South End Church of Christ :: Article: Hell is Real

South End Church of Christ 4001 Taylor Blvd Louisville, KY 40215

	Hell is Real Aaron Erhardt Hell is real. It is a “place” (Matthew 8:12) where many will “go” (Mark 9:43). It is described as “the fiery furnace” (Matthew 13:42), “the outer darkness” (Matthew 25:30), “the eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41), “the unquenchable fire” (Mark 9:43), “the gloom of utter darkness” (2 Peter 2:17), “the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14), etc. It is “the punishment of eternal destruction” to be suffered “away from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). It is better to lose body parts than go to hell (Mark 9:43-48), for it is a “much worse punishment” than even death (Hebrews 10:28-29). It is a conscious torment that never ends. In fact, the same word (aionios) is used to describe the duration of heaven and hell (Matthew 25:46). Hence, both last as long as the other. They are eternal, everlasting, ongoing, without end, etc. That word is also used of God (Romans 16:26) and the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 9:14). Hell will be heavily populated. Jesus said that “many” are headed there (Matthew 7:13). This includes the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41), the ignorant and disobedient (2 Thessalonians 1:8), some religious people (Matthew 7:21-23), lukewarm members (Revelation 3:16), the ungodly and immoral (Revelation 21:8), etc. Just as heaven is a prepared place for prepared people, hell is a prepared place for unprepared people. When hell is translated from the Greek word gehenna, it uniformly carries the idea of eternal punishment for the wicked beyond this life (Matthew 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5; James 3:6). Jesus used the word eleven out of the twelve times it appears in Scripture. God has done much to keep people out of hell. He gave us His Son (John 3:16) and the message of salvation (Romans 1:16). He patiently waits for men to repent (2 Peter 3:9). If a person ends up in hell, it is not God’s fault.