Welcome to the For the Gospel Podcast, where we provide sound doctrine for everyday people. I'm your host, Kosti Hinn, and on today's episode, we're in our final episode before I take your questions about heaven, hell, and the afterlife. And I'm going to be addressing the subject of hell today. Now, if heaven is the place of perfect joy in God's presence, then hell is the place of perfect justice under God's wrath. It's not popular to talk about hell, even in many churches today that would claim to be biblical, but Jesus talked about hell more than anybody else in Scripture. So if Jesus talked about it, we should too. And he didn't do that to scare people into religion, he did it to warn people in love. If we neglect the doctrine of hell, we undermine the holiness of God and the seriousness of sin, and by the way, the urgency of the gospel. Because if there is no hell and hell's not a big deal, well, then why share the gospel with people today? For today is the day of salvation. And so I want to answer the question: what is hell like? And I want to do it straight from the Bible. So we'll look at seven biblical facts about hell, each drawn from Scripture and supported by faithful voices throughout church history. Throughout my study, I have visited with various theologians, dead ones, and found just a host of quotes and great information that I think will strengthen you and bolster our study. Number one, hell is a real place, not a metaphor. Hell is a real place, not a metaphor. Matthew 10, 28, a key passage, Luke 16, 23, and Revelation chapter 20, verses 14 to 15. In Matthew chapter 10, verse 28, Jesus says this: Do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul, but rather fear him, capital H, who is able to destroy both body and soul, soul and body, in hell. Hell is not symbolic or temporary. It's a place of destruction and finality. It's a literal place where both the body and the soul experience God's judgment. In Luke 16, Jesus described a man in his torment, and he says he was in agony in this flame. And in Revelation chapter 20, when we've looked at even how the end of all things comes to pass in our eschatology series in the last series, we see that the place, literal place called hell, is called the lake of fire. So it's literal, it's real, it's hot, it's burning, it's judgment and it's justice. John MacArthur writes this: hell is not a state of mind. It's a literal place prepared for the devil and his angels and for all who refuse to repent. From Augustine to John Calvin, throughout church history, reformers, early church fathers, the church has consistently affirmed the reality of hell. It's not a metaphor for suffering. It's not, you know, just the absence of God is hell and all of this stuff that kind of modern seeker-driven preachers sort of try to pad the hardness or shave off the edges of hell with. I remember when Rob Bell came along and he was like, oh, it's just all about love and you know, hell's not real, and he really defected from the faith and from Christian orthodoxy. On this issue, so many have faltered and failed and defected. But hell is the final destination for unrepentant sinners, full stop, no qualifications, complete biblical truth. Hell is real. Number two, hell is eternal and there's no escape or end. Matthew 25, 46 is a key passage. Revelation 14, 11, Mark 9, verses 47 to 48. All of these passages would affirm this. Jesus declared this in Matthew chapter 25. And I'm going to turn in my Bible there if you're following along, but if you're listening or you're going on a run and you're listening to this or you're working out, I'll just read it to you. But Matthew chapter 25, verse 46, these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. And he's talking about uh you you you clothed me and I was sick, you visited me, you helped me, you healed me, I was in prison, all that. He says, He will answer them, truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it, to the one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. These will go away into eternal punishment, the righteous into eternal life. He's talking about judgment in this whole section and the Son of Man coming into glory in Matthew chapter 25. What does he say? Oh, it's temporary. You're gonna spend a little time in purgatory. Oh, you know, you'll be in hell, but once you really pay the price, you know, then I'll bring you up. Nope. And that that Greek word there describes both eternal life and eternal punishment. The idea of eternal, it means it lasts forever, in whatever case it's talking about. Any subject, eternal life in heaven, eternal punishment in hell. It is forever. It's infinite time, it never ends. In Revelation 14, 11, it says the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There'll be no rest day and night. That's what it says about hell. Hell never ends. There's no parole, there's no second chance, there's no annihilation. R.C. Sproul said this: the sinner in hell would give everything to make the fires of hell cease, but even that longing will never be fulfilled. Imagine wanting it to end so badly forever, but it never does. The eternal aspect of hell or the eternality of hell