Hell is described in the Bible as a place of suffering, torment, and punishment for those who reject God and sin against Him. It is portrayed as a fiery furnace or a lake of burning sulfur where the wicked will be punished after death. Hell is also described as a place of eternal separation from God, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Few biblical references that describe hell include:
Matthew 25:46 - "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Mark 9:43-48 - "If your hand causes you to stumble, 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."
Revelation 20:15 - "Anyone whose name was not found in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire."
Stages of Hell:
While hell is a topic often avoided, it's essential to understand the gravity of sin and the consequences of rejecting God's love.
Firstly, we encounter the concept of Sheol in the Old Testament, a place where the dead exist in a state of separation from God. Sheol is described as a dark, silent, and pitiful realm, where those who reject God are forgotten (Psalm 9:17, Isaiah 38:18).
Next, we come to Hades, a temporary holding place for the wicked, where they are confined in torment, awaiting final judgment (Luke 16:23-24). Hades is a place of conscious suffering, where the rich man in Jesus' parable begged for a drop of water to cool his tongue (Luke 16:24).
The final stage is Gehenna, also known as the Lake of Fire, where the wicked will be punished after the final judgment (Revelation 20:15). Gehenna is a place of eternal torment, where the fire never ceases and the worm never dies (Mark 9:48).
Believers, let these biblical truths about hell stir us to share the Gospel with urgency and compassion. May we cherish God's gift of salvation and strive to rescue those perishing in sin. Let us fix our eyes on Christ, who rescued us from the depths of hell, and entrust ourselves to His love and grace.
Is there life after death? The answer, is yes!
Scripture declares, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Eternal life is not just a hope; it's a promise from our loving Creator.
In 1 Corinthians 15:55-57, Paul writes, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Believers, we have the assurance of eternal life with our Lord Jesus Christ. As Jesus said in John 14:2-3, "My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
So let us not fear death but embrace the promise of life everlasting. May our hope be rooted in Christ, and may we live with the confident expectation of eternal life with Him. Amen!
