Why’d God Create Hell? Isn’t He Supposed to be Good?
When it comes to the topic of Hell and eternal punishment, the natural reaction by a thinking person is to often ask, why?
Why would a loving God create such a horrible place? It seems over the top or unjust to many people. Individuals who are in a place of unquenchable fire and burning in the most horrendous agony imaginable. Some are able to reconcile the thought of mean, vile people going to such a place, but not kind, ordinary people who lived decent lives. Any notion of an eternal Hell could present a challenging thing to reconcile with the thoughts of loved ones, friends, or good people who may be headed there.
The topic of Hell is difficult to grapple with, especially when the truth of the matter is not presented correctly. Most people, even believers in Jesus, do not have a grasp on why such a severe eternal place would ever exist in the first place. Religion enters the narrative with unhelpful tales or traditions regarding Hell. This only misconstrues information about why people go there, or why in some cases there are exceptions for certain ones missing eternal damnation based on their good deeds.
More often than not religion uses guilt and manipulation about Hell to induce behavior modification, having little to do with the reality of the matter altogether. When talking about Hell, what I have found to be the most constructive point is: Why was it formed in the first place? The answer might surprise you. When understanding eternal punishment, we must first realize that Hell was not created for humanity. It was created for Lucifer and his band of rebellious fallen angels. These rogue sons of God acted against God in the most heinous way imaginable. Their attempt to hijack what God loved most was an act of vengeance against Him for His choice to exalt man above their celestial station. Lucifer’s mutiny was not only the highest treason ever committed, it caused an angelic chain reaction of further mutiny against God. For this reason, war broke out in Heaven between Lucifer and his rogue forces in a collision with Michael, the archangel, and the forces of Heaven. We will look into this topic more in the pages ahead, but first let us come back to consider who God is.
The Perfection That Is God
God is light, pure light, and there is not a trace of darkness in Him. God is all good; there is no evil in Him. We as humans relegate sin as bad actions or behaviors with consequences. Although this is correct, it is certainly not a complete picture. To mankind, sin has rank and severity. One sin is not as bad as another. An example would be telling a little white lie is not as bad in the eyes of most people as murdering someone is. Certain sins may be more grotesque than others to our natural minds and system of thinking. We as humans typically judge things based on how we feel about what was done. A judgment that involves our worldview, our cultural norms, values, what is acceptable in society, and how our experiences shaped what we believe to be good and bad. We grade on a curve based on subjective points of reference. Not God, because He is Spirit, as it says in John 4:24.
Sin Is Spiritual
God is holy, and this doesn’t mean He is only good and kind, etc. He doesn’t choose to be holy. Rather, He is holiness personified. God has no darkness in Him. God’s holiness is spiritual perfection of the highest order. Compared to God, there is nothing higher in holiness and perfection. Nothing can compare to Him. God has no equal to make a standard of Himself against; all He has is His Word. This is the reason when He made a promise to Abraham, He could swear by nothing greater, so He swore by Himself!
An understanding of the heights of God’s perfection and unparalleled holiness is the beginning point of grasping why Hell exists and lasts forever.
Hell was a reaction. As Newton’s third law of motion says, “With every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This was the case regarding the spiritual violation of God’s holiness! A reaction happened! However, there is nothing in all existence to rise up as an equal to God’s magnificence. A violation of God’s holiness, by the mutiny of Lucifer, was the highest spiritual violation that had ever taken place! Think about it—this is why there will be a new Heaven and new Earth. Every place that was impacted by Lucifer’s treachery will be done away with and recreated.
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them (Revelation 20:11).
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write: for these words are true and faithful” (Revelation 21:5).
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13).
When the question is asked, “Why would a loving God send anyone to Hell?” the immediate answer should be that God doesn’t send anyone to Hell. A proper response would be, if you knew the circumstances, you would recognize God is a victim of a crime that He chose to pay for! Additionally, Hell is not enough. Furthermore, Hell was not created for humanity! It is an angelic punishment. Yet, no matter how intensely and how furiously Hell burns, it will never suffice.
The Punishment Cannot Pay for the Crime
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10).
It is true that the punishment is not enough to pay for the crime—this is why Hell burns forever. There have been those who have made statements over the years that are contrary to what the Bible teaches, such as, “Hell will come to an end because of love,” or eventually Hell will be stopped because of the love of God. However, it’s not about what God desires or what His will is; it is about action, reaction, and spiritual law. Might we suppose that God could have wiped out Adam and Eve the moment they sinned, as a result of their listening to the serpent? If so, then God the Father would have lost His kids forever. Adam and Eve were God’s kids, and they, along with creation itself, were (in a sense) taken hostage by Satan. How? When Adam and Eve chose the word of the serpent over the Word of God, they immediately gave up the rights and authority they possessed to the one they chose to obey.
