Hell

Dear Victorious,

I know the Bible speaks of hell in very graphic terms, such as a fiery pit of burning sulphur, a lake of fire, a place of constant torment, etc. But what do you think it is really like - in the most practical terms?

Evan E. - Altamonte Springs, FL

Dear Evan,

It sounds like you're questioning the specific definitions in the Bible. I suspect you're right to do so. Hell is, as far as we know, a spiritual place and not a physical place. It exists, like heaven, in an entirely different dimension than humans can understand or access. So I suspect that the Bible's graphic references to both hell and heaven (i.e., streets paved with gold) are there to help us understand the scale of suffering or reward respectively.

If this is the case, then I believe the reality of hell is simply the absence of God. The Bible speaks of Jesus raising the believers from their slumber when He returns. If He raises the non-believers at the same time, but doesn't take them up with Him, I can't imagine anything worse. Or maybe He doesn't wake them, but leaves the non-believers to lie dormant in perpetuity. They cease to exist just like the animals. Again, that's a level of suffering I wouldn't want to be faced with.

Whatever the case, an eternity without God is the punishment. So if you can imagine life without God now, then you've probably got a pretty good context of hell.