(Ver 1.3)  This is Part 1 in a series of lessons on the subject of “What Does the Bible Teach Us About Hell”.  I’ve have heard more than one person say that hell does not exist.  Many like to say that hell is a figurative or symbolic place that really doesn’t exist.  They have even tried to tell me that nothing in the Bible says there is a hell.  In fact they have gone so far as to try to explain that the word “hell” is not even in the Bible, if you read the original text.  There is no end to the deception that Satan has promoted on the earth to give people the assurance that they do not need to do anything to prepare for eternity.  What I will attempt to do is show you Bible verses that talk about this place called hell.  I will show you that the Bible tells us where it is and what it is.  I will demonstrate that the Bible also tells us who will be going there.  I believe if you do the research that Jesus while present on the earth actually talked more about hell than He did about heaven.  I easily found over 30 different verses in the Gospels with the words in red ink that spoke about hell directly.  I believe we should try to pay attention to what the creator God taught us about why He created this place and who it was designed for.   Let’s start reading in the Old Testament:

Psa 9:17  The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God.

The Hebrew word translated in the KJV Bible as hell is the Hebrew word “sheol” or H7585.  Obviously, reading this verse and the Strong’s definition of this word it would appear that this word would seem to indicate a place that has been reserved for those who qualify as being “wicked”.  The wicked would include all those who were labeled as unrighteous.  The word translated as “wicked” in the Hebrew means “morally wrong” and that is probably everybody at some point in their lives.  The word also means a bad person or a guilty person.  So far I believe everyone in the human race would qualify at one time as one of these definitions.  The Hebrew word for “hell” has the following definition from the Strong’s:

H7585

From H7592; hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranian retreat), including its accessories and inmates: – grave, hell, pit.

We can clearly see from the definition that it refers to a place known as “hades”, called the place of the dead.  It is also given to us to be a subterranean location.  Subterranean means, beneath the surface of the earth.  Scientist and most every human alive has at least heard of  or seen volcanoes in action.  These geological phenomena’s are the external proof of the extreme heat within the earth’s core.  We know that these eruptions come from cracks in the earth’s layers that allow this molten material to leak out.  I feel like this is God’s way of trying to warn people that hell actually exists.  I do not believe that God causes volcanoes, but I do know that they do exist.  There are numerous scriptures in the Old Testament that refer to this place of the dead and even give us the location of this place.  Here are some of these:

Job 11:8  It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?

We can see clearly in this verse that heaven and hell are described as two separate and distinctive places.  Meaning they are not the same place or even in the same location of space.  In fact the two could be called opposites.  Heaven is described as being a place that is UP!  A place that is high above us.  Hell on the other hand is described as a place that is DOWN!  A place that is beneath our feet.  Interesting, isn’t it?

Psa 16:10  For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

This verse is of course somewhat controversial.  You see in some Christian circles it is taught that Jesus did not go to hell.  However, this verse would seem to indicate the complete opposite.  I personally believe if Jesus did not go to hell, then you and I will have to go.  If Jesus did not take the full punishment for our sin, then we still owe a debt that we cannot pay.  It was either paid in full or not paid at all.  Jesus said before He was crucified that even as Jonah was 3 days in the belly of the whale, that the He was going to be 3 days in the belly of the earth (Mat 12:40).  You cannot take that very many ways that would not seem to say, He was going to hell.  If you still do not believe that Jesus went to hell for you, so that you do not have to go, I guess that will be your problem and not mine.

Psa 55:15  Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.

We can again see a verse of scripture that clearly locates the position of hell and also confirms who it was made for.  God tells us clearly that the “wicked” will “go down”.  I guess anyone that reads this and still doesn’t believe me must think that they do not qualify as one of these wicked.  Maybe people think that my sin is not as bad as the sin of others so I must be OK!  However, the Bible says that if you even violate any single one part of God’s law, you are now guilty of sinning against ALL of the law (James 2:10)!   According to God’s written Holy Word no matter what sin you did, big or small, the consequences are just the same.

