There are two possible and very real destinations for the person. We will either experience the resurrection to life or the resurrection to judgment. The current place of temporary residence for those experiencing the resurrection of judgment is Hades and at the Judgment, Hades itself will be thrown into the Lake of Fire along with those who are in that place. Hades and the Lake of fire have already been described for us as places of weeping and gnashing of teeth, but what more does the Bible have to say about them? Is there anything else, or are we left to wonder? In this section, we will limit ourselves to considering the descriptions of Hell. Next week, we will consider the individual’s experience in Hell.
There are four prominent views on the nature of Hell. The first is the traditional view. Hell is a place of eternal conscious torment.
The second is the terminal view. The fires of Hell will justly burn away all that is evil until it is burned away. There is an eternal fire, but eventually, evil is consumed and those in Hell annihilated.
The third is the universalist view. Hell exists eternally as a place of judgment, but eventually, every person will be reconciled to Christ because Christ’s atoning work is unlimited or universal.
The fourth is the purgatorial view. Hell exists eternally as a place of judgment, but a vast majority of people will pass through purgatory and be admitted, by grace, into Christ’s presence after they are fully sanctified.
In the church today, preaching and teaching about Hell is almost absent. It is either because we don’t understand Hell or are afraid to think about the reality of Hell in light of God’s goodness. After all, how could a good, loving, generous, and gracious God create a place like Hell and send otherwise good people there just because they don’t believe in Him? We’ve already established a reality according to Scripture. There is a resurrection to judgment. There is a finality to this resurrection. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth for those who experience this resurrection to judgment. In this section, we will consider some of these questions:
Is or will Satan be in charge?
Are there different levels of Hell?
Where is Hell located?
Are the descriptions of Hell literal or metaphorical?
Before answering these, I want to consider what the Bible basically has to say regarding Hell’s description.
Jeremiah 7:30-34
“For the Judeans have done what is evil in My sight.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “They have set up their detestable things in the house that is called by My name and defiled it. They have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom in order to burn their sons and daughters in the fire, a thing I did not command; I never entertained the thought.
“Therefore, take note! Days are coming” — the Lord’s declaration — “when this place will no longer be called Topheth and the Valley of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter. Topheth will become a cemetery, because there will be no other burial place. The corpses of these people will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land, with no one to scare them away. I will remove from the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the sound of joy and gladness and the voices of the groom and the bride, for the land will become a desolate waste.
Mark 9:47-48
And if your eye causes your downfall, gouge it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where
Their worm does not die,
and the fire is not quenched.
In Jeremiah 7, the Valley of Hinnom (also Gehenna) was a place where children were burned as sacrifices to a false god. Later, the valley was repurposed as an ever-burning trash disposal. In Mark 9 and Matthew 10, when Jesus refers to Hell, the Greek word Jesus used was γεεννα (or Gehenna), not Hell. In fact, this description is used often. Jesus was painting a picture of a real physical place that people were familiar with to describe what the resurrection of judgment would be like. When we read of someone referring to Hell in the New Testament, it is the Valley of Hinnom that they are referring to for the purpose of description.
“But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Fool!’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But whoever says, ‘You moron!’ will be subject to hellfire” (Matthew 5:22).
“If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell!” (Matthew 5:29-30).
“Don’t fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
“And if your eye causes your downfall, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, rather than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire!” (Matthew 18:9).
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as fit for hell as you are!” (Matthew 23:15).
“Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell?” (Matthew 23:33).
“And if your foot causes your downfall, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell” (Mark 9:45).
“But I will show you the One to fear: Fear Him who has authority to throw people into hell after death” (Luke 12:5).
“And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell” (James 3:6).
In Revelation 20, John uses the same imagery as he describes the Lake of Fire; for that is precisely what the Valley of Hinnom (or Gehenna) was. We will notice something about every English translation. When translated from the Hebrew and Greek, there is something that is lost in translation. Gehenna became Hell. Jesus used the word Gehenna to describe the resurrection to judgment on purpose. It was imagery that people were familiar with and Jesus wanted to describe a place that no one had seen. This being stated, here is what we learn descriptively about the Lake of Fire:
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- It is (or will be) full of people who are dead because they have done what is evil in the Lord’s sight.
- It will be a place of disgrace and humiliation.
- There will be no joy or gladness.
- The voice of the bride and groom will not be present.
- The land will be a desolate waste.
In addition to fire, the New Testament describes hell as a bottomless pit (abyss) (Revelation 20:3), a lake (Revelation 20:14), darkness (Matthew 25:30), death (Revelation 2:11), destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:9), everlasting torment [at least for the beast and the false prophet] (Revelation 20:10), a place of wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30), and a place of gradated punishment (Matthew 11:20-24; Luke 12:47-48; Revelation 20:12-13) (https://www.gotquestions.org/fire-and-brimstone.html).
Is or will Satan be in charge?
No. Every knee will bow before Jesus and every tongue confess that He is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). This means that Christ is King over and will be bowed to by all of those in Hell, even Satan (Revelation 20:10).
Are there different levels of Hell?
It is unclear as to whether or not there are different levels of Hell, but everyone will be punished according to their own deeds (Revelation 20:11-15). In Luke 10:14, Jesus even indicates that the judgment will be more tolerable for some than for others. God is just and deals punishment accordingly.
Where is Hell located?
There are a couple of theories regarding the location of Hell. Some believe it is on the earth as the earth is burned with fire in the end times. This is problematic because the people of God will descend to the New Earth in the end and God will be with His people on the earth. Some believe that Hell is located at the center of a black hole. Some believe it is at the center of the earth. There is nothing in Scripture to suggest a physical location. It could be that Hades and the Lake of fire are located on different planes. Scripture indicates that one goes “down” to Hades (Luke 10:15), but this could merely be a directional descriptor to help us try to understand (much like I say, we are traveling up to Kansas from Oklahoma). So, we have no idea regarding location.
Are the descriptions of Hell literal or metaphorical?
When Jesus called the resurrection to judgment Gehenna, it seems unlikely that He meant every person who died without believing in Him would be transported to the physical Valley of Hinnom. Much of the language used to describe Hell is metaphorical. There is a literal Lake of Fire, but its intensity will more likely be so beyond our understanding that we would not currently understand or be able to fathom what it is like. So, Jesus (and every other person who described the judgment) used a literal physical place on this earth at the time of His bodily ministry to give a foretaste as to what the Lake of Fire will be like. Currently, we see through a glass darkly. If we think the descriptions of Hell are scary, they are nothing compared to what Hell will actually be like- truly a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Will Hell exist forever?
Yes (Revelation 20:10). As for whether or not people will be under punishment in Hell forever, that is a conversation that must wait until next week as we consider the nature of human existence and experience in Hell.