Hell & Purgatory—What Does the Bible Say?
Few people today believe hell is a real place.
Even fewer believe anyone but the worst of all sinners are going there. There is a reason people don’t believe in hell. It would affect their ability to live in sin (John 3:19–20). They don’t want to be accountable for their actions.
It really doesn’t matter what we believe or want. The important question is, what is true? Multitudes of people who don’t believe in hell will wind up there regardless of how much they don’t want it to be true. In this short booklet, I will share with you what God’s Word says about hell. Jesus said God’s Word is truth (John 17:17).
Denying the existence of hell or thinking only the worst of the worst go there are not biblical ideas. There is life after this life, and there are only two destinations possible: heaven or hell. It is only during this life that we get to choose our eternal destiny. Once we pass from this life, our fate is sealed. There will be no second chance.
I heard my first sermon on hell when I was only eight years old. The pastor shocked me by saying that there were good people in hell and bad people in heaven. I had assumed only bad people went to hell and all good people went to heaven. I thought if our good outweighed our bad, then we would go to heaven. But this pastor made it very clear that only forgiven people go to heaven, and all who don’t accept salvation through faith in Jesus go to hell; and he started naming names.
I didn’t respond right then, but when I got home, I couldn’t wait to ask my dad about all of this. Praise the Lord, my dad was able to explain to me that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23); and because of that, “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23a). But Jesus took our punishment of death and offered us eternal life if we would only believe on Him as our Savior (Rom. 6:23b; 2 Cor. 5:21; John 3:16; Rom. 10:9).
I knelt right there in my bedroom with my dad and received God’s gift of salvation as an eight-year- old. No one can be saved unless they are willing to admit they’ve sinned and can’t save themselves. Jesus only died for the ungodly (Rom. 4:5), so my first step towards salvation was to recognize my sinfulness; and that sermon on hell is what did it. Jesus said we have to repent of our sin, or we will perish (Luke 13:3–5). I repented of my sin and made Jesus my Lord and was saved (Rom. 10:9–13). I immediately received peace with God (Rom. 5:1).
This booklet is a brief synopsis of what the Bible has to say about hell. This probably isn’t anyone’s favorite topic, but it’s the truth; and the truth will make you free (John 8:32). I encourage you to prayerfully consider these truths and let God’s Word shape your beliefs and not our godless culture (Rom. 12:2).
What Does the Bible Say?
There are eighty-six verses in the Bible that mention hell by that name. That doesn’t include the times the Hebrew word Sheol was translated “pit” or “grave” which also refers to hell. There are also other references to damnation and perishing and other passages referring to the effects of hell, which increase this number of scriptures greatly. There are literally hundreds of scriptures that deal with hell’s reality.
Jesus said hell was created for the devil and his angels.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).
Hell wasn’t part of the Lord’s original plan for mankind. So, in a sense, anyone who goes to hell goes there against the Lord’s original plan for them. His will is for no one to perish but that all would come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9); but He doesn’t force His will upon us (Deut. 30:19). We have to choose salvation by our own free will (Rom. 10:13).
One of the arguments against there being a hell is that it wouldn’t be fair for the Lord to send people to hell who didn’t even believe it exists. What about the people who have never heard teaching on hell? Would it be fair to hold them accountable?
No one will ever stand before God and be able to accuse Him of not warning them of hell. Inside of every person, God put an internal, intuitive witness of their sinfulness and need for salvation.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:18–20).
He literally puts thousands of obstacles in everyone’s path to turn them from hell. Each of us has a conscience that convicts us of right and wrong.
Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another (Romans 2:15).
What Does the Bible Say About Hell?
Andrew Wommack
To wind up in hell, an individual has to go around thousands of roadblocks the Lord put in their way. They are without excuse!
When Adam and Eve sinned, they plunged the whole world into death and opened the door to hell for all their descendants. We became sinners through what Adam did. Our acts of sin just confirm the sin nature we inherited through Adam (Rom. 5:12–19). According to Ephesians 2:3, we are by nature the children of the devil (wrath) until we receive salvation through faith in what Jesus did for us. Then we become children of God with His nature inside us (Luke 20:36; Rom. 8:16–17).
Since all have sinned (Rom. 3:23), hell is the destination for all of mankind unless they repent and receive the salvation offered to them, only through Jesus (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).
There are seventeen biblical writers who spoke of hell. The One who spoke of hell the most is Jesus. Jesus said that unless we repent, we will all perish (Luke 13:3–5).
Hell is currently in the center of the earth (Matt. 12:30 and Eph. 4:9) and the residence of all who have died without receiving God’s salvation through faith in Jesus. When the Lord creates a new heaven and a new earth, hell will be replaced by the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20; 20:10–15). That will be the place of torment throughout all eternity for those who don’t receive salvation.
Memory vs. Forgetfulness
Jesus taught that hell is a place of torment and memory will be part of that torment:
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented (Luke 16:25).
Compare that with what the Lord spoke through Isaiah about the righteous in the future creation:
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind (Isaiah 65:17).
Heaven will be so glorious that unlike the rich man in hell (Luke 16:19–31), all the sufferings of this life will never come to mind for those who are forever united with the Lord in heaven.
Paul confirmed this when he said,
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).
Heaven is a place where Jesus will wipe all tears away from our eyes, and there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain (Rev. 7:17 and 21:4). In contrast to that glorious state, those in hell will be tormented with regrets, memories, constant pain, thirst, and suffering.
A Place of Torment
The rich man who went to hell in Jesus’ parable said,
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abra- ham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame (Luke 16:23–24).
This reveals that hell will be torment, and part of that torment will be flames and thirst. In contrast to that, heaven will be a place where…
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes (Revelation 7:16–17).
What about Purgatory?
There is no mention in Scripture of what the Catholic Church calls “purgatory” or any intermediate dwelling place between this life and our eternal destiny (heaven or hell). On the contrary, Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8,
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Paul was speaking to believers and revealed that when our spirits leave our bodies (James 2:26), we are instantly present with the Lord. Notice that he was confident about this. Paul also spoke about his desire to depart this life and be with the Lord in Philippians 1:23. He didn’t believe in a “soul sleep” or purgatory. When he left his body, he would be with the Lord.
Do you ever wonder about what happens when you die?
Does everyone really go to a “better place”? Or, is there a real place called hell where only “bad people” go?
You could spend countless hours pondering or debating if hell is just a made-up place, who’s destined to end up there, or how to escape it; but why not put your worries to rest and go to the source of all answers—God’s Word!
In this enlightening booklet, Andrew clearly and simply points out what the Bible really says about hell and how you can make the right choice about where you want to be after this life.
