What is Hell? The Truth About Hell and How to Avoid It: Christian Questions, #4

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Christian Questions Book Series

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Preface

What Are the Main Views on Hell?

Surveying Hell

The History of Hell

Which Biblical Words Mean Hell?

Sheol

Abyss

Fire

Gehenna

Hades

Lake of Fire

Outer Darkness

Tartarus

Conclusion

What is Hell?

Hell is a Kingdom

What Happens to the Unbelieving Dead?

How Can I Avoid Hell?

How to Receive Everlasting Life

How to Avoid Hell in This Life

Why Did Jesus Die?

Storming the Gates of Hell with Jesus

Conclusion

Appendix on Fire

Isaiah 33:10-16

Matthew 3:10-12 (Luke 3:16-17)

Matthew 13:40, 42 (Matt 13:50)

Matthew 18:8-9

Matthew 25:41

Mark 9:42-50

Luke 12:49

Luke 16:24

John 15:6

1 Corinthians 3:13, 15

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

Hebrews 6:7-8

Hebrews 10:27

James 3:6

James 5:3

Jude 7

Conclusion

Afterword

A Response by Brad Jersak

A Rejoinder by Jeremy

About J. D. Myers

Join Jeremy Myers and Learn More

Introduction to the

Christian Questions

Book Series

This Christian Questions book series provides down-to-earth answers to everyday questions. The series is based on questions that people have asked me over the years through my website, podcast, and online discipleship group at RedeemingGod.com. Since thousands of people visit the site every single day, I get scores of questions emailed in to me each month from readers around the world. Many of the questions tend to be around various hot topic issues like homosexuality, violence, and politics. Other questions, however, focus more on how to understand a particular Bible passage or theological issue. For example, I receive hundreds of questions a year about the unpardonable sin in Matthew 12.

I love receiving these questions, and I do my best to answer them. But after I answer the same question five or ten times, I realize that it might be better if I had a ready-made and easily-accessible resource I could invite people to read. This also provides the reader with a better explanation than I can give in a short email. For people who want the full experience, there are also online courses available for many of these questions at RedeemingGod.com/courses.

So the goal of this Christian Questions book series is to answer the questions that people send in to me. Below is the current list of books in the Christian Questions series. Most of these are not yet published, but I include the list to show you where the series is headed.

What is Prayer?

What are the Spiritual Gifts?

What is Faith?

How Can I Study the Bible? (Coming in 2019)

Why is the world so messed up?

Can God forgive my sin?

What is the unforgivable sin?

What is baptism?

What is the church?

What is repentance?

How can I evangelize?

Can I lose eternal life?

Why did Jesus have to die?

Should Christians keep the Sabbath?

What is demon possession?

How can I gain freedom from sin?

What is election and predestination?

Does God love me?

Why did God give the law?

Does God really want blood sacrifices?

What is sin?

What is the best bible translation?

Can I trust the Bible?

If you have a question about Scripture, theology, or Christian living that you would like answered, you may submit it through the contact form at RedeemingGod.com/about/ or join my online discipleship group at RedeemingGod.com/join/.

Several of the Christian Question books are

available as free PDF downloads to people

who join my online discipleship group.

Visit RedeemingGod.com/join/

to learn more and join today.

Acknowledgements

All great ideas are formed in the crucible of conflict. So first of all, I want to thank all those who have condemned me to hell for writing a book which challenges the traditional concept of hell. When I deny that the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ could send people to an eternal torture, some Christians eagerly condemn me to such a place for denying its existence. When this happens, I am thankful that God is God, and these people are not.

Without this condemnation, however, I might never have written this book. In writing it, I set out to show these hellmongers that it is entirely possible to believe everything the Bible teaches about hell, while not believing that people scream and suffer there forever in flames of unquenchable fire. (And no, I am not a Universalist or an Annihilationist either. But more on that later …)

So if you have condemned me or called me a heretic for my views on hell, thank you. You spurred me on to write this book. Hopefully you will now read it and consider the arguments presented within. Maybe, by reading this book, you will come to see that God does not torture people, for God is more loving, kind, gracious, and forgiving than you ever thought or imagined.

