Introduction:
The previous lesson, The Final Judgment, revealed that the people of the world will desire to escape from the final judgment. They will desire to escape because they will greatly fear the wrath and punishment of God, which are about to come upon them.
We also desire to escape from being condemned to hell for our sins and from the punishment of the damned.
When we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Deliver us from evil,” we put our desire into a prayer. We ask our heavenly Father not to condemn us in the day of our judgment, but to deliver us from the eternal punishment of hell and to give us eternal life with him in heaven.
Being believers in Jesus, the Savior, we are confident our Father will answer our prayer.
Based on 1 John 5:14,15 we are confident that our prayer to be delivered from hell will be answered. We will be delivered from it, because we know God’s will is that we who believe in Jesus should not perish but have eternal life, as Jesus says in John 3:16.
1 John 5:14,15 And this is the confidence that we have with regard to him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we had asked from him.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Romans 8:34 informs us that Jesus, who died to redeem and to save us from hell, is the one who will judge us believers in him. Since he died to redeem and to save us, we are confident that he will not condemn us in the final judgment. That he will not condemn us is also evident to us from the fact that he is the very one who is interceding for us now before the throne of God.
Romans 8:34 Who is the one who condemns? It is Christ Jesus, who died, no, rather who was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
Consequently, we give thanks to God through our Lord Jesus Christ for our deliverance from hell. We will be delivered from everlasting punishment, because Jesus saved us from it.
Focus:
Our aim in this lesson is to discover what Scripture teaches about the nature of hell and to grow in our appreciation and hope of what Jesus has saved us from by his redeeming sacrifice on the cross.
Searching the Scriptures:
1. In this first section of this Bible study we will discover the reason for anyone’s being condemned to hell.
2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 reveal that Satan and his fallen angels are condemned to hell because of their sin and for turning from God to pursue evil.
2 Peter 2:4 God did not spare angels when they sinned, but handed them over for judgment, holding them in chains of darkness in hell; . . .
Jude 6 . . . and angels, who did not keep their sphere of authority but deserted their own habitation, he has kept in everlasting bonds under the darkness of hell for judgment on the great Day.
The following verses reveal that people are condemned to hell because of their sins and evil deeds.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, . . .
Ezekiel 18:4 The soul who sins will die.
Galatians 5:19-21 Now the deeds of the sinful nature are plainly seen, such as: illicit sexual intercourse, sexual impurity, unbridled lust; 20 idolatry, sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy; drunkenness, carousing, and things similar to these, which things I tell you beforehand, just as I said previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
John 5:29 . . . those who have committed evil deeds to a resurrection of damnation.
Yet we know from John 3:16 that God gave his Son, Jesus, as the atoning sacrifice to reconcile all people to him, so they would be saved from perishing in hell. This being true, the following verses clarify that the reason people are condemned to hell is their unbelief.
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who disobeys the Son will not see life, rather the wrath of God remains upon him.
Mark 16:16 The one who believed and was baptized will be saved; but the one who did not believe will be condemned.
To clarify our understanding, since Christ paid for all sins with his death on the cross, unbelief is the one and only cause for condemnation.
The following verses inform us that first the Lord offers his grace, mercy, and salvation in Jesus Christ to all people. But when people reject this in unbelief, they then fall under his wrath and receive condemnation. God’s grace is his antecedent will; his wrath and punishment are his consequential will.
Exodus 34:6, 7 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 preserving love for thousands, forgiving perversity and transgression and sin; yet he will absolutely not leave the guilty unpunished: falling upon the perversity of the fathers upon the children and the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
1 Timothy 2:3-6 This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 the one who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given in its own proper time.
Isaiah 55:6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.
Acts 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world that he should condemn the world, but that the world may be saved through him. 18 He who believes in him is not condemned; but he who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.
Mark 16:16 The one who believed and was baptized will be saved; but the one who did not believe will be condemned.
Thus the following statements are true:
Where unbelief exists, original and actual sins remain and are retained, for which the unbelieving sinner is condemned.
Condemnation to hell is the consequence that follows after people have rejected God’s initial grace and salvation in Christ.
On earth some people identify themselves as atheists who do not believe there is a God. In hell there will be no atheists, however, for there and then they will experience first hand God as their avenging, wrathful judge. In hell they can no longer believe there is no God.