Psa 139:8  If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

There are so many verses in the Bible like these that I have shown you.  They all indicate that “heaven” is UP! and that hell is DOWN!  This verse speaks about the “omnipresence” of God and says no matter where you go, God is everywhere.  Yet it clearly tells us that some will go up and some will go down.

Pro 15:24  The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.

If you continue to read the many verses like these that I have been presenting to you and still refuse to acknowledgeme the existence of hell, you have been greatly deceived in your midnd not wanting to see the truth.  This verse in Proverbs clearly says a wise man is one who acknowledges the ways of life and departs from the way that leads him into hell, below.  Again we see two places mentioned, one is implied to be good and the other is definitely not a good place to go to.  If a wise man goes Up, then that implies that a “foolish” man or a fool goes “down” by their own choices that they have made.

Isa 5:14  Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

Sadly this verse seems to indicate that hell will not be an empty place.  The indication is given to us that it will be full of fools and idiots who thought they knew better.  I’m sorry I do not know what else to call people who have refused the free gift of salvation.  In this verse in Isaiah the path to hell is again said to be down.  To descend means to go beneath the surface of the earth.  Jesus said “Wide is the gate and broad is path that leads unto destruction and many are those that choose this path” (Mat 7:13).   But, then Jesus tells us “that straight is the gate and narrow is the way to life and few are they that find this path” (Mat 7:14).  You can see that Jesus is describing two separate groups of people.  You can clearly understand that Jesus says one group will live and the other group will die.  This of course is a spiritual reality and not a physical one.  A spiritual death would be a separation from God who is the author of life.   Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6).  What was Jesus telling us in this verse in John?  Jesus was saying He was the only way to achieve true life.  Meaning that every other way that people think they are going is the wrong way.  It is a very simple yet profound truth that many still refuse to accept.  I can’t make you believe it, I can’t make you see it, even though I wish I could.

There are so many verses in the Bible that speak about hell that I just can’t go over every one.   I would strongly suggest that you get your Bible search program and look for them and read everyone carefully.  Study to show yourself approved, a workman unto God!  I will leave this blog with this profound story given to us by Jesus himself.  In the book of Luke Jesus tells us a real story of two real actual men who lived on the earth in the past.  In this story we are told the direct name of one man who was named “Lazarus”.   We know from the story that Jesus says that the man Lazarus was not well physically and was called a beggar who sat at the door of a rich man who had things very nice and lived very well.  Lazarus wanted just some crumbs from the rich man’s table to quench his hunger, but it appears the rich man did not give him any or much at all.  Jesus tells us that both men died physically and were buried.  It also tells us something else that is very profound:

Luk 16:22  And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

You see in this verse we can see two men who died.  We know from when Jesus was telling us this story that He was still ministering physically to the nation of Israel.  Therefore, we know that Jesus was not yet crucified and that the payment for sin was yet to be accomplished on the cross.  Jesus told us in John 3:13 that no man had ever gone to heaven where God was up until this point in time that He spoke that statement.  This means after people on the earth died before the shed blood on the cross, they must have gone somewhere else.   We can clearly see that the beggar is said to be carried by the angels to this temporary place  and it was called “Abraham’s bosom”.   We can also clearly learn that this was not the beggar’s body that was taken to this place, but that it was his spirit that was relocated to this temporary location with Abraham.  In this verse we are informed that the rich man also died and his body was buried.  Where then did the rich man’s spirit go?  We can read the next verse and find the answer:

Luk 16:23  And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

We can clearly see that the rich man goes to hell, a place that is intentionally described as a place of torment.  Torment is not a good or a positive word is it?   Torment implies torture, pain and suffering.  Before Jesus was crucified we can see that the beggar was somewhere, not heaven but yet not hell either.   It is a place that is described to be a far off from hell, yet the rich man could still see it.  Did you also notice that these verses said that the rich man’s body was buried, yet the rich man went to hell?  If you do not understand that you are spirit that lives in a body you need to get a hold of that fact fast.  After your spirit leaves your body you can see from this story, you still exist, you still have feelings, you still can see, you still can talk, you still can do many of the things that you can do today physically, except get saved.  It is now too late to get saved.

