Is Hell Real?

Many people are thrilled and anxious about the glories of heaven but find it difficult and unpleasant to face the realities of hell. This has led some to deny the very existence of hell and its accompanying punishment. Instead of eternal punishment they suggest that at death the body and soul of the unrighteous are destroyed at once. A God that promises eternal happiness with minimal consequences for disobedience is a "comforting" thought in some ways. It diminishes the fear of failing and heightens the contrast of success. However, they proclaim these views in direct contradiction to the scriptures. By doing so they endanger their own souls as well as the thousands they come in contact with.

In the Jehovah's Witness publication Let God Be True it says, "The doctrine of a burning hell where the wicked are tortured eternally after death cannot be true, mainly for four reasons: (1) It is wholly unscriptural; (2) it is unreasonable; (3) it is contrary to God's love, and (4) it is repugnant to justice." These are the four principle arguments that are advanced by the Jehovah's Witnesses in support of their theory.

The first of these tenets is the pivotal one. The Witnesses pronounce that the idea of a place where the wicked will be punished is, "unscriptural." Nothing can be farther from the truth. At this point it is appropriate to explain exactly what the Jehovah's Witnesses understand the references to hell to refer to. Once again from Let God Be True, ". . . hell . . . means mankind's common grave, the condition where humans, good and bad, go and rest in hope of a resurrection under God's kingdom." To the Witness, hell is simply the grave. It does not carry with it the idea of punishment, neither finite nor infinite.

Much of the Witnesses' ability to clutter the issue comes from the fact that four words are translated "hell" in modern translations. The first two are the O.T. word sheol and the N.T. word hades. These words do seem to refer to a realm of the dead more than anything else. However, contrary to the Witnesses' assertions, even these words can carry with them the idea of punishment. Notice Proverbs 23:13-14, where the parent is warned not to spare the rod so that his son might escape Sheol. There is obviously no escaping death, therefore the warning is to avoid the punishment that awaits one who is disobedient. In the case of hades examine Luke 16:23. There, after dying and going to hades in the previous verse, the rich man, "lifted up his eyes, being in torment."

The other two words that are used for hell are more accurately what we think of when we refer to hell in the traditional sense. These words are tartarus and gehenna. Tartarus occurs only once in the Bible at 2 Peter 2:4. Here angels are cast into pits of darkness and reserved for judgement. Peter cites this act of judgement on God's part as a precedent for those men who would live ungodly and spread false doctrines. He further says in verse 9 that the Lord knows how to "keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgement." Certainly the idea presented here is not merely one of a place of waiting, but a place of punishment.

Gehenna, likewise, is a N.T. term that insists on something much more than merely a realm of the dead. Indeed, it speaks of punishment and retribution of an eternal variety. Notice how the Lord uses it in Matt. 18:8-9: "it is good to enter into life maimed, or halt, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into eternal fire." As He reiterates in verse 9 he next refers to it as a "hell of fire." In the parallel account in Mark 9:43 gehenna is there described as an "unquenchable fire." It becomes readily apparent that the scriptures do indeed proclaim a hell that is punishing and eternal.

Finally, something should be said in response to the remainder of the Witnesses' arguments against hell. These were: "it is unreasonable; it is contrary to God's love, and it is repugnant to justice." First of all, note that as a group these are very arrogant suppositions. Who are we, the created, to dictate to God what is "just" or "reasonable?" As Christians we must study the word of the Lord as He has given it to us and obey. It has never been nor will it ever be man's place to dictate terms to the Lord of Creation.

The second of these arguments is probably one of the most abused aspects of God's character. "God is love" is a true statement. That "God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life" is equally true. God does love each and every one of us as children. However, that does not mean He will overlook our disobedience. In 1 Peter 1:17 the apostle warns his readers that if they address Him as Father who impartially judges that they conduct themselves in fear and reverence. He is Holy so His children must be Holy (1 Peter 1:16).

Peter gives this stern warning in the midst of a discussion of the blessings of Christian salvation. Indeed, God has richly blessed us, and the assurance of that wonderful home should always drive us onward. However, the reality of hell must not be overlooked as a destination to be avoided with all our strength.