I always, of course, want to thank my wife, Wendy, and our three daughters, Taylor, Selah, and Kahlea. These four amazing women provide light, joy, encouragement, help, and support for all the books I write. When life occasionally throws hell at me, they are my heaven on earth.

I must also thank the members of my Advance Reader Team who helped proofread and prepare this book for publication. Nizam Khan, Wesley Rostoll, Mike Edwards, Grahame Smith, Michael Rans, Elaine O’Connor, Pete Nellmapius, Michael Wilson, Wickus Hendriks, David DeMille, Taco Verhoef, Wickus Hendriks, John Flegg, Radu Dumitru, Bernard Shuford, Craig Duncan, and Jim Maus, thank you for your help on my books. Please let me know how I can help you on any books or projects in the future.

Finally, I want to thank you, the reader of this book. Thank you for taking the time to consider the ideas and arguments presented within. I hope you are encouraged and challenged by what you read and that your questions about hell are answered. Ultimately, I hope you see that when it comes to what God does with people in hell, even here, God always looks just like Jesus. 

Foreword

I admire Jeremy Myers’ courage. Since our first acquaintance, I’ve witnessed his willingness to tackle stubborn questions and converse with stubborn critics. I’m especially inspired by his unwillingness to sidestep the difficult biblical texts that were traditionally [mis]used as deal-killers in the conversation about hell. Most recently, I’m impressed by Jeremy’s boldness to invite someone who differs with him on key points to write a foreword to this book. Unlike Jeremy, I personally believe in a specific version of ultimate redemption, though I cannot teach it as doctrine. Yet I dare say that my own growth requires clear-minded, cool-headed interlocutors who help me think—discussion partners like Jeremy are gold. 

Not that we’re on an entirely different page. To begin with, I affirm the great care and detail he’s taken to dig deep into the precise meaning of the key Scriptural terms and images that relate to his theme. His diligence is gratifying to those who like to see the data gathered, tabulated and presented with clarity. Others, including me, have attempted this with varying success. Jeremy’s orderly version is superb. He’s overtly biblical without proof-texting so that the burden of proof lies with those who disagree with his assessments.

In my view, Myers’ greatest contribution to the hell debate is his thorough explanation of the already sense of hell—that infernal kingdom of darkness as it appears here and now in this world—and how Christ has already come to rescue those who were already enslaved to it. Jeremy cites my article, Hell as a Kingdom favorably but then expands on the theme in a way I’ve not seen elsewhere. He interprets Christ’s descent into hell as the story of the Incarnation into this present darkness to rescue those who are already perishing (cf. John 3). Perhaps we could call Myers’ approach an explication of realized infernalism along with its Christo-victorious solution. How similar this is to the kontakian prayers of Eastern Orthodox liturgy:

Having descended to me, even unto hades, and made resurrection a way for all, thou didst ascend again, taking me with Thee on Thy shoulder, and didst bring me to the Father. Wherefore, I cry out to Thee: Hymn the Lord, O ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages.

Note how this chorus applies Christ’s descent into the earthly life of the liturgist, who has experienced deliverance from hades in this world. Christ’s resurrection is a done deal from the hellish predicament of our alienation. The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is our way out of hell’s now-kingdom into eternal life now in the kingdom of the Son (cf. Col 1).

When Bible teachers like Jeremy point out alternative interpretations to ugly, inaccurate, medieval visions of hell, contrarians typically object: So, you don’t believe in hell! Of course we do! It’s not the reality of hell that Jeremy or I contest. The issue is around the nature of hell—the where and when and what of hell. Our claim is that the treatment of hell as revealed (or not) in Scripture is not as simplistic as what’s been marketed by the status-quo infernalists. Further, it’s not to be cavalierly dismissed with a wave of the hand as you see among certain pop-universalists. There is a hell. It’s just not what we were told. Then what is it? Jeremy Myers goes there. Let’s go there with him!

