What Will Hell Be Like?

For those of you who follow my blog, the title of this week’s post is probably no surprise. Last week I wrote about heaven, so this week, I’m writing about the other place–the one that people don’t like to talk or write about. However, given that the decision about your eternal destination is the most important one you will ever make, it’s vital to understand what the Bible teaches about hell.

Perhaps the images you have about hell include Satan as a ruler over the demons and people there, perhaps holding a pitchfork and standing in a barren cavern with fire all around. Here is what Revelation 20:10 says: “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” It is clear that Satan will not be the ruler in hell, but the image of fire is quite clear. I have recently read other opinions about hell which include ideas like, “Well, Satan and his demons will be in hell, but not people.” Here’s what Matthew says in Chapter 13 verses 49-50: “The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Take a look at verse 7 in the book of Jude: “Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.” Mark 9:43-48 also tells us about hell. In verse 43, the phrase “where the fire never goes out” is used to describe hell. The second part of verse 47 and verse 48 say this: “It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'”

The image of fire is pervasive in these verses; it is also clear that people who did not put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be in hell forever. The idea that Rob Bell popularized in 2011, that hell is a temporary place for people because everyone will eventually get to heaven, is clearly not Biblical. Matthew 25:46 is another verse that teaches hell is permanent: “Then they [the goats, who are unbelievers] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

There is another image used in the Bible to refer to hell. Three verses in Matthew refer to “darkness” (NIV) or “outer darkness” (ESV). Here’s one of them: “And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is at the end of the parable of the talents; notice the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth,” which is also used in Matthew 13:50 in relation to hell. Verse 13 in Jude is particularly striking in its imagery: “They [godless men] are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.”

I don’t consider this an important question, but someone reading this might, so: how can hell be a place of both fire and darkness? Let me answer it this way: have you ever made a campfire at night? If so, this is not hard to picture. You have fire shooting up several feet into the air and providing illumination, but except for other campfires and other small sources of light here and there, the campground is still enveloped in darkness. It’s also possible that fire and darkness in these Bible verses about hell are meant to be taken figuratively rather than literally. Regardless, it is a place of torment. How much of it is physical and how much is mental/emotional, I don’t know.

In summary, the Bible tells us that hell is at least three things: a place of fire; a place of darkness; and a place of eternal torment because it is separation from God. So far, I have only implied that very last part, but 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 makes this eternal separation from God explicit: “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.” Notice the phrase “shut out from the presence of the Lord.” Do you remember when Jesus was on the cross and He said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) Jesus was on the cross for about six hours; Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell us that darkness came over the whole land for the last three hours. It was during these three hours that Jesus endured hell, or separation from the Father, so that we don’t have to. If you are reading this and don’t have saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray that will change today.

What Will Heaven Be Like?

Maybe when you think of heaven, images of harps, halos, and people sitting on clouds come to mind. If so, those are cultural images which have nothing to do with the reality of heaven. (OK, maybe the harps!) In truth, prior to my discovery of the book Heaven (2004) by Randy Alcorn, I did not have a good picture of heaven, either.

One thing that used to puzzle me was the concept of the new heaven and the new earth, which John wrote about in Revelation. (For a glorious picture of the current heaven, read Revelation Chapters 4, 5, 7, 11:15-19, 14:1-7, and 19:1-16. This post focuses on the new heaven.) I imagined flitting between heaven and earth, for example. However, once I read Alcorn’s book and took a closer look at the first few verses of Revelation 21, I began to see it in a whole new way. Here is what Rev. 21:1-3 says: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.'” Do you see it? The Holy City “coming down” and God living with us? Alcorn’s thesis is essentially that the new heaven and the new earth will be one and the same; in other words, we will literally have heaven on earth.

Alcorn wrote his enlightening book as answers to a series of questions. For example: What will it mean for God to dwell among us? How will we relate to each other? What will our bodies be like? Will we eat and drink on the new earth? What will the great city be like? (Revelation 21:9-22:5 gives lots of details in answer to that question.) Will animals inhabit the new earth? Will heaven ever be boring? Admittedly, some of Alcorn’s answers are speculative, but if you dismiss certain cultural images and presuppositions about heaven that you may have, you can let your imagination soar. If you look at the photo on my home page, you can see Delicate Arch, one of my favorite places on Earth. When I think about the new earth, I think of that. Among other things, I also think of some of my favorite waterfalls, the Pacific Ocean, and the two glorious total solar eclipses I have witnessed. Then I imagine something like these places and events on the new earth, only even better, that the Lord will prepare for us. If you don’t especially enjoy nature now, I think you will on the new earth!

I picture being reunited with my parents and other loved ones who were believers here. I look forward to talking with people like Charles Colson, whose books have contributed so mightily to my growth as a Christian. I imagine talking with Adam and Eve; I have so many questions about the Garden of Eden and other aspects of the time before sin entered the world. Speaking of sin: What will it be like to talk with people without any aspect of sin entering our conversation? And how about the ultimate: fellowshipping with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Himself?! What will that be like?!