Luk 16:24  And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

So the rich man hasn’t really changed has he?  Even being in hell he thinks he is better than the beggar Lazarus.   He asks for mercy from Abraham, his natural father, but yet ask for Abraham to send his brother Lazarus to hell to cool his tongue with water.  In this verse we can again clearly see that hell is a place that is described as very, very hot.  It is described as being surrounded by flames of fire.  So what was Abraham’s response to the rich man?

Luk 16:25  But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

So we can learn some valuable lessons if you want to see them.  Jesus told us, “How hard it is for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God” (Mat 19:24).  Why is that?  Because they think that they do not need God or salvation.  They are consumed with a life of luxury and want and need nothing.  They make themselves out to be better than others who have nothing and most of the time do nothing to help them.  We can clearly see in this story that the lives of these two men of example on earth are in stark contrast and opposition to each other.  When one cried out for mercy on the earth, the other refused to give it.  Then now that the tables are turned, the other cries out for mercy and yet nothing can be done to help him, even if they wanted to.

Luk 16:26  And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Jesus tells us that Abraham told the rich man that nobody could cross the vast expanse that was between them now.  It sounds like this area represents a spiritual barrier or even a prison wall like structure.  Nobody can get in and nobody can get out.  Once you are there you are there, at least until judgment day.  You see there is a day when the Bible says that “every knee will bow and call Jesus the Lord God”.  When presented with the truth, I assume many will still not believe it, but yet they will still be forced to bow their knee.  It would be much wiser to bow your knee voluntarily right now, than to wait until later and be forced into this position.

Luk 16:27  Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:

The rich man is not through asking for stuff and trying to negotiate a better outcome.  Now the rich man asks for Abraham to send Lazarus back to the earth to his father’s house.  Funny how rich men like to ask other people to do stuff for them all the time, isn’t it?  Did you notice that in verse 25, Abraham said to the rich man “remember”?   Do you know that the rich man in hell, without his body could still do this?  Do you understand the significance to that revelation?  People in hell can still remember and reflect back on everything that they had and the things that they did and still know everyone that they had met here on the earth.  What is more astounding is the fact that the rich man knew who Abraham was and He had never met him before.  Abraham lived many hundreds of years before this man and yet he still knew him.

Luk 16:28  For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

Now the rich man in the middle of hell realizes that the time of decision making was on the earth.  Since he has found that nothing can be done to help his situation, he wants Abraham to send Lazarus as a witness to his brothers on the earth so they will not come to the same place.  No doubt his brothers were also wealthy men who were raised to disregard others. 

Luk 16:29  Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

Now we have some more amazing information.  Here we have Abraham speaking about a future son named Moses.  How did Abraham know Moses?  Apparently Moses was there in the same place as he was and had heard the stories that Moses spoke of.  Moses and the prophets wrote God’s word down hundreds of years after Abraham lived and Abraham knew what they had done.  I find that absolutely fascinating.  Here we have a spiritual law of sorts being revealed to us.  We can see who ever lives and dies later will meet those and speak with those that went before.  An exchange of information is assumed and everyone will know everyone else who is there also.  But, did you notice that Abraham is not going to respond to what the rich man said, the way the rich man wanted him to.   Abraham tells him that God’s Word is where it was at, that was the only way to know God and to be saved.  Abraham never said anything about Buddha did he?  Abraham never said anything about any other way or religion did he?

Luk 16:30  And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

The rich man is very persistent and continues to ask for someone from the dead to be sent to his brothers so that they will hear first hand testimony of this awful place of torment.  Then if they hear someone personally say look I died and saw hell and it is not good place, they would repent.  Did you know that would really not help most people.  You see if people do not believe the Bible, how would they believe someone who came up to them and said “I’ve seen hell and it is a really bad place”.  Do you think they would believe it then?  I do not think it would make any difference.   Let’s see what Abraham thought about it:

Luk 16:31  And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

You see Abraham had the same opinion that I did, he tells the rich man that if they do not believe the Word of God, they will not believe someone who was raised from the dead.  That is such a strong Word of Truth to consider.  You see there are not many ways to God,  Abraham never said anything about Islam or any other religion.  Abraham said the key was the Bible.  This is what salvation is based upon.

