You may have heard that hell is just a temporary place where bad people go when they die before they are annihilated. Is this a true statement? There are a number of popular beliefs about hell, many not found in the Bible. What lies are you believing about hell? See if you have adopted any of those listed below.
1. Hell is temporary. Jesus said, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41b, author’s emphasis). He told us that men are going to the same place as the devil. Revelation 20:10 (NKJV) says, “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” “Everlasting” means “forever and ever.”
Matthew 25:46 says, “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (author’s emphasis). The same Greek word for “everlasting,” aionios, is used to describe heaven and hell. This word is also used in Romans 16:26, where it describes an everlasting God.
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2. The fire of hell is not literal. Luke 16:23-24 (KJV) reads, “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments … send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” If it were a metaphorical fire, why would water suffice? And “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:6, NKJV).
3. No one is in hell now. Luke 16:23a (NIV) reads, “In Hades, where he [the rich man] was in torment.” This is the current hell, not the lake of fire because it uses the word “Hades.” Isaiah 14:9a (KJV) says, “Hell from beneath is moved to meet thee at thy coming.” The lake of fire will not be beneath, but in outer darkness. Matthew 25:30 (ESV) says, “And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
The word for hell is Sheol, which is the current hell down deep in the earth.
4. Everyone will eventually be saved out of hell. In Luke 16:26, Jesus spoke of the rich man and said in effect, “You cannot cross over.” People cannot leave hell. Luke 13:24-28 (NKJV) reads, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. … He will say, “I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.” These are not entering heaven, ever. Jesus also told the Pharisees that He was leaving for heaven, and they could not come there: “Where I am, you cannot come” (John 7:34b).
5. There are many ways to escape hell. In John 14:6, “Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Second Thessalonians 1:9-10 reads, “These [who obey not the gospel] shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord.” Luke 13:3 says, “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” And 1 John 5:12 states, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
If you have not received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are on the road to hell. If you haven’t repented or turned from your sin, you are on the road to hell. If you don’t love your brothers, you are on the road to hell. If you deny Jesus came in the flesh, you are on the road to hell. There is only one way to go to heaven; there is only one name that saves. There is only one God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Examine the Scriptures and ask God to show you the truth about Jesus Christ. Don’t be deceived by those who use persuasive false arguments.
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Bill Wiese is the author of the New York Times bestselling book “23 Minutes in Hell,” the story of his life-changing visit to hell in 1998. Bill has since authored six additional book titles and continues to share his experience around the world. He and his wife, Annette, founded Soul Choice Ministries in late 2006 and have dedicated their lives to reaching the unsaved. For more information about Bill Wiese and Soul Choice Ministries, please visit us at: https://soulchoiceministries.org/