FIAT LUX

Pascha 2019

–Bradley Jersak

Author of Her Gates Will Never Be Shut

Preface

Hell is the greatest of all tragedies that can befall a human being. But it is just as tragic to hear what some Christians think the Bible teaches about hell. Though I don’t agree with the ultimate conclusion of John Stott about hell (he held to Annihilationism), I do agree with his sentiment when he wrote this:

I want to repudiate with all the vehemence of which I am capable the glibness, what almost appears to be the glee … with which some Evangelicals speak about hell. It is a horrible sickness of mind or spirit. Instead, since on the day of judgment, when some will be condemned, there is going to be ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth’ (Matt 8:12, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30; Luke 13:28), should we not already begin to weep at the very prospect? I thank God for Jeremiah. Israelite patriot though he was, he was charged with the heartbreaking mission of prophesying the destruction of his nation. Its ruin would only be temporary; it would not be eternal. Nevertheless, he could not restrain his tears. Oh that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people (Jer 9:1; cf. Jer 13:17; 14:17).

… I am sorry that you use in reference to God the emotive expression ‘the Eternal Torturer,’ because it implies a sadistic infliction of pain, and all Christian people would emphatically reject that. But will the final destiny of the impenitent be eternal conscious torment, for ever and ever, or will it be a total annihilation of their being? The former has to be described as traditional orthodoxy, for most of the church fathers, the medieval theologians and the Reformers held it. And probably most Evangelical leaders hold it today. Do I hold it, however? Well, emotionally, I find the concept intolerable and do not understand how people can live with it without either cauterizing their feelings or cracking under the strain.¹

John Stott is exactly right. It is shocking to hear some Christians talk about hell as they celebrate the eternal torment of their enemies in everlasting flames. Does this really reflect the heart of God toward His enemies? Regardless of what hell is, I agree with those pastors and Bible teachers who say that if we cannot talk about hell without tears in our eyes, then we should not talk about hell at all. Just as Jeremiah wept over the destruction of Israel, we must weep over the fate of any unredeemed person, whatever that fate may be. N. T. Wright said something similar when he wrote this:

As soon as we find ourselves wanting to believe in hell we find ourselves in great danger. The desire to see others punished—including the desire to do the punishing ourselves—has no place in the Christian scheme of things.²

But as soon as we, as sinful human beings with calloused hearts and damaged consciences, begin to feel pain, sorrow, and deep sadness about the fate of people who end up in hell, this raises serious questions about God. Does not God, who knows no sin and loves all people with unsurpassable love, feel even greater pain, sorrow, and sadness for the fate of His sons and daughters who find themselves in hell? And if this is so, then we must further ask why God made hell in the first place. Could not God, who is in control of all things, arrange things differently so that His rebellious sons and daughters do not suffer for all eternity? Was there truly no other option for an eternally loving and infinitely creative God?

To ask such questions is to answer them. Of course there were other options! We humans can think of several. So if we humans can think of alternative options to hell, surely God could have done so as well. But if God could have created an alternative option to hell so that He did not have to send people to suffer for eternity in hell, why didn’t He?

The answer is that maybe He did.

Maybe hell as we humans imagine it is not the hell that God created.

Maybe hell as traditional Christian theology presents it is not the hell that actually exists.

Maybe hell as it is presented in many books, sermons, and movies is not actually taught in Scripture.

But if these are possibilities, then what is the alternative? What did God actually make for His rebellious sons and daughters (and even His rebellious angels)? Where will they spend eternity? Will they even exist in eternity? How can God honor the free-will choices of His creatures in granting them the freedom to exist without Him, while also not becoming a monster Himself in torturing people for eternity simply because they don’t love Him or want to serve Him?

