Temple University, 27 Oct 1982

Robert C. Newman

 

Hell:  What is It?  Where is It?

How to Get There

 

Introduction

 

            Whyam I giving a talk like this when I donÕt like confrontation, etc.?

            Becauseof an incident that occurred at the Madison, WI, Zoo in the summer of 1966:

                        Passedthe elephant cage; some kids (with mothers nearby) were playing outside,between the 1st and 2nd barriers.

                        Thoughtthis was foolish, but figured IÕd better not interfere, as mothers were presentwho would presumably not like a stranger butting in.

                        Afew mintues later, heard a scream. The smallest child had climbed thru the cage bars, and was beingtrampled to death by the elephant.

            Somemonths afterward, I decided to take this incident as a parable:  IÕd better use my life helping peopleavoid hell, even if some might not appreciate being warned, than to let them gothere without warning.

 

Whatis Hell?

 

            Thereare many misconceptions due to traditional ideas, partly derived from DanteÕs Inferno and NT Apocrypha. E.g., Satan as jailer rather thanprisoner, demons as tormentors, etc.

            Letus look at some of the Biblical descriptions of hell:

 

Isa66:22-24 (NIV) "As the new heavens and the new earth that I make willendure before me," declares the LORD, "so will your name and descendantsendure. 23 From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, allmankind will come and bow down before me," says the LORD. 24 "Andthey will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled againstme; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will beloathsome to all mankind."

            Corpses,worms, fire, loathsome

 

Dan12:1-3 (NIV) "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects yourpeople, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happenedfrom the beginning of nations until then. But at that time yourpeople--everyone whose name is found written in the book--will be delivered. 2Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlastinglife, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shinelike the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness,like the stars for ever and ever.

            Shame,everlasting contempt

 

Matt10:28 (NIV) Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill thesoul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

            Destructionof both body and soul


 

Matt13:40-42, 49-50 (NIV) As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, soit will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels,and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who doevil. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will beweeping and gnashing of teethÉ. 49 This is how it will be at the end of theage. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 andthrow them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing ofteeth.

            Fieryfurnace, weeping, gnashing of teeth

 

Mark9:42-48 (NIV) And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe inme to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a largemillstone tied around his neck.

43If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter lifemaimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes outÉ. 45And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enterlife crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hellÉ.

47And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enterthe kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,48 where "`their worm does not die,

andthe fire is not quenched.' {[48] Isaiah 66:24}

            Betterto lose life, hand, foot, eye (allusion to Isa 66)

 

Luke16:19-31 (NIV) "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and finelinen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar namedLazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man'stable. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 "The time came when thebeggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man alsodied and was buried. 23 In hell, {[23] Greek Hades}where he was in torment, helooked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he calledto him, `Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of hisfinger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' 25"But Abraham replied, `Son, remember that in your lifetime you receivedyour good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comfortedhere and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a greatchasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, norcan anyone cross over from there to us.' 27 "He answered, `Then I beg you,father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let himwarn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' 29"Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen tothem.'

30"`No, father Abraham,' he said, `but if someone from the dead goes tothem, they will repent.'

31"He said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, theywill not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

            Torment,agony of fire, no escape

 

2Thess 1:9 (NIV) They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shutout from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his powerÉ

            Eternaldestruction, shut out from GodÕs presence

 


Rev 14:9-11(NIV) A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyoneworships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or onthe hand, 10 he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has beenpoured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented withburning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And thesmoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or nightfor those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives themark of his name."

            Wrathof God, tormented w/ fire & sulfur, smoke rises forever, no rest

 

Rev20:1015 (NIV) And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake ofburning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. Theywill be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great whitethrone and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, andthere was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing beforethe throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the bookof life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded inthe books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hadesgave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according towhat he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found writtenin the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

            Lakeof fire, second death

 

            Thisis not a complete listing of passages about hell, but it does include most ofthe major passages and pictures, except for the concept of Òouter darknessÓgiven in Matt 22:13 and 25:30.

 

Whereis Hell?

 

            Thereare also misconceptions here, based on the literal idea that the Bible teachesa three-story universe with heaven as attic and hell as basement.  DanteÕs view is only slightly moresophisticated.

            Someclaim the Bible view is that hell is a physical cavern in the earth to whichbodies roll after burial.  This isabsurd, as it doesnÕt fit the phenomena observed by the ancients themselves asthey gathered up the bones about a year after burial to store them away in boneboxes.

            Wecan illustrate the BibleÕs teaching from two passages we read earlier:

                        Luke16:19-31:

                        Whathappens to the two when they die?

                                    Lazarusdied and the angels carried him away (v 22)

                                    Richman died and was buried... in Hades (23, unseen world)

                        Inthese two cases, we appear to have a picture of the Òtemporary hellÓ whichexists between death and the final resurrection.

                        Noticethat the resurrection hasnÕt occurred yet, as the rich manÕs brothers are stillliving on earth (28).

                        Weappear to have something here that is analogous to that reported inout-of-the-body experiences.


                        Isaiah66:22-24:

                        Thispassage appears to be describing the situation after the resurrection, so picturing the Òpermanent hellÓmost commonly referred to in the Bible. See the reference to Ònew heavens and new earthÓ in verse 22.

                        Thispassage pictures hell as located outsidethe New Jerusalem, fitting several passages we havenÕt read, e.g., Rev22:14-15: Òoutside [the city] are dogsÉÓ; a dozen passages where ÒGehennaÓ is used (and probably ÒTophethÓ inIsa 30:33), referring to the place where trash was burned outside the old cityof Jerusalem.

            Sowhere is hell?

                        Permanenthell = lake of fire, not yet ready, located near New Jerusalem on the newearth.

                        Temporaryhell is in the unseen world.  VariousBiblical passages on the unseen world suggest it is in some 4thspatial dimension.

 

Howdo you get there?

 

            LetÕslook at the passages which describe hell:

 

                        Isa66:24: they rebelled against God

                        Matt10:28: they were afraid of those who kill the body (rather than God)?

                        Matt13:41: all who do evil

                                    13:49:wicked

                        NoteMark 9:42: better to mutilate oneself or commit suicide than to sin or causesomeone else to do so

                        Luke16:19-21: selfish, ignoring needs of others

                        2Thess 1:8: do not know God or obey Gospel of Jesus

                        Rev14:9: worship of the beast (Antichrist)

                        Rev20:12, 15: judged by what they have done; name not written in book of life

 

            Apparentlymost will get there just by going on as they are.

           

Matt7:13 (NIV) Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad isthe road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small isthe gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

 

            Thetwo great commandments: do you (have you ever) obeyed them?

 

Matt22:35-40 (NIV) One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with thisquestion: 36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"37 Jesus replied: "`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and withall your soul and with all your mind.' {[37] Deut. 6:5}

38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: `Loveyour neighbor as yourself.' {[39] Lev. 19:18} 40 All the Law and the Prophetshang on these two commandments."

 


            Godtakes no pleasure in anyone going to hell:

 

Ezek33:11 (NIV) Say to them, `As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD,I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn fromtheir ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O houseof Israel?'

 

2Pet3:9 (NIV) The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understandslowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone tocome to repentance.

 

            Soflee to God and seek his pardon, which is freely offered on the basis of JesusÕdying for sins.