Hell

When referring to those who would not accept Him and would not follow Him continually [abide in Him], Jesus said, "If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”- Jn. 15:6-7 (ASV). Since a location named “Hell” does not occur in the scriptures, this is the real description of the concept of “Hell.” This then, becomes a description of a concept that is perhaps difficult to understand. The real message here is essentially the same one Adam and Eve learned in the beginning. God will not be close to those who have sin. In order to better communicate this eternal concept, the Holy Spirit provided comparative descriptions of this state to hel[ us grasp its significance. We see in the Old Testament that, Sheol denotes the abode of the dead; conscious souls face a shadowy existence in this "land of oblivion" (Job 10:21 ; Psalm 88:12 ; Eccl 9:10 ; Isa 14:10 ). Since death is not a natural occurrence but issues from the fall, the Old Testament confidently awaits God's demonstration of his mastery over Sheol by raising the righteous to life (Gen. 2-3; Psalm 16:10 ; 49:15 ; Isa 25:8 ; Hosea 13:14 ). While God's kingship also has implications for the wicked, here the Old Testament has less to say, except that the wicked will be excluded from God’s kingdom. Afterlife is first mentioned in the Bible, “The concept of Hell was known by the Israelites as Sheol. It is mentioned by Jacob when he is told of his son Joseph's death. He states in Genesis 37:36 that "I shall go down to my son a mourner unto Sheol. The Old Testament seldomly mentions a bodily resurrection for the wicked (Dan 12:2 ), a final judgment and retribution for evil deeds (Psalm 1:10 ; 140:10 ; Mal 4:1-2 ). Nevertheless, the contemptible and horrible destiny of the wicked, irretrievably isolated from the righteous, is clear (Psalm 9:17 ; 34:15-16 ). In the time between the Old and New Testament writings, literature composed divergent scenarios for the wicked dead, including annihilation (4 Ezra 7:61; 2 Apoc Bar. 82:3ff.; 1 Enoch 48:9; 99:12; 1QS iv. 11-14 ) and endless torment (Jub. 36:11; 1 Enoch 27:1-3; 103:8; T Gad 7:5). Sheol frequently became an interim location for the dead, distinguished from the place of final punishment (1 Enoch 18:9-16; 51:1). This final punishment was usually located in a valley south of Jerusalem, known in Hebrew as Gen Hinnom or the Valley of Hinnom (2 Apoc Bar 59:10; 4 Ezra 7:36), and in Greek as gehenna [gevenna] (2 Esdr 2:29). This valley had a long history as a place of ungodly events. Notorious for the child sacrifices offered to Molech during the reigns of Ahaz and Manasseh (2 Kings 16:3 ; 2 Chron 28:3 ; 33:6 ; Jer. 7:31-34 ; 19:6 ), this valley was further defiled when Josiah used it as Jerusalem's refuse dump ( 2 Kings 23:10 ) and it was prophesied as the place of God's future fiery judgment ( Isa 30:33 ; 66:24 ; Jer. 7:31-32 ). While some intertestamental writings equate Hell with the "lake of fire" in this "accursed valley" of Hinnom (1 Enoch 90:26, 27; 54:1, 2), others use it to denote a place in the underworld (Sib Or 4:1184-86). In the New Testament, all have sinned against God (Romans 3:23). The just punishment for that sin is death (Romans 6:23). Since all sin is ultimately against God (Psalm 51:4), and since God is an infinite and eternal Being, the punishment for sin, death, must also be infinite and eternal. Hell is this infinite and eternal death which we have earned because of our sin. The punishment of the wicked dead in Hell is described throughout Scripture as “eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41), “unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12), “shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2), a place where “the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44-49), a place of “torment” and “fire” (Luke 16:23-24), “everlasting destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9), a place where “the smoke of torment rises forever and ever” (Revelation 14:10-11), and a “lake of burning sulfur” where the wicked are “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
An examination of scriptures reveals that those in Hell will acknowledge the perfect justice of God (Psalm 76:10); they will also know that their punishment is just and that they alone are to blame (Deuteronomy 32:3-5). This punishment of the wicked, in Hell and away from God, is as eternal as the bliss of the sinless people being in heaven with God. We should consider the descriptions in scripture as an attempt to describe the discomfort and suffering of being away from God in a way those with physical bodies can grasp the severity of this state of being. Since there are no indications in scripture that existence as a spirit would be sensitive to those conditions used to describe God’s absence for the human body. (Job is one example of God allowing Satan some freedom).
As one considers this concept today, he should remember the Old Testament focused on “death”, as a time after which no further changes can be made to the activities of a person’s life. At this point the body was preserved for some future action by God. The Holy Spirit in scripture uses several descriptions of present life to describe the severity of being separated from God. The Holy Spirit describes whatever location “Hell” describes as VERY undesirable. Words like torment, burning, contempt, and destruction are used to present the intensity of this undesirable place. The descriptions are provided to humans so they may start to comprehend the ramifications of those removed from God’s presence. It seems due to the climate, the Holy Spirit used dryness, fire, and trash as examples of Hell’s undesirable concepts.  For sailors, a description of banishment to water has been used to describe “Hell.” For those in frigid temperatures, some preachers have tried to capture the undesirable qualities by describing Hell as bitter cold. Whatever metaphor or description is used, the basic message is the same, it is a place away from God is traumatic. Just as there is a place completely away from God, there is also a place in His eternal presence, “Heaven.” “Death” is a separation of the human life force, or spirit, from the physical body. The body is then buried. Jesus’ resurrection from physical death, illustrates that this separation does not have to be occur. This shows that separation from God does not have to occur. Unity with God via the indwelling Spirit can start now and while it will later change somewhat, it will continue for eternity.  We understand that there is a way to avoid this possibility. Jesus was resurrected from death to life. The Bible clearly and explicitly teaches that Hell is a real spiritual location to which the wicked/unbelieving souls are sent after death.  Completely away from God - Frightening!