In contrast to Heaven, Hell is often described in vivid detail in both the Old and New Testaments. It is obviously stressed throughout the two thousand years that the Bible was written that Hell was not a place you wanted to wind up in, and everyone knew what Hell or rather Sheol was… seeing as it is mentioned in the oldest book in the Bible, Job.
Can “Good” People go to Hell?
This may shock some readers but, yes, “good” people can go to Hell. In the bible it actually says that some self-proclaimed “Christians” will go to Hell because they didn’t take the time to know God personally. (Luke 13:14-27) Jesus makes it clear that it is very hard to get into Heaven. Without the help of Jesus it’s impossible, because he is the only one who can wash away sins. “I am the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father but by me.” (John 14:6)
What is Hell Like?
Through the Bible and eye witness account we can see several areas in Hell, mainly three. However there are some all around characteristics of Hell such as:
*Complete darkness (Job 10:21-22, 1 Samuel 2:9, Psalm74:20, Matthew 8:12, 2 Peter 2:4, 17, Jude 13, Revelation 16:10)
*Fear (Psalm 73:18-19, Hebrews 10:31)
*Fire/Burning (Psalm 11:6, 37:20, 140:10, Matthew 5:22, 18:8, Mark 9:44, James 3:6, Revelation 9:2, 20:10)
*No life (Isaiah 58:10, Ezekiel 26:20)
*No hope (Isaiah 38:18)
*No mercy (Psalm 36:5, 103:4)
*No peace (Ezekiel 7:25)
*No rest (Revelations 14:11)
*Torment by demons (Amos 5:18-19, Matthew 24:51, Luke 12:47-48)
*Eternal separation and no remembrance of God (Psalm 6:5, 88:5, 12, Ecclesiastes 6:4, 9:10)
In addition, once you find yourself there (Except if you are sent by God for witness) there is no escape… not mentally and not physically. You will endure this torture and pain for an endless eternity.
The Areas of Hell:
The Prison:
In Isaiah 24:22 it compares an event with how prisoners are collected and shut up in Hell or rather the Pit. A prison in Hell is also mentioned in Proverbs 7:27 along with Zech. 9:11 when it calls those who go down to Hell, prisoners. In Bill Wies’ book “23 Minutes in Hell” He recollects his experience in the prisons of Hell when he was sent there as a witness:
“My point of arrival was a cell that was approximately fifteen feet high by ten feet wide with a fifteen foot depth. With its walls of stone and ridged bars on the door, I felt as though I was in a temporary holding area, a place where a prisoner would await his final hours before meeting a far more terrifying destiny… As I lay there on the floor of that cell, I felt extremely weak…” (Pg 2)
The Pit:
The Pit is the more well known and more often mentioned than that of the other two areas. This is where most scholars believe the actual fire of Hell is, though the entire place is a burning inferno this is the source of the heat. Hell is referred to as “the pit” in several passages of the bible. (Psalm 9:15, 28:1, 55:23, Proverbs 9:18, Isaiah 24:22, Ezekiel 26:20)
Here’s Bill’s experience in the Pit:
“…I found myself next to an enormous pit with raging flames of fire leaping high into an open cavern. As I looked up into that dark eerie tomb-like atmosphere, it seemed to be like a mouth that swallowed up her dead. The flames of her ravenous appetite where never satisfied with the pitiful screams of untold multitudes.
The heat was far beyond unbearable, and I desperately wanted to escape before I too would be thrown into that inferno… I could see the outlines of people through the flames. The screams of the condemned souls were deafening and relentless. There was no safe place, no safe moment, no temporary relief of any kind…
It was raining fire and burning rock, similar to the way lava falls from the sky when a volcano explodes. The smoke from the flames was very thick, allowing visibility for only a short distance, but what I could see was horrifying. I saw many people reaching out of the pit of fire, desperately trying to claw their way out. But there was no escape…” (Pg 21, 22, 29)
The Gateway:
The final area of Hell is the entrance, often described as a giant mouth opening wide to swallow many whole. (Isaiah 5:14-15, Proverbs 1:12)
Bill Wies remembers:
“I was instantly sobered as He allowed me to see a steady stream of people falling through a tunnel- one after the other, after the other, after the other- into an open cavern, into the terror I had just escaped.
While I was watching this scene, Jesus allowed me to feel just a small amount of sorrow he feels for his creation that is going to Hell. His love is so far beyond our capacity and is infinitely greater than our love. I couldn’t even stand feeling a fraction of the anguish He feels. I said “Please, stop!” I couldn’t bear it.”
Jesus loves us so much… even those who aren’t right with Him that it pains Him greatly to see us fall into Hell.
Where is Hell?
Hell is underneath our very feet, in the center of the earth. Unlike when Jesus mentions Heaven, he points down when He mentions Hell. The fact that the core of the earth is thousands of degrees hot also supports this assumption. Repeatedly in the bible it talks about people falling, descending or going down into the Pit (Proverbs 1:12, 7:27, Psalms 9:15, 28:1, 55:15, 73:18-19, Isaiah 5:14-15, Ezekiel 26:20)
What do We do with this Information?
Consider this as a little motivational knowledge to bring people to God. As children of God we certainly don’t want to think of Jesus in pain, and we also don’t want people around us to end up in that kind of torture… We must keep this in mind and perhaps our timidity about presenting Jesus will melt away.
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