The Reality of Hell

Over the past few years there seem to have been an increase in the  acceptance of Universalist teaching that says in effect that there is no hell as told in the Bible, and even if there is one, such a loving God will never send any body to hell, and ultimately all will be saved and go to heaven! In the past only the more liberal groups of Christians are said to have accepted this teaching, but now it  is being increasingly accepted  even among the so called conservative groups. If this is true, it surely  is an alarming trend because this teaching goes in direct opposition to the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

I believe this teaching finds wider and wider acceptance because many people are afraid to think about hell as they knew in their hearts that they are going to end up there if hell actually exists. They want to continue enjoying their easy and sinful life in this world.  Whenever the topic of hell comes up, they feel quilty and condemned, and they would rather cover up those feelings and pretend that all is well, and no matter what kind of life style they lived in this world, they are going to end up in heaven anyway!  Therefore, according to this belief, you don't need to repent of your sins ('sin'  to them is also a relative term), nor you need to do anything special to go to heaven.  No matter you are a drunkard, or you commit adultery or murder,  you will ultimately make it to heaven at the end of the day! In short, you don't need a saviour, and YOU DON'T NEED JESUS!  God the loving Father will take you to heaven anyway!  Its amazing how far people could go away from true Biblical teaching and yet call themselves Christians!

JESUS CLEARLY TAUGHT THERE IS HELL:   The most vivid picture of hell was in the story told by Jesus in the gospel of Luke 16:19-31.  Jesus did not tell this story as a parable. He told it as a fact. The story is about one rich man who enjoyed life all for himself, and a beggar named Lazarus who was laid at the rich man's gate to beg, but apparently the rich man never allow him to eat even the left overs that fell from his dining  table. After both of them died, the beggar was carried  by angels to heaven, but the rich man found himself in hell where he was in torment. 

I have read a number of testimonies of people who died and went to hell but came back to life. Most of their accounts are amazingly similar to Jesus' story in the gospel of Luke.  One of the most detailed account of hell is Mary K. Baxter's account in her  book, "Divine Revelation of Hell".   Her testimony is also available online as audio download, for example  from  sites like http://www.spiritlesson.com/

Hell is a place of torment and is eternal in nature:  Whenever hell is mentioned in the Bible, it is  always implied as a place of torment and punishment.  As in the above text in Luke, Jesus said that the rich man was in torment in hell.  Again Jesus said in Mark 9:49 that hell is a place where "their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched".   Revelation 20:10 confirms the eternal nature of hell in no uncertain terms: "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". Again in Matthew 25:46, Jesus said that those condemned  "will go way to eternal punishment".

The human soul is immortal:  Another false teaching is Annihilationism which goes something like this:  The human soul has 'conditional immortality', meaning that those believers in Christ will enjoy immortality and joy in heaven whereas all unbelievers will be completely annihilated and they cease to exist forever. There will be no conscious suffering for any length of time. They will be just obliterated completely from their existence.  This belief is held by many Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists and some liberal evangelicals. But according to Biblical view, the soul (spirit) is immortal, and those who are sent to hell will suffer their torment will full consciousness for ever and ever.   The idea of eternal conscious suffering is hard to accept for any normal mind, but we have to accept what the Bible says, as John Stott* says: " Emotionally, I find the concept [of eternal conscious torment] intolerable and do not understand how people can live with it without either cauterising their feelings or cracking under the strain. But our emotions are a fluctuating, unreliable guide to truth and must not be exalted to the place of supreme authority in determining it . . . my question must be — and is — not what does my heart tell me, but what does God’s word say?"

 (*Stott: Essentials, 315-16)

Hell is not meant for human beings:  According to Jesus, hell is not prepared for human beings but for the devil and his angels. (Matt 25:41)  However, those who reject God and His plan of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ are automatically condemned  and have to go to hell, as they have not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.  "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe  stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son". (John 3:18)

We all have to choose now!  Our eternal destiny is determined by our choices while alive on earth.  The choice is really very simple:  Either choose to believe in Jesus for your salvation that leads to eternal life and joy in heaven, or ignore Jesus and end up in hell!  Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me". (John 14:6)  The choice is yours!

Finally,  Do not be deceived by false ideas and teachings. Remember: Hell is real as much as Heaven is real! 