We are not told very many things in the Bible about people who are directly said to have went to heaven or to hell.  Very few times are we actually given the names of specific individuals.  In fact I cannot think of anyone’s name that is said to have gone to hell.  We are told that Abraham and Lazarus was in a place not associated with hell and it implies that Moses and the prophets were also there.  From other stories in the Bible we can assume that Elijah was a specific individual that qualified as a prophet, but was someone who was caught up in a chariot by God.  We know from New Testament scriptures that Enoch was also said to have been taken by God.  Other than these few named individuals the Bible is purposely vague on the subject.  For example, I have heard Sunday School teachers teach about Adam and Eve and how someday we will see them in heaven.  However, I have not seen a Bible verse that says that they made it.  Just because your name is in the Bible doesn’t guarantee that you were saved.  There are a lot of names in the Bible that would appear to indicate that they were in hell right now.  How about Goliath, the giant?

So according to the Bible, hell is a very real place!  Jesus himself confirmed to us the existence of hell.  Jesus said, hell exists because it was created for Satan and his demons calling it eternal fire (Mat 25:41).  However, from the evidence in the Bible we can also clearly see that that there will be men and women that will also be in hell.  I could give you many more scriptures, but if you do not want to see it, it will do no good.  I knew a preacher, a man of God that I would call the greatest man of God that I have ever seen on this planet in the last 50 years.  This man’s testimony goes something like this.  As a teenager he was sick because he was born with a malformed heart condition.  This man lived to be a teenager and died, left his body and went down to hell just like the story of the rich man in Luke 16.  He could see the flames of fire and the large gate into this place of torment.  He said he saw a creature that was about to escort him into hell and suddenly something happened.  He said that before he went in, that he heard a voice saying something that was not English and he started going back up to the earth passing through the darkness.  He then came back to his bed in his bedroom and entered back into his body.  I can’t tell this as good as he could, but he is no longer with us, so I choose to tell it for him.   This story was an example of someone who died and came back to tell us personally, like Abraham said you would not beleive.  This man was saved and became a preacher of the gospel trying to get you not to go to this place.  I do not know how many, have heard this story of his experience, but God allowed him to come back and try to tell us the truth.  I believed his story, but I also believed the Bible before I heard this story.  I saw the fruit of his ministry and the effort that he would go through to help people to see the truth.  You of course can be like many others who have chosen not to believe and as a result have taken the wide gate and broad path to their own destruction.  People will either be saved or will perish based upon what they do right here right now here on this planet.

I wish I could say that I believed that everyone on the planet would be presented the opportunity to make the correct decision and have a chance of a fair opportunity to make this decision for God to go to heaven.  However, too many things in the world have proved otherwise.  Vast numbers of people have died not having heard the gospel and good news of salvation.  Children, babies and those that are too young to choose have been killed unfairly and in an untimely fashion.  I do not recall reading in the Bible that God said life is fair or just and that you will be given any such chance to make an informed decision.  I do not recall anywhere in the Bible that says God will allow you the opportunity to explore every religion to determine which is the best one and the one that is true.  If you think that you have a lot of time to figure it all out, it might already be too late for you.  Evil in the world is escalating.  Satan is feverously working to try to save himself from hell’s flames.  As a result, terrorism is on the increase, murder, suicide and other crimes against humanity are being perpetrated at increasing and alarming rates around the world.  If you think it is bad now just wait until the Christian are taken out of the world and then you try to figure out what is happening.  There will be a lot less informative blogs on the internet when that happens.

If you you like to continue reading in this series about the subject of hell you may go to “Part 2“.