To summarize what we have discovered in this first section of this Bible study, the fallen angels and wicked people are condemned to hell as a punishment for their sins. The people had the grace of God in Christ for their forgiveness and salvation, but as a consequence of their unbelief they must suffer the punishment of hell for their sins. Unbelief, then, is the real reason people are condemned.
2. In this second section of this Bible study we will discover the purpose of the biblical teaching of hell.
The biblical teaching of a condemnation to hell is law, not gospel.
The purpose of the law with its doctrine of hell is to threaten us with God’s punishment to lead us to repent of our sins and to prepare our hearts to welcome the gospel of salvation in faith.
Matthew 3:7-12 is an account of how the law was used to threaten individuals with God’s punishment to lead them to repent.
Matthew 3:7-12 But when he (John the Baptist) saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say within yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham out of these stones. 10 Now the ax is already being laid to the root of the trees; therefore every tree not bearing good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water for repentance. But he who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not fit to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire; 12 whose winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.”
According to verse 7 above John the Baptist said the Pharisees and the Sadducees were a brood of vipers, meaning they were wicked men who were subject to God’s eternal punishment.
Verse 9 above clarifies that the Pharisees and Sadducees were satisfied with themselves as they were. They believed that because they were the physical descendants of Abraham and the chosen people of God their salvation was assured.
Verses 9, 10, 12 above reveal that the Pharisees and Sadducees’ self-satisfaction and assurance of salvation were mistaken. Hell was really looming ahead for them. Accordingly, they were threatened with having to suffer eternal punishment.
Verse 8 above reveals the purpose for their being threatened with eternal punishment in hell. That threat should lead them to repent of their sins, so they would not be condemned.
Matthew 8:10-12 below is another biblical account of how the law was used to threaten individuals with God’s punishment of hell to lead them to repent.
Matthew 8:10-12 Now when Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those who were following him, “Truly I say to you, with no one in Israel have I found so great a faith. 11 And I say to you that many will come from the east and the west and will recline at the feast with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
According to verse 10 above Jesus was astonished at the great faith that the Roman centurion had in him.
Verse 11 tells us that Jesus acknowledged that many such believing Gentiles, like that centurion, from all over the world would enter the kingdom of heaven.
But verse 12 reveals that Jesus threatened his own people, the Jews, who did not believe in him, with eternal punishment. They would be cast into hell for their unbelief. That threat should have made those Jews think about repenting of their unbelief, so they could be saved from hell and receive eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.
From Matthew 3:7-12 and 8:10-12 above we can see that the teaching of hell is a warning against unbelief, sin, self-satisfaction, and impenitence.
In Matthew 5:27-30 below Jesus urges that a person cut off whatever causes him to fall into sin, so he will not be cast into hell. Jesus’ urging is an encouragement to repent of sin and to get rid of whatever causes that sin to avoid condemnation in hell. The teaching of hell in these verses is an impressive reminder to crucify and mortify the old sinful nature to escape the punishment of hell.
Matthew 5:27-30 “You have heard that it was said, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.’ 28 But indeed I say to you that every one who looks at a woman to want her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 Now if your right eye causes you to stumble into sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you that one of your members should perish than your whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble into sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; for it is better for you that one of your members should perish than your whole body should go into hell.”
To summarize what we have discovered in this second section of this Bible study, the biblical teaching of hell is law. It is a warning from God’s law to alert us all against sin, self-satisfaction, impenitence, and unbelief. It is taught in the Bible to lead people to repentance and to prepare them for the gospel of Christ. Those religious sects that deny the existence of hell thwart this purpose of this doctrine.
3. In this third section of this Bible study we will discover whether the people of this world know there is a punishment after death.
Romans 2:14, 15 state that even heathen people of this world, who do not have God’s Mosaic law that was given on Mount Sinai, have the requirements of God’s law written in their hearts. Based on that law of God in their hearts, their conscience accuses them of their sin.
Romans 2:14,15 For when the Gentiles who do not have the law do by nature the things of the law, these who do not have the law are a law to themselves; 15 since indeed they demonstrate the demands of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or excusing them.
Besides knowing the guilt of their sins, the following passages reveal what else people know from God’s law written in their hearts. They know God is a fair and just judge. He will avenge their wrongdoing and punish them. They are under his curse of eternal death.
Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of law are under a curse; for it is written, “CURSED ARE ALL WHO DO NOT ABIDE BY EVERYTHING THAT HAS BEEN WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW IN ORDER TO DO THEM.”