A. W. Tozer's Ordination Prayer

(The prayer of A.W. Tozer, on his ordination as a pastor of the church, is so awesome.   I wish all pastors and ministers of the Word would pray that kind of prayer.) 


"O Lord, I have heard Thy voice and was afraid. Thou hast called me to an awesome task in a grave and perilous hour. Thou are about to shake all nations and the earth and also heaven, that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. O Lord, our Lord, Thou has stooped to honor me to be Thy servant. No man takes this honor upon himself save he that is called of God as was Aaron. Thou has ordained me Thy messenger to them that are stubborn of heart and hard of hearing. They have rejected Thee, the Master, and it is not to be expected that they will receive me, the servant.



My God, I shall not waste time deploring my weakness nor my unfittedness for the work. The responsibility is not mine but Thine. Thou hast said, “I knew thee—I ordained thee—I sanctified thee,” and Thou has also said, “Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.” Who am I to argue with Thee or to call into question Thy sovereign choice? The decision is not mine but Thine. So be it, Lord. Thy will, not mine, be done.


Well do I know, Thou God of the prophets and the apostles, that as long as I honor Thee Thou wilt honor me. Help me therefore to take this solemn vow to honor Thee in all my future life and labors, whether by gain or by loss, by life or by death, and then to keep that vow unbroken while I live.


It is time, O God, for Thee to work, for the enemy has entered into Thy pastures and the sheep are torn and scattered. And false shepherds abound who deny the danger and laugh at the perils which surround Thy flock. The sheep are deceived by these hirelings and follow them with touching loyalty while the wolf closes in to kill and destroy. I beseech Thee, give me sharp eyes to detect the presence of the enemy; give me understanding to distinguish the false friend from the true. Give me vision to see and courage to report what I see faithfully. Make my voice so like Thine own that even the sick sheep will recognize it and follow Thee.


Lord Jesus, I come to Thee for spiritual preparation. Lay Thy hand upon me. Anoint me with the oil of the New Testament prophet. Forbid that I should become a religious scribe and thus lose my prophetic calling. Save me from the curse that lies dark across the face of the modern clergy, the curse of compromise, of imitation, of professionalism. Save me from the error of judging a church by its size, its popularity or the amount of its yearly offering. Help me to remember that I am a prophet; not a promoter, not a religious manager—but a prophet. Let me never become a slave to crowds. Heal my soul of carnal ambitions and deliver me from the itch for publicity. Save me from the bondage to things. Let me not waste my days puttering around the house. Lay Thy terror upon me, O God, and drive me to the place of prayer where I may wrestle with principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world. Deliver me from overeating and late sleeping. Teach me self-discipline that I may be a good soldier of Jesus Christ.


I accept hard work and small rewards in this life. I ask for no easy place. I shall try to be blind to the little ways that I could make my life easier. If others seek the smoother path I shall try to take the hard way without judging them too harshly. I shall expect opposition and try to take it quietly when it comes. Or if, as sometimes it falleth out to Thy servants, I shall have grateful gifts pressed upon me by Thy kindly people, stand by me then and save me from the blight that often follows. Teach me to use whatever I receive in such manner that it will not injure my soul nor diminish my spiritual power. And if in Thy permissive providence honor should come to me from Thy church, let me not forget in that hour that I am unworthy of the least of Thy mercies, and that if men knew me as intimately as I know myself they would withhold their honors or bestow them upon others more worthy to receive them.

And now, O Lord of heaven and earth, I consecrate my remaining days to Thee; let them be many or few, as Thou wilt. Let me stand before the great or minister to the poor and lowly; that choice is not mine, and I would not influence it if I could. I am Thy servant to do Thy will, and that will is sweeter to me than position or riches or fame and I choose it above all things on earth or in heaven. Though I am chosen of Thee and honored by a high and holy calling, let me never forget that I am but a man of dust and ashes, a man with all the natural faults and passions that plague the race of men. I pray Thee therefore, my Lord and Redeemer, save me from myself and from all the injuries I may do myself while trying to be a blessing to others. Fill me with thy power by the Holy Spirit, and I will go in Thy strength and tell of Thy righteousness, even Thine only. I will spread abroad the message of redeeming love while my normal powers endure.

Then, dear Lord, when I am old and weary and too tired to go on, have a place ready for me above, and make me to be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting. Amen.