.

Rev 20:11-15: John then sees a Great White Throne and Him who sat on it. The dead, small and great were standing before God and the books were open. There was also the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to their works as recorded in the books. All whose name was not found in the Book of Life were cast into the Lake of Fire (Gehenna).

The final solution for evil is eternal punishment and separation from God forever. This is an irreversible and non-repairable state. Everyone will live forever as we were made in God’s image, and we all have eternal life. Your choices here on Earth will determine whether you have everlasting life in heaven or whether you will receive everlasting condemnation.

Eternal Separation from a Loving God is Not where you want to be!

The Nature of Hell:

Matt 8:12 – it is in outer darkness
Rev 22:15 – hell is “outside” heaven (ie, away from God)
Mt 25:41; 2 Thess 1:7-9 – it is Away from God
Mark 9:44-48 Tells us that it is “a perpetual burning”.
1 Pet 3:19 calls it “eternal imprisonment”
Luke 16:28 Tells us that anguish (intense emotional pain) and regret (what could have been) will be there
2 Thess 1:7-9 is like a divorce or a radical separation (from God)
It lasts as long as heaven does since the same word is used to describe both eternal life and eternal damnation (aionion). Mt 25:41; John 5:24
It endures as long as God does since evil must be banished from God’s nature eternally (Isa 6:1; Hab 1:3)
What about those who haven’t heard?

Through creation, the godhead is seen by all, so they have a general revelation of God (Rom 1:19-21) – everyone has seen the glory of creation and God’s handiwork
They are provided an inner conscience telling them right from wrong (Rom 2:15). The law was written on their heart (morality), so they are without excuse (to be moral or not)
“God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb 11:6).
Hard questions about Hell:

How can we be happy in heaven knowing loved ones are in hell? I would assume that being in heaven, God will change our hearts and minds so that we are in a much different position to look at this issue than how we view it now. While here on earth we must do EVERYTHING we can to witness to everyone we can so that IF they still choose to go to hell then at least we have warned them (like a watchman on a watchtower) and then their ‘blood’ is not on our hands.
How can a loving, just, and compassionate God send someone to hell? A loving, just, and compassionate God must send those who desire to go to hell to go there otherwise he would not be loving, just, and compassionate.
Why not reform people instead of eternally punishing them? These people are not willing to be reformed or rehabilitated. They had a lifetime on earth with countless chances to make their decision. The place of reformation is here and now. After we die, it is a place of reckoning.
A God who tortures people in Hell is inhumane and cruel. God does not torture people, but they are tormented because of their choosing to go there.
Additional Characteristics of Hell (Like 16:19-31):

The story starts by saying “there was a certain rich man” (meaning it’s not a story and that this is a real event).
Verse 19 also informs us that no one is immune from the afterlife (whether it be heaven or hell).
In verse 22 we see that both the rich and poor died, and one was carried to Abraham’ bosom. In verse 23 we know that people in Hades are in conscious torment and could see what was happening and what they were missing.
Lazarus is in comfort in heaven, and hell burns and lacks satisfaction (v 24). Even a drop of water would be welcome which tells us how bad a place it is.
It is also a place of memory and justice (v25) as he remembers his life on earth when he had the opportunity to make the right choices but didn’t. He remembers that he also had five brothers.
We know that there is a huge gulf fixed between hell and heaven which can’t be passed over.
People in hell appear to have a change of priorities and regret (v27-28).
It is also a place of obstinance as the rich man says “No!” (a double form meaning “no, absolutely not”). (v30)
It still is a place of selfishness and disrespect, and their senses are dull (v31).
How Do We Follow the Lord and go to Heaven?

First of all, commit your life to following the Lord! Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit continuously throughout each day of your life. Hate evil and run from it as this is the Fear of the Lord [see “Fear of the Lord” link below]. Know that you are leaving the Kingdom of Darkness to never have anything to do with it again, and a citizen of the Kingdom of Light, and as such you receive your orders from the Lord. Set in your heart what Jacob said so many years ago: “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Josh 24:15b).

Determine your Service of Calling and use the Gifts of the Spirit that He will provide to you to perform whatever He desires for you as you serve Him (yes, think of yourself as a willing servant, a bondservant, just as the Apostles did as they served the Lord). “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Rom 6:16). Put on the full armor of God, Study the Word of God and hide it in your heart (memorize it) so that you won’t sin against Him (Ps 119:11) and seek His guidance in Prayer.

Since the answer to this question is so important, it has been broken down into smaller messages that are available here:

“How Do we Follow the Lord?”
“What is YOUR Service of Calling?”
“What Are YOUR Spiritual Gifts?”
“What is the Whole Armor of God?”
“What is the Kinsman Redeemer?”
“We Are the Laodicean Church!”
“What Does it Mean to be Deceived?”
“What EXACTLY is the Fear of the Lord?”
“My People are Destroyed for Lack of Knowledge”
God Requires us to Study His Word!

The principle we are to follow is to "Prove all things by the Word of God” (1 Thess 5:21). That includes all ministers, teaching, preaching, doctrines, sermons, writings, opinions, and practices. Examine all by the light of the Bible. Any teaching that is not 100% supported by the Scriptures you are to reject wholly. Studying is not optional for Christians but is required by God. We are commanded by God to “Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15).

The problem is that there is no such thing as a perfect English translation that tells us exactly what God’s word is. There is always a discrepancy between the original Greek (NT in this case) to English and mankind has created more than 450 different English translations which have thousands of differences between themselves. So which version should you be studying if they are all saying different things? The best you can hope for is to find a translation that mirrors as closely as possible the original meanings of the scriptures.

How much easier would it be to study God’s Word if an English New Testament translation existed that took each of the original Koine Greek words and applied the original meaning along with the original parsing assigned to each of those words? This is something that even the King James scholars did not do because of the constraints placed on them by King James, their lack of knowledge of Greek, and their time constraints. The Pure Word is a New Testament reference that does just that! It is the perfect resource that every Christian should have to dive into God’s Word and use along with your preferred version of the Scriptures.

The Pure Word is a Resource All Christians Must Have!

Watch the official intro video now and see exactly how The Pure Word is an invaluable resource that should be used by every Christian, pastor, and Bible study group. Experience the gospel as they did in the first century, during the time of Christ, the Apostles, and the birth of the Church!

Revealing the Original Depth of Meaning as Written by the Apostles Over 1,900 Years Ago!