Intelligent Minds Question the Reality of Hell

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If there’s a good God and good Heaven, then it seems our good deeds would gain God’s favor and earn our way into Heaven. But it seems unreasonable for a good or loving God to send anyone to an eternal torture chamber called Hell. That sadistic God appalls and repels me. Most people aren’t bad and anybody punished in a lake of fire forever is really cruel and extreme. Wouldn’t a little bit of light punishment bring them to their senses? They would repent of their wrongdoing and be ready for Heaven.

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I believe I’m a reasonable thinking person. But I’ll admit that I don’t know everything, and that I could have overlooked something essential. So in fairness, can you as a Bible believing Christian tell me where I may be wrong? And give me some biblical evidence? I have three perplexing questions.

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Why Must Hell Be Eternal?

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All Sin Makes Us Unacceptable to God and Unfit for Heaven.” Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9-10).

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We humans don’t have God’s perfect knowledge and don’t see sin as God’s does. If we’re not murders or rapists, we think we’re not bad persons. We can perform a good act with an evil self-centered motive. And we excuse our wrongdoing saying circumstances forced me to do it. But God’s law, written on our hearts with our conscience bearing witness, nullifies all excuses (Rom. 2:14-15). Romans 1:18-2:1 gives a long list of sins we continually commit and suppress which shows we reject God, rebel against his law, and are without excuse.

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Hell must be eternal because God’s holy nature accepts only perfect people. Jesus said, “You shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). “Your iniquities have separated you from your God” (Isa. 59:2).

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Sin is unacceptable to a morally perfect God. And how can we trust an imperfect God? He might overlook us, forget us, not love us, ignore us, even hate us. Among world religions, only the eternal, infinite God of the Judao-Christian Bible is perfect and thus trustworthy. So 51% goodness is unacceptable to God and defiling of Heaven. Besides, it’s not our faulty idea of goodness but God’s perfect standard in accord with His perfect nature.

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Hell must be eternal because Heaven is perfect. Heaven is not just good—it’s God’s house and it’s perfect. “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Rev. 21:27).

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One hundred percent perfection is required to enter Heaven. Our good deeds can’t outweigh our bad deeds; all bad deeds must be forgiven and cleansed. Persons with 51% goodness are still sinners and like a cancer corrupt Heaven turning it into Hell. The Lamb’s Book of life is not the church roll. The only names written in it are humble sinners who trusted in their Savior. Jesus is the Light that alone repels all the darkness and torments of Hell.

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God gives one life and after this the judgment. “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment (Heb. 9:27). There’s no multiple lives based upon the cycles of nature as in pantheistic religions. A holy God doesn’t give people multiple lives to wallow in sin. It’s our Creator’s right to say how long we live and that our every breath should glorify Him.

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What Is the Nature of Hell?

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Hell is torment of mind, not torture of body. “Come to this place of torment” (Luke 16:28; Rev. 14:10-11; 20:10). The Bible represents God as loving sinners and not wanting them to perish (Jn. 3:16; 2 Pet. 3:9). God’s not a sadistic devil who enjoys torturing persons in fire. The fiery lake and furnace represent a confined place of torment because its fire doesn’t consume the worm, as does the fire we know. And the  worm is a condescending term used of persons (Job 25:6; Ps. 22:6; Isa. 41:14; Mk. 9:44). Outer darkness is distance from God who is Light. Weeping and gnashing teeth is not bodily torture, but self-inflicted agonies as feelings of guilt, unrest, emptiness, regret, rebellion, uselessness, anger, hate, loneliness, fear, loss, despair (Job 16:9; Ps. 35:16; Acts 7:54; Jude 13; Gal. 5:19-21).

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Hell is punishment equal to degrees of sins committed. “More tolerable” and “greater sin” and other phrases show degrees. No persons receive the same reward or punishment. The Bible teaches our deeds decide our degree of reward in Heaven for servicing God (1 Cor. 3:11-15; Gal. 5:22; Rev. 22:12), or degree of punishment in Hell for sins (Matt. 11:22-24; Rom. 2:5-6; Heb. 10:29). Its pure justice as only can be true of an all-knowing and utterly just God (Gal. 6:7-8; Gen. 18:25).

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Hell is not annihilation. “These will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matt. 25:46). Hell confirms human dignity and freedom in God’s image; being annihilated like animals destroys it (Gen. 1:26-7; Ps. 8:5-9). Destroy, perish, and second death mean a changed state or condition like a wrecked car, not ceasing to exist. The Bible is clear that sinners in Hell are consciously tormented, eternally punished, by degrees and exist away from the Lord (2 Thess. 1:9; Dan. 12:2; Jn. 5:25; Rom. 2:6-8)..

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How Can A Loving God and Eternal Hell Be Compatible?

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A loving God gives everyone opportunity to be saved from an eternal Hell. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29:13). According to the Bible, the only reason people don’t find God is that they don’t want Him. When people are willing to turn from their sins and turn to God’s way of living, God will make Himself known to them. Many Bible passages say so (Deut. 4:29; Heb. 11:6; Isa. 55:6-7; Rom. 12:1-2). We have examples of seeking finders—the wise men (Matt. 2:1-12), Simeon (Luke. 2:25-32), Anna (Lk.2:36-38), Ethiopian (Acts 8), Cornelius (Acts 10). Missionaries tell stories of persons today who travel long distances and face great hardships to find Jesus. God witnesses through nature (Rom. 1:20), conscience (Rom. 2:14), the Holy Spirit (Jn. 16:8-11), the Bible (Heb. 4:12) and his church (Acts 1:8). God commands all men everywhere to repent, has set a day to judge the world, and given proof by raising Jesus from the dead (Acts 17:27-31; 4:12; Rom. 10:9-10).    

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A loving God can’t save unrepentant persons from eternal Hell. “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God (Rom. 2:5). You can’t force someone to love you. Force is rape—love uses persuasion. A loving God must allow people to reject him and hate his right ways even to their death. Further, if Hell could reform sinners, God would not have sent Jesus to bear our sin on the cross. Hell is final, fixed, the end of a one-way street. It demonstrates God is Lord over evil. See also Luke 16:26; Jn. 3:36).

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A loving God has promised his faithful saints a sin free eternal home. “They shall be his people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4).

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This wonderful promise has encouraged and motivated God’s people to live for him who died for them and arose again. We will have new perfect bodies and no more sinful nature, nor Satan and demons, nor evil world philosophy to tempt us. When we see Jesus, we will be holy like him and enjoy serving him eternally. But the wicked that ignored and rejected God, and hated his ways on earth will live in outer darkness and torments by their own choice. Hell glorifies God by display of his truth, justice, righteousness, patience, love, power and triumph over evil. Do you look forward to that blessed hope of living with Jesus? You can. Tell God you’re a sinner wanting your way rather than His and that you trust Him now to forgive you by paying for your sins on the cross.

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