magnifies the holiness of God. Also, it magnifies the seriousness of rejecting Christ. Next, hell is conscious torment. It's not soul sleep, as some people say. Luke 16, 23 to 24, Revelation 14, 10, Isaiah 66, 24, all these passages would affirm hell isn't like, oh, you're just going to go to sleep. It is conscious torment. You are aware of this violent, constant torment. Jesus said that the rich man in hell was in agony in the flame in Luke 16, 24. He begged for just a drop of water to cool his tongue. That's conscious experience. It's not symbolic imagery. Revelation 14, 10 says, He will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels in the presence of the Lamb. I said this recently, we were talking through judgment. I said, Did you know that Jesus, he actually can go into hell and he could administer justice, judgment, the torment, and the punishment upon the wicked. And I remember saying that, we were talking in a sermon, people's eyes, some of them were like, What? Wait, what? Jesus can go to hell as though it's this place that the devil owns and Jesus can't go there? No. Jesus has a universal deed to all the real estate of the universe, and he can go to hell. He's the minister of justice. God, the Father, has given the Son all things, and He's given him the power, the authority, and the job of judge. And so the Lamb, Christ Himself, He administers this judgment. He witnesses this judgment. Hell is not just separation from God's presence and you're just absent, you're sleeping. It is conscious torment. It's real. It's separation from his grace, but not separation from his justice or the sun. John Piper said this: the horror of hell is not the absence of God, but the presence of God in wrath. You kidding me? That quote, the reason I brought that into this is because Piper, and what he says, stands in direct opposition to these kind of feel-good, flaky preachers that just present to you hell as absence from God. You don't want to be absent from God, do you? You don't want to be away from God. It's just, it's hell to be without God and to be absent. You might think hell's a party, but you're just without God. There is no party and whatever other stuff is that you hear, this garbage preaching. Piper said the horror of hell is not the absence of God. That's not what it is. Oh, I don't want to be without God. Oh no, he's present in hell. He visits, he comes there. And it's his wrath that he comes with. If you've never been taught this before and you've been in church for a long time, you're getting robbed and you've been lied to. I guarantee you're not in our church or other faithful Bible churches that are preaching the word, but you are in a place that is holding back. They're shirking back from teaching the whole council of God. And I'll be honest with you, you need to get out of there. And I'm not saying that all the pastors are demon-possessed and the whole place is just going to hell in a handbasket. But if you're not getting told this stuff, at this stage, and you've been around the church for a while, you're not like a new believer or newer, you're getting robbed. Isaiah 66, 24, full foretold this their worm will not die, their fire will not be quenched. I mean, it's never gonna stop. Those in hell have full awareness and eternal regret, and they have unending agony. Next, hell is fair, it displays God's perfect justice. Hell is fair, it displays God's perfect justice. Romans chapter 2, verses 5 to 6, and then Revelation chapter 20, verses 12 to 13. I'm gonna read to you from the letter of Romans in chapter 2, verses 5 to 6. I'm gonna turn over there in my Bible. Give me just a second, but Revelate uh Romans rather 2, verses 5 to 6. Oh, this is some good, just classic fire and brimstone preaching. We need this in our life. Paul says this, after in verse 4, or do you think lightly of the riches of his kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance, but because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds. That's something. There's no mistakes in hell. There's no accidental punishment. God's not like, oh, well, I don't know how you got here. You know, no, no. No, you're stubborn and unrepentant in your heart. You're storing up wrath for yourself. I mean, it's already something that you're just building the account when you are unrepentant in your sin. And God will administer his justice. It's the righteous judgment of God, and he will do and distribute to all according to their deeds. Every judgment fits perfectly with the decree of what God has said he will do. There's nothing unfair about hell. People think, I just don't think a loving God could send people to hell. How is it fair? It would be unfair if God didn't because he would be inconsistent with his character, and justice wouldn't be justice, mercy wouldn't be mercy, and God wouldn't be God. Jonathan Edwards wrote this: the damned will know that their punishment is just, and their consciences will echo the justice of God's sentence. Hell is not cruel, it's just. Hell is for every single person that in their stubbornness and unrepentant heart they receive the just penalty. Every person in heaven or hell will ultimately be able to acknowledge that. Next, hell is separation from God's favor and his fellowship. It's separation from God's favor and his fellowship. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, verses 8 to 9, and Matthew 7, 23 both affirm this. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians rather, chapter 1, verses 8 to 9, of those who reject Christ, they will pay the penalty of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. And then Jesus warned in Matthew 7, 23, after in verses 22, you know, many will say on that day, Lord, Lord, I did this, I did this, I did this, I did this. He'll say, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. You're not gonna be with me. Hell is not just punishment, it's banishment. It's the complete withdrawal of God's goodness and his grace. You're not gonna have fellowship. You don't get to enjoy him forever. Charles Spurgeon said, In hell there is no hope. The damned see what they have lost, and that it is lost forever. Those who spent their lives saying, I want nothing to do with God. I want to live for myself, or they faked the church game, faked their Christianity, and ultimately just lived a life of greed and lavish materialism and sexual exploit and lust, and they fulfilled themselves all under the guise of, like, well, I'm a Christian, right? No, that's not what Christianity is, and that's very much what Jesus was warning about in Matthew 7, 22 to 23. Many will say, Oh, Lord, Lord, look at all the things I did, look at all the all the money I gave, look at the charitable things I did, look at my philanthropy, look at the Christian concerts I went to, look at the turkeys I gave away at Thanksgiving, look at how I dropped some change in the Salvation Army little Santa Jingle Box thing outside of Safeway. You say whatever you want, but in the end, if you don't live for Christ with faith in Christ, you won't bear fruit from and through the power of Christ based on the finished work of Christ. And so you're not gonna be a real believer. You're not gonna bear real fruit. You just played the Christian game and you're a moral conservative who voted Republican. That still will land you in hell. Many also have said, I don't want anything to do with God at all. All, all of them. They'll have their wish granted. You want to live for yourself, you'll get hell in eternity. You don't like God, you don't want to submit to God, you will be separated from his favor, and you'll be surrounded by his justice, and he will pour out his wrath upon you forever. These are the truths we've got to recover. We've got to preach this stuff again and be aware of the doctrine of hell. And then hell is for the devil, his demons, and all who reject Christ. Jesus said, Depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels in Matthew 25, 41. Hell was not created for humanity originally. It was prepared for Satan and his demons. But all who follow him in rebellion, they'll share in his fate. Revelation chapter 20, verse 10 says, The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire. And they will be tormented day and night, forever and ever. Those who reject Christ's substitutionary death and they choose to bear their own sins penalty, they're gonna get it. They stand before the throne of judgment without a savior. They stand before God Almighty without Christ and his imputed righteousness before them. They do not have the protector, the provider, and the savior himself. This is why the gospel matters. Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. He who knew no sin, he became sin. God made Christ sin that he might become the righteousness of God for us. And so you look to Christ, you turn to Christ, you repent and believe the good news. John Piper also said this: when you see the horror of hell, you begin to grasp the wonder of the cross. And so why do we talk about hell? Why is this such a good thing to talk about, even though it sounds so scary? Because it makes you glory in the wonder of the cross. Oh, that we need Christ. Oh, the cross of Christ. Oh, the grace of God, the mercy of God, the love of God poured out upon our hearts. Are you kidding me? What is greater than the gospel? Who is greater than Christ? Because I know what destination is before me: damnation and condemnation and hell and justice and wrath and fire and fellowship with Satan and his demons forever. Oh, give me Christ, give me the cross, give me glory, give me favor with my creator. You should love God all the more and desire to be saved and to believe the gospel all the more, and you relish in the gospel all the more because you hear about the doctrine of hell. And finally, in that same vein, hell is avoidable because of the cross of Christ. Romans chapter 8, verse 1 says, There's now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. I already mentioned 2 Corinthians 5 21. He made him sin who knew no sin. Oh, that we would have righteousness through him, not in our own works, but through the work of Christ on the cross. The worst news in Scripture is eternal judgment, followed by the best news in Scripture, eternal redemption. I've got to read to you Romans chapter 5, verses 8 and 