When This Life is Over

05/02/24 – 05/05/24

What Hell Is Like

By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  05/03/24

Read Luke 16:19-31.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus talked more about hell than He did about heaven. Hell is serious business, and He wanted people to understand that apart from Him, that’s where they are headed. Out of love, He warned people about hell in the most caring, heartbroken, and compassionate way. Today, however, hell is not a popular subject. Many pastors avoid it altogether, not wanting to be labeled a “fire-and-brimstone preacher.” But if Jesus thought it was important to talk about hell, shouldn’t we?

Some people wonder, If God is so good, how could He send people to hell? But the Truth is the everlasting fire was “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). While Satan and his demons have no choice about their eternal destination, every human being can choose to escape from hell. We can choose to come to Christ in repentance, faith, and confession, receiving the gift of forgiveness and eternal life from Jesus’ hands. But Satan cannot be redeemed. Revelation shows us the future, when the devil “was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” to “be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).

Can you see why Satan wants to keep the church quiet about hell? Not only does he not want to be reminded of his eternal destiny, but he wants to take as many people with him as he can. Brothers and sisters, that is precisely why we cannot remain silent. Pastors must preach the full counsel of the Word of God, including the reality of hell. And all of us must allow the seriousness of hell to spur on our own zeal for evangelism.

In Matthew 18:34, Jesus says hell is a place of torture. In Matthew 25:30, He tells us it’s a place of utter darkness, “where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And it is not only physical darkness; hell is a place of moral and spiritual darkness, a domain without God’s presence or goodness. It’s a prison for the soul and the spirit (see Matthew 18:21-35). We might say it is like a nightmare, but no one has ever had a nightmare as horrible as hell is. Those who are confined to hell will experience constant agony and relentless regret.

The Bible speaks plainly about hell, but every person must decide for themselves what they will do with the grace that God offers. May we who know Truth share it boldly—the eternal stakes are high.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your mercy and grace that have saved me from hell and to heaven. Help me to boldly share the Good News of salvation through Christ, and may many come to know Your goodness through the work of Your Spirit in my life. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels'” (Matthew 25:41).