My wife came across this on sayingsforchurchsigns.com (thanks, Jonas, for posting this!): “Will not need in heaven: clock, doc., lock, Glock, H&R Block.” Since “doc.” apparently refers to “documents,” I would like to add “doc,” as in “doctors.” You can have your own fun thinking of things you won’t need in heaven, even if they don’t rhyme!

Joni Eareckson Tada (someone else I look forward to talking with in heaven, especially if I never get the opportunity here!) is a well-known author, radio host, artist, and founder of an organization focused on the disability community. (She has been a quadriplegic since 1967.) She was once asked something like this: “What do you think your first experience of heaven will be like?” She referred to the following, which is the theme music from the movie Cast Away (2000): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMoFmICrISE. It makes me cry–in a good way–almost every time I listen to it.

This reconceptualization of the new heaven (and new earth) has whetted my appetite for it in ways I had never imagined. If you are reading this as someone who has trusted in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, I look forward to seeing you in heaven, too. If not, my prayer is that you will come to saving faith in Him.

Is It Possible to Lose Your Salvation?

This question is not one that has troubled me, but I think it’s a very important one. It’s also related to two of my previous posts; here are the links: https://keithpetersenblog.com/2020/05/26/is-it-possible-for-jesus-to-be-your-savior-but-not-your-lord/ and https://keithpetersenblog.com/2020/06/17/what-happens-to-those-who-never-hear-the-gospel/ The first one is about whether it’s possible for Jesus to be your Savior but not your Lord; the second one is about what happens to those who never hear the Gospel.

There’s a puzzling passage in Hebrews 6:4-6 that I want to look at: “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace.” At first reading, it seems that this passage is saying that it’s possible to lose your salvation. I remember a conversation many years ago with a brother in Christ who said that very thing. Is that really what the writer of Hebrews is saying?

The Hebrews were the immediate audience of this book of the Bible. Who were the Hebrews? The Jews of the first century A.D. In light of that, the last part of this sentence is worthy of a closer look. As a whole, the nation of Israel at that time rejected Jesus as Messiah; that’s why they asked the Romans to crucify Him. Before Jesus died, the Jews sacrificed animals as commanded in the Mosaic law. Because they rejected Jesus, they continued these sacrifices after His death and resurrection. In other words, His sacrifice meant nothing to them; I think that’s what “crucifying the Son of God all over again” means. “It is impossible…to be brought back to repentance” then would probably refer to the nation of Israel. And in 70 A.D., the nation was destroyed by the Romans, just as Jesus had said in Matthew 24:2: “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Another possible interpretation of Hebrews 6:4-6 is that it refers to people like those described in Matthew 13:20-21 in the parable of the sower: “The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.” Alistair Begg, one of my favorite preachers, speaks about Hebrews 6:4-6 here: https://www.truthforlife.org/resources/sermon/the-peril-of-spiritual-apostasy/. He mentions Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus, as a “chilling reminder” of someone who was actually with the Lord and yet who was not saved. He was an example of someone who certainly appeared to be a follower of Jesus but in fact was not. In contrast to Judas, Alistair refers to John 10:28, which I also referred to in last week’s post: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” Alistair says, “The fact of the matter is, we are not strong enough to jump out when God is determined to hold us in.” I couldn’t agree more. On the other hand, people who have tasted the goodness of the Lord but have chosen to reject Him may get to the point where their heart is like stone; in both their words and their actions, they deny Him. If they ultimately don’t repent, it proves that they were never really Christians in the first place.

In summary in regard to Hebrews 6:4-6, we have two very plausible alternatives to the idea that a person can lose his/her salvation. I favor the first one, regarding the passage referring to the nation of Israel in the first century A.D. However, the second alternative is also very reasonable: there are people who ostensibly used to be Christians but who ultimately reject Jesus as Savior and Lord. Even if this passage does not refer to the second alternative, there are others that do. One particularly chilling one is Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'”

What is not at all plausible is that we can lose our salvation. In last week’s post, I wrote about God’s choosing us in John 6:44: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.” In Philippians 1:6, we have even more assurance because of God’s choosing us: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

So, what of those who used to be churchgoers, who were baptized, and who appeared to be believers? Do we have any basis in Scripture for hoping that they will repent? Thankfully, the answer is yes! You’re probably familiar with the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32; maybe you and I need to reread this story as we think about those we know who used to profess faith in Jesus. Pray for their repentance, and trust the Lord regardless of how they respond.

What Happens to Those Who Never Hear the Gospel?

There have been two times in my life that I have wrestled with this question: once when I was a young believer, and then again 20+ years later. When I think about this question, there are two groups of people that come to my mind: adults who have never heard the Gospel and children who are too young to understand it. In other words, very young children may have “heard” the Gospel but simply been unable to grasp it. For them, I think that 2 Samuel gives us the answer. After David’s child with Bathsheba dies, David says in Chapter 12:23, “Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” This indicates that David would see his child again in heaven and, I believe, gives us assurance that when young children die, we will see them again.

What about adults who die without having heard the Gospel? I believe that Romans 1:18-23 gives as clear an answer as any other passage in Scripture. Verses 18-20 say this: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” This chapter goes on to say that people make images (idols) made to look like people and animals rather than worshiping God. In other words, they worship things in creation rather than the Creator.

