Biblical Concept of Hell. William Hyland

When a believer ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ (in Christ Jesus) is asked, “What led you to become a Christian?”, the respondent to this simple question is apt to attribute his/her conversion to the internal work of the Holy Spirit. Even though this is biblically correct, it fails to inform the curious inquirer of the respondent’s physical, mental, and emotional states leading up to his/her epiphany’s occurrence. It often is helpful for the inquirer to learn what had allured the believer to commit the rest of his/her life to complying with, as well as conforming to, the statutes and commandments of an invisible deity. Personally speaking, this simple question is very penetrating for it goes to the core of my being; it addresses both my pre-conversion state of mind as well as my post-conversion internal “new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17), my “new self” (Ephesians 4:24), my new “heart of flesh”(Ezekiel 11:19). All believers, in one way or another, should be prepared to offer honest personal responses that address the various reasons for answering this simple inquiry.

Having attended a few vacation Bible schools in my preteen years, and thereby gaining a humanistic understanding of the Bible, I began to yearn for the “perfect peace” (Isaiah 26:3) which Psalm 23, particularly verses 2 and 3, portrays in broad-stroked pastoral glimpses of the freedom from sin, trouble, and fear Jesus has graciously promised to all who believe and strive to obey Him:

1 Freedom from need.

2 Pure, peaceful rest.

3 Freedom from sin’s corrupting power.

4 Comfort of the Lord’s security.

5 Loved by the Lord.

6 Perfect peace.

This Psalm coupled with Paul’s assurance in Romans 8:38–39 for years has epitomized my ideal goal and inspired me to dedicate my life to believing, trusting, and serving the Triune God of the Bible.

The purpose of this book, however, is to challenge a widely held notion among Christians about the post-life fate of nonbelievers: everlasting fiery torment in hell. I want to let the Scriptures inform us concerning to what one who rejects the Lord looks forward after dying, i.e., what is the essence of their hope for their future. The unrepentant sinner’s reticence to accept Christ’s gracious offer of forgiveness for, as well as freedom from, his/her sinning is based on this universal truth:

Paul: “…Our gospel is veiled…to those who are perishing [ἀπόλλυμι], in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving…” (2 Corinthians 4:3–4)

My cultural heritage had deemed certain words to be “taboo” for public utterance, “Damn!” and “Hell!” being two of them. Venturing through my childhood, though never once daring to say out loud these words, I unfortunately never learned why they were forbidden. In my late teens, and still an unbeliever, I worked two summers as a merchant marine aboard oil tankers and started to reject “Damn!” and “Hell!” as being socially vulgar and coarse as I do today, even as an adopted child of God. This stance has slowly piqued my curiosity enough to compel me to search the Scriptures for assurance that I have been, and still am, in no way offending the Lord with rare discretionary usage of these two words.

Now the traditional word of mouth description of “hell” many of us had pictured in our youth is the visualization of it being a confined space of imprisonment accentuated by roaring fires, showering brimstone, almost unbearable heat and scarcity of water. Definitely not a desirable destination for anyone, especially forever! Today, there’s a different description of hell; for instance, like that portrayed in the TV program Highway Thru Hell—the Coquihalla Highway in the upper Rocky Mountains of British Columbia during winters of subzero temperatures, black ice, and life-threatening situations both commercial truckers as well as their rescuers experience. And then there’s the classic folksy concept which portrays Saint Peter in heaven guarding its pearly gate entrance, next to which is the staircase for ineligible entrants that leads to a location below. Is there really any truth to these scenarios? If not, what is true about “hell”? I believe that any Christian evangelistic messages about “hell” must always be biblically verifiable out of respect both for man and for God. Sadly, though, such has not always been the case, and that is why I had undertaken a study of the Bible with “hell” as its focus. The outcome of my research has established the foundational nucleus of this book, with the unifying thread being an objective search for the existence and function of hell revealed in God’s Word.

My research began with the Westminster Confession of Faith, where in Chapter XXXII, section I, the Fathers wrote: “…And the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day.” As supporting references offered by the editor, these two stood out:

Jesus’s parable about a rich man who “in hades lifted up his eyes,

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Biblical Concept of Hell. William Hyland

Biblical Concept of Hell

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