DOES HELL EXIST?
By David J. Riggs
Intro.
A. Why do some people who claim to follow the Bible not believe in
the existence of eternal punishment?
B. We do not have to guess about this because some have told us
plainly their reasons.
1. For example, "The doctrine of a burning hell where the
wicked are tortured eternally after death cannot be true,
mainly for four reasons: (1) It is wholly unscriptural; (2)
it is unreasonable; (3) it is contrary to God's love, and
(4) it is repugnant to justice." (Let God Be True, published
by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Second Edition,
p. 99).
C. Let us investigate each of these points in search of truth.
I. "Because it is wholly unscriptural."
A. We need to look at only a few passages to see that hell is most
certainly established and taught in the Scriptures.
1. Matt. 25:41-46
a. The words "everlasting" and "eternal" are the from the
same Greek word in the original. Thus, however long
heaven is, that's how long the punishment is.
2. Mark 9:43-48
a. The expressions, "where the worm does not die and the
fire is not quenched" shows that it is eternal torment.
(1) The expression, "worm does not die" shows that
the body will not decay there.
b. Jesus used the term "Gehenna" lit., "Valley of Hinnom"
to describe the place of eternal punishment.
(1) King Josiah defiled the valley of Hinnom. 2 Kings
23:10
(2) Jesus borrowed the name of this despicable place,
and used his own terms to describe the eternal
one.
c. Some try to explain away hell (Gehenna) by saying that
Jesus was only referring to the city dump. (See Let God
Be True, p. 95-96).
(1) This could not be true, because the worm has
died there, and the fire has been quenched there
today.
(2) I have often challenged these people to prove that
there was ever a city dump in the valley of
Hinnom.
(3) "Some commentators endeavor to make this third
punishment a temporal one, and assert that fires
were kept burning in the valley of Hinnom, and
that as an extreme punishment the bodies of
criminals were cast into these fires. But there is
not the slightest authentic evidence that any fire
was kept burning there; nor is there any evidence
at all that casting a criminal into the fire there as
ever employed by the Jews as a punishment."
(The Fourfold Gospel, by J.W. McGarvey, p.
238).
3. Rev. 20:10; 21:8
a. The term "for ever and ever" means "perpetually,
without end." It is used also of the existence of God
(Rev. 4:9) and of the saints reigning in heaven (Rev.
22:5).
II. "Because it is unreasonable."
A. The writer of "Let God Be True," said on page 98, "Imperfect
man does not torture even a mad dog, but kills it. And yet the
clergymen attribute to God, who is love, the wicked crime of
torturing human creatures merely because they had the
misfortune to be born sinners."
1. Man's wicked crime is not that he was born a sinner, but
that he chooses to sin in rebellion against God.
B. To some the "eternal" torment seems unreasonable.
1. However, even mortal man punishes in accord with the
crime.
a. Someone who murders another is punished, not in
duration to the time it took to commit the crime, but in
accord with the crime itself.
b. For example, it may have taken only one minute to
commit murder. Should we then imprison the murderer
for only one minute?
2. Man's problem is that he does not understand the seriousness
of sin against God. Heb. 10:26-31
C. The fact that eternal punishment seems unreasonable to some,
does not prove that it does not exist. Isa. 55:8-9
1. Charles Smith, president of the American Association for the
Advancement of Atheism, said, "The whole scheme of
redemption is foolishness to me. Because our parents and
forefathers disobeyed God, he would not be on good terms
with us until his son was nailed on a cross. This is not
reasonable." (Oliphant-Smith Debate, p. 61).
a. Thus, the plan of redemption is foolishness and
unreasonable to some. Does this make it so?
b. Also, some have decided that hell is only for the
exceedingly wicked people, but not for the good
ordinary people, like you and me.
(1) We should let God decide!
2. Our faith is founded on the word of God, and not on human
reason or emotion.
III. "Because it is contrary to God's love."
A. Those who make such statements fail to consider the dual
character of God. Rom. 11:22
1. Man has a tendency to reshape God into his own image.
Psalm 50:21
2. Hell is not contrary to God's love, but in accord with His
wrath.
B. God punishing those who sin does not display a lack of love on
His part, but a lack of love on man's part.
1. We must either repent or perish. Luke 13:3
2. The same word for "perish" is used in Matt. 10:28 and is
translated "destroy."
a. Luke shows in his parallel account that Jesus is
referring to being "cast into hell" when he said,
"destroy both body and soul in hell." Luke 12:4-5
b. The writer of "Let God Be True" says on Matt. 10:28,
"Since God destroys soul and body in Gehenna, this is
conclusive proof that Gehenna, or the valley of the son
of Hinnom, is a picture or symbol of complete
annihilation, and not of eternal torment." (p. 97)
c. Another of their favorite passages is 2 Thess. 1:9 where
the word "destruction" is used. Again, this is the same
word in the original.
d. However, Vine says on the word, "1. apollumi (622), a
strengthened form of ollumi, signifies to destroy
utterly; in Middle Voice, to perish. The idea is not
extinction but ruin, loss, not of being, but of
well-being. This is clear from its use, as, e.g., of the
marring of wine skins, Luke 5:37; of lost sheep, i.e.,
lost to the shepherd, metaphorical of spiritual
destitution, Luke 15:4, 6, etc.; the lost son, 15:24; of
the perishing of food, John 6:27; of gold, 1 Pet. 1:7. So
of persons, Matt. 2:13, destroy; 8:25, perish; 22:7;
27:20; of the loss of well-being in the case of the
unsaved hereafter, Matt. 10:28; Luke 13:3, 5; John 3:16
(ver. 15 in some mss.); 10:28; 17:12; Rom. 2:12; 1 Cor.
15:18; 2 Cor. 2:15, are perishing; 4:3; 2 Thess. 2:10;
Jas. 4:12; 2 Pet. 3:9." (Vine's Expository Dictionary of
Biblical Words, p. 164)
e. We learn from other passages what the everlasting
destruction is.
(1) Rom. 2:8-9 states that the wicked will be
punished with tribulation and anguish.
(2) Rev. 14:11; 20:10 states that the torment will be
for ever and ever.
(3) That which does not exist (annihilated) cannot be
tormented or have tribulation and anguish.
IV. "Because it is repugnant to justice."
A. Webster's Dictionary says "repugnant" means "contradictory,
inconsistent; opposed; antagonistic."
1. "Justice" means "the quality of being righteous;
impartiality; fairness; reward or penalty as deserved."
B. With these definitions in mind, we can see that the writers of
the Watchtower Society are saying, "Eternal punishment is wrong
because it is contradictory or inconsistent to the quality of
being righteous or impartial."
1. Who can believe that eternal punishment inflicted by an all-
wise God on those who do not obey Him is not justice, or
that the penalty is not deserved?
a. I had an atheist say to me once, "Would you take your
own child and throw it into a burning fire?"
b. I answered, "What I would, or would not, do does not
change God's will in the matter. God says He will do it
and we need to fear and respect Him."
2. Doesn't God have the right to do whatever He wants? Rom.
9:20-21
Concl.
A. We see, therefore, four reasons to believe God will eternally
punish or torment those who do not obey Him.
1. It is based on Scripture.
2. It is reasonable, according to God's revealed will.
3. It is in accord with God's love and righteousness.
4. It is according to God's justice.