Is Hell Real?

Dear Victorious,

Do you really think hell is real? Who can be expected to believe descriptions like "fiery pit of burning sulphur?"

David C. - Rocky Mount, NC

Dear David,

Yes, I believe hell is real. Perhaps one day you will believe that too. I suspect two things may be stumbling blocks for you though.

First, the metaphors that we read (including in the Bible) seem very abstract. Fire has been used for centuries to denote hell. "Burning in hell" has long been the notion we have when we refer to it. To be honest, I don't know if those metaphors are real or not. I suspect that they are indeed metaphors. I doubt very much that hell is a fiery pit of burning sulphur. But I think fire has been used to denote the worst pain and suffering one could imagine. If you've ever been burned, you know it is extreme pain. Severe burn victims are described as those most tortured people on earth - for whom there is no comfort. It seems clear to me that God wants us to understand that about hell. It will provide the most tortured existence possible - from which there is no relief.

Second, you will have to first believe in heaven, in God and in His purpose. God created us in His own image. He also created us to please Himself. So we are pre-wired to be at our best when we are in relationship with and serving God. That is when we are most at peace, experience the most joy and contentment and lack for nothing. But you would need to believe that to put context around hell. For you see, hell is the opposite of that.

Heaven is the completion of life as God created it. It is, I have said before, a return to our natural state. Hell then is life as God created it - but with no return to its natural state. Instead, it continues down a perverse path of pain and disappointment, heartache and suffering ... as God never intended.