The phrase “being understood from what has been made” is an important one in trying to answer this question. I believe the Lord is telling us that people can at least dimly apprehend the concept of Him, the Creator, by looking at His creation. On a personal note, I believe that this is why my best times of worship are when I am in nature. Much more importantly, I believe this is one of the reasons why there have been groups of people who have been remarkably receptive to the Gospel, to the point where, in mass numbers, they have almost immediately accepted it when they have heard it. Don Richardson’s remarkable book Eternity in Their Hearts (1981) gives examples of people like the 19th-century Karen of Myanmar and the Lisu of China to illustrate this.

In Revelation 7:9, the apostle John tells us in his vision of heaven: “After this I looked and there before me was a multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.” In other words, the Bible is very clear that when we get to heaven, there will be representatives from every people group who have ever lived. However, what of individuals who die without having heard the Gospel? Is it possible for such people to be saved? Again, I refer to Romans 1, which says people are “without excuse” because of what they can see in creation. I don’t know if it’s possible to definitively say whether such people will be in heaven or not (I don’t think they will be), but what we do know is that all of those who God has chosen, from the beginning of creation until Jesus returns, will be there.

The word “chosen” is used throughout Scripture to refer to those who are God’s people–those who are saved. Rather than getting into an extended discussion of whose choice it is, let’s look at John 6:44, where Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.” This is as clear a statement as there is in Scripture that the Lord draws people to saving faith in Himself. And in John 10:28, Jesus says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” The Lord will always save those who He has chosen, even in countries that are now closed to missionaries. Sometimes He uses technology, such as radio and the Internet. There have also been accounts of people who have had dreams in which Jesus appeared to them. At the time of the dream, they have not understood it was Jesus, but the dream has led them on a journey of discovery and ultimately to saving faith.

Over the years in trying to answer this question, I have heard and read many times, “It’s not fair.” That’s one reason that Rob Bell (author of Love Wins) believes everyone will eventually be in heaven. One conclusion I have come to is that the entire human race, including me, deserves to spend eternity in hell; that’s “fair.” The fact that I am going to instead be in heaven for eternity is pure grace. If you are reading this and are not yet a Christian, heaven can be your eternal destination as well if you trust in Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

Does God Love Everyone? (Part 2)

In Part 1, I wrote about examples from the Old Testament which at the very least call into question whether God loves everyone. Now let’s look at some passages from the New Testament that do the same.

In Matthew 23, the Lord Jesus Himself spoke very strong words of condemnation against the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. Verse 15 is particularly striking: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.” A caveat: we know that this did not apply to every one of them; Nicodemus (see John 3) appears to be a notable exception.

In 2 Peter Chapter 2 and Jude verses 3-16, the Lord tells us what will happen to false teachers and godless men, respectively. I recommend that you read these passages in their entirety, but here is what 2 Peter 2:14 says: “With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed–an accursed brood!” Here is what Jude says in verse 13: “They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.”

I find it difficult, if not impossible, to read verses like these and believe that God loves everyone. However, I think it’s important to address two verses that might seem to indicate the opposite. John 3:16, for example, is one of the best-known verses in all of Scripture: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This indicates that the Lord loves the human race collectively, particularly if you read the next four verses of that chapter, where Jesus speaks of evil people who are condemned already. 2 Peter 3:9 is another verse which I have heard and read many times in support of the idea that God loves everyone, but let’s look at both verses 8 and 9 for the context: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” That last sentence, in particular, is commonly understood to mean that God wants every single member of the human race to repent, but is that really what it means? Notice the word “you;” who does it refer to? Look again at verse 8, and the answer is clear: “dear friends.” Who are the dear friends? Look at the first verse of the book of 2 Peter, where Peter states who he is addressing his letter to: “To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours.” In other words, the Lord doesn’t want any of His people to perish, but instead wants all of them to come to repentance. And indeed, all of them will.

It’s probably obvious by now what my answer to the question posed in the title of this post is. So, if God doesn’t love everyone, who does He love? His people; in other words, all believers from the beginning of creation until Jesus returns. I have no doubt that some will ask, “So what? Why is this important? Aren’t you just stirring up controversy for no good reason?” If you believe that God loves everyone, let’s take this belief to its logical conclusion: either God stops loving unbelievers at some point, or He never stops, even after they’re in hell. The ultimate extension of this logic is that everyone, eventually, will end up in heaven, and that hell will be empty. Does this sound familiar? In Part 1 of this post, I mentioned the book Love Wins by Rob Bell. He is a universalist, meaning that yes, he believes that everyone will be saved eventually. That is not only wrong; it is eternally dangerous because ultimately, it doesn’t matter, then, whether you repent and trust Jesus for your salvation in this life or not. You will still end up in heaven at some point in eternity, even if you don’t start there.

I’m not saying that everyone who believes that God loves everyone thinks this way. However, Rob Bell does, and we see the result. Let’s make sure that we understand the potential eternal danger of such a belief as we are telling others about the Lord.

(For a more complete, nuanced view of God’s three types of love as described by some theologians, see https://keithpetersenblog.com/2020/07/29/three-types-of-divine-love/.)