9. If you remember nothing, remember this. But God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than having now been justified by his blood. See, not our works, his blood. We shall be saved from the wrath of God through him. John 3 18 says, He who believes in him is not judged. He who does not believe has been judged already. Hell is real, but it's not inevitable. Every person who trusts in Jesus Christ will be rescued from it completely, as R. C. Sproul summarized beautifully. I cannot understand why a person would reject a Savior who is offering them salvation from an eternity of misery. Why would you ever want to reject that beautiful gift? And so flee to Christ. Because hell is real. And what is it like? It is eternal. It is conscious torment. It's perfectly just, it's separation from God's grace. It's for the devil and those who reject Christ, but also it's completely avoidable, friend, through Jesus Christ. The doctrine of hell should not make us morbid, it should make us more urgent. If you're in Christ today, thank him that he bore hell on your behalf. And if you're not, I plead with you. I don't care if you're watching this on YouTube or listening on Apple, Spotify, wherever, if some friend sent this to you. If you think, well, I, you know, can it can this really happen right now? Could I get saved? I mean, is that do I need to go to the church? I mean, it'd be great. You should gather with the church and get together with some believers and hear the gospel. But you know that God can save you right now if wherever you are, you would just cry out to him with sincerity and repent and say, I turn from my ways, I turn from my sin. I change my mind about all of this. I understand it's real. And I turn to him in faith. And Lord Jesus, I believe in you. I don't want hell, I want heaven. I'm a mess. Clean me up. I'm a sinner. Please forgive me. I want to follow you forever. I want to be with you forever. I want to follow the God and creator of the universe and the savior of my soul. If you cry out, the Bible says they that call upon the name of the Lord, they'll be saved. You turn to him in faith. That means you throw your whole self upon him. Stop trusting in your works. You don't need the Catholic priest and go sit in a box and confess. You don't need a mediator, you don't need the Pope. You don't need a planet, some president of Mormonism, you don't need Muhammad, you don't need the angel Moroni, you don't need your extra book in the New Testament and another testament of Jesus Christ. I'm telling you right now, Jesus is your mediator. He is the one, your priest, prophet, and king, and you can go directly to the Father because of Christ and have access to Him. You don't need a mediator. You say, What am I? What are you, Costi? I'm not your mediator, I'm just a mouthpiece. Crying out like many have before, turn to the Lamb of God for the forgiveness of your sins and be saved. Because the worst thing about hell isn't the fire. It's the eternal absence of hope. And right now, you have hope if you'll turn to Christ. Spurgeon said this if sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies and let no one go unwarned and unprayed for. You wonder why I do this? That right there. Because if you're gonna be damned and go to hell, you're gonna have to jump over my dead body. I'm gonna grab your ankles as you go. You're gonna have to kick my hands off of your ankles and say, No, I don't want it. But no one will go unwarned. No one will go unprayed for. Hell is real, but friend, so is grace. And Christ stands today ready to save you. I want to answer your questions next time. And so I'd ask that you DM them, comment them, however you want to reach out to our ministry. Let us know here at For the Gospel what questions you have about heaven, about hell, about the afterlife, anything I've taught through the series that you want more clarity on, or just those nagging questions that maybe just in my humanity and forgetfulness, I didn't quite cover or get to in a deep enough way, fire them over, and I will get to as many questions as possible and give you a listener QA in the final episode of this series. Thanks for listening. Thanks for sharing for the gospel's teaching content. And if you're a person who in one of these episodes or even here today, you listened to what I said and you said, I want to follow Jesus Christ, let us know, shoot us a message, and we would love to help you find a good local church in your area. I'll make sure personally that myself and our team support you in that. And as always, if you need more content or more teaching or you want to go down the rabbit hole of more topics, look at the podcast history. There's over 250 episodes. Go to our YouTube channel and look at playlists, everything's there. And then if you're a solid Christian and you would love to support our ministry, you can just do that at forthegospel.org and click give and join our gospel patron community. All of this is made possible because of the kind generosity of people like you. So let's keep unleashing sound doctrine for everyday people. I'll be back next Monday with another episode. Keep on living for the gospel.