These two were to reign with dominion over the Garden and Earth. Subduing all creation was one of the assignments they were designated to operate in. Everything they had been entrusted with was given over to the Devil. He now had the authority and access to walk with God in the cool of the day or present himself along with the sons of God. Satan took creation hostage through the original sin of Adam and Eve. Rather than see His children destroyed, God chose to launch a rescue mission to save His family. It took hundreds of years of prophecy and obedience to see the prophetic statement God said, “You will bruise His heel, but He will crush your head” (see Genesis 3:15). God decided to go after His family, even at the cost of being rejected by them. He chose to allow us to have a choice by sending Jesus.
Now again, there have been teachers and preachers who claim Hell will not last for all eternity. Even if they mean well, they sim- ply do not understand what the Scripture teaches. One day as I was thinking about these unbiblical claims, the realization came to me they were right! Hell will not last forever. Sadly and tragically, one day Hell and all its inhabitants will come to an end, of sorts. This will happen the day Hell and everything within it is cast into the lake of fire. Now, saying Hell will not last forever does not mean eternal punishment and damnation comes to an end. Rather, the exact opposite is true, and as horrifying as it is, damnation will increase in intensity and a heightened level of punishment that goes well beyond our capacity to understand.
Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death (Revelation 20:14).
Dreadful and horrifying is the thought of this moment. Every time I read this Scripture, it makes me hurt for the Lord. The only thing He doesn’t have is the lost. I don’t know about you, but I want to honor the Lord by pursuing the lost and bringing them home to Him. Leading people to salvation is one of the greatest ways to glorify God!
The Lake of Fire Will Last Forever
And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night (Revelation 14:11).
The lake of fire is referred to as the “second death.” Much of the reasoning behind this title is that it likely is far more impossible to describe than Hell itself. Hell is a place we can locate scriptural descriptions of—not as much regarding the lake of fire. Some say it might be that Hell is cast into a star and suggest that is what the lake of fire is. Others suggest that this is a place beyond the outer darkness. It could be that the lake of fire is a spiritual location superseding all comprehension for human capacity. The term “second death” may allude to the second level of existence, removed from the spiritual realm of Heaven and Hell—twice removed from this natural plane we live on. Another concept, in the realm of possibility, is that the term second death is referring to the second level of removal from God. When considering a biblical studies term known as the law of first mention, we see that the first time death is referenced is in regard to the tree in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they died. These two did not collapse and die; rather, they were removed from the Garden and experienced a separation from God. So, death could be understood in these terms as a separation from God. Jesus came and bridged this gap and even reconciled man back to God.
In John 20:22, Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”—an act that God the Father did in Genesis when breathing life into Adam. Jesus was reconnecting man to God; He breathed life into them. So new life or salvation is also coming back from the dead with God. Lost people today are dead spiritually. They are separated from the Father God. If they die in that state, they will face death in eternity, and the first level is Hell. The second death, being the lake of fire, is to be twice removed from God the Father. Such a concept really could be referring to being two dimensions, two realities, two levels of judgment, or two deaths away from the One true living God.
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more (Hebrews 8:12).
He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).
In God’s infinite mercy, could it also be that just as He remembers our sin no more, could it be that there will be very little memory of such a place as the lake of fire and those in it in eternity future? Any conclusion we might arrive at is conjecture at best. However, what we do know is that the reality of such a place is so terrible we are not able to ascertain it. Knowing about Hell is awful enough, but it’s likely we could not grasp what the second death truly is as it relates to the lake of fire.
Hell in all its fury, the lake of fire raging forever and ever, is still not enough to pay for the crime against God’s holiness. If you want to understand how holy and pure God is, then consider how horrible Hell and the lake of fire are. Yet, even with all the punishment they can muster, there still isn’t enough to pay for the violation against God’s amazing holiness. So, God made a way for mankind to escape, through Jesus. Some might ask, “Why not the Devil and his fallen angels too? Why can’t they have an opportunity to escape?” The reason is, they never had a tempter. Adam and Eve did.
On another note, angels and celestial beings are spirits, and as such they cannot be destroyed. They will exist forever somewhere.
God, who knew the horrors that would await all who would not choose Him, went through the highest extremes to get us—He sent Jesus. God preferred to give mankind the choice of accepting Him or rejecting Him, as an alternative to intentionally destroying Adam and Eve. Choice was presented to all creation rather than God intentionally leaving His son and daughter in the clutches of the Devil for all eternity. What a thought! God chose to give all humanity the choice to be with Him or live eternally separated forever, rather than permanently lose his first children by His own choice.
