What Does the Bible Say About Hell? Archives - Christian Questions Bible Podcast

The subject of eternal torment can be volatile, as there are so many variations in its explanations. Aside from all of the questions and debates regarding the interpretation of Scripture, there’s one fundamental question that often gets overlooked: If a hell of torment is the ultimate consequence for sin, did God’s people always know that? Think about the power of this question. For the many Christians who see the eternal torture of hell as a deterrent from sin, wouldn’t God in His justice have given all of His people through all of history ample knowledge of this overwhelming consequence? Is the doctrine of eternal torment plainly revealed throughout the whole Bible? When do we see this teaching revealed in any ancient pagan belief systems? What is the history of hellfire?

It is a straightforward way for us to understand how the principles of justice emanate from the mind and hand of God to the human race. God creates Adam and then Eve. He puts them into this garden to cultivate and gives them everything they need for a perfect and eternal life. God gives them the rules and plainly expresses that death is the penalty for disobedience. They disobey. They are removed from the Garden and the dying process begins. God had said that they came from the dust of the ground and to that dust they would return.

Such a clearly defined explanation of life and death at the very beginning of humanity’s course SHOULD be the basis for any conversation about the doctrine of eternal torment. Our first important question:

Why would God tell Adam he would return to the “dust of the ground” if he was to be eternally tortured? Built upon this first question are two further fundamental questions:

Why in the almost 4,000-year history of Old Testament writings is a hell of torment never referenced? Why would God be silent with so much at stake?

What did pagan history during that same period of time teach in great detail about afterlife torture? In how many different pagan cultures did these afterlife torture teachings appear?

Check out our recent podcast, “Did a Belief in Hell Always Exist? (Hellfire Series Part IV).” We delve deeply into these three questions. We trace pagan history in great detail. This history of hellfire reveals clear and incontrovertible evidence of afterlife torment and torture in many cultures. We compare the timeframe in which these beliefs were relevant with what was simultaneously happening in biblical history. The conclusions the evidence presents are more than just thought provoking, they are profound. Join us for this amazing and factual journey through questions rarely asked. What is at stake is our comprehension of the very character of God. What we find are glorious answers!

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In Part I, we looked into what Jesus really meant when he talked about “hell” and “unquenchable fire.” Gehenna, the Greek word Jesus used for “hell,” describes a valley in which horrible acts of idolatry occurred. God proclaimed this valley would be known as a valley of slaughter, a valley that would symbolize utter destruction. Further, we discovered that when Jesus spoke of “unquenchable fire,” he was referring to Old Testament fires of destruction that would burn until there was nothing left to be consumed. While these realizations take the eternal torture and flames out of the concept of hell, we still have other words of Jesus to consider. What about all of the times that Jesus said some would experience “weeping and gnashing of teeth”? What was he describing?

Jesus specifically spoke about “weeping and gnashing of teeth” seven different times. This tells us several important things. First, we see he was relaying a very important message. His words were a warning to his listeners to be aware of themselves so they would be able to avoid having this reaction. Second, we need to know who was being addressed. It turns out there were several categories of people being spoken to. There were the Jews of his day, and Christians – both true and false – throughout the whole age of gospel message going forth. Then he also addressed those at the end of the age, when the “time of trouble” will descend upon the world. Jesus’ message was comprehensive and attention-getting!

Next, we need to be aware of what this “weeping and gnashing of teeth” phrase meant and what it didn’t mean. This is a deeply important point, as many Christians instinctively associate it with the concept of a burning hell. The problem here is simple. As we discussed in Part I, the idea of torture in everlasting fire is not at all scripturally accurate. That being the case, we need to have a crystal-clear understanding of how Jesus used this particular phrase. By understanding the words and their context, this begins to become clear.

Next, we need to face the fact that most of the time “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is used, it is within the context of parables. Parables by definition are symbolic, and we need to honor that basis in our understanding. So many details and so little time! Check out our July 15, 2024 podcast, “What Does Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth Mean? (Part II)” for more. We systematically go through an overview of all seven times Jesus spoke these words. We identify the “who” and “why” of each instance. Finally, we then highlight the similarities and point out the differences as we compare them. What we find is a sobering and comprehensive lesson Jesus taught to anyone and everyone who would come to know him. Join us to see how weeping and gnashing of teeth makes incredible sense as a learning experience and not as eternal torture.

