Hades, Hell, and Holy God

Is hell real? If so, is it really a place of burning torment and suffering? And why would a loving and forgiving God send anyone there to live in torment forever?

Atheists as well as some religious faiths deny the existence of a literal, fiery hell. Some believe that after a person dies they cease to exist and thus have no knowledge of the afterlife, while others consider hell to be a symbol of evil or the common grave that awaits those who are not bound for heaven. Though seventy-one percent of adults believe in hell, only one-third believe hell is "an actual place of torment and suffering where people’s souls go after death." Another thirty-nine percent believe hell is just "a state of eternal separation from God."¹

In Matthew 25:41, Jesus speaks of an "eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" and in Luke 16:19-31, He tells the story of a rich man who suffered torment in a place called Hades (verse 23) and complained of "agony in this fire (verse 24)." In Revelation 20:14, the apostle John mentions the "lake of fire" that death and Hades are thrown into. These verses, especially the latter two, lead us to conclude that Hades and Hell are different places. Dr. Charles Stanley, founder of In Touch Ministries, describes Hades as the the "loathsome holding tank" where those who have died without trusting Christ await the final Judgment, whereas hell is the final destination of those who have been "judged and found guilty" of not trusting Christ.²

Hades: The place of torment and agony where unbelievers go to wait for the final Judgment.
Hell: The final abode of Satan, his angels, and anyone who dies without trusting Jesus Christ as Savior.

Whether an unbeliever is in Hades, the lake of fire (which is another term for hell), or hell itself is irrelevant because these are places of eternal separation from God. The graphic reports of hell given in Scripture—such as the abyss (Revelation 9:1-11), the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14), the blackest darkness (Jude 13), the gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:30)—divulge the bleak reality of this eternal separation. Even Jesus when He was crucified experienced the reality of this separation when He cried out to His Father, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). Hell, no matter what you believe about it, is a place where all hope is lost. The Scriptures reveal that those who enter cannot return, for a great chasm has been fixed (see Luke 16:26).

There are literally millions who believe that God with His saving nature would not send anyone to hell.¹ But such thinking contradicts biblical teachings. People are not sent to hell for being bad any more than they are sent to heaven for being good. All of us are sinners and deserve hell (Romans 3:23). It is only by grace and through faith [in Jesus Christ] that we have been saved (Ephesians 2:8). People are sent to hell because God is holy and man is unholy. Holy God and unholy man are incompatible; they cannot coexist. If God allowed unholy man into His kingdom, He would have to change His very nature, and since God is unchangeable, his laws governing heaven and hell are unchangeable. To fix this dilemma, God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to change us and make us holy.³

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT)

Consider the account of Uzzah in 2 Samuel 6. Uzzah reached out to keep the ark of God from falling to the ground when the oxen stumbled. As a result of his action, God struck him dead (2 Samuel 6:6-7). Holy and unholy came into contact and unholy perished. The two were unable to coexist. Like Uzzah, we too are unable to coexist in the presence of a Holy God; that's why God sent Jesus Christ to bridge the gap between us and Him. Through believing in Jesus Christ, we are cleansed of the sin that makes us unholy. Think of it this way: God is perfect, but we are imperfect because of our sin. If God allowed us into heaven without a covering for our sins (Jesus Christ), heaven would be made imperfect and unchangeable God would have to change to coexist with sin. But the truth is God cannot change His nature, for He is holy and His laws are perfect. Nothing, not even time, can change that. We can change, but we must first believe that Jesus Christ came and died for our sins. Only then can we avoid being forsaken by God (in hell) and inherit eternal life in heaven.

What matters most is that we have two options as to where we will spend eternity after we die. Those options are either heaven or hell. Choose heaven by trusting in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and living a life that honors Him and His commands.

1. The Barna Group, "Americans Describe Their Views About Life After Death" (www.barna.org, October 21, 2003).
2. Charles F. Stanley, Charles Stanley’s Handbook for Christian Living (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1996) p. 245.
3. Ibid, p. 246.