Is Hell of the Bible Real or Sensational?

There has been a lot of talk about if hell exists and if it is forever. In a book by Michigan mega church pastor Rob Bell, Bell states that if hell exists, it can’t be for eternity. He says that after death, everyone will have another chance to follow Christ. They will take it and repent, and everyone will end up in heaven. This kind of false teaching is foolish and dangerous. These beliefs are popular because they say we need not try to be like Christ and try not to sin. He preaches that we can sin all we want and when we get to judgement day, we can say; I believe now. He doesn’t come out and say we can sin all we want, but that is what the idea says.

Bell is no longer a preacher; he is a performer. He goes around the country and speaks to people about how the fundamental beliefs of Christians are wrong. He also claims the Bible, written by men beaten by one military superpower after another. Then in the next sentence he uses scripture to back up one of his beliefs. The entire premise is wrong. If Jesus didn’t come to earth to die and pay the price for our sins. And we don’t have to accept him to avoid hell, then Christianity does not exist.

Universalism states that every human will end up in heaven. So, we should not focus on heaven and hell but focus on our life here and now. Trevin Wax who is an editor for the Southern Baptist convention, Lifeway resources said. “If our biggest need was to feel good about ourselves, God would have sent Oprah. If our biggest need was to have a good relationship with our family, God would have sent Dr. Phil.

But God sent his son to suffer and die for our sins on the cross. Our sin must be more heinous than feeling empty inside.” Wax also said that “The greatest threat to Christianity may not be from modern culture, blatant heresies, or the rise of Islam. It may come from the counterfeit gospel, the seeds of which are being planted within the church.”

The Apostle Paul said in Romans 6:14 through 6:16 14For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? There is no doubt what Paul is saying here. Sin leads to death. There is no way to interpret this, to say you can sin till after you die, then decide not to sin and escape going to hell.

There is no basis in the Bible to back up Bell's ideas. There are many to support, the opposite is true. Hell exists, and it is for eternity. The Greek word for hell is used in the New Testament 12 times. Of those times, 11 were from the mouth of Jesus Christ. If you don’t believe in the biblical teaching of hell, you don’t believe in the teachings of Jesus himself. If you don’t believe in the teachings of Jesus, you are saying Jesus is a liar, and the Bible is not true. You can’t pick the parts of the Bible that you want to believe. If you only believe in the parts of the Bible that work for you, you are not a follower of Christ.

John MacArthur preaching about hell said, “The truth of eternal punishment to come on those who do not believe the gospel is a painful message to preach, it is a painful message to hear, it is a painful message to process. It is a painful truth to apply, but it is biblical.” Matthew 25: 45-46 45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ 46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

Revelation 14: 10-11 10 must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.” Just from these 2 passages you can see that hell is not just a tough time. No, hell is a place of torment and pain that will last forever.

Many preachers don’t like to preach about hell. They want to preach about the positives of Christianity. There is nothing wrong with that. It is positive and fantastic to look forward to living for eternity in a place that is more awesome than we can even imagine. Every choice we make in life has benefits and consequences. Both benefits and consequences need talking about when telling people about eternal life in heaven.

Luke 16: 24-26 24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’

25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ This shows that you can’t choose heaven after death, once you die and go to hell, you can’t leave. There is no second chance after death.

In the gospels hell is a place of unimaginable torment, weeping and gnashing of teeth, spiritual and bodily destruction, fiery furnace, outer darkness, unquenchable fires and endless torment. These words from the Bible do not leave any room for a unique interpretation. Hell is not a place that anyone wants to be, even for a brief time, and you don’t want to be there for eternity.

God is a loving God, but he is also a just God, and we must pay the price for all sins, or accept the gift of Jesus paying the price for us. Jesus died to pay the price for all sins, all we need to do is believe and repent and turn away from our sins. The way you look at life will change. God gives you a new heart, and you will not want to continue to sin. God would not have sent Jesus to die on the cross to pay the price for our sins If we could all continue to sin and live like we want here on earth, then decide that we believe and repent for all our sins.

If you follow Bell’s teaching that you can say you're sorry after death and still go to heaven, you are wrong, you will not have the chance to change your mind after death, you will not spend eternity in heaven, you will spend eternity in hell. Many people believe that God is only love and not evil, and he would send no one to hell for eternity.

Ray Comfort uses a great illustration of God being just and not evil by comparing man's law. If someone breaks the laws of man and goes before a judge or a jury to face the charges and they say that they are sorry for their crime, it doesn’t change the fact that they have to pay the price for the crime. Even if you commit a minor crime such as texting while driving or not wearing a seat belt. The judge will not let you out of the fine because you say you are sorry for breaking the law. There are penalties for breaking the law, and you must pay for the crime. You can’t commit a crime and go to prison, then decide that you were wrong and have the authorities let you out.

If they sentenced you to a $10,000 fine for a crime and couldn’t pay it, you would go to jail, even if you were sorry. If someone paid the fine for you, it would allow you to go free. They have paid the price for your crime. If God is just, he will also not forget about the sins against him if you say you're sorry on judgement day, he will hold you accountable for the sins you’ve committed.

There would have been no reason for God to send Jesus to earth to die and pay the price for our sins, if we could wait until we die and then say we are sorry, and it’s done. He sent Jesus to earth to die for our sins, to pay the price, so if we accept this gift, he will spare us the pain of Hell.

Don’t be wrong. The Mega church preachers who are teaching this religion that preaches having your best in life here on earth should be our focus, are leading many people away from the truth of the gospel and what God wants us to do. Our job is to spread the truth and let people know they feel good, or prosperity gospel is wrong. The price for being wrong is eternity in hell. God doesn’t want anyone to spend eternity in hell, but on judgement day, he will be just and those who do not believe and repent will spend eternity in hell. Just because some don’t believe in hell doesn’t change the fact that hell is real, and it is forever.