It is these sorts of questions this book seeks to answer. By reading this book, you will take a journey into hell and back. You will discover what Scripture teaches about hell, and what it does not. You will learn what and where hell is, how to avoid hell yourself, while also working to rescue people from hell. You will see that hell (as you imagine it) does not actually exist. You will also discover that you should stop talking about hell altogether. Ultimately, you will come to realize that hell (which is not hell) is not an expression of God’s hate for sinners, but an expression of His infinite love.

The journey begins in Chapter 1 with a survey of the three main views about hell and a short history of the development of hell. Chapter 2 defines eight key terms that are often associated in Scripture with hell and reveals what each term really means. Chapter 3 then takes what we have learned about hell and reveals what and where hell is. This then allows us, in Chapter 4, to understand how to avoid hell ourselves and rescue those who are in hell. The book then concludes with some summary thoughts and ideas about hell. I have also included an Appendix on the word fire since it is the most common image related to hell. This Appendix defines what the Bible teaches about fire, and considers several key passages from Scripture that contain fire imagery.

So are you ready to take the first step on the road to hell? Don’t worry, Jesus is on the road to hell also, and with Him by your side, you’ll be just fine.

Chapter 1

What Are the

Main Views on Hell?

The business world has a concept known as the FUD factor. It is used by a company that wants to influence a potential customer into doing business with them instead of with a competitor. They do this by raising fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) in the mind of the customer about the dangers of doing business with the competition.

The church often follows similar practices as it seeks to gain converts to Christianity and keep these Christians on the straight and narrow path of discipleship. When it comes to creating fear in the minds and hearts of both believers and non-believers, the doctrine of hell is the most widely used tool of Christian pastors, authors, and leaders. The fear of hell keeps people returning to church on Sunday morning, following every word the pastor says, trying their hardest to make amends for the sins they have committed, and praying fervently that God might love and forgive them. The underlying implication of much Christian teaching is, You better do these things, or you might end up in hell.

But is this so wrong? After all, as many pastors like to point out, didn’t Jesus teach more about hell than He did about heaven? If Jesus thought that warning others about the threat and danger of hell was a valid approach to ministry and discipleship, should not we follow His example by issuing similar warnings today? Or, as many other teachers say, if people are headed for hell, is it not the loving thing to warn them about where they are headed? If someone was about to drive off a cliff, shouldn’t we warn them about the dangers ahead?

The answer to all these sorts of questions is "Yes! … If hell is really what we think it is." But if hell doesn’t actually exist, or if hell is not what many imagine it to be, then our warnings about the threat and danger of hell are misinformed, misguided, and even dangerous. If we are wrong in our understanding about what the Bible teaches regarding hell, and if we use this wrong understanding to create fear and worry in the minds and hearts of other people, then we are not helping or loving them at all, but are actually hindering their understanding of God, their experience of His love, and their ability to follow Him in freedom without fear.

Indeed, in this book, we will discover that Jesus did not, in fact, teach more about hell than He did about heaven. We will discover that while hell is real, it is not what most assume it to be. We will also discover how to teach and warn people about hell, but in a way that does not inspire fear. We will discover a loving way of viewing and teaching about hell, and how Jesus shows us to rescue those who are there. But before we can consider such truths, we must begin with a survey of the three common views about hell.

Surveying Hell

In western Christian theology, there are three common views about hell.³ The first, Traditionalism (sometimes called Eternal Conscious Torment or Infernalism), is the most widely recognized. In this view, the unredeemed dead suffer for all eternity in flames of fire.⁴ The traditional view of hell is usually equated with pictures of people screaming in agony for all eternity as they float around in a Lake of Fire while being burned alive but never dying. Such a view is found in many popular books and movies, including Dante’s Inferno, Bill Wiese’s 23 Minutes in Hell, and the 1997 science fiction horror movie Event Horizon.

