What is a
Christless eternity?
Who thought up an
eternity separated
from God, or a
Godless afterlife?
It has become almost
sinful in the eyes
of American churches
to use the word
“Hell” unless the
flames are stamped
out and shaded areas
are added. A person
listening to our
modern day preaching
of hell, could
easily decide that
hell sounds like a
place to go where
there are few clouds
and people are all
grilling steak. Much
of this is because
they worry about
offending someone,
and the fear men. No
matter of what
churches or
preachers say, the
only thing that does
matter is what the
scriptures say.
How does
scripture define
what the biblical
hell is?
There are
three words
translated "hell" in
Scripture:
Gehenna
(Greek): The place
of punishment
(Matthew 5:22,29;
10:28; and James
3:6)
Hades
(Greek): The abode
of the dead (Matthew
11:23; 16:18, Luke
16:23; Acts 2:27)
Sheol
(Hebrew): The grave
(Psalm 9:17; 16:10)
Hell is
shown to be a place.
Rather than a type
of lifestyle, or
just struggle as
some people believe,
the bible places it
as a location. For
those who teach that
we go through “hell”
in this life, they
fail to see that
this world is as
close to heaven as
most people will
ever see.
The Bible
refers to the fate
of the unsaved with
such words as the
following:
"Shame and
everlasting
contempt" (Daniel
12:2)
"Everlasting
punishment" (Mathew
25:46)
"Weeping
and gnashing of
teeth" (Matthew
24:51)
"Fire
unquenchable" (Luke
3:17)
"Indignation and
wrath, tribulation
and anguish" (Romans
2:8,9)
"Everlasting
destruction from the
presence of the
Lord" (2
Thessalonians 1:9)
"Eternal
fire...the blackness
of darkness for
ever" (Jude 7,13)
Revelation
14:10,11
The same
shall drink of the
wine of the wrath of
God, which is poured
out without mixture
into the cup of his
indignation; and he
shall be tormented
with fire and
brimstone in the
presence of the holy
angels, and in the
presence of the
Lamb. And the smoke
of their torment
ascendeth up for
ever and ever: and
they have no rest
day nor night, who
worship the beast
and his image, and
whosoever receiveth
the mark of his
name.
The theme
for hell is eternal,
and a pit, rather
than a room with a
door. Scripture is
the basis for the
doctrine, and Jesus
Himself spoke more
of hell than He did
of heaven. It was
because of love that
He warned of God’s
wrath and judgment.
Mark
9:43-48
If your
hand causes you to
sin, cut it off. It
is better for you to
enter life maimed
than with two hands
to go into hell,
where the fire never
goes out.[c] And if
your foot causes you
to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you
to enter life
crippled than to
have two feet and be
thrown into hell.[d]
And if your eye
causes you to sin,
pluck 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.
Why would
hell be so bad and
eternal? Some modern
day preachers argue
that because God is
love, hell must end,
or not exist at all.
Many cults argue
that no one who is
love would do
something that
sounds so evil. Such
type of foolish
arguments only come
from men who do not
understand the
nature of a Perfect
God, and His
goodness that
requires justice.
Think about
your own cry for
justice. When you
hear a news story of
an evil man, doing
horrible crimes
against a child, do
you ever hear people
say, “I hope he gets
a Christless
eternity!” or “I
hope he never sees
God.”? Obviously, a
person who loves
children wants
someone who harms
them to be caught,
and justice of the
law to come down on
them without mercy
for such wicked
acts. Jesus also
mentioned this when
it came to harming
children.
Luke 17:2
It would be
better for him if a
millstone were hung
around his neck, and
he were thrown into
the sea, than that
he should offend one
of these little
ones.
The time
and severity of
punishment for
crime, is always
based on the one in
who the crime is
committed against.
If you murder a bug,
you will face no
punishment. If you
killed a homeless
drunk on the street,
you might get 10
years. If you killed
a police officer,
you are probably
going to be
executed. The same
act was committed
each time, but what
changed was the one
in who you committed
the act against, and
their position of
authority. All sin
is against God, the
Highest of all.
Because He is
eternal, so is His
love and justice.
Perfect
justice is one of
the traits of God
men should fear.
Because God has
promised to bring
EVERY evil deed to
light, and set a day
to judge everyone,
men should be
fearful. The day is
certain, as God has
placed all men on
death row, since we
all will die. The
system is perfect,
in that no man will
escape, even if they
avoid capture in
this world.
Hebrews
9:27
And as it
is appointed for men
to die once, but
after this the
judgment.
Why is the
biblical hell so
awful?
Because God
hates sin, He will
bring wrath and
justice against it.
When the One in the
Highest Authority is
offended, the
punishment is also
the highest. As
mentioned before,
Jesus loved
children, but yet in
America,
we can legally kill
them, and many in
our churches support
such sinful acts.
Men turn up the heat
in hell on their
own, as they try to
stand against God’s
fury.
Daniel 3:19
Then
Nebuchadnezzar was
full of fury, and
the expression on
his face changed
toward Shadrach,
Meshach, and
Abed-Nego. He spoke
and commanded that
they heat the
furnace seven times
more than it was
usually heated.
Anger turns
up the heat, and God
is angry at sin.
Some say God hates
the sin, but loves
the sinner. It is a
common saying that
is in error. God
hates the sin, and
promises to send
those found in sin
to hell if they do
not repent. Despite
this, every
generation of man
has thought that he
has put himself into
a better state than
those they believe
who have died and
gone to hell. They
trust in their
actions and
religious practices
to remove them from
the justice of God.
Many will be
disappointed.
Matthew
7:21-23
“Not
everyone who says to
Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’
shall enter the
kingdom of heaven,
but he who does the
will of My Father in
heaven. Many
will say to Me in
that day, ‘Lord,
Lord, have we not
prophesied in Your
name, cast out
demons in Your name,
and done many
wonders in Your
name?’ And
then I will declare
to them, ‘I never
knew you; depart
from Me, you who
practice
lawlessness!’
What about
Mercy?
Mercy is
another trait of
God. Mercy is
undeserved favor,
which is why a
person can not earn
their way out of
hell. If a person
does many good
works, or suffers
for acts of sin, as
a method of payment,
then God would owe
mercy to them. If
God is good, can His
justice be removed
by mercy? God
doesn’t cancel out
His own traits,
rather through
Christ, made it
possible for men to
receive mercy.
Because wrath and
justice were brought
on Christ instead of
those who place
their faith in Him,
God can extend mercy
to those who repent
and trusted fully in
Him.
Romans 8:1
There is
therefore now no
condemnation to
those who are in
Christ Jesus, who do
not walk according
to the flesh, but
according to the
Spirit.
Without the
reality of biblical
hell, men fail to
see the full glory
of God. Everyone
will bring glory to
God. Either they
will repent and
trust in Christ for
His mercy and love
shown in the cross,
or they will spend
eternity in hell as
an everlasting
example of the
justice and goodness
of God to destroy
evil. If a preacher
is so foolish as to
remove the justice
and wrath of God, he
has tried to rob God
of traits that bring
Him glory, and
diminish the work on
the Cross. The
repeating warnings
of scripture of
God’s justice and
wrath are given, and
serve to cause men
who listen to cling
to the Savior, and
run from sin as
though he was
fleeing from a
dragon. Do not heed
the foolish of those
who make little of
the truths of hell,
rather believe them
and trust the only
One that took your
place.
Hebrews
10:31
It is a
fearful thing to
fall into the hands
of the living God.