Dear Friend:
The word “hell” is said by a lot of people in various ways. Some use it as a swear word or insult, others as a joking word, some call it a real place, others say it’s just a sham (fake) and a way to scare people.
So, Is hell real?
People have many ideas about hell, but what is the truth? Is it real or fake? Well, when we look at our English Bible’s, the Lord Jesus himself is the person who spoke the word “hell” the most times. Here are some of the words he said about the place called hell.
“And I say to you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I forewarn you whom you shall fear: Fear him, which after he has killed hath power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, Fear him.” Luke 12:4-5
The parallel passage in Matthew puts it this way:
“but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Mat 10:28
Is hell real? Well, from these verses we know that the Lord Jesus believed in a place called hell. He also said that it is a place were ,some people go after death. Because of this we should fear and respect the one who is able to put us (soul and body) into hell, which is God, rather than fear those who can only kill the body, meaning mankind.
In Matthew when it says “destroy both soul and body in hell”, the word destroy is in other places translated as: die, loose, mar or perish. When we look at other places where the same Greek word here translated “destroy” is found, this is what we notice. Angels who were to be “destroyed” (Mar 1:24) didn’t cease to exist, but were in judgement, bottles which were “marred” didn’t cease to exist, but lost their value and purpose (Mark 2:22), and the woman who “lost” one of her ten coins in Luke 15:8, knew it didn’t cease to exist, but that it was hidden and couldn’t be used for its intended purpose. From this it is clear that the soul and body don’t cease to exist once they get to hell, but instead they are in a state of judgement, where they have lost their value, and purpose.
What did the Lord Jesus say about hell?
Let us look at some other words the Lord Jesus said about hell.
“If your hand offend you, cut if off: it is better for you to enter into life maimed, thank having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:” Mark 9:43
Here, the Lord Jesus tells us that hell is a place of “fire that shall never be quenched”! It is no wonder that He tells us to fear God who is able to put us in that awful place, an eternal fire! It is also described as a place where people go who have offended or sinned.
The original Greek word used which is translated “Hell” in English is “Gehenna” and is also a name of a valley in Jerusalem where rubbish was burned and the occasional dead person was thrown if they were wicked and didn’t have any relatives. This real place in Jerusalem was a tiny picture of what the Lord Jesus describes hell to be as it is quite clear that all that is said about hell can by no means be said about the valley in Jerusalem called Gehenna.
What does in matter if hell is real?
So here we start to see the picture of the real place that the Lord Jesus calls hell. It is a place where people who have done wrong in this life go after they have physically died, so that they can be judged; they will stay there and not cease to exist. It is also a place of eternally burning fire, so a person who goes to hell will stay there in suffering until they are judged for their sin and placed in a permanent place of eternal judgement.
Is hell real? Is it true that some people will go to a real place called hell and suffer there? That is certainly what the Lord Jesus says!
It is my prayer that because of this knowledge, you would seek refuge in the only one who can save you from going to that awful place – that person is the Lord Jesus Himself. He is the only person who can forgive your sins and save you from eternal judgment.
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