Is HELL for real?

A friend who is fairly new in the faith asked that at my church the other day.  Also about the hypothesis of “other lives”  The pastor was not present and the brethren who had taken over the class did not want to be drifted away from the main theme due to the timely program and so he said to wait until the pastor was back to get an honest answer. I am not an expert in the subject, but I do know what I have read in the Bible and I also say like Paul in his second letter to Timothy: “For I know whom I have believed” and that is Jesus, the living Word, through whom “all things came into being” (John 1.3) and I belong to His family, therefore I know Him well enough to testify about Him.

Some pastors seem to dislike the subject of what does not build up. I imagine because they might think it’s something bad for people to think in the punishment and that they might end up there, and it’s better to “ignore” it until someone brings it up, like it happened to us. Perhaps it is much better to teach about the Grace of God available to all sinners. This person concluded, then, he declared, that there is no hell. It is unpleasant to think that a God of love can hate anyone enough to let him dwell in agony for an eternity.

I used to think that when I was a child because I was so naïve I thought everybody was good. But as I have lived, I’ve seen the horrors many people put others through in the name of evil temptation. The results I do not even wish for the devil himself, but he brought it upon himself and is making many fall on his trap to go with him “wherever” to keep tormenting them.

Hell is for real because it is in the Bible, and I believe in it “cover to cover” even though many make their own interpretations. If I do not believe in it I make Jesus a liar because He spoke of it when he told us the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16. 19-25) which is fiction, but if Jesus told it is because it does exist and he is warning us so we do not have to go there. The rich man, even in torment, wanted to keep on being in supremacy and wanted Lazarus, who was in the bosom of Abraham, to come and pamper him to feel better. But Abraham told him: “Child, remember that during your life you received your good things and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he’s being comforted here, and you are in agony” (verse 25) Does that mean that if we live well now we would go to agony?  Of course, not, but if we live well here due to making others miserable, like the rich man did, we’ll end up like him. And so will the poor who want to imitate him. (Read Mathew 18. 23-35)

Ever since I decided to write about this I read, studied, heard many pastors in the matter, even from different denominations and they all agree in the same thing: we are immortal for good or for bad. We live only once. The author of Hebrews said: “. . . it is appointed for men to die ONCE and after this comes judgment . . .” (Hebrews 9.27)   The kingdom of heaven is among us with our love for others but so is hell with its many different names: Hades, Sheol, Lake or Furnace of Fire, and with our hatred for others. If we learn to love and forgive one another no mater if they are “right or wrong”, we are doing great because love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4. 8b) If we accept the Grace of God that is a gift for believing in Jesus, no matter how much we have sinned, we will end up in the comfort of our Lord. For God so loved the world that He gave (sacrificed) his only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall NOT perish. . . (John 3.16)

Some people have mentioned their dislike of going to heaven to give praises to a God they do not know or are not interested in. What I recommend those people is: Start to look and learn to love Him because hell is for real and there’s no end to the torment. Only the faith in Jesus can deliver us from it.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5.1-2)

Isn’t that a good enough reason to be thankful for?    Have a happy thanksgiving!