Romans 12:19 Do not take your own revenge, beloved, but give an opportunity for God’s wrath, for it is written, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I INDEED WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death.
Ezekiel 18:4 The soul who sins will die.
Logically speaking, for there to be a heaven, there must be its counterpart of hell; otherwise, how could there be a heaven? It would be a heaven in comparison to what? This is a logical argument for the existence of hell, but it has a biblical basis also, for the Bible pairs off life in heaven and punishment in hell, as it does in Matthew 25:46, John 3:36, John 5:28,29.
Matthew 25:46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who disobeys the Son will not see life, rather the wrath of God remains upon him.
John 5:28, 29 Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and will come out – those who have done good deeds to a resurrection of life, but those who have committed evil deeds to a resurrection of damnation.
To summarize what we have discovered in this third section of this Bible study, even the heathen, unbelieving people of this world know there is a punishment after death for their sins, for this knowledge from God’s law is written in their hearts.
4. In this fourth section of this Bible study we will discover whether all people believe in the existence of hell.
Consider what the following believe:
The Seventh-day Adventists believe God will annihilate the wicked, not punish them forever in hell.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe there is no hell. To them, hell is here now in this world and hell is the grave. God will annihilate the wicked.
The Mormons tend to believe in a universal salvation of everyone.
Liberalism holds the hope of immortality for everyone. They reject the teaching that hell is a real place in another world. They tend toward universalism.
The Christian Scientists believe heaven is not a real place but a divine state of mind and that there is no final judgment. “No final judgment awaits mortals, for judgment-day of wisdom comes hourly and continually.”(Gerstner, John H., The Theology of the Major Sects, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1960, p.174.)
The Unitarian Universalists believe that everyone will be saved; no one will be condemned.
Evolutionists believe man is an animal, who upon his death becomes extinct. There is no life after death, nor is there a God. Therefore, there can be no eternal punishment in hell either.
Consider the following teaching which is upheld by various groups: The soul is immortal but the wicked will be annihilated and made extinct.
This is logically inconsistent and impossible. If those groups grant that people’s soul is immortal, they must also grant that the soul of the wicked cannot cease to exist either but must remain.
The devil originated the denial of hell, just as he is behind all false teachings. He is by nature a liar. He has no truth in him. Lies are his natural language. He is the father of lies. The denial of hell, which is a lie, is certainly his invention also. John 8:44 characterizes the devil’s nature.
John 8:44 Surely you are from your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks out of his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
To summarize what we have discovered in this fourth section of this Bible study, not everyone believes in the existence of hell. Many have believed the devil’s lie that there is no hell.
5. In this fifth section of this Bible study we will discover what hell is.
First of all, hell is a real place.
To begin, John 14:2, 4 inform us that Jesus told his disciples he was going to heaven. Heaven is a real place, which can be gone to.
John 14:2, 4 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going to prepare a place for you. 4 And you know the way where I am going.
Hell, like heaven, is also a real place where people go and stay. Luke 16:28 tells us about the rich man who was in hell. He called hell a place of torment, where he was fearful his brothers would come too.
Luke 16:28 . . . for I have five brothers, in order that he (Lazarus) may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.
Acts 1:25 states Judas, who had hanged himself, went to hell where he belonged. This verse also reveals hell is a real place where unbelieving sinners like Judas go. It is a place where they belong.
Acts 1:25 . . . to receive the place of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.
All of the following verses speak of hell as a place of torment.
Luke 16:23-25 And in hell when he lifted up his eyes, while being in torments, he saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he, calling out, said, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am tormented in this flame.” 25 But Abraham said, “Child, remember that you received your good things during your life, and Lazarus likewise the bad things. But now he is comforted here and you are tormented.”
Matthew 8:12 . . . but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Revelation 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Note: The preceding verses do not state specifically where hell is. While hell is a real place, its locality is not specified and therefore remains uncertain. We should bear in mind that being in a spiritual realm, hell is not limited by geographical boundaries, nor can it be pinpointed on a map.
Second of all, hell is the state of being eternally separated from God and his heavenly blessings.
2 Thessalonians 1:9 informs us that the damned in hell are shut out from the presence of God and his glorious majesty of power. This tells us that the nature of hell is a state of being separated from God.
2 Thessalonians 1:9 . . . who will undergo the punishment of eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, . . .
Matthew 25:41 also teaches us that those who are condemned to hell are banished from the presence of God. This further clarifies that the nature of hell is being separated from God.
Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire that has been kept in readiness for the devil and his angels.”
Since being separated from God is the state of the damned in hell, they cannot enjoy that which exists only in the presence of God in heaven, namely all of God’s eternal blessings. The many passages in this Bible study that describe the nature and the torments of hell clarify that the damned are indeed separated from God's eternal, heavenly blessings.
To summarize what we have discovered in this fifth section of this Bible study, hell is a real place where the demons and unbelievers are gathered. It is a place of intense torment and suffering. It is also the state of being eternally separated from God and his heavenly blessings.
6. In this sixth section of this Bible study we will discover what is the nature of the torment in hell.
As the blessedness of heaven begins immediately after death, so the torment of hell begins immediately after death as soon as the soul leaves the body.
The following verses reveal that the blessedness in heaven begins immediately after death.
Luke 23:43 And he (Jesus) said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Philippians 1:23 Moreover, I am hard pressed from the two possibilities, having the desire to depart and to be with Christ, for this is much better by far; . . .
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
Revelation 7:14, 15 Then I said to him, “My lord, surely you know.” So he said to me, “These are the ones who are coming out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” 15 Therefore,“they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple, and he who sits on the throne will spread his tabernacle over them;. . .
In like manner, the following verses reveal that the torment of the damned begins after death, as soon as the soul leaves the body.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is reserved for men to die once, and after this to face judgment, . . .
Luke 16:22, 23 Now it came to pass the beggar (Lazarus) died, and he was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; then the rich man died also and was buried. 23 And in hell when he lifted up his eyes, while being in torments, he saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luke 8:30, 31 reveal that the torment in hell is so bad that the demons do not even want to go there.
Luke 8:30, 31 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” and he said, “Legion,” became many demons had entered into him. 31 And they kept imploring him that he should not command them to go away into the abyss. . .
As bad as hell is for all the damned, the following verses reveal that there are degrees of punishment in hell.
In John 19:11 we see that Judas’ sin was greater than that of Pilate’s. Judas had the gospel of Christ and Christ himself, yet he betrayed Christ and rejected him. This was more offensive than Pilate’s miscarriage of justice in his office as governor.
John 19:11 Jesus answered, “You (Pilate) would have no authority over me if it had not been given to you from above; for this reason he who handed me over to you has the greater sin.
From Matthew 11:20-24 we discover that the punishment of hell is more bearable for some than for others, depending on the nature of their sin. Those who heard the Word and had the kingdom of God in Christ come to them will suffer more than those who did not have that opportunity.
Matthew 11:20-24 Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his miracles were done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you Bethsaida! For if the miracles which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sack cloth and ashes. 22 Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum! You will not be exalted as far as heaven, will you? You will be brought down even to hell! For if the miracles which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Mark 12:38-40 speaks of the severity of the scribes’ punishment that was to come to them. They were hypocrites, who had the Word of God. They were proud, vainglorious men, who failed to fulfill the law of love but enriched themselves at the expense of the poor widows. Thus they would be punished most severely. They would suffer the worst punishments in hell.
Mark 12:38-40 And in his teaching he was saying, “Beware of the teachers of the law who like to walk around in long, flowing robes and greetings in the market places 39 and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at the banquets, 40 who devour the houses of the widows and for a pretense make long prayers: these will receive greater condemnation.”
Luke 12:47, 48 teaches us that the person who knew God’s will but sinned by not doing it will be punished most severely. That person will be punished more so than the person who did not know what God’s will was and sinned in ignorance. The latter’s punishment will be less severe. The severity of the punishment depends on the nature of the sin.
Luke 12:47, 48 And that slave who knew the will of his master and did not get ready or do according to his will, will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who did not know, and did things worthy of blows, will be beaten with few blows. For to everyone to whom much was given, much will be demanded; and to whom they committed much, even more they will ask of him.
From the following passages we discover how long the torment in hell lasts.
Matthew 25:41, 18:8, Mark 3:29, and 2 Thessalonians 1:9 reveal that hell is an eternal lake of fire. This being true, the torment in hell is eternal and everlasting. Furthermore, the sin against the Holy Spirit is an eternal sin that is never forgiven. Such being the case, its punishment of destruction lasts eternally and is forever.
Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire that has been kept in readiness for the devil and his angels.’ ”
Matthew 18:8 So if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble into sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life crippled or lame than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.
Mark 3:29 “. . . but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but he is guilty of an eternal sin.”
