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Writer's pictureBible Brian

You can't tolerate a hot coffee, but think Hell would be fun?


As strange as it might sound, I've heard several people laugh about how they don't think Hell would be so bad, so even if there is a God, they don't care. One person even told me he'd throw parties in Hell, and another asked me if maybe God would be happy with him if he went to Hell and assassinated Satan. So, what is Hell? Would unbelievers really be ok with going there? The obvious answer is no. Hell is certainly not worth the one way trip.


I find it interesting to note that there is some dispute within the Church as to exactly what Hell is. The Bible doesn't give a perfectly clear picture of either eternal realm, and some of what it does describe may appear contradictory. For example, Hell is described as both a lake of fire and a place of outer darkness. Fire typically produces light (depending on what is being burned), so it seems difficult to imagine a place burning while also being dark. This has lead some people to speculate that Hell may not literally be a place of fire. However much relief this fact may offer, it offers little comfort when you consider that whatever Hell is, it can still be described, at least figuratively, as a lake of fire. Whether literal or figurative, the point that is supposed to be emphasised is that it is a place of great suffering.

A place on earth that is analogous to Hell is Gehenna, otherwise known as the Valley of Hinnom. Gehenna was the site of many barbaric practices, including child sacrifice, which made God angry. As a result, the place was considered cursed, and became an ancient rubbish dump. Trash, dead animals and even the corpses of executed criminals were taken to the valley to be burned, and as a result, it absolutely stank. Worms were pretty much the only life there. Jesus used this desolate site to describe Hell, even saying it would be better to pluck out an eye or cut off a limb than to go there. Unlike the fires of Gehenna, the fire in Hell never goes out, nor do the worms in Hell die.

Whether the Biblical descriptions of Hell are intended to be literal or figurative, the fact remains that no human actually wants to go there. We weren't designed for it, and it wasn't designed for us. Hell is, quite literally, a God forsaken place. A place where those who have rejected God are rejected by God. They receive none of the benefits He offers, and there is no respite. Nothing in this world is worth going to Hell for, and so if you're an unbeliever, I pray that you will consider not going there. A time will come when you will die, and you will be judged by God, but while you live, you have a chance to change the outcome of that trial. Without Jesus, you are guilty, and will be sentenced to an eternity in Hell, but Jesus can, and is willing to save you. Please let Him.

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