What is hell going to look like?

What is the concept of hell, according to the Bible? Is it eternal separation from God, a lake of fire and sulphur, the disintegration of an unbeliever’s soul — or a combination of some/all of the above?

In Matthew 25:41, Jesus mentions that hell is as true as any other information He has given on various things. It isn’t a myth meant to scare people. Jesus, being the King He is, will eventually declare those who aren’t with Him to depart from Him, implying an eternal separation. And yet, hell is one of the least emphasised topics in today’s evangelical circles. A lot of confusion exists as to whether Scripture is literal when it comes to the description mentioned about hell. Is it eternally fiery? A lake of fire and sulphur? Let’s examine a few passages that describe hell in this manner.

Metaphors and reality

Matthew 25:41 describes hell as an eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Since this is the purpose of hell, we must understand that the devil and angels are spirit beings who don’t have a physical element to their existence, unlike us. Hence, they don’t suffer burns or need protection to stay alive.

Then why is it described as fiery? There are two reasons. Firstly, in His teachings, Jesus uses the word ‘Gehenna’ to describe hell. Gehenna was a place outside the Hinnom valley in Israel where human and animal waste materials were burned. Fires were kept burning there, due to the constant supply of waste, which was an easy breeding ground for worms. This is the picture employed by Jesus as He declares that everyone who rejects God will end up in an ‘ongoing’ hellish experience.

Secondly, fire, along with the pain and destruction it causes, are felt severely in the physical realm of nature. One cannot endure the affliction that fire produces when any part of our body is exposed to it, and the injuries can well be fatal. That seems to be the emphasis of having fire as a metaphor to describe hell. Those  who choose to side with Satan will be in the place of punishment that God has prepared. They will experience the pain that occur when skin and flesh are exposed to fire. And there will be no end to the experience. The eternal fire is a metaphor of the eternal judgment of God over unrepentant sinners. All who reject God will experience eternal rejection and punishment, amounting to destruction from Him.

All who reject God will experience eternal rejection and punishment, amounting to destruction from Him

Another picture that hell is described with is the lake of fire and brimstone found in Revelation 20:10. A detailed glance through this book indicates that John employed many Old Testament allusions in it. The ‘fire and sulphur’ phrase takes us to Genesis 19 where God rained fire and sulphur from heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah, completely destroying the cities and all the valley, as well as what grew on the ground. Sodom and Gomorrah deserved this treatment for their depravity and the sins because of which the outcry against it was great. Hell is likewise described as a lake of fire and sulphur to indicate God’s wrath and anger against human sinfulness and the corresponding justice meted out in response to the violation of God’s commands.

Only one escape

In other words, hell is a real place in which an unrepentant sinner will experience eternal separation from God. It will be an intensely painful experience because all of eternity is going to be a time of punishment for the sinner and all of eternity in hell will be the righteous judgement on the sinner for the violation of God’s holiness. The soul, which is the immaterial part of our being, never disintegrates, as a sinner is conscious of his eternal separation from God.

In order to save us from this eternal damnation, God sent His Son Jesus to drink the cup of judgement that the Father gave Him. By His suffering and death, we are healed. May this be a wake-up call for all who cherish sin and reject the only begotten Son of God.