2 Thessalonians 1:9 . . . who will undergo the punishment of eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, . . .
Mark 9:47, 48 state that the fire of hell never goes out or is quenched. The torment, then, never stops but is eternal. Nor do those in hell ever perish. They never die. They are never annihilated. They never escape the torment, nor do they ever have any respite from it, for it is never terminated or interrupted.
Mark 9:47, 48 “And if your eye causes you to stumble into sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hell, 48 where ‘THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.’ ”
Note: Such an endless, never ending torment of rational spirits, the demons, and of humans might be offensive to our human reason. If we do find it offensive, our human reason and personal beliefs become a false measure and standard of God’s just nature.
Those who think that there will be an end to the punishments of condemned people and demons are wrong. Article XVII of the Augsburg Confession even condemns those who believe the punishments will end.
In the preceding fifth section we discovered that hell is a state of being forever separated from God and his blessings. This adds to the torment of hell, where the damned find themselves forever separated from God and his blessings.
Being in the presence of God in heaven gives joy, perfection, contentment, satisfaction, glory, pleasures, and an absence of all pain, suffering, sorrow, and misery. Hell is exactly the opposite; it is all torment. The following verses reveal what the torment and existence in hell are like for the damned, who are forever separated from God and his blessings.
Luke 16:23-28 informs us that the torment of the damned is utter pain and unbearable suffering of body and mind. They receive no pity. They have no hope of any relief. They can only despair.
Luke 16:23-28 And in hell when he lifted up his eyes, while being in torments, he saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he, calling out, said, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am tormented in this flame.” 25 But Abraham said, “Child, remember that you received your good things during your life, and Lazarus likewise the bad things. But now he is comforted here and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who wish to cross over from here to you may not be able to do so, and they may not cross over from there to us.” 27 So he said, “Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.”
From Isaiah 66:24 and Daniel 12:2 we learn that the damned are loathsome, shameful, and contemptible. They are loathsome because they bear shame, the marks of sin, and wretchedness in their bodies. They remain sinful and corrupted by evil. They are so wretched, despicable, shameful, and contemptible that they are disgusting to look at and turn one’s stomach. They are loathsome. While the believers in heaven with God are glorified and perfect in body and soul, the damned on the other hand are evil, sinful, imperfect, and wretched.
Isaiah 66:24 And they will go out and look Upon the dead bodies of the men who transgressed against me. For their worm will not die And their fire will not be quenched; And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.
Daniel 12:2 And multitudes who are sleeping in the dust of the earth will awake, these to everlasting life, but those to disgrace and everlasting extreme hatred.
Mark 9:47,48 reveal that the damned in hell are fried alive forever and ever without being consumed or dying. During our life on earth we know the pain of burning a finger, and we have heard of the excruciating agony suffered by burn victims. The pain of being separated from God and left to burn endlessly in hell is even worse. It is so horrible that it defies imagination.
Mark 9:47, 48 “And if your eye causes you to stumble into sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hell, 48 where ‘THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.’ ”
Matthew 8:12 and 13:50 reveal that hell is a place of darkness. Heaven is glorious light; hell is dismal, fiery darkness. From Matthew 8:12 and 13:50 we also discover that in that eternal, fiery darkness the damned weep horribly and gnash their teeth in frustration, hopelessness, and intense anger. In hell’s dark depths the damned suffer in body, mind, emotions, and spirit, as they are afflicted with pain, sorrow, extreme unhappiness and dissatisfaction. They are utterly miserable.
Matthew 8:12 “. . . but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 13:50 “. . . and cast them into the furnace of fire. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
To add to the torment of those in hell is their eternal company. For company they have Satan, all the demons, the most hardened sinners and criminals, the wicked, and the dregs of earth’s former society. Evil, lovelessness, selfishness, and wickedness surround them. There is no one or anything good in hell. This makes the torment even worse.
The memories and deprivation of the damned add to their torment in hell. We discover this in Luke 16:19-31.
Luke 16:19-31 “Now there was a certain rich man, and he was always dressed in purple and fine linen, enjoying living sumptuously every day. 20 And a certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; and not only this, but even the dogs were coming and were licking his sores. 22 Now it came to pass the beggar died, and he was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; then the rich man died also and was buried. 23 And in hell when he lifted up his eyes, while being in torments, he saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he, calling out, said, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you received your good things during your life, and Lazarus likewise the bad things. But now he is comforted here and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who wish to cross over from here to you may not be able to do so, and they may not cross over from there to us.’ 27 So he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.’ 30 But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone should go to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not come to believe even if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”
Analyzing these verses, we discover that the rich man in hell:
Remembered and knew from his life on earth who Lazarus was. He knew Lazarus was the beggar who had lain at his doorstep, suffering and hungry, whom he had never helped.
