Is there fire in Hell?

I'm going to post this article despite what I wrote that I'd do in my previous post. Trust me, I'll get to those later.

When someone talks about Hell in general, do you picture a pit of fire where demons with little red tails are poking us and we're burning forever and ever? Chances are, you do. When you witness, have you ever thought, "I'm attempting to save this person from an eternity of burning in Hell!" You probably have. Lastly, I can probably guarantee that you've heard a pastor, friend, relative, or even atheist refer to a place of literal fire known as Hell, painting that same picture of torturous agony.

This picture, however, is not accurate.

The article in which you are about to read is not me trying to "water down" the depiction of Hell in the Bible (rimshot). It isn't me trying to make compromises for God. It is simply me being realistic.

Pope John Paul II shares my view. He stated that Hell is not a physical place but “the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God.” He denied that Hell is a place of fiery torment and described it rather as “the pain, frustration and emptiness of life without God.” He further claimed that Hell is not a punishment imposed externally by God and that eternal damnation “is not God’s work but is actually our own doing.” (Reuters, July 29, 1999). Even such big name people as Billy Graham can be said to identify with this role.

The only thing I could say for sure is that hell means separation from God. We are separated from his light, from his fellowship. That is going to be hell. When it comes to a literal fire, I don't preach it because I'm not sure about it. When the Scripture uses fire concerning hell, that is possibly an illustration of how terrible it's going to be-not fire but something worse, a thirst for God that cannot be quenched.

So what's the basis? If you, like many other Christians today, read the Bible in plain English devoid of context, you'll surely think otherwise. Just like this guy:

The Lord Jesus Christ spoke more about Hell than about Heaven, and He always described Hell in terms of fire and physical torment. This is not a matter that is up for debate. As for the idea that Hell is not a punishment imposed externally by God, that is absolute nonsense...Any man who denies or questions these plain biblical facts about Hell is a dangerous false teacher.

Those are some rather strong words. So let's see how this claim holds up.

Key Point One: Darkness

Hell is described as a place of darkness in Matthew 8:12, where it states "But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." This same phrase is repeated in Matthew 22:13 and 25:30.

Utter darkness and fire are obviously quite contradictory. Fire would no doubt get rid of the darkness.

Key Point Two: History

"But what about the 'weeping and gnashing of teeth?' What about the 'worm' that doesn't die, according to Mark 9:48?"

Well, contrary to what you might think, the "other descriptions of hell, such as people weeping and grinding their teeth, match with expressions of shame in the ancient world, but not physical pain." (Holding) So, in other words, that more correctly matches with an expression of rage, obviously due to the realization that you has made a terrible mistake. (Strobel 177) Again, this doesn't point to being in physical agony.

In Biblical times, countless animals were sacrificed every week in the Temple. They had a sewage system for all of the guts to flow out and it gathered in a single area, and there were worms constantly eating that disgusting mixture. So when Jesus referred to the worm in Mark, he was referring to how Hell would be worse than even such a disgusting of a place as that. (Strobel 176)

Key Point Three: Metaphors

Other uses of fire in the Bible are clearly metaphors. Take Hebrews 12:29 for example, where God is referred to as a "consuming fire." This is referenced from Deuteronomy 4:24, which adds "a jealous God." No one in their right mind would think that God is literally a burning fire, but rather a just God.

There's a verse that says that Jesus will come again with a sword in His mouth surrounded by flames. This is, yet again, a symbol for justice, the sword being judgement itself and the flames showing Christ coming in judgement. (Strobel 176)

So what makes the depictions of fire in Hell different? You have no doubt heard the metaphors comparing God or Jesus to water. Notice that the metaphor of judgement with fire and thirst fits right in with the metaphor of God's spirit as water. Or, to take it even further, think of your expression of embarassment or shame. When you say your face is "burning", that doesn't literally mean it is, but rather, it's flushed and red. (Holding)

So What IS Hell?

If it doesn't have burning fire, then what is it? I wouldn't say it's an actual, physical place. Put quite simply, it's a state of shame and complete separation from God. There will be incredible emotional torment, but not physical. And when you think about it, seperation from God is probably much worse than any physical pain you could encounter. Notice how Jesus Christ, during all the crucifixion process, beatings, whippings, disertion by his disciples, being spit on, etc, didn't cry out to God until he was covered in sin and His Father rejected him. "Why have you forsaken me?" he said. It was in the moment that God turned his back on Him that he found the burden overwhelming; it was His pinnacle of suffering (Dunn). He knew that, for the first time in his life, he was completely separated from God, and it was obviously quite unpleasant.

Think of how terrible of a world this is right now. The amount of sin is outrageous: underage drinking, drugs, pornography, rampant sex and pregnancy amongst the unmarried, murder, robbery, school shootings...The list goes on forever. You think God seems far away right now? Try taking him completely out of the picture. You have no way of interacting with Him and vice versa.

The thought is terrifying. And that's exactly why we need to step up as Christians and witness. Not because we're saving people from an eternity in fire...Because we're saving them from being out of God's presence for all time.

Conclusion

Due to the fact that flames would override the Biblical doctrine of darkness in Hell and result in contradiction, the verses citing fire making much more sense as metaphors, and the weeping and gnashing of teeth and worms matching historical expressions of shame and waste disposal, we can safely conclude that Hell is not a physical place of literal fire, but a state of shame and complete seperation from God, which is much worse than the former.

==============

1) Holding, James Patrick. "Answers in a Nutshell." Tekton Apologetics Ministries. 31 May 2006 . <http://www.tektonics.org/nutshell/nutshellhub.html#H>

2) Holding, James Patrick. "Torture in hell?" Tekton Apologetics Ministries. 31 May 2006 <http://www.tektonics.org/uz/2muchshame.html>

3) Strobel, Lee. The Case For Faith. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2000.

4) Dunn, Dr. Bruce W. "Will there literally be a burning fire in Hell?" Christian Answers. 31 May 2006. <http://www.christiananswers.net/q-grace/hell-fire.html>

===============

Coming Up Next: The Problem of Evil
Then: Why The Skeptical Answers to the Resurrection Just Don't Cut It