If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched where 'their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched where 'their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire where 'their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched' (Mark 9:43-48).

A 2003 Harris poll indicated 69% of Americans believe hell is real, but only 1% believe they will go there. That's not the percentage the Master taught! (Matthew 7:13-14)

Some brethren now deny that the torment of hell will be eternal. "The process may well involve a period of conscious pain involving body and soul, but the 'eternal punishment' itself is the capital execution, the everlasting loss of existence" (Fudge. 125, quoted by Peterson. 143).

In this study we will allow the Scriptures to tell us about Hell and who will be there.

Lest any be shocked or dismayed that I should deal with such an unpleasant subject, please consider this fact. The Greek word "gehenna," which is the only word properly translated by the English term "hell," is found only twelve times in the New Testament. Of those twelve, eleven are found in warnings of the Lord Jesus Christ. I make no apology for teaching what my Lord taught in the very language and spirit He Himself employed.

Hell and Hades

The King James Version, a generally reliable and accurate translation, has confused readers for centuries, in that it translates two Greek words, "gehenna" and "hades," by the one English term "hell." The error of this rendering is demonstrated in two passages. The apostle Peter, quoting Psalm 16:10, indicates the soul of Jesus was in hell (hades) between His crucifixion and resurrection, according to the King James translation of Acts 2:27. But the Spirit of the Lord was in paradise at that time (Luke 23:43). I don't think anyone will confuse paradise with hell (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:1-4). And, in Revelation 20:14, according to the KJV, hell was cast into the lake of fire. But, since the lake of fire is a symbolic reference to hell itself (verse 15), this would mean hell was cast into hell.

Hades is the common receptacle of the spirits of the dead, whether those who are tormented (Luke 16:22-23) or those who are blessed (Luke 23:43; Acts 2:47). It must not be confused with hell.

Hell / Gehenna

"Gehenna" was a transliteration into Greek of a word first found in Hebrew then Aramaic that itself came from the name "Valley of the Sons of Hinnom," the valley on the south side of Jerusalem (ISBE). It was here that apostate Judah birned their children in sacrifice to the idol Molech (2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6). Thus, righteous King Josiah, when ridding Judah of idolatry, defiled this valley so that it would never again be used for such a horrible purpose (2 Kings 23:10). This valley represented the punishment upon Judah for its idolatry (Jeremiah 7:32) and became the city dump, where the vile filth of Jerusalem was cast away and fires were kept perpetually burning. What a descriptive name for the place where the condemned will be punished.

Is Hell Real?

This is not the same as asking, Is hell spiritual or physical? There is a real, literal, spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:12).

And just as surely, there is a real place of future punishment of the lost. If this is not true, the repeated warnings of the Lord from Matthew to Revelation are nothing but false alarms (Matthew 3:12; 5:22,29-30; 7:13-14; 8:11-12; 10:28; 13:30,38-42; 18:8-9,34-35; 22:13; 23:15,33; 25:30,41,46; Mark 9:43-48; Luke 3:17; 12:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-10; 2 Peter 2:4-9; Revelation 14:9-11; 19:20; 20:10,13-15; 21:8). "He who is true" (Revelation 3:8), "the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness" (verse 14) makes statements that are "faithful and true" (Revelation 22:6); He does not employ empty scare tactics.

What Is It Like?

The punishment of the lost in hell will be terrible beyond human power to describe. Those miserable wretches so utterly condemned will be in "outer darkness" (Matthew 8:12; 22:13), even "blackness of darkness," (2 Peter 2:17; Jude verse 13), will burn without ceasing, with never any hope of relief (Mark 9:43-48; Luke 3:17; Revelation 14:10-11), will be ceaselessly eaten by worms (Mark 9:43-48; 2 Thessalonians 1:9), and will wail and grind their teeth in agony (Matthew 13:42; 22:13; 25:30). Their companions forever will be the wicked of the earth (Revelation 21:8) along with man's vicious adversary, Satan, and his angels (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).

Arguments Against Eternal Punishment

Jehovah's Witnesses deny the existence of hell altogether.

The fiendish concepts associated with a hell of torment slander God and originate with the chief slanderer of God (the Devil, which means "Slanderer"), the one whom Jesus Christ called "the father of lies" (Reasoning. 175)

Some brethren now contend that the punishment of hell is just temporary. F. LaGard Smith contends "eternal" "bespeak the nature of hell's fire, not its duration" (163). If so, heaven and hell have the same nature, for they are both eternal (Matthew 25:46).

They also argue that the term "destroy," used of punishment in hell in Matthew 10:28, means "annihilate." "Once destroyed, the wicked will never be seen again. The result is everlasting, not the process" (Fudge, Two Views. 59). The Greek word here is "apollumi." It is also found in Matthew 9:17, and Luke 15:6,8,24,32. Ruined (destroyed) wineskins weren't annihilated (Matthew 9:17), and neither a lost (destroyed) sheep (Luke 15:6), a lost (destroyed) coin (Luke 15:8), nor a lost (destroyed) son (Luke 15:24,32) had ceased to exist. This destruction will come suddenly (1 Thessalonians 5:3). If this means annihilation, the wicked won't suffer at all.

The denial of eternal punishment robs the gospel message of the force of its fearful warnings against disobedience (Matthew 8:12; Matthew 25:30; Mark 9:43-48; Revelation 14:9-11). "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Hebrews 10:31).

Passages Which Demand Unending Punishment

"And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2). The "life" and the "contempt" are equal in duration. If the contempt is temporary, so is the life.

"And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:46). "Everlasting" and "eternal" are both translations of the same Greek word, "aionios." The American Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, and the English Standard Version all translate the word as "eternal" in both its occurrences in the verse. The punishment and the life are of the same duration. If the punishment is temporary, so is the life. If the life is endless, so is the punishment. A person who has ceased to exist cannot be punished.

"Their worm does not die" (Mark 9:44,46,48). Their corruption or decay is endless. If they were annihilated, their decay would cease.

"And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever" (Revelation 14:11). If they are annihilated, and their suffering ceases, so will the "smoke of their torment." But it "ascends forever and ever." Thus, their suffering is "forever and ever," i.e., endless.

Who Will Be There?

Who will suffer the endless torment of hell? All those who are ignorant of God and fail to obey Him will so suffer (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). Religious people who believe in Christ but acted without His authority will be there (Matthew 7:21-23). Hypocrites, those who just pretended to be living for Him, will suffer eternally (Matthew 23:29-33). Those who were too lazy to labor for the Master will be there (Matthew 25:24-30) along with the ones who failed to help their brothers and sisters in need (Matthew 24:41-46). Those who live for the flesh will be in that horrible place (Galatians 6:7-8) right beside those who have failed to overcome the sinful world (Revelation 21:8).

Conclusion

Friend, brother, sister, there's a great day coming (Jude verse 6). What a day that will be! You're going to spend eternity somewhere. Heaven is the place God has prepared for those who have prepared to meet His Son. Hell is the place God prepared for the devil and his angels. But if you haven't prepared to meet the Lord in Judgment, you will spend eternity in that horrible place called hell - a place of terror, corruption, suffering, and agony without respite or end. Why don't you give your life to Christ before it's too late?

Works Cited

Fudge, Edward, The Fire That Consumes, rev. ed.. 143.
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_pool/index.asp?PID=359
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. e-Sword.
Peterson, Robert A. and Edward Fudge, Two Views of Hell
Reasoning from the Scriptures. Published by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., 1989 edition.
Smith, F. LaGard, After Life.