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To the critical observer, modern Christianity is confusing as we have countless denominations and their countless ways of interpreting Scripture. These widely varied interpretations give birth to widely varied traditions that support those interpretations. As a major subset of this, we have wide discrepancies regarding the destiny of unbelievers. Several times, Jesus plainly taught about the consequences of hell. The enormous question that needs answering is, did he teach hell was a place of agonizing and eternal torture from which there is no escape, or were his several references to hell pointing to a very different meaning? Our focus is on the primary New Testament word Jesus used to describe hell. If we understand the word and its context, we will understand Jesus’ meaning.

Whenever Jesus spoke about hell, it was usually accompanied by descriptions of fire. Not only was there fire involved, but this fire was described as unquenchable. To make things even more dire, there were times when Jesus added descriptions of worms that don’t die. When we put this all together, it looks like we have descriptions of some kind of cataclysmic place, event or time that is wholly unpleasant. Jesus spoke about these things to get our attention. The question is, what was he actually showing us?

For many the answer seems obvious, and their conclusion is that all of this is describing the fiery torment of an eternal hell from which there is no relief. This widely held interpretation has been around for many generations. We would like to respectfully suggest what we consider to be several glaring inconsistencies with this reasoning.

The first question arises when we understand what the word for “hell” means in these teachings of Jesus. “Hell” is the Greek word Gehenna. Gehenna literally translates to “The Valley of (the son of) Hinnom.” This was a literal valley outside of Jerusalem that in Joshua’s day was passed on to the sons of Hinnom. So, this is a piece of real estate. Why would Jesus use a physical piece of land in these graphic descriptions? The sad answer is because of the idolatry that took place in the days of Jeremiah. Israel not only worshipped idols, but they burned their children alive to these idols as sacrifices. In the book of Jeremiah, God plainly stated that such torture had never entered His mind.

Why would God eternally torture people when by His own words he so vehemently condemned it? This is just one of many questions that need asking. Check out our July 8, 2024 podcast, “What Did Jesus Mean When He Talked About Hellfire? (Part I).” We dig deeply into this question, as well as the glaring questions about unquenchable fire, undying worms and Gehenna. The source for the answers to these queries is the Bible. No speculation, no tradition; just scriptures put in place to explain other scriptures. Join us as we walk down this biblical road in search of God’s clearly stated truth.

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God does have a plan for the destiny of humanity. He always has. Think about it – God created man as the crowning feature of the earth’s system of life. Man was given dominion over the planet, sin entered and the whole thing seemed ruined. The thing is, God knew sin would enter. He knew man would fall. The journey through sin was to be part of an eternal education experience for all of humanity. In Part I of our series, we established that the Bible teaches the earth not only abides forever, but it will be housing humanity throughout that eternity. We also established that the pathway to heaven is available by invitation only. Walking that path requires life-long faith, sacrifice and obedience. While acknowledging we are sinners and loving Jesus are wonderful steps to take, they don’t get us to heaven. While these scriptural truths are enlightening, they raise MANY questions about the afterlife. What about hell? And what are all those unsaved people doing on earth? What about Judgment Day?

The concept of an eternal burning hell of torment is a massive question when considering the  destiny of humanity. There are several scriptures in the teachings of Jesus that certainly seem to support it. But think about this concept it relates to the rest of the Bible. If hell is the destiny for those who disobey God, why did God tell Adam that the penalty of sin was death? Did God not tell the truth? If eternal torture is factual, then why was it not described at all outside of Jesus words and two symbolic scriptures in Revelation? Why did the Apostle Paul emphatically state “the wages of sin is death”? Why does the rest of the New Testament not seem to care about such a dramatic consequence?

If we take these questions and investigate the Scriptures in question with diligence and integrity, this whole issue begins to reveal itself. What we find is biblical logic and doctrine that debunks this false teaching. While this may be a relief, it adds more questions. Once you take away the belief that unbelievers will be eternally tortured, what do you do with them? Are they simply able to exist with out consequences? How fair would that be?  Do they just cease to exist? How could that be fair for those who never heard the name of Jesus?

Understanding the biblical reality of how this period of time works solves all of these issues. Check out our April 26, 2021 podcast, “Did God Make Heaven and Hell Humanity’s Destiny? (Part II)” for more. On top of giving clear biblical direction on the hell of torment issue, we define what Judgment Day is and what it is not. We review the scriptural perspective on what really happens in the afterlife to all the unbelievers throughout history. The result is a crystal-clear picture of how God’s plan will treat believers and unbelievers in the future. Don’t miss how all the details fit together and reveal an inspirational and God-glorifying picture!

