INTRODUCTION: Modern theology teaches that either there is no such place as Hell, or when you die and you are not saved, you immediately go there, and it will be a place of eternal torment. Is that what the Bible says? Let’s find out. 1. How does the Bible describe God? 1John 4:7-8 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ Ezekiel 33:11 2. Will God’s love excuse those who neglect or refuse to let Jesus take away their guilt? Numbers 14:18 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ NOTE: God does not hold the children accountable for the sins of their parents (Ezekiel 18:20), but the results of those sins are often passed on to the offspring. Every person needs to repent of sin for all are guilty of it regardless of background or inherited tendencies. God will always forgive the penitent, but He will not excuse sin for anybody. > Exodus 34:6-7; 2Peter 2:9; 3:7 3. Does God take pleasure in the death of the wicked? Ezekiel 33:11 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ Ezekiel 18:23; 2Peter 3:9 4. For whom was hell prepared for originally? Matthew 25:41 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 5. When God punishes the wicked, how is this act described? Isaiah 28:21 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 6. When and how will the wicked be punished for their deeds? Matthew 25:30, 31-33, 41, 46 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ Revelation 20:11-15 7. The Bible makes clear that no person is found in hell until after judgment takes place. However, some people interpret a passage of Scripture found in 1Peter 3:18-20 that our Saviour actually went to hell at the time of his death and burial, and preached to “the spirits in prison” in the days of Noah. According to the Bible, what is a soul in prison? John 8:34; Romans 6:16 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ NOTE: The passage referred to simply means that Noah was a witness to the world of his day as to the mercies of God and righteousness by faith. The “Souls in prison” simply means that those whom Noah witnessed to were prisoners to sin and in the prison house of sin; nothing more, nothing less. See also, e.g., Ephesians 2:1-3. 8. When the wicked are cast into hell, will there be any rest during the time that they are burning? Revelation 14:11 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 9. Will their smoke or memory or anything about them ever return to earth again? Malachi 4:1 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 10. Who has already suffered “eternal fire” as an example of the hell fire in the last days? Jude 7 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ NOTE: “Eternal” or “everlasting” fire was a common Hebrew expression for a fire that could not be put out or extinguished, but rather continued to burn until everything was consumed, or there was nothing left to burn. Even today, if you say a fire could not be put out, it does not mean that it continues to burn ever after everything has been reduced to ashes. 2Peter 2:6; Jeremiah 17:27; Ezekiel 20:47, 48 11. What will be left when the fire is through burning? Malachi 4:3 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 12. Is man immortal? 1Timothy 6:15-16 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ NOTE: The Bible never calls man or his soul or his spirit or anything else about him, immortal. That was the lie Satan convinced Eve to believe in the Garden of Eden when he said, “Ye shall not surely die,” (Genesis 3:4) and remains one of the biggest lies of all time that mankind has bought into hook, line and sinker. Paul sets the record straight where he says in vs. 16 that God “alone hath immortality…” 13. What will happen to the soul of the unrepentant person? Ezekiel 18:4 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ Obadiah 16 14. How will the soul be destroyed? Matthew 10:28 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ 15. What is death in hell called? Revelation 20:6, 12-15 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ Nahum 1:9 16. Will every sinner receive the same punishment? Luke 12:42-48 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ Romans 2:6 17. What about Satan? What will his fate be? Ezekiel 28:18-19 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ NOTE: As he is the most wicked, he will take the longest to be destroyed and be punished by the fire that cannot be put out until he, and all evil and sin with him are completely annihilated and be as if they never were. 18. After the wicked are through burning, where will they be found? Psalm 37:9-10 THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ Psalm 145:20; Proverbs 24:20 19. What is the wages the sin? Romans 6:23b THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ NOTE: The death spoken of here by Paul is not natural death, but eternal death. 20. If we believe in Jesus, from what will we be saved? John 3:16; Romans 6:23a THE BIBLE SAYS: ______________________________________________ COMMENT: From this and the previous study, we can easily see that death, until the resurrection to eternal life or eternal death is indeed a sleep, and that hell, as a punishment for the wicked, cannot and does not take place until after the judgment. This brings us to Luke 16:19-23, the parable concerning Lazarus and the rich man. God has written the Bible in such a way that we must compare Scripture with Scripture to understand and interpret it properly (Isaiah 28:9-10). In this case, this story is indeed a parable. It comes in the middle of a group of parables and uses figurative language and describes events that are not possible in reality based on the foregoing study on what the Bible really says. The idea that people go directly to hell or heaven is a deception that will be more thoroughly discussed in a future lesson on spiritualism. Further, this study shows that hell, as bad as it is, was not prepared for man in the first place, but for the devil and his angels. This study also clearly shows, that based on the entire Bible, line upon line, precept upon precept, that hell is not, was not, and cannot be a place of eternal torment. Satan has used this lie to slander and misrepresent the character of God. God is love. He gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we do not have to end up in hell, destroyed as if we had never been. For God, the death of the wicked is a “strange act.” (See Question 5) Aren’t you glad that you can enjoy heaven and not have the weight of sorrow or concern for the friend or relative being tortured throughout eternity? What a burden that could have been. But thank God, it’s not true! Does this wonderful truth help you to understand God’s love more? Will you respond to that love by accepting Christ as your Saviour? MY RESPONSE TO CHRIST IS □ YES □ UNDECIDED Email us at: admin@thebiblesays.net