Remembered his former life on earth. He remembered all the good things he had had -- his expensive clothes, good food, and the luxury he had enjoyed.
Remembered that he had had the opportunity while on earth to be saved. This is clear from the fact that he wanted his brothers warned, so they would not end up in hell with him. He knew he had missed his chance for salvation. He did not want that to happen to his brothers also.
Knew he was deprived of all the good things he had formerly enjoyed on earth.
Knew he was deprived of the blessedness of heaven. He could see from his place in hell Lazarus and Abraham, the saints in heaven, and all the good things --the heavenly blessings – of which he was forever being deprived that he may suffer the agonies of hell endlessly. On the one hand, he saw the heavenly blessedness from afar; on the other hand, he experienced his own endless wretchedness continually.
Knew he was deprived of ever having another chance to be saved. He could never cross out of hell to enter heaven. His suffering was eternal. His brothers still had the opportunity to be saved, but he knew that he did not.
As in the case of the rich man, the memories and deprivations of the damned increase their torment and make it even worse. The good times they had had on earth; the wealth, fame, power, pleasures, possessions, which they remember having had on earth but are deprived of in hell – all add to their torment and increase their misery.
The damned know their punishment in hell is everlasting. Ephesians 2:12, Revelation 14:11, and Hebrews 4:3 below reveal in what ways this knowledge intensifies their torments. They are without hope and rest. Their minds and souls are driven to hopelessness and utter despair, because they know they can never have a second chance to enter heaven where they would have rest from what troubles them. They can never have a pardon or reprieve of sentence. They know they will have no relief, no escape, and no end to their suffering.
Ephesians 2:12 . . . remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from citizenship in Israel, estranged from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and anyone who receives the mark of his name.
Hebrews 4:3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as he has said, “AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST,” and yet his works were finished from the foundation of the world.
In what we have discovered above in this sixth section we can observe that the torment of the damned is both internal and external.
The internal torment consists of:
The soul of the damned experiencing eternal death and destruction away from God.
The mind of the damned perceiving God as a just judge, who takes revenge on their sins and unbelief. Their mind is further tortured with an intense hatred of God, sorrow, self-pity, and a raging impatience to escape while knowing such escape is never possible.
The external torment consists of:
All the preceding torments that are inflicted on them in hell.
To summarize what we have discovered in this sixth section of this Bible study about the nature of the torment in hell: It is worse than anything we can imagine. The damned experience pain and suffering without end or without let up to their body, soul, mind, and emotions in the most foul, wretched place where even the demons do not want to go. The damned see the face of God in heaven but see themselves separated from him in hell. The damned see the company of the saints and holy angels in heaven enjoying their fellowship together, but they see only Satan, the demons, and all the damned wretches with themselves for company. The damned see the saints in heaven holy and forever free of all evil, but see that they themselves are sinful and in the midst of all that is evil in hell. The damned see the saints enjoying the fullness of joy in heaven but see themselves sorrowful, weeping and gnashing their teeth in utter despair and anger in hell. The damned see the blessedness of heaven for the saints but see only the wretchedness of hell for themselves. The damned see the saints’ bodies perfect and glorious but see their own bodies bearing the marks of sin, corruption, disease, and death. The damned are further tormented by their memories of their former life on earth and by their being deprived of any chance of being saved or of getting out of hell.
This lesson on the nature of hell is law, not gospel. Yet it serves the gospel of Christ that proclaims forgiveness of sins and everlasting salvation. The biblical teaching of hell prepares us for the good news of the gospel to welcome it with believing hearts. This gospel of Christ is our last great hope, for it delivers us from all that we have learned about hell in this lesson.
Applying the Scriptures:
1. What does this teaching of hell impress on your mind about the need for evangelism and mission work? See Mark 16: 15, 16 and John 3:36 for a clue.
2. How does this teaching of hell impact your hope of everlasting salvation in heaven?
3. What arouses a fear of death within the people of this world? See Romans 2:14, 15 for a clue.
4. In what way would the elimination of the teaching of hell adversely affect preaching and sermons?
5. What has this lesson impressed on you that will serve for your good?