The second view, Universalism, is the opposite of Traditionalism. In this view, there is no eternal dwelling place for the unredeemed dead. Instead, all people will end up living with God for eternity.⁵ Though many people reject God in this life, the Universalist believes that when a person stands before God in eternity, they will see the error of their ways and will gladly choose to be with God for eternity. God, who is defined by love, will accept all people into eternity with Him. In the Universalist view, those biblical texts which seem to teach about people living in eternal fire are either outright rejected or are interpreted as referring to some sort of divine discipline in this life or the next before a person enters eternity with God.

The third common view is Annihilationism (sometimes called Conditional Immortality or Conditionalism). This view holds that all the unregenerate dead will ultimately cease to exist so that only the redeemed will live with God in eternity.⁶ This view tends to be the middle ground view between Traditionalism and Universalism. It recognizes, along with Traditionalism, that choices made in this life have eternal consequences and that some people will continue to rebel against God, even in eternity. Since God cannot force people to spend eternity with Him against their will, something must be done with these people.

When it comes to what is done with these rebellious people, the Annihilationist agrees with the Universalist in saying that it would be monstrous for God to torture people for all eternity. The biblical texts which seem to imply an eternal existence in fire are understood as texts that describe an eternal destruction so that those who undergo it simply cease to exist. Some Annihilationists believe that this destruction occurs immediately after a person dies, while others believe that there is first a period of punishment and suffering for sins, until a person is finally consumed.

Although these are the three main views on hell, there are various other flavors and degrees of each. For example, the Catholic teaching of Purgatory contains pieces of both Traditionalism and Universalism. Purgatory teaches that while some will suffer in hell for all eternity, others will have a shortened period of suffering to pay for their sins, after which time they will be able to enter heaven and spend eternity with God.

Then there is the view known as Ultimate Reconciliation, which, like Purgatory, is also a cross between Traditionalism and Universalism. However, in this view, rather than some people spending eternity separated from God in hell, those who hold to Ultimate Reconciliation teach that eventually all people will end up reconciled to God in heaven.⁷ So while Purgatory is closer to Traditionalism, Universal Reconciliation is closer to Universalism. But both include a period of time in which a person undergoes suffering for the sins they committed in this life while they were in rebellion against God.

There are other views as well, but these are the main views on hell. So which of these views is presented in the book? The answer is None of the above. Technically, my view falls within the stream of Traditionalism, though most who swim in that stream would probably disagree that I am part of their group. However, my view fits within Traditionalism because I agree that Scripture teaches that many people will indeed spend eternity separated from God. However, as I explain later in this book, I believe this separation is only in a person’s experience; God will not separate Himself from anyone in eternity.

My view cannot be in the Annihilationist stream, because I believe that all people will live for eternity. I do not believe that God destroys people simply because they rebel against Him or choose to live life without Him. To be honest, I do not believe that Annihilationism is loving toward those who are destroyed, and it minimizes the scope and power of Jesus’ resurrection.⁸ Finally, I am not a Universalist because, once again, I agree with Traditionalists that God does not (and cannot) force people against their will to love Him or to believe in Jesus for eternal life. I believe that some people, even if they were given infinite chances in eternity, would still reject God forever.

So since I fall within the Traditionalist camp, what is it that separates my view from that of Traditionalism? I completely agree with many critics of Traditionalism that God does not and will not torture people for all eternity. If it is monstrous for a person to torture another person or an animal for a short period of time on this earth, it is even more monstrous for God to torture somebody for eternity in hell. So while I do believe that many people will spend eternity separated from God (again, in their experience, but not in reality), I do not believe that their eternal conscious existence will be one of torment.

In fact, it is this complete rejection of all forms of torture or torment on the part of God that also causes me to reject the other views of hell. After all, many Annihilationists believe that before a person is destroyed, they will suffer in torment for their sins for a period of time. Many Universalists similarly believe