How Do I Know Hell Is Real?By David Halbrook |
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If your parents were Christians when you were growing up, then from your childhood you have probably known the song Jesus Loves Me. While the primary impression this song makes is about Jesus' love for us, there is a secondary yet equally important point that is made—“the Bible tells me so.” This song provides a “formula” that should guide us throughout life. If there is any spiritual thing which I know to be true, I know it “for the Bible tells me so.” What about hell? How do I know hell is real? I know hell is real because the Bible tells me so. The Bible tells me that: Hell is a real place. There are six verses which record Jesus specifically saying that some would be “cast into hell” (Matt. 5:29, 30; 18:9; Mk. 9:45, 47; Lk. 12:5). When Jesus spoke of hell, He described it as a place where men would not want to go. Did Jesus cause people to fear going to a place that did not exist? In Matthew 25:41 Jesus described this place as “the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” into which the wicked will be cast—a real place. Real people will go to hell. Imaginary people cannot go to real places, and real people cannot go to imaginary places. When Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that both they and their proselytes were sons of hell, He was talking to real people, thus He was talking about a real place (Matt. 23:15). This place is also inhabited by “real beings” such as the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41). Real people, real place. Real pain tortures the inhabitants of hell. On a few occasions, Jesus concluded His parables in which someone was punished by saying “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 22:13; 24:51; 25:30). Clearly, Jesus is teaching men that God will punish the unfaithful in such a way that will cause them to suffer significantly. In Mark 9:43, Jesus teaches that it is better to suffer inconvenience in this life rather than “to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched.” If the pain and suffering of hell is not real, then why accept some suffering in this life? Some might say “because the joy of heaven is greater than earthly joy.” That's true, but that is not the point Jesus made. He said that the suffering of hell is greater than any suffering in this life. Real people, in a real place with real suffering! “What will this suffering be like? How can a spiritual being burn eternally?” one might ask. How does a space shuttle (which weighs over two million tons) get off the ground? I may not be able to explain precisely how it does, but I know that it does! Likewise, I may not be able to explain precisely how a spiritual being will suffer, but I know that he will. How do I know? The Bible tells me so! Real eternity awaits us all. The Hebrew author reminds us that physical death and subsequent judgment are certainties for man (9:27). Beyond judgment lies eternity. We know this because Jesus showed that at the end of the judgment the wicked will “go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” There is no distinction to be made between “everlasting” and “eternal.” In fact they are different translations of the same Greek word (aionios). Just like you might translate the Spanish word hola as either “hi” or “hello,” so the Greek word aionios describes the length of time in which men will remain either in heaven or hell. Two real places into which all real people go to receive a real, just, and eternal reward “according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). If you don't believe that hell is real, what reliable source has led you to that conclusion? Man's emotions, traditions, and preferences do not change the reality of hell. Ignoring or disputing its reality only leads you closer to knowing (meaning experiencing) all of the horrors of hell. How beautiful heaven must be, and how terrible hell must be. How can we know? Ask most any 5 year old who has Christian parents and he can tell you the key—“for the Bible tells me so.” |
That which has been is what will be, |