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The general consensus in Christianity is that there are two paths, two destinies that await humanity. First, there is the heavenly bliss of being with Jesus. After all, Jesus himself said he was preparing a place for his followers in heaven and that he would bring us there. Second, there is the fiery torturous eternal existence of hell. This is reserved for everybody else who did not follow Jesus. While this “two destiny” approach may sound simple, it does not stand the test of scrutiny. For starters, the fact is the vast majority of humanity has not known or accepted the name of Jesus. Does this mean God’s careful creation of humanity “in His image” was a resounding failure? And what about planet Earth? If it is doomed for a fiery end, then why did Jesus tell us to pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth? These are just the beginning of some big questions, so let’s see if we can find big biblical answers!

To best comprehend the eternal destiny of humanity, we need to look carefully at Bible prophecy beginning with earth. Some scriptures seem to indicate the earth will be burned up and every living thing upon it will be destroyed. While this sounds disturbing, the good news is that it is simply not true. On the contrary, we believe the earth will be an eternal habitation in a perfected state in the future. How can we say this when 2 Peter 3:10 reads “…the earth and its works will be burned up.”?

The key is understanding what is literal and what is figurative in Scripture. How would we respond to the skeptic who says we can determine something to be figurative to make it fit our narrative? The answer here is to have integrity. Not just personal integrity. We also absolutely need to maintain the clear and consistent teachings of God’s word from beginning to end. The Bible tells us what is true if we allow its message to surface!

Check out our April 19, 2021 podcast, “Did God Make Heaven and Earth Humanity’s Destiny? (Part 1)” for more. We dig into several Old Testament prophecies written at different times, in different places by different prophets. We find is a crystal-clear narrative that explains not only what will happen to earth, but why it will happen. These biblical texts are an absolute key in understanding the destiny of humanity in God’s plan.

With the question of earth settled, we next take a scriptural look at heaven.  Who goes to heaven, why do they go and what do they have to do to qualify? The bottom line is: If we want to know where the righteous and unrighteous of humanity go for eternity, we need to understand what is real and what is not according to the Bible. Join us for this revealing two-part discovery series!

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“The end result of God’s judgment upon those who do not accept Jesus is eternal fire and torment.”  Such is the serious warning of many Christians of many centuries before us and of our day as well.  Their studied claim is that Jesus was specific,and his words are the words of the Gospel and are therefore not subject to question.  While we agree with the unquestionable nature of the words of Jesus, we DO question our Christian friend’s interpretation on this very serious matter.  Our questions we respectfully ask about a New Testament hell are these:  What if Jesus’ teachings about God’s judgment did NOT point to a burning hell at all?  What if that doctrine was borrowed from ancient heathen teaching (as we discussed in Part I of this series) and illegitimately planted into what became known as the Gospel – centuries AFTER Jesus spoke?  What if careful scriptural reasoning coupled with post New Testament history could PROVE this?

What would YOU do if you were me?  What if you firmly believe that you had been introduced to well established, documented and centuries-old historical insight into a really serious biblical doctrine?  What if you believe that this insight shed powerful light on the true teaching of Scripture by establishing its meaning and context within the ancient times it was written?  What if these provable scriptural and historical facts point to a conclusion that much of Christianity flatly rejects?  You would want people to know about it, wouldn’t you?  You’d speak up wouldn’t you?  Welcome to my world and the raging debate about the meaning of hell and hellfire in the Bible!

Here is the thing – I am no Bible scholar, I cannot read let alone understand Hebrew or Greek. I am not an ancient civilizations historian either.  But I love the Bible – I love God with all of my heart and I have tried every day for over 40 years to walk in Jesus footsteps.  The insight that I follow is clearly not my own and I absolutely take no credit for it.  I am merely a Christian who has been given weekly opportunities to talk scripture with people all over the world.  So I do.  Recently we have done Episode #1021 Part I of a 3-part series “Is the Hell of Christian Tradition Taught in the Bible?”  In these podcasts we lay out the Scriptures, the history, the languages and the conclusions we firmly believe disprove a Hell of eternal flames and torment in scripture.

How can that possibly be?  What about the Scriptures that cite “everlasting flames”?  What about the Scriptures describing a New Testament hell with “worms that don’t die” or the “smoke of torment rising up forever”?  These are great, valid and deeply important questions that deserve a thorough, historical and linguistically-sound response, which is why I won’t respond here.  A short quip would not do justice to such powerful questions.  Instead I ask you to listen,  especially to this Part II of our series we broadcast on June 4, 2018.  If you do listen and you disagree, then kindly respond back with the specifics of what the disagreement is based on and most importantly why.  Then we can talk Christian to Christian and reason through our beliefs.  Such an approach can only make us all stronger in faith! Also see Episode #1027 Part III.

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