The idea of eternal suffering isn’t a notion that most of us are comfortable with. To this end, there are some who would have you believe that Hell is pure allegory. Hell is a metaphor. It’s not to be taken literally. It’s not a real place.
As unpleasant as the concept of hell is, the Bible makes it clear that it is very real. It is a place where those guilty of sin will experience damnation, suffering and torment – for all eternity.
But there is a bright side…
God wants to give us love instead. God’s purpose is not to send us to hell – but rather prevent our going there. Through His grace, God offers us forgiveness and redemption from sin. All we have to do is seek it.
4 Biblical Truths about Hell
1. If God really loves us why would he send us to hell?
God doesn’t want to send this to hell. The fact that God sent Jesus to save and redeem us is proof of his love.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
– John 3:16
God loves us, but he cannot tolerate sin. When final judgment comes, we are either with God – or we are not.
“For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell, delivering them in chains to be held in gloomy darkness until their judgment;”
– 2 Peter 2:4
God did not and could not even spare his own angels who sinned. He cast them down to earth with Satan, where they became fallen angels – fallen from the grace of God.
Sinners were previously removed from the earth with the great flood and the only righteous man to be found, Noah, and his family were saved. God spares the righteous.
2. Is the devil in control of hell?
No. God himself will banish Satan to hell for all eternity. Hell will be Satan’s prison forever and ever.
“The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.”
– Revelation 20:13-14
Our lives here on earth are the first death. The second death refers to the death of the soul.
3 Are there different levels of hell?
According to the Bible, there is only one hell. This misconception of different levels of hell came about from ideas in the book “Dante’s Inferno.” It’s a work of fiction, not the revealed words of God.
The Bible does not say that semi-bad people will go to a semi-uncomfortable hell with a lighter punishment, while the most evil people will go to the worst level. No. The Bible makes no such distinction. There is only one hell… And it is, well, HELL!
4. Should we fear hell?
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
– Matthew 10:28
This passage instructs us not to fear mortal death. That’s only the first death. Death on Earth is a lesser worry than the “death” of our eternal soul through sin. The second death concerns our soul and reflects eternity. Without repentance and forgiveness – hell is where we’re headed.
This made me ponder: the concept of “different levels”. We have been led amiss by Dante’s inferno! This mind you is not The Word!
The closest thing Scripture says to there being different levels of heaven is found in 2 Corinthians 12:2, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.” Some interpret this as indicating that there are three different levels of heaven: a level for “super-committed Christians” or Christians who have obtained a high level of spirituality, a level for “ordinary” Christians, and a level for Christians who did not serve God faithfully. This view has no basis in Scripture.
Paul is not saying that there are three heavens or even three levels of heaven. In many ancient cultures, people used the term heaven to describe three different “realms”—the sky, outer space, and then a spiritual heaven. Paul was saying that God took him to the “spiritual” heaven—the realm beyond the physical universe where God dwells. The concept of different levels of heaven may have come in part from Dante’s The Divine Comedy in which the poet describes both heaven and hell as having nine different levels. The Divine Comedy, however, is a fictional work. The idea of different levels of heaven is foreign to Scripture.
Scripture does speak of different rewards in heaven. Jesus said regarding rewards, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done” (Revelation 22:12). Since Jesus will be distributing rewards on the basis of what we have done, we can safely say that there will be a time of reward for believers and that the rewards will differ somewhat from person to person.
Only those works that survive God’s refining fire have eternal value and will be worthy of reward. Those valuable works are referred to as “gold, silver, and costly stones” (1 Corinthians 3:12) and are those things that are built upon the foundation of faith in Christ. Those works that will not be rewarded are called “wood, hay, and stubble”; these are not evil deeds but shallow activities with no eternal value. Rewards will be distributed at the “judgment seat of Christ,” a place where believers’ lives will be evaluated for the purpose of rewards. “Judgment” of believers never refers to punishment for sin. Jesus Christ was punished for our sin when He died on the cross, and God said about us: “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Hebrews 8:12). What a glorious thought! The Christian need never fear punishment, but can look forward to crowns of reward that he can cast at the feet of the Savior. In conclusion, there are not different levels of Heaven, but there are different levels of reward in heaven.