Hell is the one place very few religions ever really describe or refer to in their doctrines or scriptures. Nearly everyone believes that only the purely evil and truly despicable people deserve to go there after they die. Rarely does anyone agree that it even exists, and, if it does, it certainly doesn't exist forever. Besides, is it really all that painful or terrible? Some say: "I'd rather party with the devil in hell than play some harp and serve God in heaven!" Others say: "We're already in hell on earth. Look at all the evil and bad things around us! This is hell!"
However, only one Book, the Bible, describes it in the following ways:
- Hell is a place of fiery, burning torment. It is described as a place of total darkness; an unquenchable "lake of fire" (the closest thing we know to it is volcanic lava), and it exists forever.
- Hell is a place originally and specifically reserved for Satan and his host of fallen angels, also known as demons. Satan was originally a brilliant angel of the highest order in God's heavenly court, who wrongly desired to have God's power for himself and his own glory. He got a third of the angels in heaven to rebel with him against God, and they were all cast out of heaven down to earth for their rebellion. Hell was originally, solely made for Satan and the, believed to be, millions of demons with him; they only practice evil, endlessly working to destroy men and women in any way and by any means they can, mainly by deceiving people to believe in any philosophy, religious doctrine, or idea that is anything but what the Bible says is true -- all to make sure that God's greatest earthly creation, mankind, joins them in eternal torment. They know their fate is sealed; they hope to help seal everyone else's, too!
- Hell is also now the place reserved for anyone who has ever sinned, which means anyone who has broken any of God's commandments at any time. God is an infinite, holy God, completely pure in every imaginable & unimaginable way; not even the slightest speck of sin can ever exist in His presence. Imagine a "germo-phobe" who wears gloves and a face mask at all times in attempts to stay away from all "harmful" germs. While God is not afraid of sin, it can never be in His perfect presence, because perfection is no longer perfection if something imperfect enters His realm. He set the punishment of hell from the beginning, and only those without sin escape it.
- Hell is forever. But why? What kind of God does that? How can anyone call Him loving? Imagine it this way: if you commit a serious crime against a neighbor or family member, you can get some time in jail, maybe the death penalty; if you commit a serious crime against a police officer, you will get a long sentence in jail, and an even stronger chance of the death penalty; and if you commit a serious crime against the President of the U.S., it is highly likely you will spend the rest of your earthly life in jail, or receive the death penalty. It may be the same serious crime, but the punishment increases depending on the target of the offense; and these are all just human crimes. Every sin against God is as serious as any crime committed here on earth, and the target of the offense is not just any finite human who holds an important position for just a few years. The target of every sin is against Someone who holds the most ultimate position of authority in all of the universe, and, remember, He has no beginning or end; He is infinite. So, just as the reward for perfection is an eternity in Heaven, the punishment for any one sin, against an incomprehensively supreme God, is an eternity in hell. God's demand for justice must be met, or else He no longer is God, a perfectly just God.
- Though hell currently holds the souls/spirits of people who've already died and broken God's Laws during their life on earth, it is the final destination for everyone's body and soul/spirit if they ever committed a sin while on earth. No amount of "good deeds" can be done to tip the scales to balance out or overcome the penalty for any amount of sin a person has committed. This is very bad news for all of us!
