FSTDT

8 Huge Myths about Hell

The reality of hell and eternal punishment is not a popular topic, even among Christians. Part of the problem is that the nature of hell has been horribly distorted in our culture and portrayed as an experience that is far from what we read in the NT. When I’m asked why I believe in hell, my response is three-fold.
First, I have such unshakable and robust confidence in the inerrant truth of every word in the Bible that the matter is already settled before I even read the text. I believe, as the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16, that “all Scripture [even texts such as Revelation 14:9-11] is breathed out by God and [is] profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
Second, by God’s grace I have come to understand, at least to some degree, the immeasurable magnitude and majesty of God’s holiness and beauty and authority and the honor that is due to him from all of his creatures, including you and me.
Third, again by God’s grace I have come to understand the immeasurable horror and ugliness and self-centeredness of humanity’s sin and depravity and wickedness.

If hell strikes you as unreasonable or unfair...

So I can honestly say that to the degree that you and I struggle with the concept of hell and eternal punishment is the degree to which we don’t understand God’s holiness and honor, on the one hand, or the horror and depravity of mankind’s sin, on the other. In other words, if hell strikes you as unreasonable or unfair or disproportionate, it can only be due to the fact that either you don’t believe the Bible is inspired and true, or you don’t believe that God is infinitely holy and just, or you don’t believe that mankind is morally depraved and has committed cosmic treason and is thus deserving of eternal condemnation.
As noted, contributing to the problem of hell are the numerous myths or false beliefs that surround it.
Here are eight of them:

Myth #1: Hell is a place to be united with unbelievers.

There is widespread belief among non-Christians that hell is a place where they will be united with their unbelieving friends and drink beer all the time in an endless party. The fact is that hell is a place of utter isolation, loneliness, and deprivation.

Myth #2: Hell is a place where Satan and his demons reign.

Another false belief is that hell is the place where Satan and his demons exercise their authority to rule and reign. The fact is that hell is the place where Satan and his demons suffer eternal punishment. Satan and his demons are inmates in hell, not its warden or guards. See Matthew 25:41 for one clear statement to that effect:
“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."

Myth #3: Satan and his demons will torment human beings in hell.

Directly related to the previous myth, there is the notion among many that in hell Satan and his demons torment human beings who also are there. No. There is not one text in the Bible that suggests Satan and his demons afflict or torment human beings. They themselves, instead, are the object of God’s punishment. There have been numerous books written by people who claim to have visited hell in which they describe a scene where demons are tormenting humans who have been consigned there. This should be the first indication to all careful, Bible-believing readers that such an experience is fabricated.

Myth #4: There are people in hell who want to reconcile with God.

Yet another misconception is that there are people in hell crying out for mercy who want to reconcile with God. Nothing in Scripture indicates this is so. Instead, those in hell are eternally defiant of God and hate him all the more with each passing moment.

Myth #5: There are people in hell who don't deserve to be there.

One of the more blasphemous notions about hell is that there are people in hell who don’t deserve to be there. Nothing could be farther from the truth. God’s justice is impeccable and he never consigns anyone to punishment in hell who does not fully deserve to suffer there.

Myth #6: There are people in hell who wanted to go to heaven.

A related myth is the notion that there are people in hell who wanted to go to heaven while they were still alive, but God wouldn’t let them. That is utterly false. Jesus himself made this clear when he said, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. . . . whoever comes to me I will never cast out . . . . For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:35, John 6:37b, John 6:40).

Myth #7: Hell holds people who will one day be released.

A seventh myth is that there are people in hell who will eventually be released and granted entrance into heaven. As much as we might wish this were true, it isn’t. The Bible does not teach the doctrine of universalism, that is, the idea that everyone will eventually be saved and given eternal life in the new heaven and new earth.

Myth #8: In hell, people will be rid of God.

Finally, there is the myth that in hell people will be rid of God and have no experience of him. That is not true. It is true they will have no experience of God’s loving and gracious presence, but they will most assuredly experience his presence in justice and wrath. In fact, we read in Revelation 14:10 that they will be tormented “in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb,” that is, in the presence of Jesus Christ. As John Piper has said, Revelation 14:10is not saying that “those in hell have the privilege of seeing what they enjoy, but that they have the remorse of seeing what they rejected.”

Hell should provoke anguish and urgency.

I’ll conclude with two brief observations. First, I can’t read biblical portrayals of hell and eternal punishment or think about it without feeling a deep and unrelenting agony in my heart. We should never talk about hell without weeping, for it is real and people are going there. This is not a subject for joking or lighthearted banter. It is an issue that should provoke within us both anguish and an urgent commitment to share the gospel with those who remain in unbelief.

Hell should provoke unfathomable gratitude.

My second reaction is one of unfathomable gratitude. When I read about hell in a passage like Revelation 14:9-11 I’m reading about what I deserve. God would have been perfectly just and righteous had he chosen to consign me to eternal torment. But in mercy he has drawn me to faith in his Son. In mercy he has poured out his wrath on Jesus in my place, a wrath and judgment that Jesus lovingly and willingly embraced and endured. Every single one of us deserves damnation. God owes us nothing but justice. The fact that he has given us mercy instead, and forgiveness instead of condemnation, ought to awaken in us the most heartfelt and passionate gratitude and praise.

Dr. David Kyle Foster #fundie #homophobia crosswalk.com

It is a constant mantra of activists, that people who are same-sex attracted are born that way and that there is no hope for change; i.e., they can never develop opposite-sex attractions or lessen their same-sex feelings.

No wonder the suicide rate among homosexuals is 3 to 5 times the average, even in locations around the world that are the most supportive of such a lifestyle! No hope is being given to the vast numbers of homosexuals who don’t want to be gay.

Their minds, bodies, and souls are telling them that there is something wrong with being sexually attracted to people whose bodies are not designed for committing such acts...so much so that every time a male homosexual commits one of the most common sexual acts on their partner, he actually damages the mind, soul, and body of that partner (1 Corinthians 6:18). When pressed, most any proctologist will admit to that, even those whose livelihoods depend on such patients.

Ask yourself, “Would a good God really create someone with an orientation to act in ways that He condemns and that does harm to his partners? Would a good God really create someone with an orientation that results in domestic violence rates, substance abuse rates, gay-related disease rates, and promiscuity rates that are off the charts in comparison to heterosexuals?" The questions answer themselves.

Cindi McMenamin #fundie crosswalk.com

King Solomon wrote a whole book on the meaninglessness of life. And among the few things he found meaningful for a man to enjoy were a good meal and pleasure with his wife. Now think about that! When you prepare a meal for your husband, isn’t it your desire that he enjoy it? Similarly, will you prepare yourself for him, physically, as his reward after dinner? God paid you quite a compliment when He gave you to your husband as your husband’s reward. God considered you a great prize to bring pleasure—in many ways—to your husband. That should make you and I want to be our husband’s reward, not his consolation prize.

Bruce N. Cameron #fundie #wingnut crosswalk.com

Some Christians go further and find the whole concept of supporting a union contrary to their understanding of New Testament teachings. Unions typically use strong tactics, often including violent strikes, to force employers to concede to their demands. Three of the giants of the New Testament, John the Baptist, Paul and Peter, cast serious doubt on whether a Christian should be a part of this kind of organization. John the Baptist, in Luke 3:14, counseled believers to be content with their wages. Paul, in Colossians 3:22-24, told believers to work for their master as if they were working for the Lord. Peter, in 1 Peter 2:18-24, counseled Christians to suffer indignity at the hands of masters rather than retaliate. A Christian who understands that working for the employer is like working for the Lord will view most union tactics with grave concern. Since believers are warned by Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 against being "yoked together" with those who do not accept Biblical teaching, many find it impossible to join or financially support a labor union.

Jerry Newcombe #fundie crosswalk.com

There were never school shootings when prayer was in school. Nothing even remotely like it. But now, for the most part, God has been thrown out of our public schools, and they have had to install the metal detector instead. Even that is not fail-proof ... I find it ironic that yesterday’s shooting would occur in the shadow of the 50th anniversary of the infamous school prayer decision. In June 1962, in Engel v. Vitale, the Supreme Court ruled that schools could not officially participate in prayer.

Specifically, the High Court banned this seemingly innocuous prayer: "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessing upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country."

...

As long as our schools don’t have a prayer, I suppose some of them need to have a sign installed out in front: Enter at your own risk.

Hope_of_Glory #fundie crosswalk.com

Although labor unions go against every single employer-employee relation example in the Bible, it never ceases to amaze me how Christians still try to justify their membership and support.

One lady I work with asked me why I'm opposed to them, and I told her the economic reasons (they devastate an economy and provide the opposite results for their members than they claim), but I laid out for her page after page of Scripture showing why they are wrong.

Her reply was, "I'll have to ask my priest about that".

She returned a couple of days later and her response was, "My priest says the same thing you do. But, that just can't be right!" (Her economics major son also says the same thing, but she rejects that as well.)

The Bible calls willful sin "lawlessness" and there is a higher level of accountability for this. A faithful Christian simply cannot join or support a labor union in any way.

You're known by the company you keep, and they are extortionists.

jxn.jerry #fundie crosswalk.com

With Mr. Obama as president, you might as well get ready for abortion clinics in every convenience store in America. This country is in big trouble because of the liberal attitude of its people. Our God is an awesome God, and He has put up with a lot of things that this country CONTINUES to practice without any repentance whatsoever. You think Hurricane Katrina was an accident? Do you think all of the disasters befalling this country are caused by "global warming"? God did not PUT Obama in the white house, He ALLOWED Obama to be put in the white house, because that's exactly what this country deserves. The USA is in big trouble with Jehovah God.

Regis Nicoll #fundie crosswalk.com

As the triumvirate of naturalism--Dawkins, Dennett and Harris--go about pronouncing religion terminal, others are predicting that Darwin's "dangerous idea"--long on life-support--is about to have the plug pulled.

According to Dr. John A. Davidson, emeritus experimental researcher in biology, Darwinism "has failed to survive the acid test of experimental verification" and is finished as a theory. How so? In Dr. Davidson's words, "It is now 147 years since the publication of Darwin's celebrated 'On the Origin of Species,' yet not a single species has been observed to be formed through the mechanism he proposed. That mechanism, the natural selection of randomly produced variations is apparently incompetent to transform contemporary species even into a new member of the same genus. The most intensive artificial selection has also proven to be unable to transcend the species barrier."

As I recall from my graduate radiobiology class, after zillions of generations of radiation-induced mutations on drosophila (the common fruit fly), three things resulted: deformed flies, unchanged flies , and dead flies. What was never observed was a bee, wasp, or sparrow. You're right, Dr. Davidson, the time to put Darwin's fanciful tale to rest is way past due.

www.crosswalk.com